Curated OER
Leaky Landfills
Young scholars build a model landfill. For this ground pollution lesson, students use soda bottles to build a model of a landfill. Young scholars observe their model over a period of two weeks and determine safety problems that come from...
Forest Foundation
Waste Not - Want Not
Recycling is the focus in the sixth of a nine-lesson series devoted to forest ecosystems. Class members read an article about the responsible use of natural resources and ways to reduce land fill.
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Waste Watchers
Learners recognize the importance of saving energy to save natural resources. In this saving energy lesson, students complete a worksheet to find types of electricity meters in their homes. Learners use meter readings to calculate energy...
Curated OER
Message in the Waves :Two Earth Day Lessons for Middle School Students
Fifth graders are introduced to Earth day and study the nesting colonies of Midway. In this Earth Day lesson students watch an online clip and see the effects our waste has on wildlife.
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Garbage in the Garden
Students create their own compost. In this soil lesson, students fill a bag with waste and soil, in order to create a mini compost bin. Students observe the baggies over a 6 week period, they record their findings and collect data on...
Curated OER
The Quest for Magic Minutes
Seventh graders explore ways to manage their time. As a class, they brainstorm time-wasters that keep them from their responsibilities. In teams, they design one time-saver for each time-waster. Afterward, they design a commercial based...
Curated OER
Slash Trash! Reducing, Reusing and Recycling Our Way to Zero Waste
The other "Three Rs" are covered in this lesson: reduce, reuse, and recycle. Over four weeks, conservationists collect data about waste in their own homes. They combine their findings with those of other students in order to analyze...
Curated OER
Recycling and Waste Reduction
Students investigate recycling and waste reduction and its positive impact on the environment. In this environmental science lesson, students determine how and why materials are recycled. They apply their knowledge by making their own...
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Life Science- Useful Waste
Fourth graders explore the topic of waste and recycling. In this useful waste lesson, 4th graders classify objects and sort them into most usable and least usable categories. Students complete an activity sheet and have a discussion on...
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Recycling Responsibility
Students practice recycling. In this character counts lesson, students discuss why students should be responsible about recycling. They cut out pictures from a magazine showing items that can be recycled.
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Water Conservation
Students identify ways to conserve water. In this environmental lesson, students use a water use checklist to identify how much water they use in one day. Students analyze the data and brainstorm ways to conserve water.
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How Long Until Dirt
Third graders examine the difference between composting and wasting food. They problem-solve what to do about leftovers after lunches so good food doesn't go to waste.They study food storage techniques that are environmentally friendly...
Curated OER
The Total Package
Students design streamlined packaging designed to reduce waste production. In this waste reduction lesson, students view a diagram to introduce the concept of the engineering design process and discuss ways that packaging can be useful....
Baylor College
Heart Rate and Exercise
What is the relationship among the heart, circulation, and exercise? Your class members will explore first-hand how different physical exercises affect an individual's heart rate. They will begin by learning how to measure their own...
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Pollution
Young ecologists investigate some of the many ways that human activities adversely affect the environment. After identifying the main types of pollution (air, water, soil), 3rd graders fill in a Venn Diagram by pasting cut-out pictures...
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What Will Biodegrade?
Students create their own landfill where they observe materials that will and won't biodegrade. In this biodegrading lesson, students discuss the concept of a landfill and what materials biodegrade into soil and which ones stay in the...
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The Urban Explosion
Students investigate the uncontrolled development of the world's major cities. They define key vocabulary terms, view and discuss video excerpts, and complete a project that involves drawing a "perfect city," developing a plan to...
Curated OER
What Is The Concept?
Students systemically determine the concept that the waste items placed in a "yes" category are biodegradable and those in the "no" category are not. This activity is a motivating way to introduce a unit on wastes by having students use...
Curated OER
I'm Warm Now
Third graders graph how much water is wasted while waiting for it to get warm in the spigot in the sink. In this graphing lesson plan, student first predict how much water is wasted. That night they test it out at home and the next day...
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Let's Build a Worm Bin
Learners explore the process of decomposition. In this ecology and measurement instructional activity, students prepare a worm home to be used for vermicomposting. Learners weigh a group of worms and the added food, recording this...
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Collective Compromise
Students explore the concept of philanthropy. In this service learning instructional activity, students examine what to do with waste as they plan and implement a strategy for controlling their school's trash.
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Solid Waste in Canada
Students develop an understanding of waste and its effects. For this managing waste lesson students participate in one of a few activities including creating a poster, summarizing an article or writing a research paper.
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Reduce and Respect!
Students examine how to reduce trash to help the environment. In this environment lesson, students listen to the story, The Wartville Wizard, before thinking about how they can reduce trash. They decide why it is important to reduce...
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Lunchroom Trash
Students explore the amount of waste produced by humans. In this ecology lesson, students predict which lunch bag and its contents will produce the most waste. Leftover material is examined, amounts are recorded, and a bar graph is...