Curated OER
The Waste-Free Lunch
Reusable packaging for school lunches seems like a wonderful and eco-friendly idea; however, some children are being chastised for not following one school's guidelines. This New York Times article engages learners in reading...
Curated OER
Save the Earth: It's Everyone's Home!
Students organize a donation drive based on the concept of reusing items for an animal shelter. In this reusing items lesson plan, students distinguish between reusable and non reusable items, have a donation drive, and use the...
Curated OER
Recycling: Creative Uses for Items
Third graders list creative uses for old objects. In this recycling lesson, 3rd graders work in groups to brainstorm creative, new uses for old, everyday items. This is the first lesson in a unit on recycling.
Curated OER
Trash Disposal Choices
Students determine the differences between reusable, compostable and recyclable trash.
Teach Engineering
Trash to Treasure!
One person's trash is another man's treasure. Challenge your class to build something useful out of the trash they throw away on a regular basis. Groups design and build a practical item from trash they collect, allowing the class to...
SF Environment
Waste-Less Lunch
Is it possible to have a waste-less lunch? Can your class become leaders in conservation? Discuss the importance of reducing waste during lunch time with a fun lesson that can be extended to everyday practices. First the class examines...
Perkins School for the Blind
Grocery Shopping
Grab those reusable bags, it's time to go shopping! Intended to foster independent living skills in learners with visual impairments, the lesson covers several topics related to grocery shopping. They start by planning a meal, reading...
American Museum of Natural History
Be a Water Saver
Everyone must do their part to make a difference. The lesson link provides an 11-item questionnaire to reflect on conservation practices. Simple and straightforward, the lesson is perfect as a remote learning resource or as a tool for an...
Curated OER
Life After Trash
Students explain how recycling cuts down on greenhouse gases, and explore the consequences of global warming. In this global warming lesson students divide into teams and create a useful product made out of recyclable items.
Curated OER
Recycling
In this recycling worksheet, students sort a list of items as either trash or something that can be reused, recycled, or used in composting. This worksheet has 5 fill in the blanks in a chart.
Curated OER
Save the Earth, it's Everyone's Home!
Students examine trash for items to recycle and reuse. In this trash lesson plan, students explore how people in the community can use recycled and reused items as they play a recycling game.
Curated OER
Solid Waste Recycling
Students plan a "no garbage" lunch and hold a classroom contest to sort grabage into what can and what can't be recycled. They assess the importance of reducing the amount of garbage in the environment and set up a book recycling program.
Curated OER
Trash Bashing
Students define trash, garbage, or solid waste, discuss ways of disposing of trash, list examples of biodegradable materials, and have trash relay race in order to sort trash into appropriate containers labeled biodegradable, reusable,...
Curated OER
How do people use ecosystems and their resources?
Young scholars examine how natural resources are reusable, renewable or nonrenewable. In this ecosystems activity students see the effects humans have on ecosystems and complete an art activity activity.
Curated OER
Recycling Responsibility
Students practice recycling. In this character counts instructional activity, students discuss why students should be responsible about recycling. They cut out pictures from a magazine showing items that can be recycled.
Curated OER
Reusing Winter Waste
Students use waste materials to build a snowman decoration. In this reusing lesson plan, students create a new object out of disposable items left over from the holidays. Students discuss ways of cutting down waste. Students understand...
Curated OER
JUST THROW IT AWAY!
Students different types of reusable trash containers to class. They use the pieces of trash to create something like a bird feeder. They discuss other ways of reusing items to generate less garbage.
Curated OER
Throwing It All Away?
Students read a New York Times article as part of their investigation as to what happens when an item is thrown away or recycled. They analyze the relationship between a product's ingredients and its effect on the Earth and healthful...
Curated OER
Lunchroom Trash
Students explore the amount of waste produced by humans. In this ecology lesson plan, 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...
Curated OER
Litter Prevention
Students determine why litter is undesirable and that littering is a behavior that can be changed. They rank a variety of litter items from "most undesirable" to "least undesirable" and discuss their reasoning. They group the "litter"...
Curated OER
Trash Disposal Choices
Students investigate the use of landfills. In this landfill use and recycling instructional activity, students discuss what happens to trash and junk. They review the types of trash before categorizing a list of items they throw away...
Curated OER
The Rotten Truth
Students study the process of decomposition using lunch leftovers and soil. They complete the inquiry over set periods time as they observe the how composting takes place and finally, they sort the materials into biodegradable,...
Curated OER
Reduce and Reuse
Learners conduct a lunch waste audit by recording each item they throw away at lunch. They graph class lunch waste. They use this information to devise a plan of action to reduce lunch waste. There is also an activity to make paper.
Curated OER
Think Before You Toss
Students sort a variety of trash items and determine thier sorting decisions.