National Recycling Week - What a Waste

Australian curriculum content descriptions:

Year 5 Geography:

• The environmental and human influences on the location and characteristics of a place and the management of spaces within them (ACHASSK113)
• Locate and collect relevant information and data from primary and secondary sources (ACHASSI095)
• Present ideas, findings, viewpoints and conclusions in a range of texts and modes that incorporate source materials, digital and non-digital representations and discipline-specific terms and conventions (ACHASSI105)
• Reflect on learning to propose personal and/or collective action in response to an issue or challenge, and predict the probable effects (ACHASSI104)

Year 5 Science: 

• Solids, liquids and gases have different observable properties and behave in different ways (ACSSU077)
• Scientific knowledge is used to inform personal and community decisions (ACSHE217)
• Communicate ideas, explanations and processes in a variety of ways, including multi-modal texts (ACSIS093)

Syllabus Outcomes: GE3-2, GE3-3, GE3-4, ST3-6PW, ST3-4WS, ST2-7PW, 

Time required: 2 x 60 mins: 60 mins for main activity and survey preparation; break time for conducting student survey; 30 mins for analysing survey data and creating video

Level of teacher scaffolding: Medium – the teacher will need to explain and make sure the student survey is conducted confidentially. Organise students so their survey can be done efficiently. 

• Map of school
• Clean aluminium cans and foil
• Art materials
• Paper for posters

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

• communication
• community engagement
• critical thinking
• collaboration

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.