Activity Introduction
Quick summary: In this lesson students will explore the topic of recycling within their classroom. Through the topic they will practise the core mathematical skills of counting, sorting and classifying and then apply their findings to reflect on and develop their own recycling habits.
This activity has been developed in partnership with Visy. For over 60 years Visy has been striving for sustainability, reducing the amount of waste going to landfill by collecting recyclable materials and recycling them into new paper and packaging products. Click here to find out more about Visy and their innovative work in recovering and transforming recyclable materials into new products to preserve our earth’s precious resources.
Learning intentions:
- Students will understand that paper, cardboard, plastic, glass, aluminium and steel can be recycled.
- Students will able to sort materials into groups.
21st century skills:
Australian Curriculum Mapping
Content descriptions:
Foundation Mathematics
- Sort and classify familiar objects and explain the basis for these classifications. Copy, continue and create patterns with objects and drawings (ACMNA005).
- Connect number names, numerals and quantities, including zero, initially up to 10 and then beyond (ACMNA002).
Syllabus outcomes: MAe‑1WM, MAe‑2WM, MAe‑4NA, MAe‑8NA.
General capabilities: Numeracy, Critical and Creative Thinking.
Cross-curriculum priority: Sustainability.
Relevant parts of Foundation achievement standards: By the end of the Foundation year, students make connections between number names, numerals and quantities up to 10. Students count to and from 20 and order small collections. They group objects based on common characteristics and sort shapes and objects.
Topic: Sustainability, Waste.
Unit of work: Bright Sparks – Primary Mathematics.
Time required: 50 mins.
Level of teacher scaffolding: High – explicit modelling, demonstration and monitoring of student activities required.
Resources required:
- Student Worksheet (printed, one per student).
- Device capable of presenting a video to the class.
- Types of bins display.
- Classroom bins.
- Recycling categories posters (printed, one set per group of three).
- Examples of recyclable materials for students to sort (one collection for each group of three students), e.g. old food boxes, milk cartons, empty cans, used paper etc (ensure all items that will be sorted by students are clean and free from cracks or sharp edges so that they are safe for them to handle).
- Five buckets/tubs each with one of the posters for each recycling category sticky-taped onto it.
- One pair of tongs.
- Learning intentions and success criteria display (optional).
Keywords: Recycle, recycling, paper, glass, plastic, aluminium, steel, sustainable, reuse, environment, landfill.
Cool Australia’s curriculum team continually reviews and refines our resources to be in line with changes to the Australian Curriculum.
Teacher Preparation
