PITCH-IN CANADA
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Re-Think Activities
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. Words in bold and in italics are featured in the glossary which you can reach by clicking here

OUR GARBAGE: ACTIVITY 6 -    Let’s Be Public Health Inspectors!                                                     2 – 3

Skills: hypothesizing, story writing, role playing      

Time: one class period

Learning Objective: students will consider the health and safety aspects of proper garbage disposal methods.

NOTE: In OUR GARBAGE: ACTIVITY 13 students are asked to design a garbage can and/or garbage can holder that will prevent this sort of accident from happening. In LITTER: ACTIVITY 3 students learn about the seven sources of litter and how improperly disposed garbage becomes litter.

Materials and Equipment: make an overhead projection of APPENDIX 2 or draw if on the blackboard.

1. Show the overhead projection of APPENDIX 2, illustrating spilled household garbage.

2. Discuss with the students:

• What has happened in this picture?
• How might this have happened?
• Have you seen this happen in your neighbourhood?
• What might happen to the garbage now?
• What animals or birds might be attracted to the garbage?
• What would they probably do with the garbage?

3. Ask each student to pretend that he/she is a Public Health Inspector. Have students consider the following questions, then write a "report" as a class story, or individually:

+  How was the garbage spilled?

+  What problems could the spilled garbage cause?

+  What should be done to make sure that this doesn’t happen again?

4. Ask pairs of students to play the roles of "Health Inspector" and "Homeowner", with the Health Inspector reading the report to the Homeowner, and the Homeowner explaining how   he/she will correct the situation.

RE…Think

Discuss with the students:

• Is it always people who spread garbage around a neighbourhood?
• Can you think of any ways in which the local authorities try to prevent this from happening in parks, and other public places? (Specially designed garbage cans.)
• What are some of the problems when animals, such as bears, and birds, such as seagulls, start to depend on finding their food in garbage cans or at garbage dumps?

Ask students to look out for situations, such as the one on the overhead, occurring in their neighbourhoods, and to describe them to the class. Can the students suggest any actions that could be taken to prevent this from happening?

Click here to return to the Index for Chapter 4 and more activities

Click here to return to the Index for Re-Think