OVERVIEW
Paper recycling has been around as long as paper itself. Today paper is the most recycled product in the United States.
LEVELS
Grades 4-5
SUBJECTS
Science
Social Studies
Language Arts
Visual Arts |
CONCEPTS
People use ingenuity and innovation
to make the best use of available resources.
To sustain the availability and use of important resources,
people practice conservation.
To meet the needs of an expanding human population, societies
practice resource management and employ technology. |
SKILLS
Analyzing
Data Gathering
Discussing
Interpreting
Representing
Researching |
DISCUSSION AND STUDY TOPICS
Paper recycling can be used in the context of many different
areas of learning. Here are some suggestions:
| Science |
| |
Get a view of the different
fiber lengths in different paper products. Using the papermaking
process outlined in the student brochure, analyze paperboard,
stationery, newspaper and other types of paper. Which
fibers are longer? Is there a relationship between fiber
length and paper strength? (class experiment, research
project) |
| Social Studies
|
| |
How
have people managed waste throughout history? How have
attitudes toward waste changed over time? Have students
interview their parents and grandparents to find out
how waste is handled differently now. (research project,
essay topic, class presentation) |
|
|
Does your community have a recycling
center? What products does it recycle and where do they
come from? If not, why not? Does your school have a recycling
program? If not, could you start one? What resources would
you need? (field trip, class project, guest speakers) |
|
|
How are different products packaged?
Why? Would more or less packaging make a difference? Have
students select a product and design the ideal package
for it out of art materials. Why did they design the package
that way? (research project, class activity, art project,
class presentation) |
| Language Arts |
|
|
What would the world be like? Where would all that paper
go? (essay topic) |
| Math |
|
|
What
are some of the costs involved in paper recycling? Does
recycling always make financial sense? Have students calculate
the potential profit or loss of recycling paper versus
sending it to a landfill. (research project, class
activity, essay topic) |
| Visual Arts |
|
|
Save scraps of paper from class
art and other projects and make a collage. (art project) |
| |
Activity Sheet
Some words that could have been recycled were thrown into the letter landfill. Can you recover them? If you search below, you’ll find 35 words related to recycling and the environment.
Answers: (Caution: Words may appear backwards, upside down, or diagonally.)
• adopt • air • aluminum • care • clean • collect • conservation • deink • earth • energy • environment • fertilize • forest • future • glass • grow • land • landfill • litter • nature • newspaper • paper • plastic • protect • recover • recycle • renew • responsible • reuse • safe • streams • tree • waste • water • wood
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In addition to providing beauty and recreation, forests supply raw materials to help meet society’s needs for housing, paper, containers and thousands of other products used by consumers every day. As one of the country’s leading forest products providers, Georgia-Pacific Corporation has a long-term interest in and commitment to the health of our nation’s forests. |
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