Environmental Science Bundle - Repurposing Project and Lab Activities

THIS IS ONE OF MY PERSONAL FAVORITE RESOURCES

This amazing Earth Love Bundle includes the following resources to get your class thinking about sustainable living and the issues arising from our current way of life:

1. BIODEGRADABLE PLASTIC MILK LAB

Your students will have so much fun creating plastic casein from milk and vinegar with this lab! This is a great lesson to implement during your Earth Day unit, renewable energy unit, recycling unit, and many more! Teach your students to be forward thinkers and have them research topics including microplastics and garbage patches.

Get your students thinking about sustainability and reducing pollution to create a better Earth for tomorrow!

Included:

- Student Lab Handout

- Teacher Tips Guide (with pictures)

- Links to multimedia resources addressing microplastics and garbage patches

- Discussion questions pertaining to these topics

- An "out of the classroom" activity designed to evaluate biodegradability of casein plastic by bacteria

- A chart detailing the estimated lifespans of products in landfills for deeper discussion

2. 10 "R's" of Sustainability Earth Poster Project

This lesson is all about promoting an eco friendly lifestyle in our students through a mini-research group project.

Students will research the meaning and examples of one of the 10 "R's" of Sustainability. They will create an infographic poster in small groups and will then go on a gallery walk/ scavenger hunt to fill in the rest of the "R's" on their notes summary worksheet.

This lesson promotes movement and critical thinking skills while simultaneously promoting awareness of a "Go Green" life to the entire school!

INCLUDED:

-Student poster project guideline checklist sheet

-Students AND Teacher grading rubric with point values

-Student notes summary of the 10 "R's" worksheet

-Teacher guide detailing facilitation, set-up, and extensions of the lesson

- Resource link sheet to websites centered on creating a sustainable Earth for all beings!

Use this lesson on Earth Day (April 22nd) or any time you talk about Earth's resources in science! Use this in Stu-Co to promote a eco-friendly school environment or in any economics class! The possibilities are endless!

3. Repurposing/ Upcycling Junkyard Project ***(a personal favorite!)

Encourage students to think outside the box when it comes to the 10 R's of sustainability!

With this project, students will use old household items and recyclables in order to create amazing repurposed DIY ideas. It's basically an etsy.com project in the name of science!

Included:

-Student interactive worksheet for video and slideshow

-Student project guidelines handout

-Student project rubric handout

-Student brainstorm project map

-Teacher grading rubric

-Teacher interactive "hook" slideshow with video links

4. COOKIE MINING LAB- NON-RENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCE ACTIVITY

Give your students a hands on and authentic learning experience as you study the processes behind obtaining fossil fuels. This cookie mining lab provokes students to strategize, work collaboratively, and gain understanding on the difficulties with mining nonrenewable's for energy resources.

Students will have a change to analyze and interpret several different CURRENT global energy usage maps and relate that to our exponential world population growth. 2 extension activities and links to their multimedia resources are provided.

INCLUDED:

-Teacher guide with intricate materials needed, set-up instructions, helpful hints, and facilitation instructions

-Student worksheet with background information pre-lab questions, and graph analysis questions

-NET profit/ loss calculation worksheet

-Cookie topography plotting worksheet

-Resource value worksheet and diagram

-Profit trend graphing worksheet

-Post-lab analysis and critical thinking connection questions

This activity is great for all secondary content areas looking to expand student knowledge on potential future energy crisis!