LodeStar Unit**Stewardship and waste management

This Unit Covers

This 4MAT unit has been selected as a 4MAT LodeStar Unit, 4MAT units we honor and proudly show to the world representing the best from About Learning.

Lodestar: A bright, easily found star that is used to find direction.
Anything that acts as a guide, inspiration or example to follow.


Trash and recycling

Learning Outcomes

Good Stewardship 7.3
Minimizing damage to the environment 7.3

Teacher Notes

This lesson will take about 2 weeks

Time Frame

Total time : 550 minutes

Concept :

Responsibility

Content :

Environment: Recycling

Bridge :

Dreams

Essential Question :

How can I show that I am a responsible steward of God's creation, in relation to recycling?

Outcomes :

Know : They are stewards of this earth Do : Know how to recycle or reuse materials Be/Become : Good stewards of God's creation Be/Become :

Throw-away simulation using SCAMPER technique.

Discussion of simulation

Listen to reading of "Just A Dream."

Video, lecture, graphic organizers & power point.

Prowl For Plastics activity,review sheet & tests

Small group or individual projects.

Student/teacher evaluate projects using 3 plusses and a wish.

Present and display projects to the EdFair

Responsibility

1. Connect: Connecting to the Concept Experientially

Objective: To provide an awareness of the need for recycling in our society. To review strategies for creative problem solving. Activity: Students are asked to collect one or two items of garbage from home or school. The students will work in groups to experience a throw-away simulation. Begin by dividing the class into groups of 3-4 students and ask each student to share with their group one throw-away item they have collected. Next, ask the group to generate all the possible alternate uses for the item which has been presented using the SCAMPER technique in their brainstorming: S - Substitute this article for something else. C - Combine it with other item(s). A - Adapt or alter the item in some way. M - Modify, minify, or magnify the article. P - Put the article to other uses. E - Elaborate and add details. R - Rearrange or reverse the article. Assessment: Involvement of the students in the experience and their contribution to it.

2. Attend: Attending to the Connection

Objective: To heighten students' awareness that they too can do something to reduce garbage in our society.
Activity: Discuss the simulation experience with the class. Have each group generate ideas of what to do with the garbage which is thrown away most often in their homes.  Have students write downt their answers on a large post it poster paper.  Have a member of each group read their list to the class and post the sheet in the room . Assessment: Measure student contribution to the group discussion and quality of lists generated.

3. Image: Creating a Mental Picture

Objective: Use of another medium to formulate the concept of how our actions do make a difference with the problem of municipal solid waste. Activity: Students listen while the teacher reads Just A Dream. Once the book has been read, discuss the concepts presented. After the discussion, play soft background music while the students draw their "dream" for the world in which they live. Assessment: Quality of discussion and "dream" drawings.  Have the students share their drawing with the people at their tables and choose one to be drawn on the large post-it sheet to be presented to the class.

4. Inform: Receiving Facts & Knowledge

Objective: To teach specific information about the classification of waste, plastic wastes, packaging and waste, local, national and worldwide impacts of waste and finally, ideas of ways to manage the waste problem in our community. Activity: The teacher presents information using lecture, videos, review sheets, graphic organizers, and discussion. The teacher reads to the class the book, Where Does The Garbage Go? Assessment: Measure the level of student interest and the quality of questions and comments.

5. Practice: Developing Skills

Objective: To reinforce students' understandings of concepts related to waste and how to manage it. Activity:  Prowl For Plastics: Give each student a Prowl For Plastics sheet. Ask them to go home and "prowl" in their pantry for plastics. They should list the products on their sheet on which they found the appropriate plastics code. Share items found in class.
Carousel Walk: On large chart paper, place a picture of an item which has been overpackaged. Below the picture, write these questions: 1) What function does the packaging serve? 2) Is the packaging necessary or unnecessary? 3) Design a new package for this item that uses less packaging.

(Make five or six of the above described chart papers, each with a different item, and place the chart papers around the classroom.)
Divide the class into small groups. Station each group at one piece of the chart paper. Allow time for each group to respond to the questions. After sufficient time, play "carousel" type music, this is the signal for each group to rotate clockwise to the next piece of chart paper. Continue this procedure until all groups to return to their seats. The teacher may then walk around the room reviewing with the class the ideas which were generated by each group.
Review sheet:  Have students fill out the answers to the review sheet to review key concepts.
Tests:  Summative assessments such as tests and quizzes will be used to monitor student learning of key concepts.

6. Extend: Extending Learning to the Outside World

Objective: To extend what has been learned.
Activity: Students will decide upon a project to be done individually.
Assessment:  Measure student's understanding and committment to how to better citizens.

SUGGESTIONS:
1. Develop a questionnaire to determine attitudes of neighbors, family, and friends toward solid waster management and recycling. Conduct a survey using your questionnaire. Present your findings to the class.
(Make a visual representation of findings ex. poster, ppt, handout, board, post it large sticky poster.)
2. Make recycled paper.
3. Form an environmental club at our school to encourage recycling.
4. Visit and interview a local paper, aluminum or glass recycling business in our community. Share your discoveries with the class. (Make a visual representation of findings ex. poster, ppt, handout, board, post it large sticky poster.)
5. Survey 4 local fast food restaurants to determine how many of them recycle the packaging they use. Present your findings. (Make a visual representation of findings ex. poster, ppt, handout, board, post it large sticky poster.)
6. Interview an employee of a garden center to find out more about composting. Make a report on why people should compost and how it is done. (Make a visual representation of findings ex. poster, ppt, handout, board, post it large sticky poster.)
7. Interview a local community leader to discover what the city is doing about the solid waste problem. Video or record your interview and make a presentation to your class. (Make a visual representation of findings ex. poster, ppt, handout, board, post it large sticky poster.)
8. Gather trash at home or at school and make something artistic.
9. Create your own project, must be approved by Mrs. Serrano
Note:  All projects must include a statement specifying why they believe they need to take better care of the world using a Biblical reference. 

7. Refine: Refining the Extension

Objective: To have students look critically and constructively at their own work and the work of their classmates.
Activity: 3 Plusses and a Wish--ask each student to share their project with the class. The student presenter(s), other class members and teacher, will in written form, evaluate the project using three positive statements and one wish concerning the project. Assessment: Measure the quality of student group contribution.

The students will then be allowed to modify/polish their projects for the final presentations.

8. Perform: Creative Manifestation of Material Learned

Objective: Measure the student's ability to personalize their knowledge of waste management.  Measure the relevance of the Biblical reference in their written statement that specifies why they believe they need to take better care of the world.

No file attached with this lesson.

1. Level of Engagement, Fascination :

Discussion of simulation

To what degree are learners fascinated and actively engaged?

2. Seeing the Big Picture :

Listen to reading of "Just A Dream." Play soft music while students draw their "dream" for the world

Listen to reading of "Just A Dream."  Play soft music while students draw their "dream" for the world.  To what degree are learners seeing and expressing the big picture that captures the essence of the concept?

3. Success with Acquiring Knowledge :

Video, lecture, graphic organizers & power point.

Video, lecture, graphic organizers & power point.  To what degree are learners understanding the Knowledge associated with this unit?

4. Success with Acquiring Skills :

Guided Practice: 1) Prowl For Plastics, 2) Carousel walk, worksheets, end of section questions, test and review sheets.

Guided Practice: 1) Prowl For Plastics, 2) Carousel walk, worksheets,  end of section questions, test and review sheets.  To what degree are learners gaining the Skills associated with this unit, en route to fluency?

5. Performance, Creative Use of Material Learned :

Present and display projects to the class and to the EdFair.

Present and display projects to the class and to the EdFair.  To what degree are learners now able to create something new in the world, based on the integration of the learner and the thing learned?

Author : Melinda Zanetich