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LSF's Reusable Bags Action Toolkit for Secondary Students

Action Toolkit

Secondary

Description

Reusable Bags is an action toolkit resource emphasizing the importance of reusing in reducing waste and conserving resources, even more so than recycling. Students take action to decrease the number of plastic bags in circulation by constructing their own reusable bags using old clothing items.

The resource includes an introduction and is divided into four parts: preparatory activities, a bag-making day, follow-up activities and further opportunities for promoting reuse. Activities such as a clothing swap and a campaign to promote reuse provide opportunities for students to move beyond investigating an issue to identifying solutions and working towards a desired change in personal lifestyle at school and in the community. The suggested action projects are practical and relevant to the students. The toolkit also offers an appendix that provides background information and directions to several related resources. These activities can take place at any time during the year.

The resource also provides an activity allowing students to connect their learning to the SDGs and apply the knowledge they gained throughout this action toolkit to think critically about them. Through interactive activities and hands-on projects, teachers can help students understand the importance of the SDGs and how they can make a difference. By introducing students to the SDGs, they can better understand how their actions can help create a more sustainable world.

To access more LSF Action Projects click here

General Assessment

What skills does this resource explicitly teach?

The resource explicitly teaches the following skills:

  • how to develop a concept map;
  • how to make a bag;
  • how to conduct a reuse audit.

Strengths

  • The resource is extremely relevant to all students and their families. Plastic bags are used throughout our communities by all of us.
  • The tools included in the resource to help present the topic are engaging and effective (mockumentary, images, reflection questions, trivia questions, etc.).
  • There is a sufficient amount of background information for teachers to guide their students. There are also several web links included for extensions, or to further develop the project.
  • The resource is easy to understand and to use. In addition, it is flexible. The teacher has the choice of which introductory and follow-up activities to do based on their particular needs and restrictions.

Relevant Curriculum Units

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        • Computational fluency and flexibility with numbers extend to operations with rational numbers
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        • Science for Citizenship 11: Scientific understanding enables humans to respond and adapt to changes locally and globally
    • Grade 12
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      • Environmental Science
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        • Environmental Science 12: Sustainable land use is essential to meet the needs of a growing population

Themes Addressed

Citizenship (2)

  • General Guide to Taking Action
  • Sustainable Consumption

Ecosystems (1)

  • Appreciating the Natural World

Waste Management (1)

  • Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Sustainability Education Principles

Principle Rating Explanation
Consideration of Alternative Perspectives Very Good

The resource provides a positive bias with well researched background information from many sources to support the importance of reusing over recycling.

Consideration of Alternative Perspectives:
  • Satisfactory: absence of bias towards any one point of view
  • Good: students consider different points of view regarding issues, problems discussed
  • Very good: based on the consideration of different views, students form opinions and  take an informed position
Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions Good

All three dimensions are well presented in this resource. Although plastic bags are an environmental problem, the resource effectively addresses the many economic and social benefits to reusing, beyond the environmental reasons.

Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions:

Effectively addresses the environmental, economic and social dimensions of the issue(s) being explored.

  • Satisfactory: resource supports the examination of  these dimensions
  • Good:  resource explicitly examines the interplay of these dimensions
  • Very Good:  a systems-thinking approach is encouraged to examine these three dimensions
Respects Complexity Good

The resource provides opportunities to analyze a life cycle of a bag. It includes a discovery of bio degradation. Several opportunities are presented for promoting reuse through three action plans.

Respects Complexity:

The complexity of the problems/issues being discussed is respected.

Acting on Learning Very Good

An action opportunity is at the core of this project. The action experience proposed - making a reusable bag - can be done by all students and is relevant to all students. The resource also includes several other action opportunities that may be done as extensions.

Acting on Learning:

Learning moves from understanding  issues  to working towards positive change — in personal lifestyle, in school, in the community,  or for the planet

  • Satisfactory: action opportunities are included as extensions 
  • Good: action opportunities are core components of the resource
  • Very Good: action opportunities for students are well supported and intended to result in observable, positive change
Values Education Good

Throughout the resource, there are probing journal questions and choices that students must make and explain. Each of these questions or choices will give students an opportunity to articulate what is truly important to them.

Values Education:

Students are explicitly provided with opportunities to identify, clarify and express their own beliefs/values.

Empathy & Respect for Humans Poor/Not considered

This is not considered in the resource.

Empathy & Respect for Humans: Empathy and respect are fostered for diverse groups of humans (including different genders, ethnic groups, sexual preferences, etc.).
Personal Affinity with Earth Satisfactory

The Bag Issue activity (B2) uses strong imagery that will force students to see the issue from a different perspective, and thus develop an affinity with our natural world.

Personal Affinity with Earth:

Encourages a personal affinity with -the natural world.  

  • Satisfactory: connection is made to the natural world
  • Good: fosters appreciation/concern for the natural world
  • Very Good: fosters stewardship though practical and respectful experiences out-of-doors 
Locally-Focused Learning Very Good

The plastic bag issue is one found in all communities and all households. This project is extremely relevant not only to the students but to the students' families as well. By researching the local school and community and using the information and materials to engage in the activities would be locally-focused and would be relevant to the lives of the learners.

Locally-Focused Learning:

Includes learning experiences that take advantage of issues/elements within the local community. 

  • Satisfactory: learning is made relevant to the lives of the learners
  • Good: learning is made relevant and has a local focus
  • Very Good: learning is made relevant, local and takes place ‘outside’ , in the community 
Past, Present & Future Good

The resource has a positive vision for the future and encourages students to discover various items that could easily be reused.

Past, Present & Future: Promotes an understanding of the past, a sense of the present, and a positive vision for the future.

Pedagogical Approaches

Principle Rating Explanation
Open-Ended Instruction Good

Most of the activities have open-ended questions to which students must come up with their own answers and solutions.

Open-Ended Instruction :

Lessons are structured so that multiple/complex answers are possible; students are not steered toward one 'right' answer.

Integrated Learning Good

In addition to addressing environmental science concepts, this resource also touches on citizenship and textiles (fashion design).

Integrated Learning:

Learning brings together content and skills  from more than one  subject area

  • Satisfactory: content from a number of different  subject areas is readily identifiable
  • Good:  resource is appropriate for use in more than one subject area
  • Very Good:  the lines between subjects are blurred 
Inquiry Learning Good

The activities are structured to allow students to discover and build knowledge for themselves.  This is provided by the surveys they can conduct, the experiments, the life cycle analysis and reflection. 

Inquiry Learning:

Learning is directed by questions, problems, or challenges that students work to address.   

  • Satisfactory: Students are provided with questions/problems to solve and some direction on how to arrive at solutions.
  • Good: students, assisted by the teacher clarify the question(s) to ask and the process to follow to arrive at solutions.  Sometimes referred to as Guided Inquiry
  • Very Good:  students generate the questions and assume much of the responsibility for how to solve them.  . Sometimes referred to as self-directed learning.

 

Differentiated Instruction Good

The resource does not limit itself to the scientific aspect of the issue, but it also addresses the affective domain, especially with activity B2 and the short mockumentary in activity A4. The various activities incorporate variety of learning styles.

Differentiated Instruction:

Activities address a range of student learning styles, abilities and readiness.

  • Satisfactory:  includes a variety of instructional approaches
  • Good: addresses  the needs of visual, auditory &  kinesthetic learners
  • Very Good: also includes strategies for learners with difficulties
Experiential Learning Very Good

The theme, activities, and action plans facilitate direct and authentic experiences.

Experiential Learning:

Authentic learning experiences are provided

  • Satisfactory: learning takes place through ‘hands-on’ experience or simulation
  • Good: learning involves direct experience in a ‘real world context’
  • Very good: learning involves ‘real world experiences’ taking place’ beyond the school walls.
Cooperative Learning Good
Cooperative Learning:

Group and cooperative learning strategies are a priority.

  • Satisfactory:  students work in groups
  • Good: cooperative learning skills are explicitly taught and practiced
  • Very Good: cooperative learning skills are explicitly taught, practiced and assessed
Assessment & Evaluation Very Good

Assessment options are stated where applicable with reference to monitoring student's pair share work, progress of the school reuse/waste audit worksheet, reflections in the green journal, life cycle analysis, and trivia quizzes.

Assessment & Evaluation: Tools are provided that help students and teachers to capture formative and summative information about students' learning and performance. These tools may include reflection questions, checklists, rubrics, etc.
Peer Teaching Good

Students have opportunities to present information to each other, to their teachers and the community when organizing their campaign.

Peer Teaching:

Provides opportunities for students to actively present their knowledge and skills to peers and/or act as teachers and mentors.

  • Satisfactory: incidental teaching that arises from cooperative learning, presentations, etc.
  • Good or Very Good: an opportunity is intentionally created to empower students to teach other students/community members. The audience is somehow reliant on the students' teaching (students are not simply ‘presenting')
Case Studies Good

Case studies are embedded in the references to websites as well as in the background information in Appendix A.

Case Studies:

Relevant case studies are included.  Case studies are thorough descriptions of real events from real situations that students use to explore  concepts in an authentic context.

Locus of Control Very Good

Students can choose which type of bag (grocery bag, laptop sleeve, purse, etc.) to create, depending on their needs/interests. The fabric used is their choice as well, truly making the end result personal. In addition students can choose various aspects of the pre- and post-activities such as which areas to audit.

Locus of Control: Meaningful opportunities are provided for students to choose elements of program content, the medium in which they wish to work, and/or to go deeper into a chosen issue.