32 MATCHING CURRICULUM RESULTS
The Oregon Recycling Modernization Act is a new law designed to make recycling simpler, fairer, and more effective across the entire state. Passed in 2021, it will begin major changes on July 1, 2025. This lesson will help students understand what it means to recycle, where things go when we throw them away, and what is now recyclable under the new RMA law.
In this fun and interactive lesson, students learn how batteries work, how and where to properly dispose of them, and how recycling them helps protect people and the planet. We’ll explore different types of batteries and discover where they can be safely recycled in Oregon. Students will leave knowing how to handle batteries safely and become recycling heroes in their community.
Students engage with the origins of materials found in everyday products, examine the stages of a product’s lifecycle to understand how they come into existence, and learn options for our “stuff” when we’re done using it. Tracing these stories from beginning to end, students gain valuable insights into the environmental impact of the products they use and how their choices can make a difference in reducing waste and conserving resources.
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Educators can schedule a classroom lesson with BRING (available in Lane County only) or download a lesson plan for self-guided instruction to help students investigate the waste management hierarchy, gain insights into product lifecycles, and discover practical ways to employ the “Six Rs” in their daily lives. Students are equipped to make informed choices that benefit themselves and the planet’s well-being.
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Students discover how our food goes from being grown on a farm to being served on our plates and where it goes if we don’t eat it. In exploring the lifecycle of food from production to disposal, this lesson demonstrates how food waste can negatively impact our environment and what they can do to fight it. Students will gain a deeper appreciation for reducing food waste at home and at school.
Educators can schedule a field trip with BRING (available in Lane County only) to visit Short Mountain Landfill, just five miles from Eugene. Worldwide, landfills are the most common form of waste disposal. For Lane County’s garbage, Short Mountain landfill is the final destination for much of our stuff when it doesn’t always have to be. Students learn about the importance of “reduce, reuse and recycle” as it relates to Short Mountain and how to make better choices about what we throw away. Note: Educators outside of Lane County or Lane County educators with scheduling challenges can download the accompanying field trip lesson plan, which includes a link to a “virtual field trip.”
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Educators can schedule a field trip with BRING (available in Lane County only) to visit Glenwood Transfer Station in Eugene. Transfer stations are vital parts of the waste management system. These facilities help transfer waste from where we generate waste to landfills. Transfer stations provide opportunities to recycle electronics, dispose of hazardous waste, and throw away items that do not fit in curbside roll carts or dumpsters at home. Students on this tour see these scenes and more. Note: Educators outside of Lane County or Lane County educators with scheduling challenges can download the accompanying field trip lesson plan, which includes a link to a “virtual field trip.”
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Educators can schedule a field trip with BRING (available in Lane County only) to tour BRING’s Planet Improvement Center, Oregon’s first combination reuse store and conservation learning center. Students learn about the lifecycle of stuff, see a wide selection of salvaged building materials on sale or made into upcycled artwork, and are inspired to think about materials differently. Virtual tours are available if needed. Note: Educators outside of Lane County or Lane County educators with scheduling challenges can download the accompanying field trip lesson plan, which includes a link to a “virtual field trip.”
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This lesson reinforces rockets as a vehicle that helps us explore outside the Earth’s atmosphere (that is, to move without air) by employing the principles described in Newton’s third law of motion.
This lesson reinforces rockets as vehicles that help to explore beyond Earth’s atmosphere, employing the principles described in Newton’s third law of motion. Students are introduced to the ideas of thrust, control, and weight—all principles engineers consider when building rockets.
