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________________________________________________________________________

Teacher: Ms Donovan

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About the Unit Students will be learning about sustainability. Students will learn that the traditional

Aboriginals knew how to live successfully with the environment and protected it with their

sustainable lifestyle. They will learn that everything we use has come from the environment.

Resources can be natural or made. Some natural resources can be renewed and last forever,

but others are non-renewable and will run out. How we live today is damaging the

environment. We need to protect the Earth by changing what we do every day. To live

sustainably we need to refuse, reduce, re-use and recycle products. When we do

this, we can save Earth’s resources. We also save money and power by recycling.

Students will investigate how much their family is throwing away. They will

come up with ideas to recycle/reuse their rubbish and present a design to make

something made of recycled materials. They will investigate recycling by making compost

You Will Need: • Pencil

• Coloured pencils, textas

• Scissors

• Glue

• Phone or iPad to scan QR codes

Outline of Term 2 Activities: Week Student Activities

Week 1

• What is sustainability? – pre-test; watch video about sustainability; complete a sustainability mind map

Week 2

• What is a resource? – read information, complete table about use of natural resources; watch video, answer questions , complete flowcharts

Week 3

• How did Aboriginal people live sustainably? – scan & read information, draw pictures; watch video about biodiversity

Week 4

• What are renewable/non-renewable resources? – sort natural & made resources; watch video, complete table & sort natural resources

Week 5

• Where does the energy we use come from? – answer questions; view slideshow, answer questions; view video, make energy saving poster

Week 6

• How does recycling save natural resources? – view video and finish sentences using video; view video, order steps of aluminium recycling

Week 7

• What can I recycle or reuse at home? -investigate kitchen waste; predict, sort and record results; complete a column graph

Week 8

• How can we use waste as a resource? – view video, think of ways to refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle products found at home; view video.

Week 9

• How can composting help to reduce or recycle waste? – view video about composting; compost in a bottle investigation, record results.

Week 10

• How can we upcycle our waste products?- video about upcycling plastic bottles, design a product; reuse toilet rolls for finger knitting

• Listen to the story “The Lorax” by Dr Seuss – revise sustainability.

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Student Activity Pre-Test What do you know about sustainability? Circle True or False for each statement True False

1. Resources are things we need to live our lives each day. T F

2. All resources come from the environment. T F

3. A material that can be replaced naturally and used

over again is a natural resource. T F

4. Oil is the most common substance on Earth. Itis

essential to life. T F

5. Coal, oil, natural gas, copper, gold, and silver are

minerals that can be replaced. T F

6. The four Rs are rip-off, reduce, rewash and recycle T F

7. Fossil fuels like oil and natural gas were formed

in the days of the dinosaurs. T F

8. Recycling saves power and money.

9. Non-renewable resources will run out if we over-use them. T F

10. Sustainability means to that the environment can support

the life of people, plants and animals. T F

11. Composting is a way to recycle food scraps. T F

12. Recycling costs a lot of money. It is cheaper to throw things away T F

Week 1: What is sustainability?

Key Idea: What is sustainability?

• The ability of the environment to continue to support our lives and the lives of other living creatures into the future.

Student Activity - What is sustainable development?

Watch video: https://safeYouTube.net/w/a2Do (Scan the QR code or

type address)

Question: How do you work out if something is sustainable?

• Ask yourself:- Can we do this over and over forever? For example: - can we cut down as many trees as we like forever?

• Can we make as much waste as we like forever?

If the answer is no, then this action may cause problems for the environment now as well as the environment in the future.

Learning Intention: • To know and understand key information about sustainability.

Success Criteria: • Extract information from a multimedia text. • Create a mind map to present ideas.

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Student Activity – Mind Map

• Create a mind-map using the key ideas and words from the video. (A

mind-map shows your thoughts so write as many ideas as you can. Also

use lines to join up ideas).

• You may include pictures in your mind-map to support your ideas.

My Sustainability Mind Map

Sustainability

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Week 2: What is a resource?

Key Idea: Read the information below

A resource is something that can be used to help you.

Natural resources (water, trees/plants, animals, minerals, oil, land) are valuable in supporting life.

Everything we use comes from our environment – the food we eat, the

clothes we wear, the houses we live in, the cars we drive.

We need to use them responsibly. If we overuse them, they will run out.

Student Activity

Look at the pictures of natural resources below.

Complete the table on the next page. An example has been added.

Plants fuel

Learning Intention: • Understand the importance of natural resources in our lives. • Identify the sources of products we use.

Success Criteria: • Name and describe resources and their products. • Research information from a multimedia source.

air soil water

Plants fuel (coal, oil) animals

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Natural Resources

Student Activity: Watch resources video

https://safeYouTube.net/w/tGDo

Answer the following questions.

1. Why don’t we usually find big cities in the desert or on top of a freezing mountain? ________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

2. What resources might towns and cities need to be near?

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

Do you use this resource?

How often do you use it?

What is this resource used

for?

Can it be replaced if it

runs out?

Air yes all the time,

everyday breathing, oxygen to

live no

soil

water

plants

fuel

animals

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3. Which natural resources are used to make a cake?

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

4. Many natural resources are used to make other resources that we use in our everyday life. Look at the examples below.

5. What products can be made from the following natural resources?

Discuss with your parent or research them on the internet.

Draw and label or write your answers, you may give more than one

product.

can be used to make

cotton (plant) clothes

can be used to make

oil petrol

timber

or wood is used for ______________

______________

iron ore is used for ______________

______________

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Week 3: How did Aboriginal people live sustainably?

Key Idea: Aboriginal sustainable practices

The traditional Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people lived in harmony with the environment. They are a good example of sustainable living.

Student Activity Scan the code

Read and write down examples of sustainable living

you find in the information.

____________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Learning Intention: • Understand sustainable practices of the traditional Aboriginal people ,which protected the environment.

• Locate key information about a sustainable lifestyle.

Success Criteria: • Identify relevant information in a text. • Explain examples with supporting evidence and pictures.

silicone is used for ______________

sand ______________

peppermint is used for ______________

plant ______________

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Student Activity

Draw labelled pictures of Aboriginal people living sustainably and

protecting the environment.

Key Ideas:

Traditional Aboriginal life protected the environment. They depended

on the environment to live. Their lifestyle helped to maintain the

biodiversity in the environment.

Student Activity - Watch the video about biodiversity

https://vimeo.com/77933476

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Week 4: What are renewable and non-renewable resources?

Revision: We know that all resources come from Earth. Some

resources are natural from nature like trees. Other resources are made

by people and changed into new materials like paper.

Revision Activity: Put the following resources into the table below:

water, pencils, shoes, sunlight, trees, computers, fruit, vegetables,

clothes, paper, desks, cars, wind, soil, oil, cornflakes,

NATURAL RESOURCES

MADE RESOURCES

Key Ideas: Natural resources can be living or non-living.

• Some natural resources can last forever. They can regrow or be

replaced. They are called: renewable (re-new-able) resources.

• Some natural resources will run out in our lifetime. There is not an

endless supply. They are called: non-renewable (non-re-new-able)

resources.

Student Activity - Watch the video to learn about

renewable and non-renewable resources

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLBK1ux5b7U

Learning Intention:

• Define what is a natural resource.

• Recognise that not all of our natural resources can be replaced or will last forever.

Success Criteria:

• Distinguish natural resources from made resources.

• Sort renewable from non-renewable natural resources.

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Student Activity - Look at the pictures. What is the resource? Circle if

the resource is renewable/non-renewable.

Choose from this list: oil/petrol, solar power, cows/cattle, wind,

electricity, trees, minerals, water, coal (** Remember to ask yourself: Can it be replaced?)

Resource

What is it? Circle Renewable or Non-renewable

Renewable or

Non-renewable

Renewable or

Non-renewable

Renewable or

Non-renewable

Renewable or

Non-renewable

Renewable or

Non-renewable

Renewable or

Non-renewable

Renewable or

Non-renewable

Renewable or

Non-renewable

Renewable or

Non-renewable

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Week 5: Where does the energy we use come from?

Key Idea: Energy is an important natural resource in our lives. We make

energy in different ways. We use it to power machines or fuel our cars.

Student Activity -Answer the questions with the forms of energy used.

Where do you think all the energy comes from that?

• runs our cars, trucks, trains ______________________________

• powers our lights, TV, fridges ______________________________

• heats our stoves, hot water ______________________________

Key Idea: Some sources of energy are renewable. We are able to keep

making power because the sources won’t run out. Some sources of

energy are non-renewable. The resources we use will run out.

Student Activity - View the slides about energy and learn

where it comes from?

1. List three types of fossil fuels.

a) ______________________ c) ___________________

b) ______________________

2. Why are fossil fuels non-renewable? __________________________

__________________________________________________________

3. List 3 types of renewable energy

a) ___________________________ c) _________________________

b) _____________________________

Student Activity - View the video about energy sources

and learn what is best for the Earth. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2N4k0Cv-QM

Learning Intention:

• Identify the different types and uses of energy.

• Consider the importance of saving our use of energy.

Success Criteria:

• Sort renewable from non-renewable forms of energy.

• Present a variety of energy saving ideas as a family poster.

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Think of different energy sources around the home. How could your

family save energy and be more sustainable?

Student Activity - Create a family poster to remind everyone.

View the sample to help you start thinking. Draw pictures too!

Week 6: How does recycling saves natural resources?

Key Idea: While we need to use our Earth’s natural resources in our lives,

we have to make them last our lifetime. We can do this by using less. An

important way to cut back how much we use is to recycle materials.

Student Activity – View the video about manufacturing (man-u-fact-ur-ing)

to learn how important it is to recycle made resources.

Finish the sentences: https://vimeo.com/77377596

1. Paper is made from ___________, which are a n _______________

resource.

2. Making recycled paper uses less __________ and ____________.

3. The more paper we recycle, the less we put into the ground as l _ _ _ _ f _ _ _.

4. Plastic is made from _________ and natural _________. Both of these are n______-

r_______________________ resources.

5. Much of the plastic made gets thrown away. It ends up as l _ _ _ _ f _ _ _. Plastics

last for a very, very _____________ time.

6. Lots of plastic ends up as l _ _ _ _ f _ _ _ and can be harmful to a _ _ _ _ _ s like turtles,

fish, seals, birds.

7. It’s important to r _____________, r ______________, r ______________ and

r _____________ to save our resources.

Student Activity – Did you know that many of Australia’s aluminium cans are

recycled near Old Guildford PS at Yennora? View the video to learn

how aluminium is recycled. https://vimeo.com/75277529

Finish the sentences:

1. Recycling aluminium saves a lot of e_ _ _ _ _ . Tw _ _ _ _ one cans can

be recycled with the same amount of energy as one new can.

2. At Yennora half a b _ _ _ _ _ _ aluminium cans are recycled every year.

Learning Intention: • Recognise the benefits of recycling to the environment.

• Understand and explain the process of recycling aluminium

Success Criteria: • Complete key information about recycling.

• Sequence information about aluminium recycling.

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Student Activity - Match the sentences at the bottom of the page to the

steps in the aluminium recycling process. You can write or cut them out/glue.

The Story of Aluminium Recycling

The aluminium sheets are made into cans, etc.

The ingots are rolled out into sheets of aluminium.

The cans are re-melted to

remove the coating & ink.

Cans are collected and taken

to a treatment plant.

The aluminium is sorted and cleaned.

The new recycled cans are sent back to the shops.

Put aluminium cans into a recycling bin.

The aluminium is made into blocks called ingots.

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Week 7: What can I recycle or reuse at home?

Revision: It is important to sort recycled materials so they can be changed into new products. We sort paper/cardboard, plastics, aluminium/metal and glass.

Student Activity 1. Empty your kitchen tidy bin on a towel or mat on the floor. 2. Predict and write the number of things you might find in the kitchen tidy bin

that you could recycle or re-use. 3. Count the number of items found with a tally count e.g. IIII II (7) 4. Use your data to create a graph on the next page.

Type of Material

Number I Predict Tally Count

Paper & Cardboard

Aluminium/Metal

Glass

Plastics

My Recycling Column Graph Student Activity: Colour the number of boxes for each material to match your tallies.

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9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

Paper/Cardboard Aluminium/Metal Glass Plastic

Learning Intention: • Investigate materials that can be recycled at home.

Success Criteria: • Record information as a graph.

Nu

mb

er o

f it

ems

fou

nd

in k

itch

en t

idy

bin

Different materials for recycling

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Week 8: How can we use waste as a resource? – The Four Rs

Key Ideas:

• Waste is rubbish thrown away, left around or released into the environment that is

not needed anymore. It can be harmful to people, plants, animals, soil, air or water.

• If we stop to think how we can better use products, we can help the environment.

✓ Refuse – what can I use instead?

✓ Reduce – How can I use less?

✓ Reuse – How can I use it again?

✓ Recycle – Can it be turned into

something new?

Student Activity – Watch the video about waste https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPfz3oFxQRI

Write down how you could refuse, reduce, reuse or recycle the waste items.

Waste item

How can you ……?

Refuse Reduce Reuse Recycle

Refuse Reduce Reuse Recycle

Refuse Reduce Reuse Recycle

Learning Intention: • Identify the four Rs of sustainability.

• Understand the impact of waste on the environment.

Success Criteria: • Apply the four Rs of sustainability to waste products found at

home.

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Student Activity – Watch the video to learn how much waste

Australians make and how it affects the environment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NluFskx4mvc

Week 9: How can composting help to reduce waste?

Key Ideas:

• Every year a family throw away about a tonne of waste (as

heavy as a car!). All together across Australia, it would

weigh as much as 5 million cars!

• We can reduce our family’s waste by composting.

• Composting is nature’s way of breaking down/recycling

materials into rich soil.

• Over time, plant scraps (vegetable peels, fruit waste, plant clippings, and grass

cuttings) turn into compost which is rich in nutrients and wonderful for

gardens.

Composting:

• Reduces the waste in landfills - “reduce, reuse, and recycle.”

• Reduces methane gas released from landfills.

• Reduces the need for fertilizers.

Student Activity – Watch the video to learn how to create a

compost bin. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uw5JVZSzMUA

Student Activity

1. Set up a compost investigation. Scan the QR code and read the

instructions.

2. Make sure your compost bottle goes in the sun. Don’t take off

the lid.

3. Observe it every week and write down what you see on the record sheet on

the next page.

Learning Intention: • Investigate composting as a way of recycling waste.

• Recognise the value of composting to the environment.

Success Criteria: • Follow instructions to create a compost bottle.

• Observe and record compost data over a period of time.

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Compost in a Bottle Results Week Record your observations Labelled Drawing

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• What do you see in the soil?

• What has happened to the level of the materials?

2

• What do you see in the soil?

• What has happened to the level of materials?

3

• What do you see in the soil?

• What has happened to the level of materials?

• Can you identify any of the materials placed in

the bottle?

Conclusions:

• What are the two ingredients we added that helped the compost in the bottle? w _____________________ and s___________________

Note: Composting works best when three ingredients are added.

What didn’t we add to our compost bottle? a________________ (The reason: We wouldn’t have been able to track the changing layers)

• What can’t go into a compost bin? (scan the code-Check the poster) _____________________________________________________

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Week 10: How can we upcycle our waste products?

Key Ideas/Revision:

• Plastic is a big problem in our environment because it takes a very long time to

break down. It makes a lot of rubbish, especially plastic bottles.

• We can re-use plastic bottles or cardboard rolls and save making rubbish.

Student Activity Watch the video to learn ways to re-use plastic bottles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fo1NriAKUWQ

• Find some plastic bottles at home and make something from

the video with them.

• Make something else if you like.

Example: make a ball catcher with half a milk bottle. Cover

sharp edges with tape. Play a game of throw and catch with

your family. Have fun!

or

• We use lots of toilet paper in our families but what can we do with the rolls?

• We can re-use toilet rolls and start finger knitting. It’s fun to do while you’re

staying inside. Teach your family. Who can knit the longest piece?

Student Activity

• You will need a toilet or paper towel roll, 4-6 pop sticks, wool

• Watch the video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpMkHnL3sM4

• You can make a present for your mum or for someone you have

seen for some time because you’re staying safely inside.

Final Activity

• Enjoy the story, ‘The Lorax’ and learn how important it is to live

sustainably What we do today can affect what Earth is like in the

future…. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdWesdMfyd4

Learning Intention: • Recognise ways that our waste products can be upcycled.

• Understand ways to reduce our environmental footprint.

Success Criteria: • Design a new way to use a waste product and extend its life. • Share and use upcycle designs with family members

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reduce

resources

recycle

re-use

trees

planet

save waste

paper

cardboard

aluminium metal

rubbish natural

made

glass

plastic

environment

recycling

cans

water

non-renewable

renewable

soil

garbage

petrol

fossil fuels

replace

solar

energy

power

hydro power

electricity

biomass upcycle

refuse

sustainability

sustainable

biodiversity

timber

minerals

over-use

wise

protect

conserve

natural gas

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Extra Free Time Activities

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Recycling Memory Card Game – Cut out all cards. Spread cards on the floor

flipped over. Take turns to find matching pairs of cards.

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• Make a Solar Oven – A fun activity for the whole family!

• Learn more about recycling.

(recycling slideshow)

• Learn the 3Rs rap/song

• Build a water wheel - using water power.

(water wheel instructions)

• Play the waterwise game - Hose and Laddders

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