Where does our garbage go? What is the difference between a recyclable and non-recyclable item? Pose these important, but often overlooked, questions to your class and invite them to consider the lasting and damaging effects of the...

Trash can talk! Young archaeologists dig through their trash to see what it reveals about their lives. After they examine their midden, links permit users to test their knowledge of archaeology with a 10-questions quiz, learn how...

Can a good bug ever become a bad bug? An elementary entomology resource explores what to do when too many ladybugs or too many bees are in your home and can become a problem.

Students conduct a scientific investigation about organic or inorganic waste.  In this organic or inorganic waste lesson, students create a compost heap to determine the difference between inorganic and organic waste. Students...

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is one of several garbage patches around the world where garbage accumulates naturally. As part of a GIS unit that combines oceanography, environmental science, and life science, class members investigate...

Here are two fun and attractive displays that you can use in your classroom to identify the trash and recycling bins.

Define vocabulary related to global waste. Creative thinkers review and illustrate terms for the Global Garbage Picture Dictionary. They play a vocabulary game in which co-operative skills among players in encouraged. A great way to...

Reduce, reuse, recycle, and recover. Young environmentalists learn about the overwhelming amount of garbage produced and discover better ways to minimize their impact on Earth by learning the difference between garbage and...

We take paper for granted, while thousands of trees are being made into the paper we toss in the trash. Start a dialogue about paper reduction and recycling in class, and share the negative effects paper production has on our...

Students debate the pros and cons of police searching the trash of suspected drug dealers. Students collect background information, and students interview city officials and garbage collectors. Students develop a strategic plan for...

In this recognizing the importance of recycling instructional activity, students complete a cryptograph, read facts about milk and juice cartons, and read about making crafts from trash. Students write 10 answers.

Ninth graders identify different sources of renewable and nonrenewable energy. In this math lesson plan, learners calculate their own carbon footprint based on the carbon dioxide they create daily. They use statistics to analyze data on...

Robots and their interactions with their human counterparts are the catalyst for a fun writing instructional activity. First, the class brainstorms what they'd like to have their personal robot do or be capable of. Then, they each write...

What's the best way to collect all that trash? A culminating activity has scholars use the knowledge and skills from the unit to design a solution to the plastic trash island problem. They use 3-D pens or a 3-D printer to build models of...

A read-aloud anthology closely examines human impact on the Earth while boosting reading comprehension skills. Through stories, scholars examine the concepts of natural resources, pollution, garbage, and recycling and brainstorm...

Though it comprises only 5 percent of the world's population, the US generates 40 percent of the world's waste. Scholars learn about landfills, their safety, and other solid waste methods. They use experiments and research to learn more....

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,...

Students examine amount of garbage disposed of by average household weekly, classify different categories of garbage and describe composition of landfills, investigate what happens to waste after it is collected by garbage trucks, and...

Students identify how different cultures deal with the challenge of trash. Read an excerpt from a chapter book based on real life written from the Southern Indian perspective. Describe the life of a street child in Southern India....

Raise children's awareness about the importance of conservation with this hands-on science lesson. Start by breaking the class into groups and having them collect trash from around the school or local park. Students then use the provided...

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...

Does everything in the trash can belong there? Conduct a waste audit with your class by collecting a day's worth of garbage, separating it into recyclables, non-recyclables, or food waste, and properly distributing what they find into...

Examine the nature of landfills through experimentation. Scholars build miniature landfills and monitor changes over a six-week period. Observations allow individuals to draw conclusions about the different types of trash and their...

Sorting is a very important skill that can be used in math and even science. Learners get familiar with some environmentally friendly vocabulary terms as they practice separating objects that can be recycled from those that can't. They...