Curated OER
How Will We Create a Future without Waste?
Many young people act globally by reducing, reusing, and recycling, Now they take it to the next level by upcycling. Middle schoolers design a proposal to eliminate waste by exploring the new material cycle and applying...
California Academy of Science
Where Do I Put My Trash?
Where does the trash go after you put it in the garbage can? The class discusses sustainability, recycling, compost, and landfills as they play as fun relay game. In teams, they race to be the fastest group to successfully sort...
Curated OER
Protecting the Environment
Learners explain what biodegradable materials are and list examples of them. They design, with online partners' feedback and input, a product made of biodegradable materials and develop a marketing campaign to best sell their product.
Curated OER
Canvas Dinnerware
Take recycling to a new height. Learners use china or plastic dinnerware from thrift stores to create great works of art. They discuss great works of art, talk about techniques, and design their own piece.
Curated OER
Where is Away?
Focusing on where are garbage goes once we dispose of it, learners explore environmental concerns. Using a clear format, this lesson leads learners through a discussion of waste reduction, recycling, and composting. Then, they discuss...
Curated OER
Soaring Towers
How tall can your tower get? Implement shapes, building strategies, teamwork, and prediction in this interactive tower activity. Learners discuss past experiences with stacking materials, recalling ways they kept it from falling over....
Curated OER
Puzzle Trees
Elementary artists use a collage and multi-media technique to create textured trees. They study the fall trees, discussing texture and what bare trees look like. They then use a variety of materials to create a textural piece.
Curated OER
A Master Production
Students create an "art garment" incoporating personal writings and found quotes with images of life and dreams on a disposable or recycled garment. This lesson includes scoring rubric.
Clean Up Australia
Why are Batteries Harmful to the Environment?
Open this lesson by reading together about primary and secondary batteries (such as nickel-cadmium cells), problems they can cause in the environment, and how humans can minimize the damage. Afterward, little ones examine a collection of...
Curated OER
Sculptures from the Skies
Fourth graders research the design of the aircraft used by the Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk. They design a sculpture of aircraft using recycled materials.
Curated OER
What's Organic?
Learners discuss background information presented by the teacher and read dictionary definitions for the words "organic" and "synthetic." In this gardengin lesson, students complete a worksheet on the material. Learners grow and compare...
Curated OER
Pop Bottle Flowers
Students make flowers from art materials. They use construction paper and paint to create a t-shirt with the flowers on it. They use a pop bottle to create the petals.
Curated OER
Tissue Paper Puzzle Art
Get creative and use a tissue paper collage to make wonderful window hangings for the classroom. You'll find the materials list, objectives, and instructions needed to complete this fun activity. This project encourages eye-hand...
Curated OER
Toothpick Sculpture
You'll be surprized at how much engineering, design, and creativity can go into a toothpick and a marshmallow. Learners make toothpick sculptures where they construct three-dimentional models by sticking marshmallows and toothpicks...
California Academy of Science
Energy: A Day in My Life
If only we could harness the energy of fifth graders, our energy problems would be over! The class discusses where different forms of energy come from and how we use them. They complete a chart of the activities that they do daily...
Curated OER
Stamp It!
Students explore environmental issues through art. For this stamp lesson, students use preconsumer waste paper and colored pencils to create rubber stamp designs. This is an environmentally safe lesson.
Curated OER
Trash Flash Through Time
Students describe ways in which solid waste was disposed in the past and the present. They survey an older citizen about his/her solid waste disposal methods. They discover solid waste practices from long ago.
Curated OER
Our Natural Resources
Students investigate natural resources and man-made items. In this earth science lesson, students classify items from trash into man-made items or natural resources. Students construct a flow chart to investigate the life cycle of a...
Curated OER
All Wrapped Up
Students explore packaging. In this cross-curriculum lesson, students bring in samples of food packaging and identify the packaging as natural or manufactured.
Curated OER
Resources
In this resources instructional activity, students review renewable and nonrenewable resources. Students also review how resources can be conserved. This instructional activity has 7 terms in a crossword puzzle, 3 true or false, and 10...
Curated OER
Where Is Away?
Students explore ways to dispose of trash. In this lesson plan, students discuss where trash goes when it leaves their house and other inappropriate ways to dispose of trash. Students brainstorm ways to produce less waste.
Curated OER
The Akron Global Polymer Academy Lesson Plan Format
Students identify types of garbage that will decompose quickly and the ones that do not. In this decomposing lesson students observe and record the photo degrading of six pack rings.
Curated OER
Whatsit?
Students create something useful and/or decorative from throwaway items brought in from home.
Curated OER
Making Your Own Sampling Tools
Students examine cause-and-effect relationship between human attitudes and behavior in the environment. They also assist citizens in increasing their sensitivity and stewardship for the environment.