K Thru 5Th Grade Curriculum Lesson Helper
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K thru 5th GRADE w+?QQ-& CURRICULUM &-lEw9 LESSON HELPER z 3 7y8 Ionsored by the State Department of Conservation, hion- of Recycling. CITY OF SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF RECREATION, PARKS AND COMMUNITY SERVICES SAN JOSE BEAUTIFUL 333 West Santa Clara Street, Suite 800 San Jose, California 95113 (408) 277-5208 ROBERTG OVERSTREET May, 1989 DIRECTOR TO THE TEACHERS AND PRINCIPALS IN SAN JOSE SCHOOLS: While it is becoming more well know about the growing waste disposal problem our state and our country is facing, and the positive impact recycling is for this problem, the San Jose Beautiful Program still sees the need to educate people --- especially our children --- about recycling and litter control. Our children are the ones who often open our eyes to the little habits we have. "Hey mom, why did we leave our trash on the picnic table?" "Dad, why did you throw your cigarette out the window of the car? Isn't that what the ashtray is for?" Is it not our children who can still see and learn the value in "a penny saved is a penny earned" as they save the aluminum cans and redeem them for pennies. San Jose Beautiful, ir]tooperation with our Education Subcommittee has put San Jose's own version together of learning information for K-5 grades. This information has been compiled from several other resources from other cities and states. The format is meant to be used either by individual lesson, self-contained and directed toward a particular required subject, or in total, starting with chapter one and ending with chapter four. The goals for this school information manual are to increase awareness about litter control and recycling, in addition to providing this information in a manner and format that a teacher can easily use for required teaching subjects. We do recognize the need for this information to be provided to schools in languages other than english. One future goal of San Jose Beautiful would be to obtain funding to accomplish this task. We encourage your honest critique by filing out the evaluation found at the end of the manual. Best wishes in your teaching endeavors. The Office of San Jose Beautiful ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The compliation of this manual was made possible through contract monies awarded to the Office of San Jose Beautiful by the State Department of Conservation, Division of Recycling. Printing was made possible through donations from Waste Management, Inc. and Browning Ferris, Inc. The following members of the San Jose Beautiful Education Subcommittee: Rod Cryer Ann Horton Mike Matusiewicz Jason Tarshis Special Thanks to Steve Roemer TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction Teacher .Background Information i Do You Know How Recycling and Litter Control Started In San Jose? iii How Manual is Organized List of Lessons by Title, Grade level, Page v List of Lessons by Academic Subject vi Lessons 1-101 Glossary 102 Bibliography 106 Teacher Evaluation 107 . I "-' Introduction The City of San Jose, particularly through its Solid Waste Program, has jumped leaps and bounds in tackling our local landfill problems. Finding alternative methods of solid waste disposal is critical. This manual was developed to enable elementary instructors in San Jose schools to teach students about litter control and waste reduction, reuse and recycling, at the same time covering the academic subjects. The manual also presents information students will need to take responsibility for their personal litter and garbage disposal habits, and to make informed decisions. TEACHERS -- Read this Please! Attitude "Out of sight, out of mind." This was the general public's attitude toward garbage and litter until we realized the importance of beautifying and conserving resources, energy, and the quality of our environment. Today, each person creates about 5 pounds of garbage every day. Terms Litter is any waste object, made or used by people, that is not properly "thrown away"-- that is, put in the right waste basket or other container. Solid Waste is almost anything that a person considers worthless and throws away. We generally refer to solid waste as trash and garbage or refuse. Although we can put solid waste out of mind, and even out of sight, it has to gn SQ!EW&.&. Resource Depletion Many of our natural resources are nonrenewable--once we use them up, they are gone forever. We literally bury tons of natural resources every day. All the paper we use and throw away comes from trees; aluminum products are made from bauzite ore; plastics and synthetic fabrics are made from petroleum. Although a properly engineered sanitary landfill is an effective method for disposing of solid waste, we are literally burying tons of these natural resources every day. i i Reuse There is more we can do with solid waste than throwing it away. Many things we toss into the trash can be resued for the original or another purpose. Margarine tubs, milk cartons and shoe boxes can be reused as containers for odds and ends: a torn shirt can become a cleaning rag; and items that we no longer want, such as clothing, toys and books, can be given to charities for repair and subsequent reuse. Recycle All of our "throw aways" don't have to go to the landfill. One of the easiest ways to recover resources from soild waste is recycling--reprocessing material into new items that we can use again. By recycling newspapers, corrugated cardboard, glass bottles, aluminum cans and brown paper bags, we enormously reduce residential waste. When we recycle wastes, we not only slow down the depletion of natural resources, but we also conserve energy. It takes 95 percent less energy to make aluminum cans from recycled aluminum than it does to make them from bauxite ore; it takes 60 percent less energy to make paper from old paper than to make it from trees; and it takes 30 percent less energy to make glass from cullet than it does to use virgin materials. Saving energy is more important as energy becomes increasingly scarce and expensive. Litter Most people think of litter as coming from motorists and pedestrians. Many people are quick to blame children 'and young adults for all litter problems, but the problem can come from many places in our community. There are seven main places in our community where waste materials are most apt to escape: 1) Home garbage cans 2) Business and commercial garbage cans and dumpsters 3) Trucks with loads improperly tied down or covered 4) Construction or demolition sites 5) Loading docks and commercial storage areas 6) Material thrown, dropped, or blown from cars 7) Materials thrown or dropped by pedestrians ii San Jose Beautiful was founded in 1986 by the San Jose City Council to help instill a greater sense of community pride in San Jose residents, through volunteer efforts in projects that make San Jose a better and more beautiful place to live. A high level of community involvement produces a sense of individual ownership in neighborhoods and creates a sense of pride in the community. The San Jose Beautiful Program, as part of the City of San Jose's Department of Recreation, Parks, and Community Services, is dedicated to educating the public on litter control and beautification. San Jose Beautiful relies highly on volunteers in all areas of operation, from its . steering committee to community litter clean-up to beautification projects. There are an abundance of opportunities for concerned citizens, business leaders, educators, government representatives -- individuals from all walks of life -- to pitch in towards a more beautiful San Jose. The Office of San Jose Beautiful consists of the following programs: o Grants Program o Litter Control Program o Cultural and Heritage Gardens Program 0 San Jose Beautiful Month For more information call the Office of San Jose Beautiful at 408) 277-5208 iv Lessons Chapter 1 -- Where Does Waste Come From? Grade level Page # Lesson 1. What is a Natural Resource? 3-5 1 2. Man-made versus Natural K-2 6 3. What is Garbage 3-5 8 4. How Glass is Made? 3-5 9 5. Beverage Containers 3-5 11 6. What Is Oil Really Like? 3-5 13 7. The Origin of Oil 3-5 14 8. Plastics--Where Do They Come From? 3-5 15 9. Pick An Item, Any Item K-3 17 10. Biography of a Favorite Thing 3-6 18 Chapter 2 -- Why is Waste a Problem? Lesson 1. Making a Mini Landfill 4-5 20 2. The Throwaway Three 4-5 23 3. Plastic Trash and Wildlife 4-5 30 Chapter 3 -- How Can Waste Be Useful? Lesson 1. Swap Box K-2 35 2. Use It Again Box K-2 36 3. Odd-Shaped Pictures 1-3 37 4. Recycle Bicycle 3-5 38 5. What's In a Cycle? 2-5 40 6. What Can You Recycle? 2-5 46 7. Take-Home Recycling Kit 3-6 50 8. White Paper Recycling 3-6 55 9. Weigh Your Recyclables 2-5 57 10. Handmade Paper Planting Cups 2-5 58 11. Collecting Newspaper 2-5 59 12. Recycling Aluminum Cans 4-5 61 13. Recycling Oil 4-5 63 14. Composting In the Classroom 4-5 64 V 'I Chapter 4 -- How We Can Do To Help? Grade level Page # Lesson 1. Litter 3-5 72 2. Litter Is Waste Out of Place K-5 74 3. Nurture Some Nature Part I 2-3 77 Part II 4-5 4. Litter, Litter Everywhere K-3 79 5. A Litter Walk 3-5 80 6. Neighborhood Litter Hunt 3-5 81 7. Take A Look In Your Garbage Can 3-6 82 8.