Activity Introduction
Quick summary: This lesson is part of a unit that explores the life-cycle of mobile phone materials through game-based learning. In this lesson, students complete a ‘branching stories’ game to investigate what impact mobile phones have on the environment. They will journey through purchasing and end of life scenarios to learn what happens when you use, upgrade, reuse or recycle a mobile phone. The students will then investigate the recycling process through a hands-on dismantling and sorting activity.
Learning intentions:
- Students understand that the impacts of mobile phones on the environment is dependent upon human choice
- Students understand the various choices that can be made about what to do with mobile phones when they are no longer needed or wanted
- Students understand the consequences of uninformed decision making as it relates to mobile phone recycling
- Students become familiar with the recycling process as it relates to mobile phones.
21st century skills:
Australian Curriculum Mapping
Content descriptions:
Years 3 & 4 – Design and Technologies
- Recognise the role of people in design and technologies occupations and explore factors, including sustainability that impact on the design of products, services and environments to meet community needs (ACTDEK010)
- Investigate how forces and the properties of materials affect the behaviour of a product or system (ACTDEK011)
- Investigate the suitability of materials, systems, components, tools and equipment for a range of purposes (ACTDEK013)
Year 4 – Humanities and Social Sciences
- The use and management of natural resources and waste, and the different views on how to do this sustainably (ACHASSK090)
Year 4 – Science
- Natural and processed materials have a range of physical properties that can influence their use (ACSSU074)
Syllabus outcomes: ST2-11LW, ST2-14BE, ST2-15I, ST2-16P, GE2-2, GE2-3, GE2-3, ST2-13MW
General capabilities: Critical and Creative Thinking, Ethical Understanding.
Cross-curriculum priority: Sustainability.
Relevant parts of Years 3 & 4 achievement standards:
Years 3 & 4 – Design and Technologies
- Students examine social and environmental sustainability implications of existing products and processes to raise awareness of their place in the world.
Relevant parts of Year 4 achievement standards:
Year 4 – Science
- Students broaden their understanding of classification and form and function through an exploration of the properties of natural and processed materials.
Year 4 – Humanities and Social Sciences
- Students examine the concept of sustainability, and its application to resource use and waste management, past and present, by different groups.
Topic: Sustainability, Consumption, Waste
Unit of work: MobileMuster – Gamifying Phone Recycling – Years 3-6
Time required: 70 mins.
Level of teacher scaffolding: Medium – provide direction and facilitate class discussion.
Resources required:
- Student Worksheets – one per student
- A device capable of presenting videos to the class
- Four pieces of scrap paper or sticky notes for each group of four students in your class. Write either ‘plastics’, ‘metals’, ‘glass’ or ‘unsure’ on each groups’ set of four pieces of paper
- ‘When We Mine’ ebook ready to project to the class
- Scorecard (one per group of approx 4 students)
- Enough old mobile phones (not smart phones) for groups of four students to have one each OR a class set of the Paper Phone Worksheet.
Note: Note: If you choose to collect your own phones follow these instructions to deconstruct, How to Take Apart a Phone.
Keywords: Mobile Muster, Mobile phones, natural resources, processed materials, waste, materials, sustainability, environment, recycling, choices, choose your own adventure.
Cool Australia’s curriculum team continually reviews and refines our resources to be in line with changes to the Australian Curriculum.
