Recycling and Climate Change Educator Guide

Positives

• The student activities are well-oriented toward group work and small discussions as students ponder solutions to recycling barriers.
• The educator guide includes background resources to help the teacher learn more about climate solutions before teaching the class, as well as helpful tips on timing and facilitation.
• Educators can pick and choose which activities would fit their learning goals the best, since all of the activities can be done independently, or as part of a sequence.
• The activities and podcast cite scientific researchers and utilize data from reputable resources.

Additional Prerequisites

• Students should be familiar with the concept that fossil fuels are used for materials production and these lead to greenhouse gases which cause climate change.

Differentiation

• It is recommended for the teacher to open the educator guide and student worksheets simultaneously, to assist in perusing the lesson suggestions associated with each activity and making decisions about facilitation.
• As students complete the first activity with the problems and solutions T-table, consider having them write down the answers while listening to the podcast and then choose one item about which to draw a comic representation.
• It may be helpful to draw or project a large image of the Zero Waste Hierarchy inverted pyramid at the front of the class to assist students since it is referenced multiple times in different activities.
• Before students complete the activity on page 9 in which they interview an organization about their recycling, it may be helpful for the teacher to call around to a few places that would be willing to answer calls or emails related to this topic so that students do not run into a bunch of dead ends.