Got trash? Sure you do; we all do. Go green with us as we
explore how our trash is recovered and recycled to be used again in new
forms. We’ll also learn ways each of us can go greener and help
reduce our impact on the environment by developing strategies that “reduce,
reuse, and recover.”
Program Description:
What happens to that aluminum can, plastic bottle, office
paper, or cardboard cereal box when you place it in the recycling bin? Where
does it go? How is it sorted? What kind of impact are you really having on the
environment when you decide to reduce, reuse and recover? In commemoration of America Recycles Day on
November 15, we’ll explore those questions and more as we see how our trash is
recovered and recycled to be used again in new forms. We’ll also learn ways each of us can go
greener and help reduce our impact on the environment by developing strategies
that “reduce, reuse, and recover.”
Meet experts from the Earthways Center of the Missouri
Botanical Garden, experts from the Missouri Recycling Association, and students
who are making a difference in their community with their recycling projects.
Ask your questions about going greener and steps you can take to make a
difference in your community.
PLEASE NOTE: We are interested in featuring one or two
student-led recycling efforts with our audience for each program. If your
school has an initiative you’d like to share about during the program, please
let us know in your enrollment request and we will contact you to learn more
about it.
Program Objectives:
1. The participant
will gain a greater understanding about the nature of our ecosystem and of the
role environmental awareness and action takes in maintaining that ecosystem.
2. The participant will interact with experts involved in
recycling and other environmental industries.
3. The participant
will gain a greater understanding of his or her individual impact on the
environment and learn how to utilize “green”
strategies to better balance that impact with his or her
life needs and choices.
Program Format:
The videoconference program will consist of the following
segments.
Student questions and comments will be woven into all
segments of the program.
1. Welcome and
Introduction—Student groups and experts will be introduced and welcomed to the
program.
2. The Big
Picture—We’ll look at general information about the amount of trash individual
Americans and the country as a whole produce each year, and the toll this takes
on our environment. As part of their preparation for the program, students
should take part in the “Waste Audit” activity that is included in the
pre-program activity materials for this show. As you read over the activity you
will notice that teachers may determine if they wish to have students do this
activity with their home trash, their classroom trash or both. Please follow the guidelines for the activity
you choose and send us your results via e-mail to live@hectv.org no later than October 31,
2011. Please also let us know in that
e-mail the name of the student and/or students who will present their
individual or class results during this section of the program. We will then
call on them by name during this section of the program to share their
information.
3. What Happens to
Your Trash?—In this segment we’ll follow the trail of some trash from the point
where it gets tossed in the trash can through its placement in a larger
dumpster to being picked up by the waste company and then sent on to the
recycling location or dump location. We’ll also talk about the wide variety of
items that can be recycled and look at examples of that in practice. Students
will have the chance to ask questions and also share their experiences with
recycling themselves.
4. What You Can
Do—In this segment we’ll look at ways people can recycle even more including
how to participate in “America Recycles Day”
on November 15, and also see examples of programs in
practice in communities where our student audiences are located. Composting and other reduce, reuse, recover
methods will be discussed. As mentioned in
the “Please Note” section of our program description, if your school has a
project you’d like to share with our audience, let us know about it in your
enrollment request and we’ll contact you to find out more about it.
5. Summary and
Closing—We’ll summarize the major concepts learned today and seek final
questions from students.
Featured National Standards: (Science)
Unifying Concepts and Processes - Unifying concepts and
processes help students think about and integrate a range of basic ideas which
builds an understanding of the natural world
1. Systems,
order, and organization
2. Evidence,
models, and explanation
Science as Inquiry - Science as inquiry requires students
to combine processes and scientific knowledge with scientific reasoning and
critical thinking to develop their understanding of science.
1. Abilities
necessary to do scientific inquiry
2.
Understandings about scientific inquiry
Science and Technology - An understanding of science and
technology establishes connections between the natural and designed world,
linking science and technology.
1. Abilities of
technological design
Featured State Standards (Missouri):
Schools from across the country are invited to join in
the program.
Missouri state standards are provided for Missouri schools
since funding for this program comes from various Missouri organizations.
Missouri Grade Level Expectations
Strand 7: Scientific Inquiry
Science understanding is developed through the use of
science process skills, scientific knowledge, scientific investigation,
reasoning, and critical thinking
Participant Preparation:
1. Participants
should come to the program with an interest in science, recycling, the
environment, and/or related topics.
2. Participants
should utilize preparatory materials provided for the program and other
resources of their own to better understand the context of the program’s
subject and to think in advance of questions they wish to ask the experts.
3. Based on
pre-program activity number 1, teachers should send their group’s “waste audit”
results via e-mail to live@hectv.org no
later than October 31, 2011. Please also
let us know in that e-mail the name of the student and/or students who will
present their individual or class results during this section of the program.
We will then call on them by name during this section of the program to share
their information.
4. Based on
pre-program activity number 2, teachers should send us via e-mail to live@hectv.org their group’s three to five
most burning questions they definitely want to ask the experts during the
program.
This information should be sent no later than the end of
the school day Monday, October 31, 2011.
5. Participants
should have pencil and paper ready to use during the program to jot down ideas
and additional questions as they come to mind.
Pre-Program Activity Suggestions:
1. To gain a
better understanding of how much trash they produce, have your students do a
Waste Audit either at home, in the classroom, or both. Utilize the instructions
provided in the handout entitled “Waste Audit Instructions” that accompanies
these materials. As you read over the activity you will notice that teachers may
determine if they wish to have students do this activity with their home trash,
their classroom trash or both. Please
follow the guidelines for the activity you choose and send us your results via
e-mail to live@hectv.org no later than
October 31, 2011. Please also let us
know in that e-mail the name of the student and/or students who will present
their individual or class results during the appropriate section of the
program. We will then call on them by name during this section of the program
to share their information.
2. Help
facilitate the most effective discussion possible during the
program by e-mailing us three to five “burning questions”
your students have developed in advance to ask our guests during the
program. Have students develop these questions
by investigating the websites included in the “Supplemental Resources” section
of these materials. Questions could be
about the organizations themselves and the work they do, or questions inspired
by what students found intriguing while they perused the sites. We will use
these advance questions to help organize the discussion and focus student
learning on these areas of interest.
Please send these questions to us via e-mail at live@hectv.org no later than Monday, October
31, 2011. We will go through all
questions received to eliminate overlap and organize them into the program, and
then e-mail you back with the questions from you group that will definitely be
included in the program. Please also
include the name of the student who will be asking the question so we can call
on that child by name during the program.
Post-Program Activity Suggestions:
1. Have each
student journal on what they have learned about trash, recycling, the
environment, actions they could take, etc. that they did not know before the
program. What did they find most
interesting, frustrating, unique, etc. about the topic they choose to write
on? Have them share their journal
entries with a partner or with the teacher.
2. Numerous
follow-up activities related to recycling and environmental awareness are
provided at the websites included in the “Supplemental Resources” section of
these materials. Please peruse these sites to determine which activities are
most appropriate for your students.
Program Keywords:
Environment, recycle, recycling, ecology, pollution,
littering, trash, waste management
Vocabulary Words and Definitions:
Related vocabulary is included in the websites listed in
the “Supplemental Resources” section of these materials.
Supplemental Resources:
This is the EPA’s website which has a wide variety of
curriculum and educational materials related to the topic of our program.
Resources and materials are broken into three grade levels: K-5, 6 to 8, and 9
to 12.
Find out more about America Recycles Day and see
activities that you and your students can do to participate in the national
event.
Guests for our program will include a representative from
the Missouri Recycling Association. Find out more about the organization and
view their educational materials at their website. See how your students can
participate in the Recycle Bowl.
Another of our guests will come from the Earthways Center
of the Missouri Botanical Garden. Find out about that organization and view
their educational materials at their website.
This website of the Green Education Foundation provides a
wealth of curriculum resources. The “Waste Audit” pre-program activity is
modified from one on their website.
Cancellation Policy:
Since there may well be a waiting list for interactive
participation, we ask that you let us know of your need to cancel as soon as you
know.
Technology Specifications:
This program will be bridged through our state bridging
agency, MOREnet. When you register for
the program, please include the IP address of the VC unit you’ll be using to
connect to the MOREnet bridge when participating in the program. This
information is needed to send to MOREnet to arrange your test call with them
prior to the program. As part of the
confirmation you’ll receive after we get your registration and IP information,
we’ll send you the details for the test call with MOREnet. A validation test
call MUST be made no less than one week before the program's air date.
Tim Gore
Interactive Coordinator
314-531.4455
