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Recommended grade level: 4 -12
Time required: 3-5, 50 minute class periods
Background
Once your paper-recycling program is off the ground, an important issue
is increasing participation. Increased participation means more people
are “thinking resource not trash.” In this lesson students
will produce an informative and persuasive article on your recycling
program that is ready for publication. By combining this real-world
motivation with a communication arts lesson, students and your school
are sure to benefit, in many ways.
Goals
By the end of this activity students will understand:
- The purpose of a written article can be to inform or to persuade
- Surveying is a method used to gather information
- Effective communication can improve the results of a project
Objectives
By the end of this activity students will be able to:
- Identify whether an article was written to inform or to persuade
- List paper-recycling issues in your building
- Collect and quantify data to evaluate the current status of your
recycling project
- Incorporate statistics into their article
Classroom Waste Audit
Recommended grade level: 4-12
Time required: Minimum of three class periods for waste audit
alone, additional time depending on depth and scope of project.
Purpose
This activity will introduce students to the issues of solid waste
at your school. After collecting and sorting a representative sample
of your school's trash, students brainstorm the most effective way to
reduce the solid waste generated in classrooms (and offices). During
this lesson, students will exercise critical thinking skills in solving
real life problems through use of the scientific method.
Goals
At the end of this lesson students will understand:
-
Individual choices can have a large impact overall
-
Recycling can be an effective way to reduce the
amount of solid waste
-
Awareness affects people's actions
Objectives
At the end of this lesson students will be able to:
-
Identify the major components of classroom trash
-
List items that can be recycled from classroom waste
-
Determine and limit the number of variables in an
scientific study
-
Quantify and analyze results of the initial and
follow-up audit
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