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Home Education K-12 Lesson Clearinghouse Grades 3-5 Social Studies Going in Cycles: The Life of an Aluminum Can

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Sustainability Lesson Clearinghouse

Going in Cycles: The Life of an Aluminum Can

Lesson Description:
  • To give students a better understanding of aluminum, a nonrenewable but recyclable resource they use every day.
  • To review the concept of cycles with students.
  • To give an overview of the life cycle of aluminum and aluminum cans.
  • To introduce the concept of closed-loop recycling as it pertains to aluminum cans and set the stage for learning about lightweighting.
Lesson Type:
  • Discussion
  • Other
Sustainability Topic:
  • Waste Reduction
Time Needed:
Part One: 30-35 minutes Part Two: 30-35 minutes
Standards Addressed:
  • Subject areas: science, social studies, language arts, math, citizenship
  • Skills: discussion, observation, cycle recognition, problem solving, inquiry, sequencing, persuasive reasoning, kinesthetic concept development, research, reporting
Materials Needed:
  • Dead leaves in several stages of breakdown (or take a short trip to a wooded area near the school to collect layers of earth and leaves)
  • Chalkboard or flipchart (prepare drawings of cycles ahead of time)
  • World map for identifying sources of bauxite ore and aluminum production
  • Science notebooks for drawing cycles
  • Clay for model can making exercise
  • Aluminum can recycling handout
  • Science notebooks for drawing cycles
Submitted By:
Green Education Foundation (GEF) on Behalf of Greenville County Government Online
School or Group:
Greenville County Government Online
Contact Email:
service@greeneducationfoundation.org
Notes:
http://www.cancentral.com/canc/nontext/lesson3.htm
Located in: Social Studies

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