Teacher Resources
The Garbology One Day Challenge was designed with classroom teachers in mind. It can be a great way to teach kids about resource consumption, waste, and human effects on the environment.
To help teachers integrate the Garbology Challenge into their classrooms, we put together a lesson plan with suggested content materials and extra activity ideas. Please feel free to take and use it! Since our group is at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the lesson plan is organized around the Alabama Content Standards for Education.
The lesson plan is written for 3rd Grade, but can be easily adapted for any age level.
To help teachers integrate the Garbology Challenge into their classrooms, we put together a lesson plan with suggested content materials and extra activity ideas. Please feel free to take and use it! Since our group is at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the lesson plan is organized around the Alabama Content Standards for Education.
The lesson plan is written for 3rd Grade, but can be easily adapted for any age level.
Garbology Lesson Plan | |
File Size: | 36 kb |
File Type: | doc |
Garbology can also be a good way to introduce Archaeology and Anthropology to students. Archaeology has often been described as the study of ancient trash, so the two subjects are very complementary. Students can learn what ancient garbage can tell us about past societies.
Some archaeologists, like William Rathje at the University of Arizona, are using archaeological methods to excavate modern American landfills. Archaeology can help tell us about our own modern culture, too. For example, Rathje's team found that in times when a certain product was in shortage, there was actually more of that product found in the landfills. Rathje hypothesized that this is because people, knowing there was a shortage, bought up the product in bulk and then couldn't use it all and so had to trash it. Rathje's book, Rubbish!, covers this and much more.
If you're interested in involving Anthropology or Archaeology in your classroom lessons, try contacting the Anthropology department at your local University. Also, check out the University of Alabama at Birmingham's program ANTHRO-TEACH for more information, activity ideas, and lesson plans. (Some materials are located on the sister website for the NSF Fiji REU, accessible from the same link.)
Some archaeologists, like William Rathje at the University of Arizona, are using archaeological methods to excavate modern American landfills. Archaeology can help tell us about our own modern culture, too. For example, Rathje's team found that in times when a certain product was in shortage, there was actually more of that product found in the landfills. Rathje hypothesized that this is because people, knowing there was a shortage, bought up the product in bulk and then couldn't use it all and so had to trash it. Rathje's book, Rubbish!, covers this and much more.
If you're interested in involving Anthropology or Archaeology in your classroom lessons, try contacting the Anthropology department at your local University. Also, check out the University of Alabama at Birmingham's program ANTHRO-TEACH for more information, activity ideas, and lesson plans. (Some materials are located on the sister website for the NSF Fiji REU, accessible from the same link.)