Visy Glass - Separation of Mixtures: Glass Recycling

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

• critical thinking
• community engagement
• curiosity
• global citizenship

Australian Curriculum (v9.0) content description: Year 7 Chemical Sciences

• Use the particle model to describe differences between pure substances and mixtures and apply an understanding of the properties of substances to separate mixtures (AC9S7U06).

Relevant parts of Year 7 Chemical Sciences achievement standards: Students can use particle theory to explain the physical properties of substances and develop processes that separate mixtures.

NSW Syllabus outcomes:

• Explains how the properties of substances enable separation in a range of techniques (SC4-SOL-01).

General capabilities: Critical and Creative Thinking, Personal and Social Capability 

Cross-curriculum priority: Sustainability 

Level of teacher scaffolding: Medium - facilitate class discussion, some explicit teaching of scientific concepts

UN SDG 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

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

• Small pieces of different coloured glass, cardboard, paper, aluminium, steel cans, plastic
• Device capable of displaying audiovisual material

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.

Teach the Big Picture of Sustainability  

Quick Summary: Find out how to teach sustainability by opening your students’ minds to how different systems – environmental, social and economic – are interconnected.