Lesson summary
With the assistance of a teacher, students identify the Australasian Recycling Labels and the purpose behind them – specifically the intention of reducing material waste and helping the environment. Students will then play a fun, physical game of Hopscotch with the intention of practising associating common household and classroom waste with the appropriate Australasian Recycling Label.
Learning intentions:
Students will...
- learn to identify the three Australasian Recycling Labels on a piece of packaging
- practice matching that Label to a specific action and/or disposal method
- will discuss the purpose and need for recycling.
Success criteria:
Students can...
- locate the Australasian Recycling Labels on a piece of packaging
- tell the difference between the three Australasian Recycling Labels
- perform different actions with different types of packaging
- recycle pieces of packaging in the correct bin.
Lesson guides and printables
Curriculum links
Select your curriculum from the options below.
Lesson details
Curriculum mapping
Australian curriculum content descriptions:
Foundation HPE:
- Explore actions that help make the classroom a healthy, safe and active place (ACPPS022)
Foundation Science:
- Objects are made of materials that have observable properties (ACSSU003)
- Share observations and ideas (ACSIS012)
Foundation Technologies:
- Identify how people design and produce familiar products, services and environments and consider sustainability to meet personal and local community needs (ACTDEK001)
Syllabus outcomes: SLS1.13, STe-4WS, STe-9ME, STe-10ME, ST1-14BE, ST1-15I, ST1-16P
General capabilities: Literacy, Critical and Creative Thinking, Ethical Understanding
Cross-curriculum priority: Sustainability
Relevant parts of Foundation Year achievement standards:
By the end of the Foundation Year, students describe the properties and behaviour of familiar objects.
By the end of Year 2, students describe the purpose of familiar products, services and environments and how they meet a range of present needs.
This lesson is part of the wider unit of work: National Recycling Week – Primary
Time required: 50 mins
Level of teacher scaffolding: High – Teacher facilitates instructions and the playing of the game
Resources required
- Activity Sheets
- Area of asphalt or concrete such as a basketball court
- Boxes, bins or other receptacles (x3)
- Chalk
- Coloured pencils
- Device capable of presenting a video to the class
- Pieces of packaging sourced from student lunchboxes/the classroom, or use these graphics, various
- Recycling label templates
Skills
This lesson is designed to build students’ competencies in the following skills:
- community engagement
- collaboration
- critical thinking
- ethical understanding
- global citizenship
- problem solving
Additional info
Planet Ark’s National Recycling Week started in 1996 to bring a national focus to the environmental benefits of recycling. This highly regarded annual campaign continues to educate and stimulate behaviour change by promoting kerbside, industrial and community recycling initiative. It also gives people the tools to minimise waste and manage material resources responsibly at home, work and school. In partnership with Planet Ark, we have developed lessons from early learning through to year 10 to help educators bring these important topics into the classroom.
National Recycling Week is held in the second week of November each year but you can recycle all year-round with these lessons which were designed to be used at any time. Click here to find out more about National Recycling Week and the Schools Recycle Right Challenge.
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