Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes

Tune In: Thinking about waste

20 minutes

Find Out: Waste synonyms

20 minutes

Take Action: Sorting waste

10 minutes

Reflection

Learning intentions & success criteria

Students will:

identify synonyms for topic-specific vocabulary on waste.

Students can:

apply their knowledge of waste to sort ‘waste’ into correct disposals
provide feedback to a peer.

Tune In: Thinking about waste

Step 1

Invite students to complete a Colour, Symbol, Image activity around the term waste. Students can use the space on the Student Worksheet to record their ideas.

Note: Where students have completed the previous lessons in this unit, invite them to reflect on what they have already learned and how they might incorporate this into this task.

Step 2

Students can share and compare their ideas with the class. Engage students in a class discussion around the following prompts:

What were the main themes in terms of colour?
What were the main themes in terms of symbols?
What were the main themes in terms of images?

Find Out: Waste synonyms

Step 1

Introduce the term ‘synonym’ to students. Does anyone know what a synonym is?

Explain to students that a synonym is a word that has the same or nearly the same meaning as another word. For example:

Think of the word ‘big’ - are there any other words that have the same or similar meaning to the word ‘big’?
Big = large, huge, massive, enormous, great, mammoth, colossal, immense.

Step 2

Introduce the term ‘get rid of’. Invite students to work as a class to come up with as many synonyms for this term as they can think of. Record these on the board. For example:

dispose of
chuck out
remove
throw away/throw out
dump
eliminate
discard
bin
ditch
scrap
toss out.

Learning extension: Invite students to create a list of antonyms for the term ‘get rid of’.

Step 3

Now, invite students to consider the term ‘waste’ and work in pairs or small groups to think of as many synonyms for this term as possible. Students can record their ideas in their workbooks before sharing them with the class. Again, record these on the board.

Synonyms for ‘waste’ could include:

rubbish
junk
trash
garbage
litter
detritus
refuse
muck.

Learning extension: Invite students to create a list of antonyms for the term ‘waste’.

Step 4

Students can work independently or in pairs to use some of their ‘get rid of’ and ‘waste’ synonyms in sentences. Their task is to create at least 3 sentences that use one synonym from each group (i.e. one from ‘get rid of’ and one from ‘waste’).

This could be done by creating one sentence where the synonyms are interchangeable or by creating three unique sentences.

For example:

Option 1

It’s time to get rid of the waste.
It’s time to scrap the junk.
It’s time to dispose of the detritus.

Option 2

It’s time to get rid of the waste.
I wish I didn’t have to scrap this junk.
I’m going to dispose of my detritus in the bin.

You could adjust the number of sentences required according to the age and ability of your students.

Step 5

Invite students to their sentences with the class and reflect on how the different words affect their sound (e.g. do some words make the sentences sound more or less formal?).

Take Action: Sorting waste

Step 1

Students will work in pairs or small groups to sort a range of waste items into the correct bins. Give each group one copy of each of these activity sheets:

Students must cut out each type of waste and place them on the table. They can then add each type of waste to the waste disposal method they think is most appropriate.

Learning extension: Students can think of three other types of waste, draw them, cut them out, and add them to the correct types of waste disposal.

Visualising is a valuable literacy skill that encourages students to create mental images based on the topic, helping them to better understand and engage with the content. By using images of waste, students improve their comprehension and recall of details, making the experience more vivid and memorable. This skill also enhances focus and promotes deeper emotional connections to the topic.

Step 2

Groups can collaborate with another group to share the results of their waste sorting.

Step 3

Come together as a class and display the information about waste and recycling for your local council (the website for your local council should have all the information you need). Check if students have sorted their waste using the correct disposal methods and move things around if necessary.

If time permits, students could create posters that stick the right waste items below the correct disposal methods to display in the classroom.

Reflection

Students could work as a class to discuss the following:

Some types of waste used in the waste sorting activity are clearly meant to be thrown away, and the synonyms for ‘waste’ and ‘get rid of’ are a good fit for these items. But other materials - like old clothes or books - can be reused and don’t need to go into a rubbish bin. Should these still be called waste? What might be a better term to use? What can we say instead of ‘get rid of’? Suggested answers below:

‘Waste’ could instead be
- secondhand
- preloved
- used
- well worn
- pre-owned
- hand-me-down
- nearly new.

‘Get rid of’ could instead be
- find a new home
- give away
- share
- donate
- reuse
- rehome.

Why Waste It?

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Summary

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