Visy Education - Bottled a Better Way

Australian curriculum content descriptions: 

Year 7 Science:

• Some of Earth’s resources are renewable, including water that cycles through the environment, but others are non-renewable (ACSSU116).
• People use science understanding and skills in their occupations and these have influenced the development of practices in areas of human activity (ACSHE121).
• Construct and use a range of representations, including graphs, keys and models to represent and analyse patterns or relationships in data using digital technologies as appropriate (ACSIS129).

Year 8 Science:

• Chemical change involves substances reacting to form new substances (ACSSU225).
• Scientific knowledge has changed peoples’ understanding of the world and is refined as new evidence becomes available (ACSHE134).
• Solutions to contemporary issues that are found using science and technology, may impact on other areas of society and may involve ethical considerations (ACSHE135).

Syllabus outcomes: SC4-12ES, SC4-13ES, SC4-7WS, SC4-16CW, ACSHE134, SC4-11PW.

General capabilities: Literacy, Critical and Creative Thinking, Ethical Understanding.

Cross-curriculum priority: Sustainability.

Relevant parts of Year 7 Science achievement standards: Students analyse how the sustainable use of resources depends on the way they are formed and cycle through Earth systems. Students describe situations where scientific knowledge from different science disciplines and diverse cultures has been used to solve a real-world problem. They communicate their ideas, methods and findings using scientific language and appropriate representations.

Relevant parts of Year 8 Science achievement standards: By the end of Year 8, students compare physical and chemical changes and use the particle model to explain and predict the properties and behaviours of substances. They explain how evidence has led to an improved understanding of a scientific idea and describe situations in which scientists collaborated to generate solutions to contemporary problems. They reflect on implications of these solutions for different groups in society.

Unit of work: Visy Education – Secondary Science.

Time required: 120 mins.

Level of teacher scaffolding: Medium – teacher will facilitate an innovative design process.

• Student Worksheet (one copy per student).
• Device capable of presenting a website to the class.
• Materials for making a 3D model (suggest using materials commonly found in a recycling bin).
• ‘The Role Of Recycled Plastics In Closing The Loop’ article (one per pair)

• Communication
• Critical thinking
• Ethical understanding
• Social skills

This lesson has been developed in partnership with Visy. For over 70 years Visy has been committed to finding sustainable solutions for Australia and New Zealand’s recyclables and helping to reduce local landfills. Visy collects, receives and sorts paper, cardboard, glass, plastics, steel and aluminium from households, businesses and schools with the purpose of reusing these products in the re-manufacture of new packaging products.