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Overview:
The idea for this lesson plan was inspired by Susan Dennis and Jimmy D'Andrea of Anacostia Senior High School in Washington, D.C., who received a teacher grant from the National Geographic Education Foundation in support of a semester-long project called Household Hazardous Waste Alert: Implications for the Anacostia Community.
In this lesson, students will survey their homes for hazardous materials and tally the results as a class. They will use the Web to find out about proper waste disposal methods and the potential consequences of improper disposal. Students will conclude by creating pamphlets or multimedia presentations showing what they have learned.
Connections to the Curriculum:
Geography, earth science
Connections to the National Geography Standards:
Standard 14: "How human actions modify the physical environment"
Standard 18: "How to apply geography to interpret the present and plan for the future"
Time:
Two to three hours
Materials Required:
- Computer with Internet access
- Writing and drawing materials, or computer program (e.g., PowerPoint or Dreamweaver) for multimedia presentation
Objectives:
Students will
- survey their homes to see what types of toxic materials they can find there;
- compile the survey results to get a class total;
- use Web sites to find out about proper waste disposal methods and the potential consequences of improper disposal, and answer questions about what they find;
- conduct research to find out whether their town has a storm drain system; and
- create pamphlets or multimedia presentations illustrating what they have learned.
Geographic Skills:
Asking Geographic Questions
Acquiring Geographic Information
Organizing Geographic Information
Answering Geographic Questions
Analyzing Geographic Information
S u g g e s t e d P r o c e d u r e
Opening:
Have students look at the first few sections of this University of Missouri site about household hazardous products (or print it out and distribute it to the class). Ask them to pay special attention to the general categories of hazardous products and the examples of the products in each category.
Ask students to look at the list and predict which types of hazardous materials they have in their homes. The EPA's "virtual house" may help students come up with ideas about where to find hazardous products.
Development:
Have students conduct surveys of the hazardous materials in their homes. They can do this with the assistance of this Home Hazardous Product Survey (about halfway down the page).
When students return to class the next day, have them compile their data into a class tally of the hazardous products they found in their homes. They can use this Class Data Sheet (below the Home Hazardous Product Survey).
Have students use the following Web sites to find out what happens to these toxic materials when they are not properly discarded and to learn about appropriate disposal techniques. As they go through the sites, they should write the answers to these questions:
- What happens to household waste that's flushed down the toilet or poured into the drain? Where do these materials end up?
- What are storm drains? What is their role in hazardous waste disposal? Do storm drains work the same all over the country, or are there variations?
- What are proper disposal methods for the top five toxic products that the class has found in its homes?
- What are the consequences of these hazardous materials being improperly disposed?
National Geographic Magazine: The Wayfaring Waters of the Windy City
National Geographic News: California's Computer Trash Cleanup to Cost U.S. Billion
EPA: Hazardous Waste
Local Hazardous Waste Management Program in King County
Office of Waste Management: Household Hazardous Waste
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection: Household Hazardous Waste
Have students conduct research to find out whether their town has a storm drain system. If so, do the materials that end up in this system enter the sewage treatment system, or do they go directly into a river or other body of water? If their town doesn't have a storm drain system, what happens to the rainwater that falls onto the streets or other paved areas? Students might find this information on the town's official Web site, which may be located at Google, or they might need to call the town's government offices and speak with someone in the waste management department.
Closing:
Discuss as a class the things students would like to tell other members of their communities about how to minimize pollution from household hazardous waste.
Suggested Student Assessment:
Have students create pamphlets or multimedia presentations illustrating what household hazardous waste is, how it gets from the household into the environment, how it affects human and environmental health, and how to properly dispose of it.
Extending the Lesson:
Have students use the following Web sites to learn about industrial hazardous waste. Ask them to find out what the Superfund program is and how the federal and local governments (in this case King County, Washington) deal with industrial waste problems:
EPA Superfund Students and Teachers Health Page (look at the "fact flashes")
Industrial Waste Program, King County
Then have them use these Web sites to learn about the environmental justice movement:
Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice
Environmental Justice Resource Center
Have students write essays answering these questions:
- What is the environmental justice movement?
- What does the environmental justice movement say about industrial waste, including the Superfund program?
- What environmental justice issues do you think are of the greatest concern, and what do you think should be done about these problems?
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