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Where Do Apples Go?

Provided by: The Cloud Institute for Sustainability Education |Published on: May 4, 2026

Lesson Plans

K12

Synopsis

In this lesson, students will read a story to understand why we have to take care of human-made materials and dispose of them properly.
Students will identify human-made and natural materials and design a product that uses a recycled human-made material.

Subjects: Science, English Language Arts

Authors: The Cloud Institute for Sustainability Education, TerraCycle

Region: Global

Languages: English

Positives

This builds the foundational knowledge students need for taking care of their environment.

Prerequisites

The activity in this lesson requires examples of natural and human-made materials. Teachers can either print pictures or collect artifacts to use as examples.
The link to the story does not work, but teachers can find it here.

Differentiation & Implementation

Teachers can make connections to environmental topics by explaining how litter can impact the environment. This video uses plastic straws as an example of waste that harms the environment.
Some students may need additional guidance for creating their reuse proposal. Teachers may benefit from showing students an example of something made from a recycled or upcycled material.
Teachers can pair this lesson with an exploration of the life cycle of an apple and have students create a life cycle of their chosen material, ending with the product they designed.

Scientist Notes

Teaching Tips

Standards

Resource Type and Format