Lesson #5: Litter: Where does it go?

I. Objective: Students will identify litter in their communities. They will pick up litter and use it to create “found art projects.” Students will know why some litter “disappears” (biodegrades) and some doesn’t.

II. Materials:

1. One paper/plastic bag for each student

2. Old newspapers

3. Rubber gloves (if you think students will be squeamish about picking up trash)

4. A piece of posterboard/cardboard for each students

5. Glue and/or staples

6. An apple core, a leaf of lettuce, some plastic packaging, a piece of Styrofoam, and bottle camp (if you don’t have the actual items, pictures are okay too)

III. Procedure:

1. Litter Hunt/“Found Art:”

· Brainstorming: ask students what are some of the things they saw the last time they went camping? Hiking? For a walk at the seashore? Which of these items were manmade? Were all of the manmade things meant to be there? (litter is not)

· Take students outside to a park, or on a walk around the neighborhood, and tell them you are going on a litter hunt. Their job is to pick up anything that was not intended to be there that is made by people. (You might get mixed reactions to this: some kids will think it’s gross and some will think it’s cool—make sure to warn students you will be doing this the day before so they don’t wear nice clothes, as some of them will do!)

· After the collection, each camper spreads out newspapers and sorts their collection into categories (for example, paper, metal, plastic, etc.) and counts the items.

· Have small groups of students join together and make a graph of their common items. All members of the group needs to come to some agreement as to the categories. Pie graphs, bar graphs or line graphs could be used.

· Have students reclaim their own litter items. Provide each child with a piece of cardboard and glue, tape, or staples. Each camper distributes her “art selections” onto the cardboard. When everyone is satisfied with the arrangement, have them fix each item in place.

· Discuss with students: How do you think that the area where we got our litter will look in 10 years? 25 years? Can we compare and contrast our feelings about that area before and after we gathered the litter?

1. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle:

· Show students the items you’ve brought (apple core, bottle cap, etc). Ask them to vote: if we were to bury each of these items in the ground and wait a month or two, would any of them disappear?

· Discuss with students: the apple core and lettuce leaf are the only two items that would disappear. This process is called decomposition, and it only happens with “natural” (biodegradable) products (food, animals, trees—even humans!) The other items would not decompose, and would remain buried forever. They are from the Earth's resources, but we have changed them into something else that cannot become a part of the earth again. There are many ways to get rid of trash. A very popular one is to bury it so it doesn’t blow around and litter our parks and cities. However, burying trash is only good if the trash will decompose. Burying non-biodegradable waste doesn’t get rid of it—it only changes its location!

· Introduce the “reduce, reuse, recycle” mantra. Explain what each means, and the differences between them. Point out that there are better ways of “getting rid of” our waste than incineration or landfilling (incineration is used far too much in Ukraine, especially for waste that would decompose on its own anyway! Unnecessary!).

· Brainstorm with students all the ways they can reduce, reuse, and recycle. Discuss the idea that we can't "throw away" our trash; there is simply no such place as “away.”

Environment Glossary

Gender Equality

Gender equality is an exciting—and necessary—component of any summer camp in Ukraine. As Volunteers, most of us are keenly aware of the stereotyping we face here; this awareness is what puts is in a unique position to promote gender awareness and equity among the young people we work with. We hope the lessons in this section will inspire honest dialogue among your students, and encourage them to see each other in light of the many qualities they possess in addition to simply being a boy or a girl.

This curriculum begins by introducing students to the idea of gender stereotypes, specifically in Ukraine (Lesson #1: Breaking Down Gender Stereotypes), and asking them to examine how living according to gender stereotypes can influence their lives in unhealthy ways (Lesson #2: Dating Violence and Lesson #3: Human Trafficking). Students then learn how to create an image of self based on things other than gender and stereotypes (Lesson #4: I Am More Than You See), and are asked to ensure that the self-image created is positive and healthy (Lesson #5 Self-Esteem and Body Image).

Живите по правилу: МАЛО ЛИ ЧТО НА СВЕТЕ СУЩЕСТВУЕТ? Я неслучайно подчеркиваю, что место в голове ограничено, а информации вокруг много, и что ваше право...

Что делать, если нет взаимности? А теперь спустимся с небес на землю. Приземлились? Продолжаем разговор...

Что способствует осуществлению желаний? Стопроцентная, непоколебимая уверенность в своем...

Что будет с Землей, если ось ее сместится на 6666 км? Что будет с Землей? - задался я вопросом...

Не нашли то, что искали? Воспользуйтесь поиском гугл на сайте: