Clean Up Australia - Getting Involved With Your School

This lesson is designed to build students’ competencies in the following skills:

• community engagement
• communication
• creativity
• problem solving

Australian Curriculum (v9.0) content description: Year 4 - 6 Humanities and Social Sciences

Year 4

• The importance of environments, including natural vegetation and water sources, to people and animals in Australia and on another continent (AC9HS4K05)
• Propose actions or responses to an issue or challenge that consider possible effects of actions (AC9HS4S06)

Year 5

• The influence of people, including First Nations Australians and people in other countries, on the characteristics of a place (AC9HS5K04)
• Propose actions or responses to issues or challenges and use criteria to assess the possible effects (AC9HS5S06)

Year 6

• Develop questions to investigate people, events, developments, places and systems
• Propose actions or responses to issues or challenges and use criteria to assess the possible effects (AC9HS6S06)

Relevant parts of Year 4-6 Humanities and Social Sciences achievement standards: 

• Year 4: Students can describe the importance of environments and sustainable allocation and management of resources, as well as propose considered actions or responses.
• Year 5: Students can explain the influence of people on the characteristics of places and in the management of spaces. Students can consider criteria in proposing actions or responses. 
• Year 6: Students can develop questions and locate, collect and organise information and data from a range of primary and secondary sources. Students can also propose actions or responses and use criteria to assess the possible effects.

NSW Syllabus outcomes: GE2-3, GE3-3

General capabilities: Critical and Creative Thinking

Cross-curriculum priority: Sustainability 

Level of teacher scaffolding: High - Supporting students to run their own Schools Clean Up Day.

UN SDG 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

• Target 12.5: By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse

• Devices with internet access
• Gloves and tongs for collecting waste
• Printed school maps, Schools Clean Up Day Groups
• Student Worksheet
• Optional - Schools Clean Up Kit (Order through Clean Up Australia here)

This lesson was created in partnership with Clean Up Australia and its Education Partner, Unilever Australia – maker of household staples including Dove, Rexona, TRESemmé, Omo, Continental, Hellmann’s and Streets ice creams. Unilever and Clean Up Australia joined forces in 2020 to help inspire and empower Australians to clean up, fix up and conserve our environment. To learn more about the action Unilever is taking to improve the health of the planet, visit Sustainability - Planet & Society | Unilever.  

Following this lesson plan is an ideal way for your school to take part in Schools Clean Up Day or a Clean Up on any day of the year. You’ll be joining thousands of amazing teachers in making a difference and creating positive environmental change.