Twelfth graders examine how societies manage waste — the problems of landfills and pollution, and the solutions of reducing, reusing, and recycling — building the habits and systems of a more sustainable, circular economy.
Students will be able to…
The average person throws away over a ton of trash a year — and most of it could be avoided. Where does our waste go, and how can reducing, reusing, and recycling shrink the problem?
Project this and sort each item into recyclable or landfill trash. (Rules vary by area — these are common cases!)
Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.
The average person throws away over a ton of trash a year — where does it go?
Students investigate.
Students explain.
Students elaborate.
Students conclude.
Aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (High School Earth & Environmental Science).
Create a computational simulation to illustrate sustainable resource management.
Evaluate solutions that reduce impacts of human activities.
Evaluate competing design solutions for managing resources.
Constructing explanations and designing solutions.
Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.
Have students track their own waste for a day, then design a personal plan to reduce, reuse, and recycle more. A printable waste-and-recycling sheet is in the Science library.
Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.
A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.
A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.