TO:
Teachers
FROM:
City of Santa Cruz Public Works Department
809 Center Street, Room 201 • Santa Cruz, CA 95060
831-420-5449 • [email protected] • www.cityofsantacruz.com
DATE:
Fall 2012
We hope that your school year is off to a good start. In this edition of Trash Talk!, we look at
ways your students can improve the environment by recycling and composting.
Inside this Teacher Guide, we have provided ideas to “reuse” the newsletter for daily
instruction, journal writing prompts for students, and an extension activity. For your
convenience, you will find Teacher Keys as well.
Below, refer to this issue’s activities and the corresponding subject areas and skills
addressed. We provide this information so that you can incorporate Trash Talk! into your
daily curriculum.
Activity
Subject Areas Skills Addressed
Everything In Its
Place
Math
Identifying and writing whole numbers using a place-value model
Counting the
Votes
Social Studies
Understanding the functions of governments and the ways in which citizens
play roles in making decisions and establishing rules for a community
Math
Dividing with whole numbers; Rounding decimals to the nearest whole
number; Interpreting data to answer questions about a situation
Breaking Up Is
Hard to Do
Science
Investigating actions of different decomposers and comparing roles in
ecosystem; Understanding how living things meet their energy needs by
consuming other organisms; Determining the meaning of domain-specific
terms
Do You See Me
Now?
Science
Classifying organisms by physical characteristics and roles as decomposers
or consumers; Determining the meaning of domain-specific terms
Divide & Conquer
Math
Solving a two-step word problem; Dividing with whole numbers; Using factor
pairs for whole numbers up to 100
The Right Word
Language Arts
Choosing appropriate vocabulary based on knowledge of homophones
(words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings)
Supplying the
Demand
Social Studies
Understanding how buyers and sellers interact to determine the price of
goods in the market
Reuse Ideas
Math
#
#
#
#
What is 50% of 30? What is one-half of 30?
Round each decimal to the nearest tenth:
0.067 0.933 0.512 0.588
Circle the numbers that are evenly divisible by 5 and 7:
5, 7, 12, 15, 21, 28, 35, 42, 56, 65, 70, 77
What year were you born? Look at that number. What
numeral is in the tens place? What numeral is in the
thousands place?
Language Arts
#
#
#
Circle an adjective and an adverb in this sentence:
The environmental club meets weekly.
Write these words in ABC (alphabetical) order:
supply snails spiders sow
Use each of these words in a sentence:
due
do
dew
Science
#
#
#
Name one difference between a “macroorganism” and a
“microorganism.”
What type of scientist might study composting?
Astronomer Biologist Geologist
Circle the item that does not belong:
centipede
beetle spider earthworm
Social Studies
#
#
In voting, the term “majority” means:
Less than half
Half
More than half
If student council members are elected by the students in
the school, the council is a
democracy.
Direct
Representative
Journal Writing
Prompts
When you hear someone
say, “Majority rules,” what
do you think?
#
Using the letters in the
word, “composting,” make
as many words as you can.
#
If you were on the student
council at your school, what
new activities or programs
would you suggest?
#
Complete this sentence:
I pledge to recycle more…
#
Write a paragraph using
these words: fall, leaves,
rake, cousin, neighbor,
weekend, and dog.
#
Do you like fall? Why or why
not?
#
List three ways that your
family could celebrate
America Recycles Day in
November.
Why I Recycle
Copy the blackline master, making one copy
for each student. This activity will improve your
students’ visual discrimination and decoding
skills.
Answer: Recycling is a quick, feel-good activity that helps the environment and the economy.
Name:
Directions: Use the letter code to find a great explanation for “Why I Recycle.”
π ¶ Θ Ξ Σ Ψ Φ Ω ЉЖ Џ Э Ю ф § % ♪ ∩ ∆ ∂ ₤ ₣ ¥ ¤ ¿ ±
A B C D E F GH I J K L M NOP QR S T U V W X YZ
∩
Σ
Θ
¿
Θ
Э
Љ ф Φ
,
-
♪
₤
Љ Θ
π
Θ
∂
Љ ₣
Љ ∂
¿
Ω
Σ
Э
% ∆
∂
Ω
Σ
ф ₣
Љ ∩
Џ
Ψ Σ
§
Σ
Э -Φ
§
§
∂
π
∂
Ω
Ω
Σ
Σ
Θ
ф Ю Σ
§
Ξ
Σ
π
ф ∂
!
∂
π
Љ ∆
ф §
Ю ¿
ф Ξ
Teacher Keys
Divide & Conquer
The Right Word
What percentage of grass
clippings is water?
1. bin
5 + 15 + 20 + 45 = 85%
3. due
2. Wood
What is a healthy temperature for
the inside of a compost bin?
28 + 35 + 77 = 140 degrees (F)
Supplying the Demand
The price is likely to INCREASE.
Do You See Me Now?
1. Mold (smallest)
2. Nematode
3. Earthworm (largest)
Breaking Up
Is
Hard to Do
Macroorganisms
Ants
Beetles
Centipedes
Millipedes
Snails
Sow Bugs
Spiders
Worms
Everything in its Place
85,140,243 tons of
material were recycled
and composted in 2010.
Counting the Votes
Resolution
Yes Votes
Percentage
Did It Pass?
Trash Tuesdays
2
7%
No
Recycles Day
28
93%
Yes
Green Team
25
83%
Yes
Naps
1
3%
No
Worm Bins
16
53%
Yes
Microorganisms
Bacteria
Fungi
Mold
Protozoa
Bonus: Organic materials
that biodegrade (grass,
leaves, tree and brush
trimmings, fruit and
vegetable scraps, etc.)
Bonus:
6 grades are represented (5 x __ = 30)
60 classrooms (30 x 2 = __)