Creating a Green Circular Economy

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

• critical thinking
• collaboration
• curiosity
• digital literacy
• initiative
• reflection

Australian Curriculum (v9.0) content description:

Year 7, Science

Syllabus outcomes:

• use models, including food webs, to represent matter and energy flow in ecosystems and predict the impact of changing abiotic and biotic factors on populations (AC9S7U02)

General capabilities: Critical and Creative Thinking

Cross-curriculum priority: Sustainability

Relevant parts of Year 7 achievement standards: Students represent flows of matter and energy in ecosystems and predict the effects of environmental changes. 

UN SDG 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

• Target 12.4: By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment

• Devices for student online research
• Device to show videos to the class
• Student worksheets (1 per student)

These lessons were created in partnership with Planet Ark & Coles.

Coles is a Major Sponsor of Planet Ark's National Recycling Week, which was established in 1996 to encourage Australians across the country to engage in recycling education - improving recycling habits and keeping valuable resources out of landfill. They became involved with Planet Ark's National Recycling Week as a part of its Sustainability Strategy to minimise its environmental footprint.  

The strategy includes two focus areas, Together to Zero and Better Together. Together to Zero sets out ambitions across the key sustainability areas of climate change, waste and hunger. Better Together ensures the wellbeing of employees, suppliers and community and works towards positive social change. Its goal is to support all Australians lead healthier, happier, and more sustainable lives.

Click here to find out more about National Recycling Week and the Schools Recycle Right Challenge. 

Level of teacher scaffolding: Low - Facilitate student discussion and support independent research.