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Sustainability Lesson Clearinghouse
How Trash Becomes Litter
Lesson Description:
- Explain the need to reduce the amount of trash they generate, and describe ways in which they can make changes in their actions to support waste reduction.
- Measure and compare the weight of common objects using non-standard units of measure.
- Collect, record, organize, and interpret data using a variety of graphic representations.
- Analyze collected data and draw logical conclusions.
- Use written and graphic representations to communicate their ideas and inform their audience about their actions to reduce waste.
Lesson Type:
- Discussion
- Other
Sustainability Topic:
- Waste Reduction
GEF Program Category:
- Waste Reduction Challenge
Time Needed:
30 minutes
30 minutes
Standards Addressed:
Technology Standard 3: Understand the relationship among science, technology, society and the individual.
Science Standard 10: Understand force and motion.
Science Standard 12: Understand the nature of scientific inquiry.
Health Standard 2: Know environmental and external factors that affect individual and community health.
Language Arts Standard 2: Use stylistic and rhetorical aspects of writing.
Language Arts Standard 6: Use reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of literary text.
Technology Standard 3: Understand the relationship among science, technology, society and the individual.
- Benchmark # 3: Know that man-made materials, products, and systems can affect the environment adversely, yet there are things that can be done to circumvent this process (e.g., disposing of waste properly).
Science Standard 10: Understand force and motion.
- Benchmark # 3: Know that the position of an object can be described by locating it relative to another object or the background.
- Benchmark # 5: Know things move in many different ways (e.g., straight line, circular motion).
Science Standard 12: Understand the nature of scientific inquiry.
- Benchmark # 1: Know learning can come from careful observation and simple experiments.
Health Standard 2: Know environmental and external factors that affect individual and community health.
- Benchmark # 1: Know the sources and causes of pollution in the community.
Language Arts Standard 2: Use stylistic and rhetorical aspects of writing.
- Benchmark # 1: Use descriptive words to convey basic ideas.
- Benchmark # 2: Use declarative and interrogative sentences in written compositions.
Language Arts Standard 6: Use reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of literary text.
- Benchmark # 1: Use reading skills and strategies to understand a variety of familiar literary passages and texts (e.g., picture books, predictable books,…).
- Benchmark # 5: Relate stories to personal experiences.
Materials Needed:
- Copy of “The Day the Trash Came Out to Play” by David Beadle
- Copies of picture cards provided below
- Grade appropriate writing paper
- Pencils
- Scissors
- Bulletin board similar to the sample shown in PDF below
- Push pins
Submitted By:
Green Education Foundation (GEF)
Green Education Foundation (GEF)
School or Group:
Green Education Foundation (GEF)
Green Education Foundation (GEF)
Contact Email:
service@greeneducationfoundation.org
service@greeneducationfoundation.org
