PITCH-IN CANADA
 Resource Centre

Re-Think
An educational Unit for children up to Grade 4
 Written by Valerie Thom, B.Ed. and edited by Allard W. van Veen, APR, Fellow, CPRS

This unit has six chapters, each filled with information, ideas and projects.

CHAPTER 1 - WHY RE…Think?

  1. Why is RE…Think important to you and your students?
  2. The THREE R’s – or are there FOUR?
  3. About RE…Think
  4. About the PRIMARY UNIT (K – 3)
  5. Using RE…Think in the classroom
  6. Vocabulary

 

 

    1. Why is RE…Think important to you and your students?

Some of the startling facts that you should know about the waste that we Canadians generate:

2. The THREE R’s – or are there FOUR?

The slogan adopted about 30 years ago by those concerned by the proliferation of solid waste, its effect on our environment and resources was:

REDUCE, RE-USE, RECYCLE

But we now know that these three actions aren’t enough, and the slogan now has FOUR R’s:

REDUCE, RE-USE, RE-CYCLE, RE…Think

The activities in this unit have been designed to start you and your students RE…Thinking about our garbage. The solid waste problem is only one of the many environmental problems created by our industrial society, but it is one that affects every one of us in our daily lives. Each of us generates garbage at home, at work and at play. Each of us is part of Canada’s solid waste problem. Each of us will have to become part of the solution.

3. About RE…Think

RE…Think was first produced by PITCH-IN CANADA in 1977 as "The Solid Waste Unit". The concerns about solid waste, recycling and litter, and their effects on our environment and resources, as expressed in the activities of that unit, have not changed since 1977. However, our understanding of those concerns and our factual knowledge about, and public attitudes towards, them have changed. RE…Think is a revision of the original "Solid Waste Unit" incorporating the most recent research and understanding about the solid waste problem, its effects on our environment and its resources, and solutions that are now viable options.

The activities in this unit are designed to help increase the students’ awareness and to help them make informed decisions about problems, which they can understand, and tackle. However, the issue of solid waste reduction and disposal in our society is not easy to solve and simplistic statements and solutions are to be avoided.

All of the activities in RE…Think are only BEGINNINGS designed to start you and your students RE…Thinking about solid waste. Some of the ideas, concerns and projects introduced in these activities might already be familiar to your students, as many children are more environmentally aware than their elders. Select those activities that best suit the abilities and interest of your class.

The recent and rapid "greening" of the marketplace and all levels of government, and the resulting changes in the attitudes and actions of individuals, corporations, and governments, will provide your students with many more topics and issues, local and global, to explore.

4. About the Primary Unit (K – 3)

The Primary Unit, designed for use in Grades K – 3, is organized into three main themes (note each theme is color-coded):

The activities within a theme focus primarily on that theme, but may also refer to related activities in other themes. Each activity has a grade level notation beside the title, but these are recommended grade levels only. Some activities have further suggestions for older students.

5. Using Re…Think in the classroom

The heading to each activity provides specific information to enable you to select appropriate activities quickly. Here is an example of a heading above an activity, with explanations for various introductory headings:

______________________________________________________________________

OUR GARBAGE: ACTIVITY 11 - ***Are There Treasures In Our Trash?                      K-3
( When Activity is preceded by ***it indicates the activity requires significant advance preparation or special scheduling. K-3 indicates recommended grade level.)

Skills: (Skills required by students to complete activity)

Time: (Approximate time taken to complete activity)

Title of Activity. When the title is preceded by ***

Learning Objective: (Major learning objectives of the Activity are listed – knowledge and/or skills)

Materials and Equipment: (Lists materials and equipment needed, other than regular class/student supplies, such as pencils, drawing paper, paints, etc.)

Activity: (provides suggested activities)

Re...Think (suggestions aimed at helping students 'Re-Think' their views towards how to manage the environmental issues/topics presented)

__________________________________________________________________________

6. Vocabulary

The following words appear in italics in the text and are defined in the glossary: We suggest you print out the glossary for your future reference.

Click here to return to the Index for Re-Think