All Trashed Out

All Trashed Out

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Teacher’s Guide

Developed by:Alice Aldridge, Jackie Brener, Laurie Kuklinski,

Becky Merrill, Philip Short

Edited by: Philip Short, Leesa Hagen, Michael Schneider, Ann Scates

M.A.S.H.

Math And Science Hands-On

A Science Literacy Project

Funded By:Illinois State Board of Education

University of Illinois, Center for Solid Waste Management and Research

Sponsored By:Regional offices of Education

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

ESC Project Team: SIUE Project Team:Director: Michael SchneiderCoordinator: Kathy DerangoConsultants: Barbara Goldenherseh Dr. Andrea Williams Joan Barrett

Director: Dr. David WinnettCoordinator: Ann ScatesSpecialist: Dr. Virginia BryanConsultants: Dr. William P. Ahlbrand Dr. Lela DeToye Dr. Thomas Jewett Dr. Robert Williams

In Cooperation with Regional SuperintendentsThe Honorable Harry Briggs, Jr.The Honorable James Carpenter The Honorable Russell MasinelliThe Honorable Martha O’MalleyThe Honorable Larry Wolfe

Madison CountyMonroe/Randolph CountiesMacoupin CountySt. Clair CountyClinton/Washington Counties

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Item Quantity10 Gallon Container 150 Simple Things Kids Can Do To Save The Earth

1 book

Aluminum foil, 25 ft 1 packAluminum pan, 9 x 13 1Aquarium, plastic square 6Buttons, plastic 6Condiment cup, 5 1/2 oz 10Cotton cloth, 1/4 yd 1*Garbage bags, 30 gal 3*Gum, 1 pk each of 6 different brands 6 packsMarbles 6Masking tape 1 rollMeasuring cup, plastic 1Paper clips 1 box*Paper lunch bags 40Plastic cup, 9 oz 30Plastic wrap 1 roll*Potting soil, 5 lb 1 bagRolling pin 1*Sand, 2 cups 1 lbScotch tape 1 roll*Small lake rock 1 baggieTeacher guide 1Thermometers - metal 5Tongue depressors 6Window screen, 7 x 11 (F) 2 pcsWire strainer, small 1

*Consumable **These items are consumable after a number of uses.

Teacher supplied:

• Blender• Large cardboard box (7)• Crayons/markers• Glue (1 bottle) • Meter stick • Newspapers

Supplies List

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Table of ContentsM.A.S.H. at a Glance ................................................................................................................ 5Major Purpose ...........................................................................................................................7Objectives .................................................................................................................................7Safety Poster ............................................................................................................................ 8Classroom Management Techniques ........................................................................................ 9All Trashed Out Test .................................................................................................................11All Trashed Out Test Answer Key .............................................................................................. 17

ACTIVITIES:ACTIVITY #1: The 3 R’s... Reduce/Reuse/Recycle .....................................................................23ACTIVITY #2: Useful Trash Activity ......................................................................................... 26ACTIVITY #3: “Class”-y Trash ..................................................................................................30ACTIVITY #4: What’s the Wrap? ..............................................................................................33ACTIVITY #5: Perfect Packaging ............................................................................................ 36ACTIVITY #6: Second Time Around ........................................................................................ 39ACTIVITY #7: New News is Good News .................................................................................. 44ACTIVITY #8: “Litter” Known Facts .........................................................................................47ACTIVITY #9: It’s Happening at the Dump ..............................................................................51ACTIVITY #10: Now You See It, Now You Don’t.. Sometimes ...................................................57ACTIVITY #11: Compost Magic ............................................................................................... 60Glossary ................................................................................................................................. 62

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M.A.S.H. at a Glance

Introduction

This section is written to provide you with a quick overview of the major curriculum elements around which the M.A.S.H. Kits are designed. The acronym M.A.S.H. represents Math And Science Hands-on. M.A.S.H. Kits were developed through a cooperative effort among local school districts, Educational Service Center Region 16, and Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville and originated from a regional Title II Science Cooperative. Funding by the Illinois State Board of Education through a Science Literacy Grant provided development, piloting, and revision of these kits, designed to meet the needs of teachers wanting to teach activity-based science in southwestern Illinois. Specifically, these needs were identified as: availability and cost of materials, lack of time needed to teach science inquiry, and teachers’ limited background in science. The thrust of development focused on these needs. The key elements of the M.A.S.H. Kit program are: scope and sequence of fundamental science concepts, alignment with state goals, emphasis on science process skills, cooperative learning, integration of language arts, opportunity to apply mathematics skills in real problem solving situations, teacher ownership, and alternatives in assessment. Special recognition should be given to the exemplary science kit program from Schaumburg Illinois School District 54, for their initial assistance and ideas.

Scope & Sequence

Each kit is developed around a fundamental theme in science that can be matched to concepts covered in most textbooks. Students explore these central themes as they complete approximately ten developmentally appropriate, process-based activities. The primary sequence introduces a theme from life, physical, or earth science. The intermediate kits further develop these same themes. Middle school kits continue to reinforce these same basic themes while utilizing a higher level of technology.

State Goals

The M.A.S.H. Kits were developed by Illinois educators primarily to assist classroom teachers in meeting the educational needs of their students. As a result, each investigation’s instructional objectives focus upon the Illinois State Goals for Learning. These goals include the basic concepts and fundamental skills in science, mathematics, social studies, language arts, fine arts, health, and physical education. Each investigation has been carefully selected to prepare students to meet or exceed Illinois goals. At the beginning of each of the activities the specific goals and objectives addressed by that activity has been identified and referenced.

Science Process Skills

The activities in the kits address the science process skills necessary for students to utilize when learning science: observe, measure, classify, infer, predict, communicate, formulate hypothesis, experiment, and interpret data.

Cooperative Learning

The instructional approach utilized in this curriculum is one of having students work in cooperative groups. It is recommended that the size of your cooperative groups not exceed four students. Many educational benefits occur when students work together in groups to investigate and solve problems. Cooperative learning more closely resembles the way individuals work together to solve problems in the real world. Another important reason for the use of cooperative groups is to make the acquisition, costs, and management of materials reasonable for the classroom teacher.

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Language Arts

Students read about, talk about, and write about the exciting science activities they are doing. This additional use of language along with the science investigation, reinforces the students’ understanding of the scientific principles being explored. Not only do many of the kits include their own science-related books, but an additional list of resources is located in the introduction of each kit guide.

Mathematics

Many of the science investigations result in an opportunity for the students to apply mathematics skills in a variety of ways. Students are encouraged to quantify their observations with metric measurements; record and report those same observations with charts, tables, and graphs. Often times students will need to apply mathematical operations to solve problems or answer questions.

Alternatives in Assessment

The Unit Test provided in this guide can be used to determine students’ understanding of the major concepts dealt with in the kit. Unit Tests use a variety of different questions such as multiple choice, fill in the blank, short answer, etc. The Unit Test may be given in a pre-post type format to determine: 1) the increase of students’ understanding as a result of this unit and 2) clarify students’ prior skills and knowledge to determine the direction instruction should take. Kits also include a performance based assessment that gives teachers the opportunity to observe what students actually can do with the science concepts and skills they have learned.

Teacher Ownership

The success of this program has been strongly dependent upon teacher ownership, especially at the very beginning of the projects’ early stages of developing, piloting, and editing of the core activities. Continued teacher ownership has resulted in the creation of extension activities which provide additional instructional opportunities in all curricular areas. These extensions continue to be developed by classroom teachers using the M.A.S.H. kits. Materials for these activities may or may not be included in the kit. If you have a great extension idea for a kit activity, please send it to us at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Box 2226, Edwardsville, IL. 62026.

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Major Purpose

All “Trashed” Out is a unique educational hands-on program developed to involve primary age children in various activities dealing with solid waste. It is increasingly evident that saving the Earth from an environmental disaster is crucial. Today’s youth should be made aware of the importance of environmental resources and the impact of a person’s dependency on and relationship with the environment. All “Trashed” Out should further encourage primary students to make their own personal statement and response to the environment through increased awareness of reducing, reusing, recycling, and/or composting of solid waste materials.

The following activities offer easy ways to incorporate environmental topics-integrating math, science, social studies, art, and language arts. From sorting trash, to creating landfills, to making recycled paper, students participate in environmental conservation at all levels. All “Trashed” Out not only provides ways for students to learn about the environment, but it also encourages them to become actively involved in the world around them.

Objectives

After completing All “Trashed” Out, a student will be able to:

Generally:

• identify reducing, reusing and recycling trash as solutions to the solid waste problem

• determine the mass of objects• graph data• participate usefully in the environmental movement to help save and protect our

world

Specifically:

• sort trash for recycling• distinguish between trash items which are useful waste and non-useful waste• classify different types of packaging or excess packaging according to their ability to

be recycled• describe the importance of trees to the environment and therefore the reasons for

recycling• distinguish between materials which decompose and those which do not

decompose in landfills• describe the difference between biodegradable material and non-biodegradable

material

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These safety rules may be discussed and posted during science activities or the teacher may have the class generate a list of safety procedures to follow.

SAFETY POSTER:

1. Listen to your teacher’s instructions.2. Don’t touch or pick up any materials unless your teacher tells you to.3. Follow directions.4. Ask your teacher for help if you need it.5. Cooperate with a partner or with your group.6. Never put anything in or near your eyes or mouth.7. Clean up work area and return all materials to their proper places. 8. AIways walk in the science area.9. Talk quietly in groups.10. Tell your teacher immediately in case of accidents.11. BE CAREFUL!!!

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Cooperative Learning: Classroom Management Techniques

1. In order for your students to complete the activities successfully, it is essential that they know, and follow, the ten rules for group work:

• Move into groups quietly, without bothering others• Use quiet voices• Stay with your group• Everyone does a job• Everyone shares the work• No one is bossy• Everyone shares materials• Everyone shares ideas• Take turns talking• Care about others’ feelings

2. Initially avoid competition between groups. This can be accomplished by carefully selecting groups in a variety of manners — randomly (i.e. by birthdays), by students’ abilities, or by allowing the students to choose groups for themselves. It is important to note that if the final technique is used to form groups, the students must be made aware that if their group does not perform adequately or productively, alternative selection methods will be employed (i.e. teacher selection).

3. Clearly define the task to be done.

4. Be sure there is a “product” connected with the group activity.

5. In setting time limits, allow too little time rather than too much time for the group to finish.

6. Each person in the team should play an active role. Regular rotation of roles should occur to give each student the opportunity to play a different role. Roles students can have are:

Principal Investigator:

This person keeps the group members on task, makes sure the activity is understood by all and is completed. Any questions will be immediately clarified with the teacher.

Materials Manager:

This person obtains all supplies the group needs. If the group is large enough, a second Materials Manager can be assigned to be responsible for returning materials to the supply area and having the group clean up its work area.

Recorder/Evaluator:

This person writes down responses that team members have formulated. This person notes how well group members perform their responsibilities, contributing to the overall performance and outcome of the group.

Reporter: This person writes down the group’s conclusions and reports to the class. The reporter may also need to record the group’s data on a class graph or chart. If the group is large enough, two Reporters can be assigned — one to record conclusions and chart data, the other to present their findings to the class.

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7. Follow the Five C’s of Group work to have a safe, and FUN, science activity:

Caution: Laboratory group work requires caution in every part. Safety instructions should be followed and a safety checklist should be implemented before each activity.

Cooperate: To ensure successful group work, each member must cooperate with the other members of the group.

Contribute: Each member must make an effort to contribute something to the group.

Control: Group work requires control over our body movements, voices, and actions. To avoid chaos in the classroom, control must be practiced by each member of the group.

Clean-Up: Each group member must do his or her part to clean up after the activity. Students must make sure the work area is clean and all materials are put away.

8. The culmination of a group activity should be a time of sharing and evaluating how well group members worked together as well as examining the groups’ end results or products.

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“All Trashed Out”Primary-level Knowledge Survey

1. Do you and your family recycle?

______ Yes ______ No

2. Does your town or city have a recycling center or drop-off site?

______ Yes ______ No ______ I don’t know.

3. Circle the recycling symbol.

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4. Circle the things that can be recycled.

Soda cans

Cereal box

Glass bottles

Disposable diapers

Newpaper

Old tennis shoe

Plastic milk jug and soda bottle

Notebook and scrap paper

Light bulb

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5. In Column A are some things which can be recycled. Column B shows things which can be made when the things in Column A are recycled. Draw a line from the things in Column A to the new products in Column B.

Glass bottles

Compost or “humus”

Recycled paper

“Plastic wood” fence

Soda cans

Column BColumn A

Plastic milk jug

Glass

Banana peels

Computer paper

Aluminum cans

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6. Circle the things that can be used in a compost heap.

Grass Clippings Soup Can

Leaves Weeds

Hamburger meat Apple core

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7. Write an N in the blank next to the things with “natural” packaging, an M in the blank next to the packaging that is man-made!

_____Banana ______Glass Jar

_____Soup Can _______Nuts

_____Grapes ______Styrofoam egg carton

_____Egg Shells ______Carryout container

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8. Old paper can be shredded, soaked in water and made into pulp to make new paper and paper products. Circle the things that can be made from recycled paper.

Paper bags

Soda cans

Cereal boxes

Newsprint

Notebook paper

Lunch box

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“All Trashed Out”Primary-level Knowledge Survey

1. Do you and your family recycle?

______ Yes ______ No

2. Does your town or city have a recycling center or drop-off site?

______ Yes ______ No ______ I don’t know.

3. Circle the recycling symbol.

***KEY***

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4. Circle the things that can be recycled.

Disposable diapers

Light bulb

***KEY***

Soda cans Newpaper

Old tennis shoeCereal box

Glass bottles Plastic milk jug and soda bottle

Notebook and scrap paper

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5. In Column A are some things which can be recycled. Column B shows things which can be made when the things in Column A are recycled. Draw a line from the things in Column A to the new products in Column B.

Glass bottles

Compost or “humus”

Recycled

“Plastic wood”

Soda cans

Column BColumn A

Plastic milk

Glass

Banana peels

Computer paper

Aluminum cans

***KEY***

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6. Circle the things that can be used in a compost heap.

Weeds

Hamburger meat Apple core

Grass Clippings Soup Can

Leaves

***KEY***

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7. Write an N in the blank next to the things with “natural” packaging, an M in the blank next to the packaging that is man-made!

_N___Banana __M___Glass Jar

__M__Soup __N___Nuts

__N__Grapes ___M__Styrofoam egg carton

__N__Egg Shells ___M__Carryout container

***KEY***

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8. Old paper can be shredded, soaked in water and made into pulp to make new paper and paper products. Circle the things that can be made from recycled paper.

Soda cans

Cereal boxes

Newsprint

Notebook paper

Lunch box

Paper bags

***KEY***

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ACTIVITY #1: The 3 R’s... Reduce/Reuse/Recycle

TIME: Two 45-Minute class periods

OBJECTIVES: Students will identify reducing, reusing, and recycling trash as solutions to the solid waste problem. Students will identify household practices that relate to the 3 R’s and state ways in which their personal involvement can help to limit waste. Students will describe basic recycling practices and demonstrate how to sort trash for recycling.

TEACHER BACKGROUND INFORMATION: When we throw away garbage, it often ends up in a landfill. The average American generates 4-5 pounds of garbage per day. In 2017, Americans generated 267.8 million tons of trash, 139.6 million tons of which ended up in landfills. Over half of our trash ends up in landfills, but we can do better than that! For instance, also in 2017, Americans threw away 1.9 million tons of aluminum cans and other containers, more than 11 million tons of glass, and 67 million tons of paper or paperboard. Recycling rates of this waste varies, but at least 28.1 million tons of these recyclable materials ended up in landfills. (Source: EPA.gov)

Students can be introduced to the 3 R’s of recycling - reduce, reuse, recycle:

1. Reducing - Reducing is simply decreasing the amount of waster water entering the waste stream.

2. Reusing - When you are finished with an item for one purpose, put it to use again. This is called reusing.

3. Recycling - Recycling is the process of making new things out of old items.

Recycling saves energy. Recycling one glass jar saves enough energy to light a 100 watt bulb for 4 hours. Recycling one soda can saves as much energy as if the can were 1/2 full of gasoline. Recycling an aluminum can results in 95% less air pollution and 97% less water pollution than creating an aluminum can from raw materials. Manufacturing new paper products from waste paper uses at least 1/3 less energy and cuts air pollution by 74% compared to making paper from wood pulp. The energy saved by recycling one glass bottle could run your television set for 3 hours. Recycling one 12-ounce can saves 6 ounces of oil.

The solid waste problem is a serious one. Students need to be made aware of the 3 R’s. Student should be introduced to possible ways to reduce and reuse, and the possible materials which can be recycled.

MATERIALS for groups of two: Student trash items Teacher trash items 1 large plastic trash bag 5 large bags or boxes

TEACHER PREPARATION (2-3 days prior to lesson):Prior to the lesson, students should be asked to bring in two clean trash items from home (excluding food wastes). The teacher may want to provide additional items to ensure there is a variety of several items from each category discussed. Suggested items include:

1. Items which can be reused such as paper and plastic grocery bags, aluminum foil.2. Items which can be recycled such as newspaper, aluminum cans, plastic milk jugs.3. Items which are pure trash which might be reduced such as disposable diaper,

overpackaged products (items with excessive wrapping or unnecessary packing), polystyrene (Styrofoam) products.

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The teacher will also need to provide 5 large bags or boxes for sorting trash. The bags or boxes should be labeled as follows: “GLASS”, ‘PAPER”, “ALUMINUM”,”PLASTIC”, “PURE TRASH”

PROCEDURE:

1. Place trash items into a large “class trash bag”. 2. Hold up each item and ask questions such as:

• What kind of item is this? • Could this be found in your trash at home? • What is this made of? • Why is this being thrown away? • What happens to this trash after it leaves your home? • Should we be concerned about this trash?

3. Tell students that in order to reduce the amount of garbage we produce, some of the items can be used again, some can be used for other purposes and some need not be bought or a wiser purchase be substituted. Introduce the 3 R’s of recycling:A. Reduce - to decrease the amount of waste entering our trash.B. Reuse - to use an item more than one time for the same or a different purpose. C. Recycle- a process of remaking a new item from an old one.

4. Have students brainstorm ways items from the “class trash bag’’ could be reduced, reused, or recycled. Use the following questions to motivate the discussion:

• Which items are found in most of our homes?• Are any of these items used again in most of our homes? If so, what for?• Why is it important to reduce the amount of garbage in your home?• Where will this trash go after you throw it away?• When you are 20 years old, what will happen to this (hold up item)?• What does it mean to recycle?• What difference does it make if we recycle or not?• Where is the nearest recycling place? Has anyone been there? What items did you

take?• What kinds of items can be recycled?

5. Place students in pairs. Display five bags/boxes labeled: glass, paper, aluminum, plastic, pure trash. Explain to students that the first four boxes will hold items that can be recycled. Two at a time let students take 3 or 4 items out of the “class trash bag” and place in the appropriate bag/box for recycling. Note that some of the items remain pure trash and cannot be recycled. Ask students for alternatives to replace these items.

6. While students are sorting the trash, they can also decide if the item could be reused before recycling.

7. Discuss local availability for recycling these items and the rules that may apply for each category. Newspaper must be separated from other paper products. Glass needs to be sorted by color. Aluminum includes cans, TV trays, pie plates, and foil. Plastic may be limited to milk jugs and liter soda containers.

8. Encourage students to share what they have learned about the 3 R’ s with their parents.FORMATIVE EVALUATION: Students will be evaluated through teacher observation of participation in class discussion of the 3 R’s and sorting of trash for recycling. Students may be evaluated further by completion of a poster depicting solid waste and ways in which they can personally help to limit the waste problem through reducing, reusing, and recycling.

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LANGUAGE ARTS EXTENSION: Students can make an information sheet to take home to share with their parents. On sheet students will list ways to reduce, reuse, recycle. Each student can then choose two ways that he/she can help in reducing solid waste. Emphasize the choice should be based only on things which they are really going to do. Let students discuss with parents what they can do. The following day, students can share their discussion with the class.

SCIENCE EXTENSION: Have an exhibit day when students can share with the class items made from recycled materials.

Trash-Bag Game: Hand one trash object to each student. Then have all students stand together in a group representing one large trash bag. The teacher is the trash collector who will take the trash away. Describe what happens at a landfill and ask if anyone really wants to go to the dump! If not, they can be rescued by thinking of a way they can be reused or recycled. Try to save all trash/students. Discuss ways to redesign products that cannot be recycled or reused. Discuss what happens if there is no more room in the landfills.

Visit a recycling center.

REDUCE!REUSE!RECYCLE!

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ACTIVITY #2: Useful Trash?

TIME: 45-Minute class period

OBJECTIVE: Students will identify and describe waste material from their own trash. Students will distinguish between trash items which are useful waste (can be reused or recycled) and non-useful waste (must be disposed).

TEACHER PREPARATION (2·3 days prior to lesson):

The teacher will need to provide or assign students to bring enough for one per group of the following items: plastic soda bottles, tin cans, aluminum cans, pieces of rope, glass bottles, orange peels, newspapers, bottle caps, paper grocery bags.

The teacher should provide two additional items - cigarette butts and empty spray cans. Due to safety precautions, the students should not be asked to bring these items from home. During the lesson, the safety factors involved in using these two items should be stressed and alternatives be considered.

Save clean trash items for use in other lessons.

MATERIALS: 1 per group of the objects listed above in Teacher Preparation

PROCEDURE:

1. Read aloud “How the Trash Pile Grows” by Betty Miles and discuss the poem. 2. Explain to students that most objects are useful at one time and then because we do not

need them anymore or because we grow tired of them, or they break, they become waste items. The waste objects usually end up in the trash or as litter. Sometimes these items can be used again.

3. Tell students that they are going to be given several objects which need to be classified as “more useful”or “less useful”.

4. Arrange students in groups of 5 and give each group a bag with the items in it.5. Each group should rate the items on their data sheet and indicate why they put the object

in that category.6. When students are finished (allow 10-15 minutes) discuss the concepts of reuse and

recycle. Explain that some objects which are thrown away could be reused- used for a different purpose, or recycled - taken to a recycling center where they are remade into new objects. Have each group share their ideas and classifications with the class.

7. Go over each item as a class and discuss whether it can be recycled, reused, or if it is just a “waste object” and will end up in the landfill. Many items on this list have no definite answer because some may be reused as art projects such as bottle caps or rope. The orange peel can be used for composting.

8. Discuss the safety hazards involved with some of the items such as spray cans and cigarette butts. What can be done to solve the problems caused by these items?

9. The main idea is to get students thinking about what they throw away and asking themselves, “Can I reuse it for something else?” or “Can this be recycled into something new?”

10. Reinforce information about area recycling centers and discuss with students how they can help by participating in recycling and encouraging their parents to do so.

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FORMATIVE EVALUATION: Students should be evaluated on their ability to work with others as observed by the teacher and on their data sheet observations.

LANGUAGE ARTS EXTENSION: Students could make their own poems about a waste item in the lesson or about useful and useless waste.

Useful Trash?!?

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Useful Trash? Data Sheet

Rate each item as “more useful” or “less useful” by placing an “X” in the appropriate box. Give a reason for your choice.

ITEM NAME MORE USEFUL LESS USEFUL REASON FOR YOUR CHOICE

Name: _________________________________

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Activity #2

Useful Trash? Poem Sheet

How the Trash Pile Grows

Buy it, try it, throw the trash away!

Take it, break it,throw the trash away!

Get it, use it, finish it, lose it. Wear it, tear it,throw the trash away!

Soda pop,box top,once you start you can’t stop. Buy it,show itnothing left but throw it:

Throw the trash away!

(Oh, no-where is “away”?)

From Save the Earth! An Ecology Handbook for Kids by Betty Miles illustrated by Claire Nivola Copyright

1974 by Betty Miles Reprinted by permission from Alfred A. Knopf Inc.

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ACTIVITY #3: “Class”-Y Trash

TIME: 45-Minute class period

OBJECTIVE: Students will identify ways in which the volume of classroom trash produced in one day could be reduced, reused, or recycled. Students will weigh and measure classroom trash for one day and calculate the amount of classroom trash for one week, month, and year.

TEACHER BACKGROUND INFORMATION: All over America, communities are having problems disposing of their trash. When the garbage hauler picks up the trash, the garbage doesn’t miraculously disappear. The garbage has to go somewhere, often to a landfill. The average American resident produces about 5 lbs. of waste each day or 2,600 lbs. of garbage each year. Evidence of our waste appears not only in our trash cans, but as litter along roads and in neighborhoods. Americans recycled about 35.2% of the waste produced in 2017, but Illinois is below the national average.

Solid waste is defined as material which has no use in its present form and location. Often this solid waste could have been reduced, reused, or recycled. The amount of solid waste is increasing in proportional amounts due to population growth and our current “throw-away” life styles. This activity demonstrates the volume of trash being thrown away daily by a typical elementary classroom.

TEACHER PREPARATION (10-15 Minutes):

The teacher will need to provide 2 large cardboard boxes for collection bins, old newspapers, and a bathroom scale (or borrow the scale from the nurse’s office). Arrangements should be made for trash removal after the lesson.

MATERIALS: 2 large cardboard boxes 1 bathroom scale or scale from nurse’s office 2 large plastic garbage bags 1 meterstick Newspaper

PROCEDURE:

1. Place a collection bin lined with a garbage bag in school cafeteria. Have students place all their trash, excluding food wastes, into the bin (your class only).

2. Place a collection bin lined with a garbage bag in the classroom for students to place paper wastes of the day.

3. Weigh and measure the trash collected in one day. Keeping trash in bins, measure the amounts of waste collected from the cafeteria and classroom by the height of trash in collection bins. Record the information on data sheet. Remove bag to record the weight of trash. First record the weight of one student on the scale. Then record the weight again with student holding each trash bag. Record this information on data sheet. Find the total height and total weight of the trash by adding the data from both bins.

4. Spread newspaper to protect floor and empty each bag onto the newspaper. Sort in two piles: reuse and recycle. (If time allows, further separate recyclables into paper, glass, aluminum, and plastic.)

5. Now replace what is left into a garbage bag and place in a collection bin. Measure the height of trash in the collection bin. Weigh the remaining trash. Record all information on data sheet.

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6. Compare the totals of weight and measurement. How much was the trash reduced? 7. Discuss ways to reuse materials and discuss some simple ways to reduce the amount

of material discarded. Think of alternative packaging that might not generate as much waste.

8. Calculate the total amount of waste (weight) for one week by multiplying the total weight for one day by five. Younger students can find the total weight for one week by adding the amount for five days (using the total weight for one day for each day of the week). Enter the number on the data sheet. How much space would be needed for that much trash? Multiply the weight of trash for a week by four to find the weight of classroom trash for one month. Enter that number on data sheet. Multiply that number by 9 to find the weight of classroom trash for one school year.

9. By recycling just the clean paper wastes from the classroom, how much trash could be saved from the landfill in a week, month, and school year?

FORMATIVE EVALUATION:

Students will be evaluated on cooperation in measuring and weighing trash and on completion of calculations on data sheet.

Students will also be asked to list every item they throw away for one day. Once the list is complete, they will circle all the items they think could have been reused or recycled. Working in teams of 2-3 students, have them answer the following questions: How could you reuse the items you circled? Which items are difficult to reuse or recycle and must be thrown away? How does the practice of reuse and recycling affect our landfills?

LANGUAGE ARTS EXTENSION:

Have a class pen pal from another country. Ask them how their country deals with their trash problem. Imagine what it would be like to live in a big city on the 6th floor of an apartment building. Where does your family put its garbage bags?

SCIENCE EXTENSION:

Have students find other objects or materials in the classroom that could be reused or recycled and saved from the landfill.

Ask students to infer what would happen if the trash collectors stopped picking up the trash from school or from the students’ homes.

Find out the approximate size of your local landfill. Have students measure the playground area and calculate how many playgrounds could be placed on top of your local landfill.

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Activity #3:

“Class”-y Trash Data Sheet

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ACTIVITY #4: What’s The Wrap?

TIME: 45-Minute class period

OBJECTIVE: Students will classify different types of packaging according to their ability to be recycled. Students will describe different reasons for packaging of products and identify packing that is unnecessary.

TEACHER BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Excess packaging is causing a major problem in the management of solid waste. In order to find solutions to the packaging problems it is necessary to identify the different types of packaging and the various reasons for packaging. There are three main types of packaging. A natural packaging can be found in nature and is biodegradable. Man-made packaging falls into two categories. The first is packaging that is easily recyclable or reusable. The second is excess packaging that is often unnecessary. The reasons for packaging also vary. Some packaging is needed for health purposes to protect or preserve what is inside the package. Very often, however, excess packaging is used only to enhance the selling power of the product, for convenience, or to make the product look larger than it is.

With this activity, students will be able to observe and classify a variety of packaging. They will be able to identify alternatives to consuming and producing unnecessary packaging.

MATERIALS: Different types of packaging (supplied by students) - refer to Procedure #1. Different types of packaging (teacher examples) - refer to Procedure #1.

TEACHER PREPARATION (3-4 days prior to lesson): Have students bring in several types of packaging that they have saved from the trash. Have them gather these materials soon after their parents return from the grocery store or department store. Packaging should be clean when brought to school. The teacher will also want to provide examples of the different packaging types.

PROCEDURE:

1. Discuss with class the three types of packaging and present at least one example of each. A. Natural Packaging - nut shell, orange peel, banana peel (All of these are compostable,

biodegradable, and need not end up in a landfill.)B. Man-Made Packaging (reduce/reuse) - clay pot, paper sack, glass bottleC. Man-Made Packaging (excess) - toy packaging, polystyrene (Styrofoam) packaging

pieces (This man-made packaging needs to be sorted and disposed of in special ways, either through recycling or being dumped in a landfill.)

2. Divide the students into groups of 5 and have them classify the packaging they brought to school into the three groups discussed earlier: A. from nature B. easily recyclableC. hard to recycle

Which group had the most packaging? (If a scale is available, students can weigh each group and compare.)

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3. Discuss with the class the following information: • Much of our daily trash is packaging. • Natural resources and energy are needed to make unnecessary packaging. Help

students identify the type of natural resource used to make the packaging (paper from trees, plastic from petroleum, glass from sand).

• Talk about some necessary reasons for certain packaging (to keep things clean, to protect our health, to preserve what is in the package, for informational purposes).

• Note the many unnecessary reasons for packaging (for advertising, double packaging, for looks).

4. In order to save natural resources and to avoid excess trash, people need to make wise choices in buying products and their packaging. Let students write a list of things to remember when purchasing products. A. Don’t buy unnecessary packaging - e.g. toys in plastic with cardboard around them,

socks or shirts in plastic bag, fruit wrapped in plastic, etc. B. Buy refillable or recyclable containers - e.g. returnable glass, aluminum cans, soda

bottles, only plastics that can be recycled. C. If packaging is necessary, look for those made from recycled materials. Look for the

recycling symbol. D. Larger purchases are often wiser than many smaller purchases. Larger purchases

leave only one container of waste and are often more economical.

FORMATIVE EVALUATION: Present to the class various goods and their packaging. Students will decide whether it would or would not be a wise purchase and explain their choice. Students will classify the different types of packaging as natural, recyclable, or hard to recycle. Have students also point out the reason for the type of package used. Examples could be: a sock in a plastic bag, a glass bottle, a cereal box with the recycling symbol, a large can of vegetables, peanuts in their shell.

LANGUAGE ARTS EXTENSION: Discuss with students that packaging accounts for a significant cost of a product. Packaging accounted for 30% of all consumer waste generated in 2017. Then ask each student to choose 3 of the collected packaging items and decide if the packaging is excessive, if it is made from recycled materials, if it is recyclable, or if it simply must be thrown away. Develop a class list of tips to reduce the amount of packing in the items people purchase.

ART EXTENSION: Bulletin Board Idea - Give students pictures and advertisements from a magazine. Have each study cut out a picture of a natural, recyclable, or hard to find recycle packaging. Divide the bulletin board into these three topic areas. One at a time, have each student bring up their picture and place it in the appropriate area. Let the students give reasons for his/her choice and tell if alternative packaging might be wise. As a class, discuss the pros and cons of each choice. There may be more than one appropriate category.

Have students draw pictures of the three types of packaging discussed - natural, recyclable, and hard to recycle. Each student can share his/her illustrations and reasons with the class.

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Name _______________________________________

What’s the Wrap? Data Sheet

Place the name of each of your items in the proper column.

NATURAL PACKAGINGMAN-MADE

RECYCLABLE/REUSABLE PACKAGING

MAN-MADEEXCESS PACKAGING

THINK OF OTHER ITEMS FOR EACH CATEGORY_______________________________________________________________________________

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ACTIVITY #5: Perfect Packaging

TIME: 45-Minute class period

OBJECTIVE: Students will determine the mass of pieces of gum with and without the packaging. Students will compare and graph different types of gum and packaging.

MATERIALS per group of three: 6 different types of gum (1 pkg. each type) 1 equal arm balance/group PROCEDURE:

1. Discuss with students that some packaging is necessary for the purpose of keeping items clean to protect our health (bandages, medicines); to preserve what is inside the package (food sealed in glass jars); and to give instructions about how to use the product, tell what the product is and list its ingredients. However, as learned in the previous lesson, there is much unnecessary extra packaging.

2. Explain to the students that they are going to do some weighing and charting of information about the packaging of different brands of gum.

3. Divide the students into groups of 4.

4. On the board, list the different brands of gums being used and the price of each package.

5. Give each group a different package of gum.

6. Instruct each group to find the mass of their pack of gum and record the amount in grams on their data table.

7. Next, tell each group to unwrap all pieces of gum and save all pieces of paper (the packaging).

8. Have students find the mass of the gum only and record the amount on their data table.

9. Have students find the mass of just the packaging and record this amount in the data table. Do the two amounts add up to the total mass? (They should!)

10. Have each group calculate how much packaging would be thrown away if each student in their class chewed one pack of their particular brand of gum a week? a month?

11. Discuss with students how fast this amount of packing grows when you think of every student in the school chewing a pack of gum a week. Do they think some of the packaging could be reduced? What gums had the least packaging for the amount of gum bought? Do they like that particular brand of gum? What about cost? Which brand was cheapest? Can any of this packaging be reused or recycled?

12. Have each group report their findings to the class using their data tables.

13. Students could then make a bar graph of the mass of the gum and/or mass of the packaging for each brand of gum.

FORMATIVE EVALUATION: Students can be evaluated by teacher observation of their participation in the discussion and experiment, their data tables, and their graphs.

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LANGUAGE ARTS EXTENSION: Students may want to write to companies whose packaging they found excessive and tell them their findings and concerns.

ART EXTENSION: Gum wrappers can be made into a class design of excess packaging or should be saved for a lesson on reuse.

MATH EXTENSION: If students are learning division, the cost per stick or piece of gum for each brand could be calculated by dividing the cost of the pack by the number of pieces in the pack.

Reduce!

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Name _______________________________________

Perfect Packaging Data Sheet Record your answers in grams.

TYPE OF GUM

MASS OF GUM +

PACKAGING

MASS OF GUM ONLY

MASS OF PACKAGING

ONLY

WEEKLY CLASS

PACKAGING

MONTHLY CLASS

PACKAGING

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ACTIVITY #6: Second Time Around

TIME: Three, 45-minute class periods

OBJECTIVE: Students will demonstrate ways to reuse waste items by constructing puppets from “throw aways” and creating a puppet show.

TEACHER BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Reusing items is another way to prevent waste. Using the back of a used sheet of paper for scratch work is one good idea. That way, a new piece of paper does not have to be manufactured just for scratch paper. Metal cans and plastic bottles can be used to hold pencils, as paint cans, or any number of other uses. An important example of reuse is the purchase of soda in a washable returnable bottle. These bottles can be returned to the store, then sent to the plant to be washed and refilled. The same bottle can be used up to 30 times before it breaks. If cans or non-reusable bottles are used, a new container must be manufactured for each can or bottle of soda. Thus, up to 30 new containers would need to be made instead of only one reusable bottle. This is why it is important to think about ways to reuse items and to purchase items that do not have “one-time” uses.

MATERIALS: Reusable trash items (brought by students) Teacher collected items Tape Glue Scissors Crayons Markers Paper Pencils

TEACHER PREPARATION (2-3 days prior to lesson): Ask students to bring trash items from home which can be reused (for making a puppet). Suggested items include: shopping bags, lunch bags, plastic milk jugs, envelopes, polystyrene (Styrofoam) fast-food containers, fast food bags. The teacher should also collect items such as felt scraps, old buttons, pipe cleaners, construction paper scraps, yarn to use for the puppet making.

PROCEDURE:

1. Read ‘’Hector the Collector’’ by Shel Silverstein. Discuss the students’ reactions to the poem.

2. Brainstorm with students ideas and ways to reuse some of the items which have been brought from home and those provided by the teacher.

3. Put students in groups of 5. Let them create puppets from their items or items from past lessons.

4. During the next class period, or when puppets are finished, have each group create a skit for a puppet show about reducing, reusing, and/or recycling of solid waste. Some topics might include:A. What their puppets were before being put together and where they would be if

students had not re-used them.B. What students have learned about the 3 R’s.C. Why it is important to re-use items.D. The puppet could be from the past and tell how things have changed with respect to

solid waste.

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E. The puppet could be from the future and let students imagine how the earth will be in the future.

5. Have students present the puppet shows for the class, or for other classes to increases their awareness of solid waste issues.

FORMATIVE EVALUATION: Students will be evaluated on their participation in the discussion on reuse of items, their ability to create a puppet, and their creation of a skit about solid waste.

LANGUAGE ARTS EXTENSION: If a puppet show is not feasible, students can make a large class collage or mural of items collected from all past lessons and display it for the whole school to increase their awareness of solid waste issues.

EXTENSION ACTIVITY: Take a field trip to a soft drink bottling company.

Reuse!

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Activity #6: Second Time Around Poem Sheet

Hector the Collector

Hector the Collector

Collected bits of string,

Collected dolls with broken heads

And rusty bells that would not ring.

Pieces out of picture puzzles,

Bent-up nails and ice-cream sticks,

Twists of wires, worn-out tires,

Paper bags and broken bricks.

Old chipped vases, half shoelaces,

Gatlin’ guns that wouldn’t shoot,

Leaky boats that wouldn’t float

And stopped-up horns that wouldn’t toot.

Butter knives that had no handles,

Copper keys that fit no locks,

Rings that were too small for fingers,

Dried up leaves and patched-up socks.

Worn-out belts that had no buckles,

‘Lectric trains that had no tracks,

Airplane models, broken bottles,

Three-legged chairs and cups with cracks.

Hector the Collector

Loved these things with all his soul -

Loved them more than shining diamonds,

Loved them more than glistenin’ gold.

Hector called to all the people.

“Come and share my treasure trunk!”

And all the silly sightless people

Came and looked...and called it junk.

Reprinted by permission from Harper and Row, Publishers, Inc.

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Taken from: Puppetry and Creative Dramatics in Storytelling Austin: Nancy Renfro Studios, 1980.

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Snake and rabbit from Making Amazing Puppets by Nancy Renfro and Beverly Armstrong © 1979

Junk Mail Puppets

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ACTIVITY #7: New News Is Good News

TIME: Two 45-minute class periods

OBJECTIVE: Students will describe the importance of trees to the environment. Students will identify reasons for recycling paper. Students will describe the papermaking process and make recycled newspaper from old newsprint.

TEACHER BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Paper is made from trees. When a softwood tree grows to be about 20-30 feet tall (which takes about 30 years), it is chopped down. The cut trees are sent to a mill, where they are processed into chips. The chips are mixed with water and chemicals, and cooked into an oatmeal-like mush called pulp. The pulp is spread onto a screen and the water is pressed out. The pulp is dried, flattened and stretched into sheets. The paper is then rolled on big tubes and sent to printing companies. Each company makes paper for their own products which are bought and used by consumers. To save trees, new paper can be made out of old paper. The old paper is shredded, soaked in water, and made into pulp and used to make paper just like the pulp made from trees. Used paper can also be made into roofing felt, insulation, fiber pipe, packaging, wall board, and cardboard.

The need to save trees plays a key role in the decision to recycle and/or reuse paper. Americans annually use 50 million tons of paper, which means that more than 850 million trees are consumed. Recycling a 4-foot stack of newspaper will save a 40-foot pine tree. Some of the important reasons for saving trees include:

A. Trees convert carbon dioxide to oxygen. B. Trees prevent soil erosion.C. Trees supply food for plants and animals that complete the life chain.D. Trees provide a cooling effect on the earth because of moisture released (rain forest).E. Trees provide pleasure for people who enjoy being outdoors.

Recycling paper also saves valuable landfill space. A ton of newsprint that is recycled saves three cubic yards of landfill space. The recycling process saves raw materials, uses 30-55% less energy, and causes less pollution than the making of new paper from wood.

MATERIALS per group of three: 1 blender 2 1/2 single pages from a newspaper 1 whole section of a newspaper 5 cups water 1 - 9 X 3 aluminum pan (3 in. deep) 2 pieces of window screen (11 in. X 7 in.) that fit inside the pan 1 measuring cup 1 rolling pan PROCEDURE:

1. For one week, have students collect the paper they use in the classroom which would normally be discarded.

2. Have students divide the collected paper into two categories:A. paper that can still be used and B. paper that has been used completely

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3. Keep the partially used paper in a box in the classroom and use when practical for class work and assignments.

4. Discuss with students the fact that paper is made from trees. A. Ask students why trees are valuable resources.B. Have students brainstorm ways that the amount of paper used could be reduced or

reused (e.g. the classroom box of partially used paper).C. Discuss what happens to paper when it is thrown away and the fact that paper takes

up landfill space and biodegrades very slowly in landfills.D. Ask students what might be done with paper that has been used completely.

Introduce the concept of recycled paper and discuss the benefits of this process.5. Describe briefly the paper making process (e.g. trees -logging- log truck- paper mill- truck-

wholesale warehouse - store/printing companies - you).6. Explain to students that the class will be making recycled paper from old newspaper.

PROCEDURE (for Making Paper):(This activity may be done as a demonstration with assistance from the entire class OR the class may be divided into several smaller groups to allow each group the opportunity to make their own paper.)

1. Tear the 2 1/2 pages of newspaper into tiny pieces.2. Drop the pieces into the blender.3. Pour 5 cups of water into the blender.4. Cover the blender to prevent splattering of newspaper mush.5. Switch the blender on for a few seconds, or until the paper turns into pulp.6. Pour the blended paper (pulp) into a measuring cup.7. Put one piece of screen into the pan.8. Pour one cup of blended paper pulp over the screen.9. Spread the pulp evenly in the water with your fingers.10. Lift the screen and let the water drain.11. Place the second screen on top and squeeze out the excess water.12. Open the newspaper section to the middle.13. Place the screen with the pulp into the newspaper.14. Close the newspaper.15. Use rolling pin to press out excess water.16. Open the newspaper and take out the screen.17. Leave the newspaper open and let the pulp dry at least 24 hours.18. The next day, check to make sure the pulp paper is dry.19. If paper is dry, carefully peel it off the newspaper.20. Use your new paper to write on!

FORMATIVE EVALUATION: Through class discussion it will be determined if everyone in the United States recycled or reused as little as 1/10 of their newspaper, we would save about 25 million trees every year.

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LANGUAGE ARTS EXTENSION: Have students imagine they are editors of a newspaper and have to make a decision on purchasing recycled paper or virgin paper. Have students list the advantages or disadvantages of their decision, in respect to saving the earth.

EXTENSION ACTIVITIES:

Take a field trip to a local nursery. Have the nursery helper point out the ages of the various trees, how carefully the trees must be handled, and the cost involved.

The students may plant a tree on the school ground. Students can observe and chart the tree’s growth. Students will observe how slowly the tree grows.

Take a trip to a paper mill or paper recycling plant.

Recycle!

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ACTIVITY #8: “Litter” Known Facts

TIME: Two 30-minute class periods

OBJECTIVE: Students will identify seven frequent sources of litter. Students will describe the effects of litter and identify ways in which land pollution can be prevented or reduced.

TEACHER BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Litter is anything carelessly scattered outside of established collection containers. The following are seven common sources of litter:

1. household refuse putout2. loading docks (includes storage bins or large dumpsters3. commercial refuse putout (may include large dumpsters)4. motorists5. construction/demolition sites6. uncovered vehicles (usually trucks)7. pedestrians. Litter can be found almost anywhere - along roadways, in forests, parks,

schoolyards, and streets.

Litter is land pollution. Litter is an ugly contamination of natural areas. Litter can also be a breeding place for rats, insects and other disease-carrying pests. Litter can be dangerous to people. Litter can also be harmful to animals or kill them. Animals can cut their tongue on cans or eat cigarette butts, plastic wrappers, or Styrofoam. Small animals can stick their heads into plastic containers and get stuck. Litter also costs money - for sanitation crews hired to clean up litter, to repair damages or replace property ruined by litter. Although laws are helping to control land pollution, we must still make an effort to change our attitudes and habits which will reduce the amount of litter.

MATERIALS: 30 paper lunch bags Pencils Paper

PROCEDURE:

1. Introduce the subject of litter and ask students for examples of litter.2. Introduce the term land pollution and the fact that litter is land pollution.3. Discuss with students their feelings about litter and how litter affects the appearance

(aesthetics) of the land.4. Give each student a “Litter Sources” worksheet. Draw three types faces on the board

for the students to choose from (happy, sad, uncertain). Have students draw a face in the circle next to each picture to show their feelings about what is happening. (Picture C should be the only happy face.)

5. Discuss the students’ answers and have the students describe the sources of litter in each picture (see teacher background information). List the seven most frequent litter sources on the board.

6. Ask students how the litter got to be where it is in the picture. Explain that wind and animals may carry litter from open or even closed containers, but human irresponsibility is often at fault.

7. Give each student a small paper bag and have students collect litter from around the school yard (or have them bring in a bag of litter collected from around their neighborhood).

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8. When back in the classroom, observe the litter collected and have students record the sources (from the seven listed on the worksheet or others) for the litter they find. Each student may select one piece of litter and explain to the class (or a small group) how that item became litter. (The litter may also be sorted according to what items could be saved or recycled and which can not.)

9. Have students brainstorm problems litter causes, besides being unsightly (such as harm to animals, dangerous to people, breeding place for disease causing pests).

10. Discuss what happens to litter if it is not picked up, introducing the term biodegradable and non-biodegradable.

11. Discuss solutions to the litter problem and the role students play in the solutions.

FORMATIVE EVALUATION:

1. Observe student participation in litter discussion.2. Check for completeness of “Litter Sources” worksheet.3. Evaluate students descriptions for sources of litter they collected.

LANGUAGE ARTS EXTENSION: Have student sing the songs from the “Litter Known Songs” sheet. Discuss the meaning of the lyrics.

Have students draw pictures which show ways to eliminate the litter problem.

EXTENSION ACTIVITIES:

Take photographs of or find magazine pictures of places where litter exists and identify the source of the litter.

Initiate a community clean-up project.

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Activity #8: “Litter” Known Facts

“Litter” Known Songs

To the tune of “Three Blind Mice”:

1 Three litter bugs, three litter bugs

2 See how they litter, see how they litter

3 You find them wherever trash is found

They aren’t very nice to have around

4 They throw trash and garbage on the ground

three litter bugs

To the tune of “Row Row Row Your Boat”:

1 We can use our trash

2 Save it from the can

3 Recycle! Recycle! Recycle! Recycle!

4 That’s our final plan

To the tune of “Friar Jacques”:

1 Please don’t litter, Please recycle

2 Glass and tin, aluminum

3 Paper, cardboard, plastic, once again fantastic

4 Recycle, Recycle

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Activity #8: “Litter” Known Facts

LITTER SOURCES A E

B

C

D

F

G

H

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ACTIVITY #9: It’s Happening At The Dump

TIME: 45-Minute class period for lesson, with biweekly mini-landfill observation for 2 months

OBJECTIVE: Students will identify advantages of, disadvantages of, and alternatives to landfills. Students will construct a mini-landfill. Students will distinguish between materials which decompose and those which do not decompose in landfills.

TEACHER BACKGROUND INFORMATION: In the United States we generated 267.8 million tons of garbage in 2017. 139.6 million tons of this ended up in landfills. In 2014, Illinois alone generated about 19 million tons of garbage. When properly located, constructed, and maintained, landfills are an improvement over open dumps. Open dumps are plagued with insect and rodent problems, can pollute surface water and groundwater, and cause air pollution through open burning of waste. Landfills make it easy for people to put all their trash in bags or cans and have it hauled away. However, landfills are only a temporary solution to the problem. Garbage buried in landfills wastes valuable land and energy. Natural resources may be buried forever. Alternatives to landfills, such as waste reduction, recycling, and composting must be considered.

Products such as glass, metal, plastic, and rubber do not decompose in landfills. Products which do disintegrate or decompose in landfills include paper, wood, cloth, food waste, and yard waste. In many landfills, however, little or no decomposition of these buried waste materials occurs. Paper may take from 6 to 60 years to decompose depending on many factors. When the decomposition of organic waste (waste that was once living or a product of living organisms) does occur in landfills, it allows these organic materials to return to the earth as the natural components from which they came. This decomposition process however, releases gases, such as methane, and toxic chemicals which may leak into the air and water. Contemporary landfilling standards attempt to mitigate, even collect these byproducts to generate power and keep them out of the environment. Still, decreasing the amount of waste sent to the landfills is essential.

MATERIALS (for Mini-landfill Construction): 6 mini aquariums Sand Charcoal Soil (not potting soil) Vegetable scraps (avoid cabbage, mustard greens, and fruit) 1 roll of masking tape 6 metric rulers Scoops or cups for pouring sand Soil Charcoal

Sample Objects for Mini-landfill: 6 marbles, 6 paper clips, 6 rubber bands, 6 pieces of paper bag, 6 small pieces of aluminum foil, 6 scraps of cotton cloth, 6 popsicle sticks, 6 plastic buttons

TEACHER PREPARATION: The teacher will need to collect vegetable scraps (NO MEAT SCRAPS) for the landfill. Avoid cabbage and mustard greens (due to the odor) and fruits (they become mushy). Dirt (not potting soil) will also be needed for the landfill.

PROCEDURE:1. Read the poem “With a Bump and a Thump it Ends Up at the Dump” by M.O. O’Connor

aloud and discuss with students where things go when they are thrown away.

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2. Discuss landfills and the advantages of landfills over open dumps. 3. Ask students to describe disadvantages of landfills and brainstorm with students possible

solutions to the problem of limited landfill space. 4. Ask students what happens to waste materials in the landfill and introduce the term

“decomposition”. 5. Ask students to name materials that might decompose and those that do not decompose.

Introduce the term “organic waste” as waste that was once a living organism or a product of one, stressing that organic waste is capable of decomposition.

6. Discuss with students that decomposition of even organic waste in some landfills is extremely slow and many materials do not decompose at all. Ask students for explanations for the reduced decomposition (lack of air and moisture).

7. Explain to students that they will construct mini-landfills and perform an experiment to see what materials will show signs of decomposition in their mini-landfills.

8. Divide students into groups of 5 students each. Each group should obtain the materials for the mini-landfill construction and follow this procedure for their mini-landfill construction: A. In the small aquarium have students layer in order the following materials: 5 cm sand

or gravel (to absorb moisture), a thin layer of moist charcoal (to prevent odors), 10 cm soil, 5 cm vegetable scraps, 2 cm soil. To simulate the conditions of a real landfill, it is important to press or pack each layer down firmly and to eliminate all empty spaces within the layers.

B. After the mini-landfill is completed, have students select 5 different sample materials from the list above and place them in the bottom soil layer of the mini-landfill (using a pencil or ruler to push them down), against the glass where they can be easily observed. Have students prepare labels using masking tape to identify each material.

9. Have students answer these questions: • Which objects in your mini-landfill do you think will begin to decompose first? • Which object or objects in the mini-landfill will take the longest to decompose? • Which objects might never decompose in the mini-landfill? • Which objects in the mini-landfill are made from organic materials? • How is your mini-landfill different from a real landfill? • What things can you and your family do to help solve the landfill problems?

10. Have students use their senses to observe the landfill daily twice a week for 2 months. Students should record their observation on their data sheet. (Landfill observations may continue throughout the school year if possible).

11. After two months or when appropriate, close the lesson with a group discussion of the student observations. Make a class chart on the board of the sample objects, grouping them as follows: decomposed quickly, decomposed slowly, did not decompose. Encourage students to predict into which group other objects would be placed.

FORMATIVE EVALUATION:

1. Observe student participation in discussion of landfills. 2. Observe student’s ability to follow instructions in construction of mini-landfill. 3. Check student data table and answers to questions for correctness and completeness.

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LANGUAGE ARTS EXTENSION: Have students write their own poems or songs about landfills and share them with the class.

Ocean dumping is heavily regulated in the U.S., but still some 242 million pounds of plastic trash from U.S. consumers ends up in the oceans each year. Get student reactions to this and explain that though the oceans are large, they still become polluted when used for waste disposal. Talk about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a giant formation of plastic trash floating in the Pacific twice the size of Texas. Have students sing “My Garbage Floats in the Ocean” to the tune of “My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean” (words below) and/or read the poems “Dirty Water Blues” and “Everywhere is Somewhere” (poem sheet provided).

My Garbage Floats in the Ocean

My garbage floats in the ocean. My garbage gloats in the sea,

My garbage floats in the ocean. My garbage comes back to me.

Come back, come back, come back my garbage to me, to me.

Come back, come back, come back my garbage to me.

Make a 3-D model of a landfill as an art project, from reused materials.

SCIENCE EXTENSION:

Students may also perform the following “Litter Lake” experiment:

Fill a large glass jar with water and add litter ingredients such as small pieces of fruit peelings, iron, glass, paper, plastic, Styrofoam, aluminum, cloth,etc. Let the jar stand and observe every day for two weeks. Have students answer the following questions.

1. What happened to the water?

2. What happened to the pieces of litter?

3. Would you like to swim in water like that? Why or why not?

4. What might happen to plants and animals who lived in the water?

5. Is the ocean big enough to take all our garbage without poisoning the organisms who live in it?

EXTENSION ACTIVITIES: Take a field trip to a landfill.

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Name _______________________________________

It’s Happening at the Dump Data Sheet

DATE WHAT DO YOU SEE? WHAT DO YOU SMELL? WHAT OTHER

OBSERVATIONS CAN YOU MAKE

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Activity #9: It’s Happening at the Dump Poem Sheet

Pure water gurglesand splashes alonguntil pollutionflows into the song: oil, tar,paint, dye,mud and muchcome splashing by.Cans,jars,bottles, cars. Old shoes, old news -- that’s the dirty water blues. Sweet, fresh waterrolls away from this songwhile dirt and pollution keep flowing alongand along,and along...

The Dirty Water Blues

Reprinted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.

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My old shoes are full of clues.

They know where I’ve been and they’re like old friends. But alas, my toes have burst through the soles. I’ve tried to tape them, mend them even send them to the cobbler. But it’s no use, they’re ready for the refuse.

I drop them in

to the garbage bin.

In they go with and apple core

and a broken dresser drawer.

They get buried with coffee grains,

soon to be covered with greasy stains.

There go my old shoes.

Goodbye old friends!

I know I’ll never wear you again.

The big old garbage truck is rumbling down the road. It’s carrying a mighty load. I watch my shoes go tumbling in until they’re covered with everything you can imagine. They’re off with a roar Down the road by the corner store, then around the bend until they’re out of sight. Where do you think they’ll

end up tonight?

With a bump and a thump, they’ll end up at the dump! That’s where they’ll go along with that old hat of Uncle Joe’s. in with the socks that had too many holes, on top of the bottles and bent tin cans, to be covered soon by old pots and pans. all the things we throw away each day, end up this way. with a bump and a thump, they end up at the dump! -M. O’Conner

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ACTIVITY #10: Now You See It, Now You Don’t... Sometimes

TIME: 45-Minute class period, with 2 weeks for observation

OBJECTIVE: Students will describe the difference between a biodegradable material and a non-biodegradable material.

TEACHER BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Biodegradable materials are materials that decay or are broken down into simpler materials over time by living things. Biodegradable materials, once broken down, become part of the soil. Materials do not biodegrade at the same rate. It takes a piece of paper a month and a woolen sock a year to become part of the earth again. Not all materials are biodegradable, for example plastics and aluminum are non-biodegradable. These non-biodegradable materials cannot be broken down by living things and always remain in the same form, thus littering the land long after they have been thrown away.

MATERIALS: Small pieces of waste (to be collected) Paper Cardboard Aluminum foil 30 8-oz. plastic containers (reusable) Table scraps - avoid using meat, cheese, and eggs (high protein foods will produce odors) Soil Water Plastic wrap

TEACHER PREPARATION (1-2 days prior to lesson): The teacher will need to collect, or have students collect, waste items and food scraps (no meat scraps) to be used in the lesson.

PROCEDURE:

1. Review the terms “biodegradable” and “non-biodegradable”. Discuss the problems caused by materials which do not biodegrade.

2. Inform students that they will make a comparison study using the collection of waste items their families might have thrown away. They will try to determine which waste items will biodegrade and which items will not biodegrade.

3. Have each student fill a plastic container with soil to within one inch of the top.4. Now “bury” the small bits of waste at various depths in the soil.5. Place the materials close to the outer edge of the cup, leaving space between the

materials.6. Maintain a loose soil by stirring every 2-3 days.7. Cover the cup with plastic wrap.8. Observe the cup every few days for one month.9. Develop a list of common waste items. Use the items from the experiment as well as other

items (Items from a litter walk may also be used- see Suggested Extensions #1). Design a chart for classifying the items as biodegradable or non-biodegradable (or use data sheet provided). Help students decide what items on the list are or are not biodegradable. You may want to discuss the decomposition rates of each biodegradable item.

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FORMATIVE EVALUATION: Through comprehensive study and discussion it will be determined which items changed and which items stayed the same.

LANGUAGE ARTS EXTENSION: Students will write or describe their idea of the world of the future in which they would like to live as adults. Have them hypothesize about what changes must be made in the present environment to reach their ideal and what measures must be taken in the future to prevent additional harm to the environment

Students can compose a rap song using the term “litter”.

EXTENSION ACTIVITIES:

Take your class on a litter walk around the schoolyard or a nearby park collecting a little litter. Make collages out of some of the litter found on the walk.

Discuss which of the materials found in the litter walk can be recycled.

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Now You See It,Now You Don’t... Sometimes

Place an X in the correct column for each item. If you are not sure, put a ? by the item name.

ITEM NAME BIODEGRADABLE NON-BIODEGRADABLE

Name _______________________________________

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ACTIVITY #11: Compost Magic

TIME: 45-Minute period, additional time for compost observation

OBJECTIVE: Students will describe what a compost is and how it works. Students will identify the benefits of composting. Students will construct a mini-compost.

TEACHER BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Composting is the process of turning organic material, normally thrown away, into a “nutrient-rich humus”. Composting is based on the biological process of decomposition. In a compost heap, organisms, such as bacteria, break down organic wastes into nutrient-rich humus or compost. Modem landfills seal garbage in the earth, excluding air and moisture, preventing the organisms from breaking down the material. Neither a paper bag nor a plastic bag may fully decompose in a sealed landfill. Composting, however, allows air and moisture to speed up the decomposition process. The temperature, light, source of organisms, and the nature and particle size of the decomposing material also affect the composting process. The decomposition process also produces heat which is enough to kill most weeds and disease-causing organisms.

Composting produces an excellent natural soil enhancer and reduces the amount of solid waste dumped in landfills. Much of the garbage Americans throw away is compostable. In 2017 Americans generated 35.2 million tons of yard waste and 41 million tons of food waste. There are several choices for compost. Composting may be as simple as heaping last year’s leaves in an out-of the-way corner of the yard and leaving them to decompose slowly or elaborate compost areas may be constructed. Compost bins may be built from chicken wire, stones, bricks, fencing, or other materials. Whatever the compost structure, composting should be done in a partially shaded area and the compost pile should include a carbon layer (dried leaves, straw, dried grass, etc.), a nitrogen layer (kitchen scraps, coffee grounds, lawn clippings, leaves, weeds, manure, (no meat scraps, or pet waste), and a soil or dirt layer, (not potting soil) which introduces the microorganisms. Egg shells, clam shells and wood ashes may also be added as source of calcium. The possible materials are endless. The carbon-nitrogen ratio is important in composting.

A good rule is to use equal volumes of each type material. Layering the carbon, nitrogen, and soil in 10-20 cm layers and leaving it alone will produce usable product in 2 to 4 months. Composts should not smell when working correctly. If it does smell, it may be too moist and require additional dry material. Shredding organic matter into smaller pieces will speed up decomposition. Turning the compost pile every few days so that the outside of the old pile becomes the inside of the new pile speeds up the composting process and will produce compost in 2-3 weeks. The temperature of the compost should rise within a couple of days of the initial layering and climb to approximately 65° C in 2-3 more days. The compost is finished when it cools down and may be used to enhance garden soils, as potting soil for house plants, or sprinkled on the lawn. If everybody practiced composting their kitchen and garden waste, we could reduce our worldwide garbage problem by billions of tons.

MATERIALS: 6 small plastic baskets 6 thermometers 6 popsicle sticks 6 markers 6 rulers 1 roll masking tape Water

TEACHER PREPARATION (1-2 days prior to lesson): The teacher will need to collect, or have

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students collect, waste items and food scraps (no meat scraps) to be used in the lesson.

PROCEDURE:

1. Review the terms “biodegradable” and “non-biodegradable”. Discuss the problems caused by materials which do not biodegrade.

2. Inform students that they will make a comparison study using the collection of waste items their families might have thrown away. They will try to determine which waste items will biodegrade and which items will not biodegrade.

3. Have each student fill a plastic container with soil to within one inch of the top.4. Now “bury” the small bits of waste at various depths in the soil.5. Place the materials close to the outer edge of the cup, leaving space between the

materials.6. Maintain a loose soil by stirring every 2-3 days.7. Cover the cup with plastic wrap.8. Observe the cup every few days for one month.9. Develop a list of common waste items. Use the items from the experiment as well as other

items (Items from a litter walk may also be used- see Suggested Extensions #1). Design a chart for classifying the items as biodegradable or non-biodegradable (or use data sheet provided). Help students decide what items on the list are or are not biodegradable. You may want to discuss the decomposition rates of each biodegradable item.

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TEACHER PREPARATION (3-5 days prior to lesson): Students may be asked in advance to save and bring in organic materials for composting. The teacher should provide examples for students. The teacher may wish to bring in additional composting materials.

Some Suggested Compost Materials:

carbon layer nitrogen layer soil layershredded newspaper green leaves dirtdried leaves weeds garden soilstraw grass clippings finished compostsawdust food scraps (no meat)cornstalks

PROCEDURE:

1. Review decomposition with students. 2. Ask students what organic material is and how much of the material their families throw

away and how much of the material dumped in landfills is organic.3. Introduce composting to students as a way to put nutrients back into the soil through

using natural decomposition. Explain that organisms such as bacteria and fungi break down the organic waste into natural components and produce a nutrient-rich material called compost that can be used as a soil enhancer for gardens, flower beds, etc.

4. Ask if any of the students’ families have composts and allow them to share information with the class.

5. Explain that a compost needs several things for it to “work’’. It needs carbon+nitrogen+soil/minerals+air+water. (This formula might be placed on the board for students to copy.) Stress that in sealed landfills the air and water are not available for the decomposition process to take place.

6. Make a list on the board of organic materials that might be used for the carbon layer and nitrogen layer. Tell students that the soil layer is added to introduce the organisms into the compost pile.

7. Explain to students that compost materials will take time to decompose and the temperature will rise as the decomposition process is taking place.

8. Tell students that each group will be making small compost in a small plastic basket and observing the changes that take place in them.

9. Divide the students into groups of 5 and provide them with the materials for making their compost.

10. Have students layer one or more of the materials from each of the following groups into their compost in approximately 7-8 em layers: carbon materials, nitrogen materials, soil. Sprinkle top with a small amount of water.

11. Have students place a thermometer into the compost, not touching the bottom or sides, so that it can be read from the outside. On the data sheet have students record the initial temperature.

12. Have students mark the initial level of the compost on the basket (or on a piece of tape placed on the basket). Place the date beside the mark. On their data tables have students record the initial height of the compost from the bottom of the basket in em and place this on the data table.

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13. Have students record the compost temperature and height daily for at least 1 month. Students may turn their compost with a popsicle stick after the temperature level begins to drop.

14. After one month, share the group results and discuss what might have caused differences in the data. Continue compost observations if desired.

15. At an appropriate time have each group graph the change in temperature or change in height of the compost versus time.

16. At some time during the compost activity, teach students the song “Banana Peel Blues”(sung to the tune of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”). Discuss the significance of the lyrics.

Banana Peel Blues

Take me out to the compost; Take me out to the heap.Grind me up in a food grinder; I don’t care if I’m chopped into bits,

‘Cause it’s root root root for the microbes; If they don’t live it’s a shame. For it’s two, four, six weeks I’m out to the old garden.

EXTENSION ACTIVITIES:

Have each group prepare composts using different volume ratios of carbon and nitrogen materials. Compare the progress of the different composts. Discuss the factors which might have affected the results.

Introduce earthworms into some of the mini-composts after cooling and compare the results to composts without earthworms. Discuss the benefits of earthworms to the soil.

Prepare a classroom compost pile at the beginning of the school year adding organic and inorganic materials. At the end of the school year dump the remains and explore what is left. Discuss your findings.

Invite parents to class and provide them with information on starting their own composts. Allow the students to participate in the program.

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Compost Magic Data Sheet

DATECOMPOST TEMP (° C )

COMPOST HEIGHT (cm)

OTHER OBSERVATIONS

Name _______________________________________

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bacteria: Microscopic single-celled organisms. They are decomposers that convert organic waste into usable products and are active in composts.

biodegradable: Able to be broken down by living organisms into natural substances such as carbon dioxide and water.

composting: The decomposition of organic wastes by bacteria in the presence of air. A nutrient-rich humus or compost results.

decomposition: The breaking down of organic materials into simpler substances that can be used to improve the soil.

fertilizer: Material added to soil to enrich or improve it.

ground water: Water that collects underground. Groundwater can become contaminated by leaching of harmful substances from landfills.

landfill: Site where wastes are disposed of by burying them in the ground.

land pollution: Anything that pollutes the land. Litter is land pollution.

litter: Material carelessly scattered outside established collection containers.

methane: Combustible gas produced from organic waste when decomposed by bacteria in a landfill.

natural resources: Materials from the environment that can be used in some way by people.

open dump: Site where wastes are dumped and left uncovered with little regard for control of pollution, diseases, or scavengers.

organic waste: Any waste which was once a living organism or the product of a living organism. Organic wastes can be made into a compost.

packaging: The covering or wrapping material of items. Packaging may be natural or man-made. Excessive or non-recyclable packaging contributes to the solid waste problem.

plastic: Materials derived from petroleum which are increasingly used as substitutes for glass, metal, wood, and paper.

polystyrene: A type of plastic. One type of polystyrene is used in packing and insulation materials, food trays, egg cartons, fast food containers, hot cut. Polystyrene foam is commonly known as Styrofoam.

pulp: The oatmeal-like material composed of wood chips, water, and other chemicals from which paper is made. Used paper may also be made into pulp.

Glossary

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raw materials: Materials which are not manufactured.

recycle: To process wastes and use them as raw material for new products. For example, scrap aluminum can be used to make cans.

reduce: To decrease the amount of waste that is thrown away and enters the waste stream.

reuse: To use items again and prevent them from becoming trash. For example, refilling returnable soft drink bottles is reuse.

solid waste: All materials discarded as trash and handled as solids, as opposed to those that are flushed down sewers and handled as liquids.

The End

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M.A.S.H. KIT #31

PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

Judy Koch and Kathy Reese

Adapted from the “All Trashed Out” assessment developed by:

Leesa Hagen and Ann Scates

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PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

1. Learning Objectives Tested: Station: Goal: Objective:

I. Classifying Packaging 2 C 4 B

II. Sorting Trash 2 B 4 A, B, C, E

III. Trashless Lunch 2 E, F, G 4 B, C, G

2. Teacher Directions: Station I: 1. Students will classify items according to natural or man-made packaging.

2. Students will complete a bar graph using the information from their completed chart.

Station II: 1. Using the trash collected from Activities 1, 2, 3, 4 in the MASH kit, the student will separate the trash into three categories.

2. The students will use 15-18 teacher selected items and sort them into one of the following categories: reusable, recyclable, or excess packaging. The items may vary from year to ear, but should include samples from each.

3. The student will complete a bar graph using the information from their completed chart.

3. Time for administering test: 30 minutes. 4. Student directions and answer key are included with test. 5. Scoring method - Point System: total of 56 possible points. 6. Prior student activities include a unit of study about solid waste and recycling issues in “All

Trashed Out”. 7. Answers for STATION II will vary due to what is recycled in student’s town and personal

choice. For example, a glass jar can either be reused or recycled and something that has excess packaging could be reused or recycled. The teacher will have to use her/his/their discretion.

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MATERIALS LIST FOR PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

Station I:

MATERIALS NEEDED:

banana can of soda apple egg shell grapes baby food jar bag of pretzels peanut potato fast food container egg carton pudding cup

Station II:

MATERIALS NEEDED:

No new materials

Use selected items from the previously collected trash. Items should include aluminum can, tin can, newspaper, glass jar, plastic food container, plastic soda bottles, plastic bag, plastic milk jug, several items that are doubled or tripled packaged.

Station I:

MATERIALS NEEDED:

lunchbox paperbag thermos empty drink box or plastic juice container tupperware sandwich container plastic sandwich bag a fruit or a picture of one a dessert or a picture empty pudding or fruit cup small reusable dessert container

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STATION I -- Classifying Packaging

1. Take objects out of box.2. See how each item is packaged. 3. Put items into 2 groups; one that lists those items that are in natural packaging and one

that lists those items that are in man-made packaging.4. Be sure to list all of the items.

NATURAL PACKAGING MAN-MADE PACKAGING

____________________________________ ____________________________________

____________________________________ ____________________________________

____________________________________ ____________________________________

____________________________________ ____________________________________

____________________________________ ____________________________________

____________________________________ ____________________________________

5. List at least three advantages to man-made packaging? _____________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

6. List at least three advantages to natural packaging? ________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

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7. Now graph your information:

COLOR ONE BOX FOR EACH ITEM IN THE GROUP.

109876543210# of

items Man-Made Packaging Natural Packaging

8. Put all objects back into the box.9. Give your sheet to your teacher.

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STATION II -- Sorting Trash

1. Take the trash items out of the bag. 2. Look carefully at each item and how it is packaged. 3. Sort the items into the 3 groups listed below and then write the name or description of

each item in the spaces below the groups to which they belong.

GROUP 1 GROUP 2 GROUP 3 Reusable Recyclable Excess Packaging

_______________________ _______________________ _______________________

_______________________ _______________________ _______________________

_______________________ _______________________ _______________________

_______________________ _______________________ _______________________

_______________________ _______________________ _______________________

_______________________ _______________________ _______________________

4. Make a bar graph using the totals from the above data. Use a crayon to color the boxes. COLOR ONE BOX FOR EACH ITEM IN THE GROUP.

109876543210# of

items Reusable Recyclable Excess Packaging

5. Put the items back in the bag

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STATION III -- Trashless Lunch

1. Open the lunchbox and take out all of the items. 2. Pick the lunch items that will be best for the environment and put them in a group. 3. Show your teacher these items or list them below.

_____________ _____________ _____________ _____________ _____________

4. What is the same about all the objects for your lunch? ______________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

5. Look at the objects that you did not use. What is the same about them? _______________

___________________________________________________________________________

6. Put all the objects back into the lunchbox.

7. Based on what you have learned from the “All Trashed Out” unit, describe how technology

is changing the world in which we live. Discuss the good things and the bad things.

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

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***ANSWER SHEET***

STATION I -- Classifying Packaging

1. Take objects out of box.2. See how each item is packaged. 3. Put items into 2 groups; one that lists those items that are in natural packaging and one

that lists those items that are in man-made packaging.4. Be sure to list all of the items. 1 point per correct item.

GROUP 1 GROUP 2 banana can of soda

apple baby food jar

egg shells bag of pretzels

grapes fast food container

peanut egg carton

potato pudding cup

5. List at least three advantages to man-made packaging? Keep the items free from moisture, dirt, diseases, and mold. Prevent them from being damaged. Allow them to remain fresh and useable for a longer period of time. Other answers are possible. 1 point for each correct response. Total possible: 3 pts.

6. List at least three advantages to natural packaging? Less expensive to produce. Can be composted. Doesn’t take up space in a landfill. May cost less to purchase. Other answers are possible. 1 point for each correct response. Total possible: 3 pts.

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7. Now graph your information: 1 point for each correct bar.

COLOR ONE BOX FOR EACH ITEM IN THE GROUP.

10

9

8

7

6

5 XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

4 XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

3 XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

2 XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

1 XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

0 XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

# of

items Man-Made Packaging Natural Packaging

8. Put all objects back into the box.9. Give your sheet to your teacher. TOTAL 20 POINTS

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***ANSWER SHEET***

STATION II -- Sorting Trash

1. Take the trash items out of the bag. 2. Look carefully at each item and how it is packaged. 3. Sort the items into the 3 groups listed below and then write the name or description of

each item in the spaces below the groups to which they belong. 1 point for each correct item.

GROUP 1 GROUP 2 GROUP 3 Reusable Recyclable Excess Packaging

aluminum pan soda bottle lipstick box plastic butter tub tin can lunchable box school paper glass jar orange bag plastic bag metal lid bouillon cube paper bag soda can toothpaste cotton newspaper pudding cup 4. Make a bar graph using the totals from the above data. Use a crayon to color the boxes. 1

point for each correct item.SORTING TRASH BY TYPES

1098765 XXXXX

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

4 XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

3 XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

2 XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

1 XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

0 XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

# of

items Reusable Recyclable Excess Packaging

5. Put the items back in the bag. TOTAL 21 POINTS

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***ANSWER SHEET***

STATION III -- Trashless Lunch

1. Open the lunchbox and take out all of the items. 2. Pick the lunch items that will be best for the environment and put them in a group. 3. Show your teacher these items or list them below. 1 point for each item.

lunchbox thermos tupperware apple plastic container for chips

4. What is the same about all the objects for your lunch? 2 points They can be used over and

over or they will easily breakdown and return to the environment or soil.

5. Look at the objects that you did not use. What is the same about them? 2 points They

must be thrown away in a landfill.

6. Put all the objects back into the lunchbox. 7. Based on what you have learned from the “All Trashed Out” unit, describe how technology

is changing the world in which we live. Discuss at least three good things and three bad things. 6 total points

Answers will vary. Students should talk about how all of the new conveniences are saving us time and energy while making our lives much easier in reference to the amount of physical work we do. They will probably talk more specifically about the packaging and its benefits. Hopefully, they will then talk about the problems that have been created because of technology. This might include landfill problems, pollution from industries creating the new conveniences and even physical problems humans now face because of the lack of exercise. Points should be awarded based on the number of good and bad things.

TOTAL 15 POINTS