Project Save Web Quest

Project Save Web Quest By Michael Berno and Debra Cantor Montessori 27, Yonkers New York :

We have to act fast and cut down the amount of garbage we make. Can we do it? You bet! We can recycle (which means re-using materials instead of throwing them away) If we recycle we will produce a lot less garbage, and help keep our planet green!

 When we throw away garbage, it usually ends up in a landfill. Landfill space is getting increasingly scarce, and every time we throw something away we throw with it the energy, the money, the raw materials and the water it took to make it.  The average American throws away 1 million tons of aluminum cans and foil and more than 11 million tons of glass bottles and jars.

That’s a whole lot of trash! In 1992, Westchester County passed a mandatory recycling law. It requires residents, small businesses and schools to recycle paper, plastic and other recyclables. That means you are required by law to recycle. You have been asked by Mr. Ken Jenkins, a Westchester legislator, has selected our class to be on the Youth Task Force. You are a public policy analyst. You will have the responsibility of creating a public policy for all students to keep your school pollution free and comply with the new laws. GOOD LUCK!  How do you feel when you see debris coming out of our garbage cans?  Don’t you think we should recycle our cans and Styrofoam trays?

. You have been asked by Mr. Ken Jenkins to help implement a School Recycling Program. The class will be divided into 6 groups of four. As a group your task will be to complete a 10-15 minute oral and visual presentation utilizing a poster that is aimed to convinced the school to adapt a better recycling program By doing so you will be acting as a public policy maker and will be following the PPA model.

By analyzing the current Westchester County Recycling Law and designing display boards, you will assist the school community in enforcing the law. Your group of four will complete the six steps in the Public Policy Analyst Model (PPA) to decide on the best public policy solution that will result in a cleaner and safer environment at Montessori 27. After completing the six steps in the worksheets, your group will design display boards which will be displayed throughout the building. These display boards should include the six steps of the PPA Model along with graphs, charts or tables, pictures, and informational text... Be creative! Your goal is to grab your audience’s attention and make them WANT to get involved. Hook them! Your display boards will encourage Montessori 27 to reduce, reuse and recycle. Your poster will list the necessary steps to follow to successfully implement the new School Recycling Program.

To complete the “TASK” students will be divided into groups of four to work cooperatively to complete the required assignments. Each person will responsible for collecting information and completing the worksheets linked below which will be used in your essay. The jobs are:

Historian: The person who studies recycling issues and causes of the past.

The Current Events Reporter: The person who searches for current information and policies of today.

The Legal Expert: The person who will examine the laws and current policies in place today that are aimed at helping to decrease pollution in our area. The Problem Solver: The person who will research and explore possible solutions to the problem.

Need help? Check out the link below to learn all about the Public Policy Analyst (PPA) Model which you will be required to read in order to complete the task. Learn about the LPPA: http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/lppa/ppae5a.html

Go to each of these websites to fill in the PPA worksheets. Each worksheet contains one of the six steps of the PPA Model. All six steps must be present on your recycling display boards from defining the social problem to selecting a public policy to enact. Be detectives and investigate the links featured in the Resource section of the Web quest to complete the PPA worksheets. Click on the links below to access the PPA worksheets. Use the resource section web sites to complete all information required on the worksheets. These worksheets will be used as resource material for completing your task product.

Step 1: Define the Problem (worksheet #1) http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/lppa/ws1.doc Step 2: Gather the Evidence (worksheet #2) http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/lppa/ws2.doc Step 3: Determine the Causes (worksheet #3) http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/lppa/ws3.doc Step 4: Examine the Existing Policy (worksheet #4) http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/lppa/ws4.doc Step 5: Develop (3) Policy Solutions (worksheet #5) http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/lppa/ws5.doc Step 6: Select the Best Solution/Policy (worksheet #6) http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/lppa/ws6.doc

Source: http://www.epa.gov and the Minnesota Research all the things that can be recycled in your community. Office of Environmental Assistance Find out which materials your families are throwing away, which could be recycled.

Help support recycling in the following ways

taught a younger class or community group about recycling.

asked our teacher to talk about recycling and waste reduction.

talked to our school food service about recycling in the school kitchen.

convinced our school to remind everyone each month to recycle.

wrote an article for our local paper about our recycling project.

discovered how a grocery store reduces waste. ...and here's what else we did!

General Search Engines: ü http://www.google.com/ ü http://www.yahoo.com/ ü http://kids.yahoo.com/ Book Sources: Recycle: A Handbook for Kids by Gail Gibbons Ecoart!: Earth-Friendly Art and Craft Experiences for 3 to 9 year-olds by Laurie Carlson Where Does the Garbage Go? by Paul Showers 50 Simple Things Kids Can do To save the Earth by John Javna

Specific Websites: http://www.westchestergov.com/news_recyclingeffort.htm (mandatory reading) http://www.epa.gov/recyclecity/ http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/swfa/kidspage/ http://www.bottlesandcans.com/assets/8steps_school_v2.pdf http://www.depweb.state.pa.us/justforkids/cwp/view.asp? a=3&q=464803 http://www.westchestergov.com/environment_RecyclingatSchool.htm http://www.ecokidsonline.com/pub/games_activities/waste/wastebusters/index.cfm

Activities:

http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/caer/ce/eek/earth/recycle/ notgarbage.htm

http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/osw/kids/games/crossword/in dex.htm

What and How to Recycle: BEVERAGE CARTONS, BOTTLES, CANS, METAL & FOIL

YES - PLACE IN RECYCLING NO - PLACE IN TRASH  metal cans (soup, pet food, empty aerosol  any plastic items other than plastic cans, dried-out paint cans, etc.) bottles & jugs (such as deli and yogurt  aluminum foil wrap & trays containers; plastic toys, cups, bags,  household metal (wire hangers, pots, tools, wrap, etc. — if it's not a bottle or jug, curtain rods, knives, small appliances DON'T put it in the recycling bin) that are mostly metal, etc.)  any glass items other than glass bottles  bulk metal (metal furniture, cabinets, & jars (mirrors, lightbulbs, ceramics, glassware, etc.) large appliances, etc.)  Styrofoam (cups, egg cartons, trays,  glass bottles & jars only etc.)  plastic bottles & jugs only  batteries

 milk cartons & juice boxes (or any such cartons and aseptic packaging for drinks: ice tea, soy milk, soup, etc.) Empty and rinse containers before recycling. Place all together in CLEAR bags, or in any bin labeled with blue recycling decals or marked "BOTTLES & CANS

Do you have more questions?: Recycling HelpLine at (914) 813-5420

More than 1,200 5th and 6th grade students at Lancaster Central Schools in Lancaster, New York, initiated a recycling program to collect paper, cardboard, glass, plastic bottles, and milk cartons. In September 2002, the program began collecting tin cans as well. Students learned how to help collect the recyclables from their school bins and also are tracking their program’s progress.To raise awareness and support, students designed posters and helped to submit an article to the local newspaper. Lancaster Central Schools currently have six schools participating in EPA’s WasteWise program, and plans are underway to expand the recycling program to three more schools.The schools have added 15 new courtyard benches made from 100 percent recycled plastic milk jugs, an effort that helped prevent 24,000 plastic milk jugs from entering landfills

Reducing Waste by Half in Los Angeles, California The Los Angeles Unified School District Waste Reduction and Recycling Program in California works with facility managers to explore new methods of waste management and recycling. Currently the district recycles paper, toner cartridges, and beverage containers.The school district has successfully reduced its waste by 50 percent. In recognition of these achievements, EPA presented an Environmental Achievement Award to the Office of Environmental Health and Safety (OEHS) in 2002. :

The PPA Model Rubric

Student name: ______

A B C F (4 points) (3 points) (2 points) (1 point)

Worksheets àProblem àProblem àProblem àProblem àHanded-In identified and is identified and identified with identified but very well reasonably well limited research. research is lacking. àCompleted researched. researched. àAll steps of the àIncomplete work. àOn-Time àAll six steps of àAll six steps of PPA are addressed. the PPA are the PPA are addressed. addressed. Group àGroup àGroup makes àGroups make àGroup is unable cooperation establishes and attempts to unsuccessful to equally maintains an equal maintain an equal attempts to distribute work. distribution of distribution of maintain an equal àDifferences are labor among all labor among all distribution of not dealt with participants. participants. labor among all maturely. àDifferences are àAlmost all participants. dealt with differences are àOnly some maturely and dealt with differences are students exercise maturely and dealt with listening skills, students exercise maturely as leadership skills, listening skills, students attempt and compromise leadership skills, to exercise skills. and compromise listening skills, skills. leadership skills, and compromise skills.

Making A Poster: Poster rubric

Student Name ______CATEGORY 4 3 2 1 Required The poster includes all All required elements All but 1 of the required Several required Elements required elements as are included on the elements are included on elements were missing. well as additional poster. the poster. information. Labels All items of importance Almost all items of Many items of Labels are too small to on the poster are clearly importance on the importance on the view OR no important labeled with labels that poster are clearly poster are clearly items were labeled. can be read from at labeled with labels that labeled with labels that least 3 ft. away. can be read from at can be read from at least 3 ft. away. least 3 ft. away. Graphics - All graphics are related All graphics are related All graphics relate to the Graphics do not relate to Relevance to the topic and make it to the topic and most topic. One or two the topic OR several easier to understand. All make it easier to borrowed graphics have borrowed graphics do not borrowed graphics have understand. Some a source citation. have a source citation. a source citation. borrowed graphics have a source citation. Attractiveness The poster is The poster is attractive The poster is acceptably The poster is distractingly exceptionally attractive in terms of design, attractive though it may messy or very poorly in terms of design, layout and neatness. be a bit messy. designed. It is not layout, and neatness. attractive. Grammar There are no There are 1-2 There are 3-4 There are more than 4 grammatical/mechanical grammatical/mechanical grammatical/mechanical grammatical/mechanical mistakes on the poster. mistakes on the poster. mistakes on the poster. mistakes on the poster. On completion of the poster, you Should be able to:

· Search the web for information

· Access Internet search engines and learn how to use technology to learn.

· Develop critical thinking and writing skills

· You will read, demonstrate comprehension and write public policy agencies for information on recycling programs in schools.

You will be able to explain the advantages of implementing a school-wide recycling program.

You also have learned the importance of a public policy analyst. These political scientists search out social problems and find public policy solutions. They help millions of citizens. Let’s hope you keep making a difference!

Thanks for being leaders and making a difference at Montessori 27. :

English Language Arts Standards

· Standard 1: Students will read, write, listen and speak for information and understanding.

· Standard 3: Students will read, write, listen and speak for critical analysis and evaluation.

· Standard 4: Students will read, write, listen and speak for social interaction.

Social Studies Standards

· Standard 5: Students will: use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the necessity for establishing governments; the governmental system of the U.S. and other nations; the U.S. Constitution; the basic civic values of American constitutional democracy; and the roles, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship, including avenues of participation

Math, Science and Technology Standards

· SStandard 5: Students will apply technological knowledge and skills to design, construct, use and evaluate products and systems to satisfy human and environmental needs