The Recycling Coalition of West Virginia (RCWV) is providing the state’s teachers with classroom money and classroom instructional materials. The Coalition has developed free educational outreach lessons to teach students about materials that can be recycled; to help them realize decomposition eventually restores some materials back to the soil; to develop an understanding of the solid waste management practices related to recycling, incineration, sanitary landfills and hazardous waste disposal; and to consider the role engineers play in solid waste management. The lessons align to West Virginia’s Content Standards Objectives, address content literacy, and may be used for across-curriculum instruction. Lessons may be modified in order to be grade level appropriate and used at different grade levels. The RCWV-prepared lessons are:
• Don’t Waste the Moment – research the amount of waste generated in the school cafeteria;
• One Man’s Trash is Another Man’s Treasure – research the cost of waste disposal and possible savings when recycling and composting;
• Waste Not, Want Not – investigate and make decisions about composting; and
• Reclaiming and Replacing – investigate what happens when landfills get filled and propose solutions.
Also available on the Coalition website are Recycling Investigations with informational text and investigation prompts. After RCWV recycling lessons have been used for instruction, teachers may register on the RCWV Recycling Lesson Award Application. Participating teachers are eligible to win one of six $200 gift cards to be used to purchase classroom materials. Entries must be received by June 15, 2016. Recycling lesson plans and the Recycling Investigations material may be found under the Resources tab at wvrecycles.com.
West Virginia educators who received classroom money for the 2015 school year are: Amy Mortensen, of Liberty High School in Clarksburg – $200; Sarah Black, of Hurricane High School – $400; Elizabeth Gallaher, of Capital High in Charleston – $400; and Jennifer Sites, of Petersburg Elementary – $200. These teachers adapted the lesson plans in a variety of ways to make the lessons appropriate for their grade level and course of study.
The Recycling Coalition of West Virginia is a nonprofit environmental organization whose mission is to promote the effective and sustainable reduction, reuse and recycling of materials otherwise destined for disposal. The Recycling Coalition pursues these goals through the promotion of purchasing products made with recycled content material; by coordinating and facilitating activities relative to recycling; and by fostering communications among organizations, government agencies and individuals through the sharing of ideas and resources.
