Educational Resources for Teachers


Classroom Lessons
These lessons were created or adopted  to help promote composting, recycling and zero waste. They were designed to target specific grade levels but can be tailored to reach any grade level. Lessons can be customized to meet the needs of a specific school or class. School Zero Waste Coordinators are continually adapting and updating school curriculum to target the needs of all ages and abilities in member districts. Lessons have been adapted to meet Core Curriculum standards for each age group. For more information or to schedule a lesson, please contact a School Zero Waste Coordinator, Brenna Toman (Ext 103) or John Jose (Ext 111), at 802.229.9383. 

Why Should I Compost? K-1st 
Students are introduced to diverting food scraps from the garbage can. Students will investigate what happens to organic material in nature with hands on outdoor activities, practice sorting out food scraps from garbage, and experience finished compost through sight, smell, and touch. 

Why Should I Recycle? 2nd-4th
Students will be introduced to the concept and practice of recycling and the importance to their lives and the Earth. They will also learn what items can and cannot be recycled in central Vermont. Students will create their own paper from recycled paper scraps and/or reuse magazines to create paper beads. 

The Trash Journey 4th-6th
To introduce students to landfills and what happens to the things we throw away. This lesson explains how landfills work and the environmental risks associated with landfills. There is also a brief history of landfills in the State of Vermont. Students are engaged in a trash sorting activity to help determine what kind of materials can be recycled or what materials are bound for a landfill.

Wrap It Up! An Investigation of Packaging 6th-8th
Students use observation skills to analyze packaging of everyday items through the lens of waste reduction. Main take aways from this lesson include natural resource and environmental conservation through waste and litter reduction. Students will learn to identify the wastes created by packaging, determine what kinds of packaging can be recycled and ways to reduce packaging waste.
As an optional addition, CVSWMD will teach students to make their own zero waste toothpaste and each student will be able to take home their own small container of toothpaste.

The Away Project 7th-12th
By carrying their waste around for a week, students will learn the true weight and burden of the waste they produce. CVSWMD will lead an introductory lesson on what happens to the things we landfill, compost and recycle. At the end of the week, CVSWMD and students will sort through what has been collected and analyze the materials. 


Additional Programming: 
​Do the Rot Thing: A Teacher’s Guide to Compost Activities
This activity booklet, originally produced by the Alameda County Waste Management Authority (CA), includes classroom activities and student project ideas. 
 

Supporting Documents

School Zero Waste Wishlist
From the classroom to the cafeteria, upgrade your schools waste reducton potential by following these guidelines. 

School E-Waste Flyer
Books
  • Little Green Books: Don't Throw That Away!
  • Little Green Books: I Can Save the Earth!
  • Little Green Books: The Adventures of an Aluminum Can
  • Little Green Books: The Adventures of a Plastic Bottle
  • The Three R's: Reuse, Reduce, Recycle. By N. Roca
  • Composting: Nature's Recyclers. By R. Koontz
  • Compost Stew: An A to Z Recipe for the Earth. By M. Siddals
  • The Wump World. By B. Peet
  • The Lorax. By. Dr. Suess
  • Stuff! Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. By Steven Kroll
Videos
  • The Story of Stuff - A fast-paced introduction to consumerism and product life cycles. If shown in the classroom, teachers are advised to preview due to political content. (20 minutes)
  • The Cost of Cool: Youth Consumption and the Environment: Part I - Part II - Part III - This documentary features teenagers discussing what it takes to be "cool", the pressures of consumerism, and the environmental price we pay to have the latest, "coolest" stuff. (27 minutes total)
  • Jack Johnson:  3Rs – Three is the magic number! Students from Sunset Beach Elementary School, Hawaii sing about the 3R's.          (3 minutes)
  • Dirt Made My Lunch – This is a classic, catchy sing-a-long connects compost to food and farming. (3 minutes)
  • How Does a MRF Work? - This short video explains how recycling is sorted once it arrives at the Materials Recovery Facility or MRF.     (3 minutes)
  • Going Green with D-Rop: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - This short video teaches kids the basics on the 3R's. (2.32 minutes)
  • Stuck in Vermont, MRF: Take a tour of the Chittenden Solid Waste District Materials Recovery Factiliy (MRF) where recyclables are sorted and shipped away to be turned into new products.               (6 minutes).