Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

30 minutes	Part B: What Types Of Waste Do we Make?
10 minutes	Part C: What Do We Do With Waste?
5 minutes	Reflection

Lesson preparation:

For this lesson, you will need a range of clean waste items that students are likely to be familiar with, such as plastic bottles, fruit juice cartons, aluminium cans, glass jars, plastic bags, straws (paper and plastic), plastic wrap, aluminium foil, paper coffee cups, cardboard boxes and paper. Try to pick a range of waste materials, including some that can be recycled and some that can’t. Ensure all items are thoroughly clean and any sharp parts are covered in tape.
If necessary, use the Waste Safety Code to guide a class discussion about being safe with waste.

Part A: Activating Prior Knowledge

Step 1.

Begin the lesson by writing the word ‘Waste’ on the board. Invite students to share what they think this word means in a class discussion.

Explain that there are two meanings for the word waste:

To waste something can mean to use something carelessly or without having a purpose. For example: “It is a waste of time.”
Waste is also a noun when we use it to describe something that we have thrown away, that we don’t want to use anymore. We often think of it as something we put in the bin.

Invite students to suggest other words we could use for waste, such as rubbish, trash or garbage.

Step 2.

Explain to students that in this lesson they are going to be focusing on the second type of waste, the type that ends up in the bin.

Invite students to share what they already know about this type of waste. You could record this information on a mind-map, either on the board or using an online mind-mapping tool like bubbl.us (https://bubbl.us/) or mindmeister (https://www.mindmeister.com/).

Step 3.

Show the following clip, which helps to define waste and where it comes from:

War On Waste: Trailer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RApy6ifIA20)

Once complete, invite students to reflect on this clip by thinking about what they found interesting, surprising or important.

Step 4.

Work with students to develop a class definition of waste. You could invite students to suggest some keywords or terms that they can think of when they think about waste and then building some of these words into a sentence. For example, students might offer terms like rubbish, bin, throw away and no longer want. From these words your definition could be:

Waste is any stuff that we don't want or can't use that we throw away into the bin.

If you're planning on completing other lessons in this unit, keep a record of your definition to return to.

Part B: What Types Of Waste Do We Make?

Step 1.

Invite students to suggest different types of waste that we create, such as bags, bottles and jars, plastic wrap, food waste, old and broken things like toys or clothes, and garden waste.

You can now display the clean waste items you have collected and ask students to gather around these items. Ask students to suggest which items they are familiar with and what these items were used for.

You might consider projecting the Waste Safety Code or creating one of your own before inviting students to handle the waste items.

Step 2. Differentiation:

Foundation and Year 1 - Work with students to sort the materials according to different categories, such as colour, size (using informal measurements), weight, how they feel (hard, soft, cold, etc.), pliability (whether they can change shape when pulled or stretched) and composition (what they’re made of).
Years 2 and 3 - Students can work collaboratively to sort the materials according to their composition (what they’re made of). Encourage students to pull apart items like juice boxes and coffee cups to assess how some items are made of multiple materials. As they work, pose the following questions:
- How can you tell what materials these items are made of?
- Why do you think these items are made from these materials? For example, why are eggs kept in cardboard cartons and not plastic bags or glass jars?
- Are any waste items made of more than one material?
- Can you think of any ways these items could be used again before they go in the bin?

Step 3.

Students can now work collaboratively to create a poster or graph that describes the different types of waste analysed.

Differentiation:

Foundation and Year 1 - Students work as a class to create a class poster that describes the different features of the waste materials with samples (or drawings/photos) and descriptions of each type of material (e.g. plastic can be hard or soft, clear or coloured).
Years 2 and 3 - Students work in groups to create a graph that describes the different materials identified in the waste items. Students can base their graphs on the design below:
.

	Plastic	Cardboard or paper	Glass	Metal
Milk bottle	✔️
Water bottle	✔️
Coffee cup	✔️	✔️
Jar			✔️	✔️
Can		✔️		✔️

Once complete, invite students to share their graphs or poster, spending some time discussing what they have created.

Part C: What Do We Do With Waste?

Step 1.

Gather any remaining waste materials that you have left or that you have created in the process of producing your poster or graph. Pose the following question to students:

What do we do with these waste items?

Students may suggest answers that include putting them in the bin or throwing them away. Through your discussion, lead students to the concept of recycling and how many of these items can be recycled. Where necessary, clarify the following with students:

Recycling means to turn a waste item into something new.
When something can’t be recycled it will go to landfill unless we find another use for it.

Step 2. Two options:

Option A: If you are not planning on completing the next lesson, War On Waste - The Impacts Of Waste On Our Environment - Foundation to Year 3, you could share the following clips with students from War On Waste before recycling your waste items using the correct bins. View on iTunes or Enhance TV:

Episode 2, Australia - 1:55 to 6:51

Warning: This clip contains some graphic imagery. If this is not suitable for your class, we suggest you begin the clip at 2:25.

This clip describes some of the ways we can get rid of our waste; however, it should be noted that the items that you can recycle will depend on your council and what they will accept. Please check with your council about what you can and can’t recycle in your area.

Also, the ban on plastic bags has been moving ahead since this season of War On Waste. You may wish to share with students the current states that are banning plastic bags.

Option B: If you are planning to complete the next lesson in this unit, explain to students that they will explore the idea of recycling and why we do it in more detail in the next lesson. Gather your waste materials and place them in a box and explain to students they will have a chance to place these items in the correct bins during the next lesson.

Reflection

Finally, engage students in a class discussion around the following questions:

What were the most interesting or important things you found out in this lesson?
What new words did you come across in this lesson?
How did we practise being safe with waste in this lesson?
What questions do you still have about waste?

Teacher Reflection

Take this opportunity to reflect on your own teaching:

What did you learn about your teaching today?
What worked well?
What didn't work so well?
What would you share?
Where to next?
How are you going to get there?

War On Waste - Finding Out About Waste

Summary

Lesson Guides and Printables

War On Waste - Finding Out About Waste

Summary

Lesson Guides and Printables