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Waste Not, Want Not

Learning Package 4

Elementary, Middle

Description

Waste Not, Want not is the fourth resource from 10,000 Changes that provides an opportunity for educators to explore key themes and concepts connected with plastic use and how to eliminate plastic in our daily lives. 

In this three part lesson, students will:

  • examine the 10 000 changes infographic and video about plastic waste and discuss the key messages they learn
  • brainstorm ways to make members in their school and community aware of the amount of waste they produce, design and deliver a survey to learn more about the waste trends in their community and what they can do in order to bring about positive change
  • discuss their survey results with each other, visualize the data and discuss the patterns and trends they observe.
As a conclusion to this activity, students will brainstorm ways to raise awareness in their community on how community members can decrease their waste and brainstorm an action project to make their community better. This lesson plan also provides extensions and modifications, as well as assessment opportunities.                            
Link to lesson plan video                                                                  
Link to lesson plan infographic

General Assessment

What skills does this resource explicitly teach?

This resource teaches students how to design and deliver a survey to learn more about the waste trends in their community. 

Strengths

  • The resource is available in both official languages
  • The resources supplied in the lesson are interesting and engaging
  • The lesson plan is thorough and can easily be followed by the teacher
  • An extension to the activity is provided
  • The lesson plan provides assessment opportunities
  • The problem discussed in this resource is locally focused and relevant for the students

Weaknesses

  • There are no modifications provided for struggling learners

Recommendation of how and where to use it

This lesson plan is a very short and useful introduction for students to the issue of waste produced in Canada and in their community. It could be used independently, or it could be used with the other lessons from 10 000 Changes. 

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        • The likelihood of possible outcomes can be examined, compared, and interpreted
    • Grade 4
      • Step 3Select a subject
      • Math
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Analyzing and interpreting experiments in data probability develops an understanding of chance
    • Grade 5
      • Step 3Select a subject
      • Math
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Data represented in graphs can be used to show many-to-one correspondence
    • Grade 6
      • Step 3Select a subject
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        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Data from the results of an experiment can be used to predict the theoretical probability of an event and to compare and interpret
    • Grade 7
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      • Math
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Data from circle graphs can be used to illustrate proportion and to compare and interpret.
    • Grade 8
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      • Math
        • Step 4Relevant matches
        • Analyzing data by determining averages is one way to make sense of large data sets and enables us to compare and interpret

Themes Addressed

Citizenship (1)

  • Sustainable Consumption

Waste Management (2)

  • Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
  • Solid Waste Disposal

Sustainability Education Principles

Principle Rating Explanation
Consideration of Alternative Perspectives Very Good

Students will develop a survey to discover waste trends in their community, discuss their results, and brainstorm ways to raise awareness in their community on how they can reduce their waste. 

Consideration of Alternative Perspectives:
  • Satisfactory: absence of bias towards any one point of view
  • Good: students consider different points of view regarding issues, problems discussed
  • Very good: based on the consideration of different views, students form opinions and  take an informed position
Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions Very Good

When assessing the survey results, students will need to think about the economic, social, and environmental issues. 

Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions:

Effectively addresses the environmental, economic and social dimensions of the issue(s) being explored.

  • Satisfactory: resource supports the examination of  these dimensions
  • Good:  resource explicitly examines the interplay of these dimensions
  • Very Good:  a systems-thinking approach is encouraged to examine these three dimensions
Respects Complexity Very Good

The video and infographics provided explain well the complexity of plastic waste. 

Respects Complexity:

The complexity of the problems/issues being discussed is respected.

Acting on Learning Satisfactory

Although students are asked to come up with ideas on how to reduce waste in their community, they are not asked to put them in place. 

Acting on Learning:

Learning moves from understanding  issues  to working towards positive change — in personal lifestyle, in school, in the community,  or for the planet

  • Satisfactory: action opportunities are included as extensions 
  • Good: action opportunities are core components of the resource
  • Very Good: action opportunities for students are well supported and intended to result in observable, positive change
Values Education Very Good

Throughout the lesson, students are asked their opinion and have their voices heard while creating the survey. 

Values Education:

Students are explicitly provided with opportunities to identify, clarify and express their own beliefs/values.

Empathy & Respect for Humans Poor/Not considered

This is not a focus of this resource

Empathy & Respect for Humans: Empathy and respect are fostered for diverse groups of humans (including different genders, ethnic groups, sexual preferences, etc.).
Personal Affinity with Earth Good

Students will look at how plastic waste affects their environment and the planet. 

Personal Affinity with Earth:

Encourages a personal affinity with -the natural world.  

  • Satisfactory: connection is made to the natural world
  • Good: fosters appreciation/concern for the natural world
  • Very Good: fosters stewardship though practical and respectful experiences out-of-doors 
Locally-Focused Learning Good

This resource concentrates on the amount of waste produced in the student's community therefore is relevant and has a local focus. 

Locally-Focused Learning:

Includes learning experiences that take advantage of issues/elements within the local community. 

  • Satisfactory: learning is made relevant to the lives of the learners
  • Good: learning is made relevant and has a local focus
  • Very Good: learning is made relevant, local and takes place ‘outside’ , in the community 
Past, Present & Future Good
Past, Present & Future: Promotes an understanding of the past, a sense of the present, and a positive vision for the future.

Pedagogical Approaches

Principle Rating Explanation
Open-Ended Instruction Very Good

When constructing their survey, students have full control of the questions they want to ask. They also get to brainstorm their own ideas on how to reduce plastic waste in their community. 

Open-Ended Instruction :

Lessons are structured so that multiple/complex answers are possible; students are not steered toward one 'right' answer.

Integrated Learning Good

This resource could be used in Math, Science, and Social Studies courses. 

Integrated Learning:

Learning brings together content and skills  from more than one  subject area

  • Satisfactory: content from a number of different  subject areas is readily identifiable
  • Good:  resource is appropriate for use in more than one subject area
  • Very Good:  the lines between subjects are blurred 
Inquiry Learning Satisfactory
Inquiry Learning:

Learning is directed by questions, problems, or challenges that students work to address.   

  • Satisfactory: Students are provided with questions/problems to solve and some direction on how to arrive at solutions.
  • Good: students, assisted by the teacher clarify the question(s) to ask and the process to follow to arrive at solutions.  Sometimes referred to as Guided Inquiry
  • Very Good:  students generate the questions and assume much of the responsibility for how to solve them.  . Sometimes referred to as self-directed learning.

 

Differentiated Instruction Good

In this lesson, students will get a chance to learn in a variety of different ways like watching videos, looking at infographics, and creating a survey. 

Differentiated Instruction:

Activities address a range of student learning styles, abilities and readiness.

  • Satisfactory:  includes a variety of instructional approaches
  • Good: addresses  the needs of visual, auditory &  kinesthetic learners
  • Very Good: also includes strategies for learners with difficulties
Experiential Learning Good

Students get to create their own survey to collect data on waste within their own school community. 

Experiential Learning:

Authentic learning experiences are provided

  • Satisfactory: learning takes place through ‘hands-on’ experience or simulation
  • Good: learning involves direct experience in a ‘real world context’
  • Very good: learning involves ‘real world experiences’ taking place’ beyond the school walls.
Cooperative Learning Satisfactory

Students will have to work in groups in this lesson. 

Cooperative Learning:

Group and cooperative learning strategies are a priority.

  • Satisfactory:  students work in groups
  • Good: cooperative learning skills are explicitly taught and practiced
  • Very Good: cooperative learning skills are explicitly taught, practiced and assessed
Assessment & Evaluation Good

Ideas on how to assess students with this resources are provided, however, no rubric is included. 

Assessment & Evaluation: Tools are provided that help students and teachers to capture formative and summative information about students' learning and performance. These tools may include reflection questions, checklists, rubrics, etc.
Peer Teaching Satisfactory

Students will come up with ways on how to reduce the amount of waste in their community. Teachers could easily extend the lesson and have students present their ideas to the community.  

Peer Teaching:

Provides opportunities for students to actively present their knowledge and skills to peers and/or act as teachers and mentors.

  • Satisfactory: incidental teaching that arises from cooperative learning, presentations, etc.
  • Good or Very Good: an opportunity is intentionally created to empower students to teach other students/community members. The audience is somehow reliant on the students' teaching (students are not simply ‘presenting')
Case Studies Very Good

Students will look at the actual waste produced in their own community. 

Case Studies:

Relevant case studies are included.  Case studies are thorough descriptions of real events from real situations that students use to explore  concepts in an authentic context.

Locus of Control Very Good

Students will get to choose the questions for the survey which they will be administering to their peers.

Locus of Control: Meaningful opportunities are provided for students to choose elements of program content, the medium in which they wish to work, and/or to go deeper into a chosen issue.