Teach Engineering
Building an Electromagnet
Your pupils can build their own electromagnet — awesome! The culminating activity in an eight-part series challenges groups to design and build their own electromagnet. The goal of the activity is to build a magnet capable of picking up...
Curated OER
Sorting "Good" Junk (Recycling)
Second graders study recycling. In this environment activity, 2nd graders discuss how to sort trash, sort actual trash labeling it, and explore the trash writing new uses of each item of trash instead of throwing the item away.
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Go Fish! Fish or other Sea Creature from Recycled Materials
Students create a unique, 3-d sculpture of a fish out of recycled materials. They brainstorm, what a fish looks like. Students research what fish look like. Also, students make sketches of their fish. Students write a reflection of...
Curated OER
Information, Please!
Students explore their community recycling program and observe how aluminum cans are processed for recycling.
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Information, Please!
Students examine how aluminum is recycled. In this recycling lesson plan, students participate in a field trip to a local recycling center to observe the process of recycling aluminum. Students take notes and report their findings.
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Observe Earth Day with Art Projects Made from Recycled Materials
Creative hands-on art project ideas that are easy on the earth and easy on a teacher’s budget.
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Recycling Vocabulary Maze
In this recycling vocabulary worksheet, students find their way through a maze by using clues about recycling and spelling out words. A reference web site is included for additional activities.
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Recycling Quick Vocabulary Review Worksheet
In this recycling vocabulary words worksheet, 3rd graders write recycling words next to the definitions that are provided. Students write words for 15 definitions.
Teach Engineering
Magnetic Materials
The design challenge: develop a method to separate steel from aluminum. The first lesson plan in an eight-part series introduces the class to the grand challenge of ciming up with a method to streamline a sorting process at a recycling...
Curated OER
Honey, I Shrunk the Lids!
Students discover the lightweighting concept used by manufacturers. In this environmental education lesson plan, students research the reduction of the amount of aluminum used in cans. Students wrap the lesson plan up by writing a...
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Mathematics and Environmental Concerns
Students gather data and analyze behaviors regarding recycling. In this environmental concerns unit, students discus and examine reuse, recycle, and reduce. Students collect, graph, and display data associated with four lessons in the...
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Classic Trash
Students investigate how trash is classified and the options to deal with it. In this trash and recycling lesson, students perform an activity to classify trash into organic, renewable/ recyclable, now renewable/recyclable and...
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Test Your Trash IQ Crossword Puzzle
In this trash recycling crossword puzzle, students complete a word puzzle about proper trash recycling. They read 17 clues and place the answers in the proper place on the crossword puzzle.
Teach Engineering
Trash to Treasure!
One person's trash is another man's treasure. Challenge your class to build something useful out of the trash they throw away on a regular basis. Groups design and build a practical item from trash they collect, allowing the class to...
Curated OER
Where Do Things Come From?
Second graders examine the recycling process. In this recycling lesson plan, 2nd graders discuss the reasons for recycling and create storyboards to show where a specific material comes from. Students complete a worksheet as a follow-up...
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Recycling
Students relate recycling to waste reduction. In this science lesson plan, students talk about the environment and how recycling certain natural resources actually saves on energy. They also discuss what type of recycling causes...
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Protecting the Environment
In this environmental activity, students will read 2 different situations and decide whether it's an example of reducing, reusing, or recycling. Then students will give short answers to 3 questions.
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Waste Not Want Not
Students are introduced to the need to save natural resources. Through inquiry, hands-on activities, and problem solving, students increase their understanding of solid waste materials and the need to reduce, recycle, and reuse.
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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Students understand the process of recycling. They investigate how it improves the environment. They read the story "Don't Pollute" by Stan and Jan Berenstein. They analyze trash and sort it into bins.
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Aluminum Altruism
Students explore the value of recycling. They consider the importance of giving back to their school community. They calculate their earnings using multiplication and addition.
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What a Can Can Do
Pupils explore properties of cans (including aluminum and steel) as they rotate through stations. They experiment with magnets, weight differences, resistance to corrosion and temperature conductivity.
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In Search of Reused and Recycled
Students identify recycled and recyclable products by reading labels. They discuss what happens to solid waste in landfills and its impact on the environment. They discuss ways in which they can conserve natural resources.
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Recycling: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle
Students journal information regarding recycling from previous research. They use Microsoft Word to write their entries regarding recycling that is used in oral and video presentations. They visit "Green School" sites on the Internet to...
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Recycled Sailing Vessels
Students discuss how recycled materials can be used to create art and how this will apply to their artwork. They create a sailing vessel using recycled materials that they find.