School Recycling Detectives WebQuest
Created By:
Solid Waste Agency of Lake
County, IL
Introduction
Attention Recycling Detectives! You've probably heard of the third "R"
(recycle), and
may already be recycling at home. Can you recycle at school? If you can,
what and how
do you recycle? You are going to work as a team to determine if your school
has a
good recycling program. If you don't recycle at school, you will come up
with
suggestions to start a program. If your school has a recycling program
already, you will
suggest ways to improve the program. Let's get started!
Task
You will be placed in a group that will focus on one type of recyclable
material: Paper,
Plastic, Aluminum, or Glass. Your assignment is to find out what can, and
cannot, be
recycled at school. The information you find will be used to suggest improvements,
and
your team will present your findings to the rest of the class.
Each group will:
1. Investigate how their type of material is recycled in general, and then
determine
if this material is being recycled at school.
2. Suggest improvements for the school's recycling program, especially
if their
material is not currently being recycled.
3 .Create a visual presentation of their findings.
Process
Step 1
The teacher will divide students into four teams, representing the main
types of
recyclable materials: Paper, Plastic, Aluminum, and Glass.
Step 2
Each detective on the team will be responsible for knowing the information
in the
websites. In addition, detectives must play one of the following roles:
1. the Data Recorder will write down important findings
from the websites and any
interviews that can help the team come up with its recommendations
2. the Interviewer will create a list of questions to ask anyone (such
as a teacher or
principal) who can help the team, and then schedule and conduct the interviews
(see the questions in Step 3 below)
3. the Evaluator will write a one-page report that lists all the recommendations
for
recycling the team's material at school
4. the Spokesperson will present the findings to the rest of the class
after the
investigation is finished
More than one student can play each role, but each role must be represented on the team.
Step 3
The investigation begins with the websites listed in the RESOURCES section
of this
quest. Some of the information you'll need cannot be found on the Internet,
so you will
have to find the answers to the following questions by interviewing adults
and doing
some legwork around school: