Youth Environmental Program Lesson Plans

Overview

In an effort to assist teachers, as well as informal educators, in the STEM fields, the Youth Environmental Program has developed a series of environmental education lesson plans. These plans are designed for elementary-age students and are easy to follow for teachers, Scout and 4-H leaders and home school instructors. They focus on real-world issues such as pollution, waste reduction and natural resource preservation.

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Annette Hoskins
601 57th Street SE
Charleston, WV 25304
Phone: (304) 926-0499
Fax: (304) 957-0338
Email: Annette.L.Hoskins@wv.gov
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Lesson Plans and Worksheets

How Waste Affects Our Resources

Image Attribution: Philippe Rekacewicz, UNEP/GRID-Arendal

This exercise allows students to investigate sources of different objects in and around the classroom and learn about natural resources.

Grade Level: Upper Elementary
Duration: 30 to 55 Minutes
Group Size: Any
Setting: Indoor or Outdoor

Vocabulary: Natural Resources, Renewable, Nonrenewable, Sustainable, Fossil Fuels

Lesson Plan Worksheet

The 4 R's: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Rebuy

This exercise allows students to become stewards of the environment and learn to reduce the amount of trash sent to landfills.

Grade Level: K-5
Duration: 30 to 45 Minutes
Group Size: Any
Setting: Indoor or Outdoor

Vocabulary: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Trash, Landfill, Environment

Lesson Plan

How Long Does It Last?

Tens of plastic totes full of of old and rusting metal aerosol cans near a landfill.

Image Attribution: US Army Corps of Engineers

This exercise teaches students about the process of decomposition, to recognize the length of time that different compounds take to decompose, and to understand why it is important to reduce landfill waste and make their communities cleaner.

Grade Level: K-5
Duration: 45 to 60 Minutes
Group Size: Any
Setting: Indoor or Outdoor

Vocabulary: Environment, Decompose, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Landfill, Leachate, Methane, Greenhouse Gases, Toxins

Lesson Plan Worksheet

Electronic Waste and Recycling

Stacks of old computer hardware classified as e-waste

This exercise teaches students what electronic waste is, how it can impact the environment, and practices to reduce the amount of electronics entering the waste stream.

Grade Level: 3-5
Duration: 35 to 45 Minutes
Group Size: Any
Setting: Indoor or Outdoor