Teacher preparation:

Overarching learning goal: Students research questions on the 4Rs +C (Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Composting) for a class Waste Q&A quiz show. Students then participate in the quiz.

Teacher content information:

Refuse – means to not do something in order to cut the waste you will produce. A simple example of this is to not accept a plastic shopping bag from the shop assistant when you have bought only one small item. Another example is to not use aluminium foil to roast potatoes, roast instead in their jackets in the oven.
Reduce – buying and using things more carefully so that you produce less waste overall. For example, if you buy one large box of cereal instead of two small ones, that means you will have less cardboard packaging overall. Packing the right amount of food for your school lunch means that you will have less uneaten food to throw away after lunch.
Reuse – to use more than once for the same or a different purpose. For example, a student might use a Ziploc bag for some biscuits for lunch and then wash the bag and use it over and over again to hold different sorts of snacks.
Recycle – the process of making something new from something that has been thrown away. The new product can be the same as the old one or something quite different. For example, a sheet of photocopy paper could be made into another sheet of photocopy paper (same) or it could be made into a cardboard box (different).
Composting – Composting is the natural process of breaking down food scraps and garden waste, in a bin or heap, turning it into humus (rich soil) that can be used on the garden.

Student and classroom organisation:

Step 1.

Introduce the unit on solid waste by challenging the students to organise a Q& A show with the theme of the 4RS+C. The format of the show follows that of typical game show and would require the following roles :

Q&A Quiz Master
Two teams of three contestants seated behind a table
Question Writers
Audience
Scorer
Time Keeper

Step 2.

Students work in groups to research each of the 4Rs+C using the websites of their local council or state government waste information departments (see references below). For each of the 4Rs+C, they should find out examples and a definition. For recycle, they could also find out which items can be recycled where they live and which cannot. For composting, they could find out which items can be placed in a compost bin and which cannot.

The Question Writers draft 20 multiple choice questions (with correct answers) on the 4Rs+C and then rewrite them either on large sheets of paper or on a computer so that they can be projected on a screen or the wall. The questions are then handed over to the Quiz Master.

Step 3.

When everyone is ready, seat the two teams of contestants behind a table, facing the rest of the class, the audience. The game is played in this way:

The Quiz Master asks Team A a question (the question should be either held up so that everyone can see it or displayed on the screen.) Team A has 60 seconds to answer the question. If they then answer the question correctly in less than 60 seconds, they score 2 points. If after 60 seconds they can’t answer the question, they can ask the audience for help (the audience can call out the answers that they think are correct). If they then answer the question correctly, they score only one point. If the team still do not answer the question correctly, the Quiz Master gives the correct answer.
The Quiz Master asks Team B the next question and so on until all 20 questions have been asked. The winning team is the one with the highest number of points.

Assessment/Reflection

Ask students to use the student worksheet to write about 5 facts that they learned from the quiz.

Extension/Homework

Students design a quiz show using a different format.

Useful Resources

Waste Q & A

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