How I used these materials/3rd Grade Recycling
From OOGEEP
Submitted by Carla Davis, Columbus City Schools
Consider energy education and your curriculum. How can you incorporate what you have learned into your science curriculum? Brainstorm some ideas that would include a science concept that needs to be taught, a variety of teaching methods to address retention, and the use of graphic organizers.
Contents |
[edit] Benchmarks, Standards, Content or Concepts
Describe Earth's resources including rocks, soil, water, air, animals and plants and the ways in which they can be conserved.
[edit] Ways to incorporate different teaching methods
- Lecture
Students will listen to an overview on recycling and the benefits for the environment because it saves natural resources (oil and natural gas), conserves landfill space, and conserves energy.
- Reading
Using the idea of “Recycling Matters”, students will brainstorm what they threw in the garbage yesterday or this morning. Focus on items that could have been recycled. Explain that everyone throws away garbage everyday and altogether we throw about 2,500 tons of garbage in one day. Discuss how garbage is processed. Discuss the importance of recycling. Discuss places you can recycle. What would you say to someone who thinks recycling is not important and does not matter?
- Audio-visual
Students will view a video shown through unitedstreaming.com titled Junior Environmental Scientist: Land: Pollution and Solutions 15:44.
- Demonstrations
The teacher will demonstrate the Polymer Plastic Recycling experiment as described in the OOGEEP Science Teacher workshop book, then students will conduct the experiment in groups of 3-4.
- Discussion Groups
Students will work in groups to discuss then estimate the numbers of items in the classroom/school that can or cannot be recycled. Students will come up with ways to encourage the student body to start recycling and the importance of recycling. Students will set up stations throughout the building with recycling binds to start collecting items to recycle. This activity will give students a better appreciation for recycling and making this school green.
- Practice by Doing
Students will complete the Polymer Plastic Recycling experiment as described in the OOGEEP Science Teacher workshop book. This will give the students a better understanding of recycling.
- Teach Others/Immediate Use of Learning
Students can use the recycling codes to determine what can or cannot be recycled and determine the correct container to put the item in.
- Use of Technology
Students can use the Solid Waste Authority website to find out more about recycling and recycling options. Students can also go to http://refuse.ci.columbus.oh.us/recycle/ to find printable drop-off recycling locations in your area.
- 21st Century Skills
Students will come up with ways to make it mandatory that everyone recycles in order to make our planet green.
[edit] Graphic Organizers
Students can use a chart to record data from the recycling codes. Students will also make a density table to help arrange data gathered from their experiment.
[edit] Field trips or Speakers
After learning about recycling, students will be instructed in groups to locate the closest landfill and find out how a field trip can be set up. They must find out who to contact, days of tours and operations. Students will write to Solid Waste Authority Organization (SWACO) describing in brief what they have learned, and request any information they can use to set up a recycling program in their school. Students will set up a program at the schools where someone from SWACO and have Rhonda Reda from OOGEEP to talk about ways this affects the oil and gas industry.