Quick summary: In this lesson, students will explore issues associated with the disposal of mobile phones and other digital devices. They will then consider how the practices of a circular economy could be applied as a way to resolve or reduce the impact of these issues. The lesson concludes with students creating a poster to encourage others to dispose of their phones in ways that are beneficial to people and the environment.
This lesson has been developed as part of Planet Ark’s National Recycling Week, which aims to raise awareness around the benefits of using recycled products. Take part in the Schools Recycling Right Challenge for Planet Ark’s National Recycling Week. Register your lesson or other activities today!
- Students understand what a circular economy is.
- Students understand negative consequences of our disposal of digital devices.
- Students are able to present and share information for the purpose of informing and persuading others.
21st century skills:
Australian Curriculum Mapping
Year 7 English:
- Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts, selecting aspects of subject matter and particular language, visual, and audio features to convey information and ideas (ACELY1725)
- Use a range of software, including word processing programs, to confidently create, edit and publish written and multimodal texts (ACELY1728)
- Identify and explore ideas and viewpoints about events, issues and characters represented in texts drawn from different historical, social and cultural contexts (ACELT1619).
Year 8 English:
- Create imaginative, informative and persuasive texts that raise issues, report events and advance opinions, using deliberate language and textual choices, and including digital elements as appropriate (ACELY1736)
- Use a range of software, including word processing programs, to create, edit and publish texts imaginatively (ACELY1738).
Year 7 & 8 Digital Technology:
- Define and decompose real-world problems taking into account functional requirements and economic, environmental, social, technical and usability constraints (ACTDIP027)
- Evaluate how student solutions and existing information systems meet needs, are innovative, and take account of future risks and sustainability (ACTDIP031).
Relevant parts of Year 7 English achievement standards: Students understand how the selection of a variety of language features can influence an audience. They understand how to draw on personal knowledge, textual analysis and other sources to express or challenge a point of view. They create texts showing how language features and images from other texts can be combined for effect.
Students create structured and coherent texts for a range of purposes and audiences. They make presentations and contribute actively to class and group discussions, using language features to engage the audience. When creating and editing texts they demonstrate understanding of grammar, use a variety of more specialised vocabulary and accurate spelling and punctuation.
Relevant parts of Year 8 English achievement standards: Students understand how the selection of language features can be used for particular purposes and effects. They explain the effectiveness of language choices they make to influence the audience. Through combining ideas, images and language features from other texts, students show how ideas can be expressed in new ways.
Students create texts for different purposes, selecting language to influence audience response. They make presentations and contribute actively to class and group discussions, using language patterns for effect. When creating and editing texts to create specific effects, they take into account intended purposes and the needs and interests of audiences. They demonstrate understanding of grammar, select vocabulary for effect and use accurate spelling and punctuation.
Relevant parts of Year 7 & 8 Digital Technologies achievement standards: By the end of Year 8, students explain how social, ethical, technical and sustainability considerations influence the design of innovative and enterprising solutions to meet a range of present and future needs. They explain how the features of technologies influence design and production decisions.
Topic: National Recycling Week, Sustainability, Waste, Consumption
Unit of work: National Recycling Week – Year 7 & 8
Time required: 90 mins.
Level of teacher scaffolding: Medium – support students to understand linear and circular economies through discussion.
Resources required: Student Worksheets – one copy per student. News article – War on waste: why we should recycle our old mobile phones (one per pair). Device capable of presenting a video to the class. Device capable of accessing the internet to create a digital poster (one each, or one per pair). Headphones (one set per student). Promoting a Circular Economy Task Sheet.
Keywords: economy, circular economy, linear economy, reuse, recycle, sustainable, ethical, welfare, mobile phones, waste, National Recycling Week.
Cool Australia’s curriculum team continually reviews and refines our resources to be in line with changes to the Australian Curriculum.