Teaching Resources: About Waste

Students investigate how different materials decompose. They record their observations over a several weeks.

Topic: Decomposition
Subject: Science, Social Studies
Source: EcoSchools

2 x 45 min lessons

• Open space for conducting the investigation
• similar sized earthen pots or other containers with equal quantities of  soil placed in them
• Digging implements -stick/shovel/spade
• Different types of materials to check the rate of decomposition.
  • those which decompose vegetable peels, leaves, left over food, etc
  • those which do not decompose: plastics, metal bits, cigarette butts, etc
• Soil thermometer, stationary – books, pens, etc.
• Resource 4 – Decomposition – data collection
• Internet

Includes a sheet for students to fill in.

This activity may be done with a school in another country to compare results.

This lesson involves students making lists of things they used and sorting them using the Refuse, Rethink, Reduce, Reuse and Recycle principles.

Topic: Types of waste
Subject: Science, Social Studies
Source: EcoSchools

1x 45 min.

• Writing materials including notebooks and pen
• Resource 1 – Understanding waste management principles

Students discuss types of waste found at school. They then do a survey of waste generated in the school.

Topic: Types of waste
Subject: Science, Social Studies
Source: EcoSchools

1 x 45 min lessons

• Writing materials including notebooks and pen
• Resource 2a – School area and type of waste generated
• Resource 2b – Type and quantity of waste generated
• Resource 2c – Data collection and representation

This lesson centres around litter vs waste. It involves the students collecting litter and assessing what are the main types found and which are the most harmful.

Topic: Litter
Subject: Science, Social Studies
Source: EcoSchools

2 x 45 min.

This lesson involves discussing the different types of Packaging both man made and natural. Students have sheets to colour in and some home related tasks.

Topic: Packaging
Subject: Science, Maths.
Source: EcoSchools

1x (45 min) and 1x (90 min) plus assignment time

• Writing materials including notebooks and pen (cayons/colooured pencils)
• Different packaging materials collected by students or teachers
• Dedicated display board
• Resource 1
• Resource 2

The No Pelestiki Campaign may be useful to discuss in this lesson. It is a Tongan campaign to eliminate single use plastic products.

This lesson involves looking at hazardous waste symbols that may be present on household items. The students learn to identify them.

Topic: Hazardous waste
Subject: Science
Source: EcoSchools

90 min.

This lesson involves getting the students to separate different types of waste into their appopriate bins. This can be adjusted to the bins used at your school or in your community.

Topic: Types of waste
Subject: Science, Literacy. 
Source: EcoSchools

1x (45 min) and 1x (90 min) plus assignment time

• Writing materials including notebooks and pen (cayons/colooured pencils)
• Different packaging materials collected by students or teachers
• Dedicated display board
• Resource 1
• Resource 2

45 min.

This is an outdoor activity where students are collecting rubbish and sorting it into different types. This should help students to understand what is being littered and how to counteract it.

Topic: Litter, Types of waste
Subject: Science, Literacy
Source: EcoSchools

45 min plus assignment time

• Writing materials including notebooks and pen
• Gloves
• Garbage bags
• A Grabber (optional)
• Hand sanitizer

The activity will take 10 minutes per week, over. 12 week period. It will need to be started at the beginning of term.

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This activity is designed is designed to be introduced in class but completed at home. It is teaching students to build their own compost pile and also observe how long food scraps take to decompose.

Topic: Types of waste
Subject: Science, Literacy
Source: EcoSchools

30 min plus assignment time

• Writing materials including notebooks and pen
• Vegetable and fruit scraps
• Used tea leaves
• Leftover or spoilt food
• Large bucket with lid
• Trowel
• Leaves or cut grass

This activity will help students understand how litter contributes to the problem of pollution.The activities involve watching some videos.

The ‘Additional Resources’ section below has some videos in Tongan which can be used in this lesson.

Topic: Litter
Subject: Science, Literacy
Source: EcoSchools

45 min

• Writing materials including notebooks and pen
• Claptop/computer
• Projector
• Internet

These videos, which are relevant to Tonga, can be used in this lesson:

• Introducing Tonga’s Environmental Spot Fines – YouTube
• Littering is now Illegal in Tonga – YouTube
• Ridge to Reef – Rubbish dumping is illegal TVC – YouTube
• Burning Rubbish is bad for your health – YouTube