War On Waste - What Waste Do We Create At School? Litter Audit

Australian curriculum content descriptions: 

Year 4 Mathematics:

• Select and trial methods for data collection, including survey questions and recording sheets (ACMSP095)
• Investigate equivalent fractions used in contexts (ACMNA077)

Year 4 Science:

• Natural and processed materials have a range of physical properties that can influence their use (ACSSU074)
• Science knowledge helps people to understand the effect of their actions (ACSHE062)
• With guidance, identify questions in familiar contexts that can be investigated scientifically and make predictions based on prior knowledge (ACSIS064)
• Represent and communicate observations, ideas and findings using formal and informal representations (ACSIS071)

Year 4 HASS (Geography):

• The use and management of natural resources and waste, and the different views on how to do this sustainably (ACHASSK090)

Year 5 Mathematics:

• Pose questions and collect categorical or numerical data by observation or survey (ACMSP118)
• Construct displays, including column graphs, dot plots and tables, appropriate for data type, with and without the use of digital technologies (ACMSP119)
• Compare and order common unit fractions and locate and represent them on a number line (ACMNA102)

Year 5 Science:

• Scientific knowledge is used to inform personal and community decisions (ACSHE083)
• Construct and use a range of representations, including tables and graphs, to represent and describe observations, patterns or relationships in data using digital technologies as appropriate (ACSIS090)
• Communicate ideas, explanations and processes in a variety of ways, including multi-modal texts (ACSIS093)

Year 6 Mathematics:

• Make connections between equivalent fractions, decimals and percentages (ACMNA131)
• Interpret and compare a range of data displays, including side-by-side column graphs for two categorical variables (ACMSP147)

Year 6 Science:

• With guidance, plan appropriate investigation methods to answer questions or solve problems (ACSIS103)
• Compare data with predictions and use as evidence in developing explanations (ACSIS221)
• Communicate ideas, explanations and processes in a variety of ways, including multi-modal texts (ACSIS110)

Syllabus outcomes: MA2‑1WM, MA2-18SP, MA2‑3WM, MA2‑2WM, MA3-18SP, MA3‑3WM, MA3‑1WM, MA3‑2WM, ST2-13MW, ST2-11LW, ST2-4WS, ST3-6PW, ST3-4WS, GE2-2, GE2-3

General capabilities: Critical and Creative Thinking, Numeracy

Cross-curriculum priority: Sustainability OI.7, OI.9

Relevant parts of Year 4 Mathematics achievement standards: Students recognise common equivalent fractions in familiar contexts. They construct data displays from given or collected data.

Relevant parts of Year 4 Science achievement standards: Students apply the observable properties of materials to explain how objects and materials can be used. They identify when science is used to understand the effect of our actions. Students follow instructions to identify investigable questions about familiar contexts and make predictions based on prior knowledge, and they use formal and informal ways to communicate their observations and findings.

Relevant parts of Year 4 HASS achievement standards: Students identify the interconnections between components of the environment and between people and the environment

Relevant parts of Year 5 Mathematics achievement standards: Students order fractions and pose questions to gather data, and construct data displays appropriate for the data

Relevant parts of Year 5 Science achievement standards: Students discuss how scientific developments help us solve problems. Students construct tables and graphs to organise data and identify patterns in the data, and communicate their ideas and findings using multimodal texts.

Relevant parts of Year 6 Mathematics achievement standards: Students calculate a simple fraction of a quantity and compare a variety of data displays including those displays for two categorical variables.

Relevant parts of Year 6 Science achievement standards: Students collect, organise and interpret their data, and describe and analyse relationships in data using appropriate representations and construct multimodal texts to communicate ideas, methods and findings.

Unit of work: War On Waste – Years 4-6

Time required: 120+ mins

Level of teacher scaffolding: High – oversee class discussion and auditing processes

• Device capable of creating audio-visual recordings, such as an iPad or camera
• Device with internet and presentation capability
• Litter Key Table
• Map or plan of the school grounds (or locate the school on Google Maps)
• Rubber gloves
• Sample Litter Key
• Student Worksheets – one copy per student
• Waste Safety Code

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

• Communication
• Collaboration
• Critical thinking
• Leadership

Cool Australia’s War On Waste lessons have been developed in partnership with Lune Media and with support from the Australian Environmental Grantmakers Network. These lessons have been designed to lead students through a deeper understanding of some of the big issues relating to waste in Australia and to support them to take action to reduce the impact of waste on our environment.