Curated OER
How Long Does Trash Last
Students work in cooperative groups to estimate how long trash lasts in a landfill. They study environmental consequences of not recycling and use graph-making software to create a graph that illustrates the lifespan of trash items...
Curated OER
Waste Management
Four different activities focus on the amount of trash generated and how humans can better manage waste. Learners analyze two days' worth of household garbage, test materials for biodegradability, and rate recyclability of various...
Curated OER
Recycling in Palm Beach County
Students investigate the recycling program in Palm Beach County. In this recycling lesson, students discuss how garbage is processed and identify the proper color-coded bins to place recyclables in.
PBS
Waste Audit
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...
Curated OER
Trash...it really piles up!
Students investigate a contemporary "midden" by analyzing trash collected from various sources and determining life-style choices people make. They see that reducing the amount of waste we generate is helpful to the the environment.
Curated OER
Trash on Texas Beaches
Young scholars take a field trip to a local Texas beach. Using the trash and debris they find, they classify them based on specific criteria. In groups, they calculate the total for each category and determine the percentage of each...
Curated OER
Police patrol the city's garbage
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...
Curated OER
Is there Treasure in Trash?
More people, more garbage! Young environmentalists graph population growth against the amount of garbage generated per year and find a linear model that best fits the data. This is an older resource that could benefit from more recent...
Curated OER
Slash Trash! Reducing, Reusing and Recycling Our Way to Zero Waste
The other "Three Rs" are covered in this instructional activity: 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...
Curated OER
Talkin' Trash
Use these lesson plans to illustrate the effects of trash on our environment and the ways in which we dispose of it.
Curated OER
Collective Noun
In this collective nouns instructional activity, students circle the collective nouns that best completes the 7 sentences. Students then read the sentences that use collective nouns as sentence openers.
Curated OER
Classifying Waste: What Kind is Mine?
Students discover what happens to their trash and garbage once it is collected off of the curb. In groups, they classify garbage and waste into seven different categories and estimate how much waste is created in each one. Using the...
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Beach Cleanup at a Local Beach
Students participate in an environmental clean-up activity. In this environmental instructional activity, students travel to a local beach. Working in small teams, students collect trash from the local beach. Returning to school,...
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Applied Science - Built Environment Lab
Students evaluate trash. In this Science lesson, students collect and weigh trash from their classrooms. Students categorize the trash and the corresponding weights, recording the information on a data sheet.
Curated OER
Waste Management
Students investigate the amount of trash they generate, the problems that result and possible solutions.They complete four activities regarding household trash, biodegradability, packaging, and recycling.
Curated OER
Recycling
Students explore the recycling process. For this recycling lesson, students gain understanding of how garbage is disposed of. Students makes lists of things that can be recycled. Students discuss how animals and plants are damaged by...
Curated OER
Trash to Gas
Middle schoolers experiment with biomass materials as alternative energy sources. In this biomass material lesson, students participate in an experiment with cow manure to determine how it can be used as an energy source. They record...
Curated OER
Why Should I Waste My Time Separating Garbage?
Students discuss the differences in the types of garbage. They use these differences to separate a sample of garbage. Partners then investigate the characteristics of landfills by searching on the Internet and by creating your own...
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Where does our trash come from?
Students interview the school custodian to get information about the trash found in the school community. In this trash lesson plan, students work in groups to analyze the content of a waste basket, see where the trash goes and...
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Talking Trash - Marine Debris
Young scholars bring in different trash items and define "marine debris" through a discussion about these items. They categorize debris and use statistics and graphing to better explain the types and amounts of marine debris found each yea
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The Trash We Pass
Students engage in a study of trash and how it is disposed of in the environment. They also research the impact of recycling and its effects upon the disposal amounts. Students calculate the advantages of recycling using real world...
Berkshire Museum
Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle: Sorting Through Personal Choices
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...
Teach Engineering
Where Are the Plastics Near Me? (Field Trip)
With a piece of plastic here and a piece of plastic there, here a piece, there a piece, everywhere a piece. Teams go on a field trip in order to document the locations and kinds of plastic trash in an area near them. The eighth...
Curated OER
"Shadow Art"
Now here is an art project I would totally enjoy. It includes the use of two very inexpensive materials, shadows and junk! The class uses collected junk and a light source to create a positive space image and its shadow. They will...