Recycling Freighters Lesson
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Provided by: Great Lakes Now|Published on: October 16, 2024
Lesson PlansScientist Reviewed
678
Scientist Reviewed This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This lesson explores recycling differernt materials, with an emphasis on shipbreaking in Lake Erie.
- Students will watch videos to see what happens to paper and ships when they are recycled, read about recycling efforts in Michigan, explore the difference between the recycling numbers on plastics, melt plastic to make something new, and take apart a LEGO build to create a new one.
Subjects: Chemistry, Engineering
Authors: Great Lakes Now, Detroit PBS
Region: Michigan
Languages: English
Teaching Materials
Positives
- Students will love getting to build with LEGO and making the connection between something they love and sustainability.
- Many of the note-taking and exit ticket handouts can be reused in other reading activities or lessons.
- This can connect to many topics related to climate change, such as sustainable resource use, the reuse of materials, and the effects of increasing consumption on natural ecosystems.
Prerequisites
- Teachers should refer to the Introduction information for a list of topics students should be familiar with.
- Students should also know how to calculate volume and density.
Differentiation & Implementation
- If your school is near a shipyard, taking a field trip there may help students connect what they see in the Recycling Freighters video to their local reality.
- To make another connection to students' communities, students can explore their local recycling system and discover what happens to their recyclables.
- Younger students may not be able to complete the reading independently in class and may benefit from having the reading as homework or reading it aloud in class.
- Teachers can make connections to persuasive techniques by having students write advertisements for their products in Activity 4.
This lesson describes recycling at different scales, using shipbreaking and plastic recycling as examples. Terms are clearly defined, and the video presents first-hand accounts. The main issue with this resource is that it fails to mention the climate impact of recycling. This resource could be valuable if the discussion of plastic recycling is tied to reduced fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
