Activity Introduction

Quick summary: Students work together as a class to develop a safety code for learning about solid waste.

Learning goals:

  • Students recognise that there are some hazards in learning about waste, but students can be safe if they follow some simple rules.

Australian Curriculum content descriptions:

Year 3 English

  • Learn extended and technical vocabulary and ways of expressing opinion including modal verbs and adverbs (ACELA1484)

Year 3 Science

  • Represent and communicate ideas and findings in a variety of ways such as diagrams, physical representations and simple reports (ACSIS060)

Year 4 English

  • Incorporate new vocabulary from a range of sources into students’ own texts including vocabulary encountered in research (ACELA1498)

Year 4 Science

  • Represent and communicate ideas and findings in a variety of ways such as diagrams, physical representations and simple reports (ACSIS071)

Syllabus Outcomes: EN2-9B, ST2-4WS. 

Topic: Solid waste

Time required: 48 mins

Level of teacher scaffolding: Medium – lead class-wide discussion and manage activity.

Resources needed: Paper and pens.

Digital technology opportunities:

Homework and extension opportunities: None.

Safety: No special requirements.

Key words: Waste, safety, safety code.

Cool Australia’s curriculum team continually reviews and refines our resources to be in line with changes to the Australian Curriculum. 

Worksheets

Teacher Worksheet

Teacher preparation

Overarching learning goal: In this activity students explore the physical properties of different types of waste and to work as a class to develop a safety code for learning about solid waste.

Student and classroom organisation

Step 1. Begin the activity by explaining to students that in this unit they will be exploring concepts around solid waste. Ask students to share ideas about what they think solid waste means. Answers could include:

  • Stuff that we no longer want
  • Things we can no longer use. 

Ask them to think of some examples of solid waste and write some of these examples on the board. These may include food packaging, food waste, broken household appliances, old tyres, and broken glass.

Step 2. Explain that learning about waste is actually quite interesting, even if it is the stuff that we no longer want or use. What we throw away tells us a lot about who we are, how we live and how we interact with our world. A lot of the things that we throw

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Student Worksheet

What do you think about being safe around waste?

 

What does 'solid waste' mean?

 Give four examples of solid waste:

1.

2.

3.

4.

 Which ones would you feel okay about holding? Why?

1.

2.

3.

4.

 

Which ones would you not like to hold? Why not?

1.

2.

3.

4.

 What is a safety code and why it is needed?

...
 
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