Didactic Unit. Sustainability

PUT AN „R‟ IN YOUR LIFE! You won‟t regret it

DIDACTIC UNIT ©Elena González Guerrero

Didactic Unit: Put an R in your Life! ©Elena González Guerrero

PUT AN „R‟ IN YOUR LIFE! You won‟t regret it 1. Have a look at these six pictures and think about them. Do they show something positive or negative? What do they have in common?

1.a. Give a title to each picture. Choose between these ones:

THROW RUBBISH IN THE BIN

LOOK AFTER FORESTS AND WOODS

USE BICYCLES AND PUBLIC TRANSPORT

SAVE WATER

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PLANT MORE TREES

USE TOXIC WASTE CONTROL METHODS

Didactic Unit: Put an R in your Life! ©Elena González Guerrero

1.b. Name these things with the words in the box. Use the dictionary if necessary: can / tin

tyres

cigarette ends

traffic jam

glass

litter

flames

factory

car

van

bottles toxic waste

pollution rubbish smoke

tap trees

paper bonfire

forest fire

1.c. Read this description. Which picture from 1 does it describe?: There are four factory chimneys. There is a lot of smoke. There is a man. He is working. There is some toxic waste. There aren’t any trees or plants. There are some stones. There are some old tyres. 1.d. Work in pairs or groups of three and describe another picture from exercise 1 to your classmates. Can they guess the picture?: Remember: -

We use there is with singular nouns and there are with plural nouns.

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We use some with plural nouns or uncountable nouns in affirmative sentences.

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We use any in negative and interrogative sentences. 2

Didactic Unit: Put an R in your Life! ©Elena González Guerrero

2. Are we sustainable? What is sustainability? Read this definition and answer the questions below: WHAT IS SUSTAINABILITY? The word SUSTAINABLE has got two parts: SUSTAIN and ABLE. “Sustain” means “keep going” and “able” means “can”. So, something that is sustainable is something that can keep going. So, sustainability is the ability of the earth, with all its resources, to keep going into the future. If we are sustainable, humans, plants and animals will live in the future. Resources are the materials that we can find naturally in the environment and we use for food or energy or to produce other materials (for example, coal or timber). Tt

Text adapted from www.olliesworld.com/planet/usa/info/info/s_def03.htm

a. What is sustainability?

b. Why is sustainability important?

c. Where are natural resources?

d. What do we use resources for?

e. Name some resources: 3 f. What can we do to be more sustainable?

Didactic Unit: Put an R in your Life! ©Elena González Guerrero

3. The THREE Rs STRATEGY: 3.a. To be sustainable we should follow the Three Rs Strategy (reduce, reuse and recycle). Join the symbols to the words and then to the definitions:

Use our products or those of others again. Use something more than once.

REDUCE

Save and make a better and more efficient use of resources to produce less rubbish.

RECYCLE

Turn the waste into raw materials again.

REUSE

3.b. Write the appropriate R-word next to each sentence. There may be more than one answer: B. Use plastic bags as bin bags.

A. Take plastic bags to the shops when you go shopping. Don’t use new ones. C. Print on both sides of the page.

E. Give old things to people who need them.

D. Read news online. Don’t buy newspapers.

F. Buy rechargeable batteries.

G. Buy products made from recycled material. 4

Didactic Unit: Put an R in your Life! ©Elena González Guerrero

3.c. Super Recycler‟s Advice:

3.c.1. Have a look at the poster and learn some tips for recycling and reducing. 3.c.2. Then complete Super Recycler‟s advice with the words in the box: spread

buy (2)

cut

clean

ask

sort

rinse

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use

classify

avoid (2)

check

take (2)

Didactic Unit: Put an R in your Life! ©Elena González Guerrero

3.d. Listen to Gauthier. What does he do at his parties? Which R-word does it refer to? Then watch the subtitled video and check your answers: (http://ec.europa.eu/environment/climat/campaign/podcast/01_english.mp4) (http://ec.europa.eu/environment/climat/campaign/resources/videos_en.htm)

4. The THREE Rs TREASURE HUNT:

4.a. Your teacher will divide your class in small groups of two or three people. Each group will visit the websites proposed to write the answers to the questions below:

Group A: REDUCE packaging Websites:

www.olliesworld.com/uk/html/package_what.html www.olliesworld.com/uk/html/package_facts.html www.olliesworld.com/uk/html/package_home.html

Questions:

a. What are the materials of packaging? b. What are the reasons for packaging? c. What is the percentage of packaging for food? d. Give three pieces of advice to reduce packaging. e. Do the quiz at www.olliesworld.com/uk/html/redupack_quiz.html

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Didactic Unit: Put an R in your Life! ©Elena González Guerrero

Group B: REDUCE waste Websites:

www.olliesworld.com/uk/html/waste_what.html www.olliesworld.com/uk/html/wast_facts.html www.olliesworld.com/uk/html/waste_home.html

Questions:

a. If we reduce waste, we will . . . b. What is the relation between your weight and the waste you make in one year? c. Give three pieces of advice to reduce waste at home. d. Give three pieces of advice to reduce packaging. e. Do the quiz at www. olliesworld.com/uk/html/reduwast_quiz.html

Group C: RE-USE Websites:

www.olliesworld.com/uk/html/athome_things.html www.olliesworld.com/uk/html/athome_what.html www.olliesworld.com/planet/usa/info/info/r_home03.htm

Questions:

a. Give five pieces of advice to re-use things at home. b. Name things that can be re-used. c. Do the quiz at www.olliesworld.com/uk/html/athome_spot.html

Group D: RECYCLE plastic Websites:

www.olliesworld.com/uk/html/plastic_facts.html www.olliesworld.com/uk/html/plastic_how.html www.olliesworld.com/uk/html/plastic_what.html

Questions:

a. Name five things made of plastic. b. How much energy will we save if we recycle 3 plastic bottles? c. Where is plastic recycled? In a box / a lorry / a factory. e. Do the quiz at www.olliesworld.com/uk/html/plastic_spot.html

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Didactic Unit: Put an R in your Life! ©Elena González Guerrero

Group E: RECYCLE glass Websites:

www.olliesworld.com/uk/html/glass_facts.html www.olliesworld.com/uk/html/glass_home.html www.olliesworld.com/uk/html/glass_what.html

Questions:

a. How are glass bottles made nowadays: by hand blowing or by machines? b. What materials shouldn’t be in a bottle bank? c. How many bottles can be in a bottle bank? e. Do the quiz at www.olliesworld.com/uk/html/glass_spot.html

Group F: RECYCLE paper Websites:

www.olliesworld.com/uk/html/paper_what.html www.olliesworld.com/uk/html/paper_facts.html www.olliesworld.com/uk/html/paper_how.html

Questions:

a. How is paper made nowadays? b. Why should we recycle paper? c. What are the two types of paper that can be recycled? d. How many kilos of paper does a person in the UK use in a year? e. Do the quiz at www.olliesworld.com/uk/html/paper_spot.html

4.b. All the groups will answer their classmates‟ questions so that everybody can write the answers to all the questions.

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Didactic Unit: Put an R in your Life! ©Elena González Guerrero

5. The THREE Rs at our school: 5.a. Do a study of your school yard during and after the break, take note of the litter and write down sentences describing it. Remember to use “there is / are”: 5.b. How does your school cope with the Three Rs? Are there many recycling devices? Do people use them?

5.c. Design a leaflet giving advice so that other students can learn how important it is to put an „R‟ in your life. 5.d. Show your leaflet to your classmates and assess your classmates‟ leaflets according to the co-evaluation sheet below. Which is your favourite one?

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C STUDENT

MAIN TOPIC

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E

WHICH R?

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F

MAIN ASPECTS

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TEXT

PICTURES

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1 2 3 4 5

IMPRESSIO N 1 2 3 4 5

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1 2 3 4 5

Key: 1 - Bad, 2 - So-so, 3 - OK, 4 - Quite good, 5 - Excellent

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Didactic Unit: Put an R in your Life! ©Elena González Guerrero

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