Welcome, Educators!
This section of our website is designed to provide hands-on, interactive tools that you can use in your classroom or at home to teach all about the importance of recycling at SARCAN, and what kind of useful, everyday products our beverage containers become.
Lesson Plans
SARCAN has partnered with Educational Consultants to create exciting, innovative lesson plans for teachers educating about recycling. Under that large umbrella are fourteen themes to choose from, each theme containing a variety of lessons integrating all subject areas: Arts, Math, Language Arts, Physical Education, Science, and Social Studies. Links to the Saskatchewan Education Curriculum Outcomes and Indicators are provided at the end of each theme so teachers can easily make connections with the lesson plans and the curriculum needs of their grade level. Student discussion is a major part of the educational design. The lessons and activities use a hands-on and interactive approach to teach how recycling makes a difference to the environment. Explore all fourteen themes and find what new ideas await you.
What is Recycling?
Recycling is the process of making or manufacturing new products from a product that has originally served its purpose.Concepts include: identifying products that are recyclable, enabling better choices when purchasing items, and teaching others about recycling through the arts.
Fun Fact: Recycling has been a part of human life for as long as we are aware of; for example, early Romans recycled bronze coins into statues that could be sold at a higher monetary value than the origina coins.
Kindergarten - Grade 2 Grades 3-5 Grades 6-8
What is Consumerism?
The message in these lessons is to buy less stuff! Students reflect on their own buying habits and consider REUSE as an alternative to buying new.
The message in these lesson plans is to buy less stuff! Students will reflect on their buying habits and consider reuse as an alternative to buying new. Concepts include: consumerism, consumption, poetry, artistic expression and learning about our eco-footprint.
Fun Fact: Since 1950 Canadians have consumed as much as all the people who have lived on Earth before us combined.
Kindergarten - Grade 2 Grades 3-5 Grades 6-8
What is Sustainability?
We need to live in harmony with nature in order to keep the earth healthy. Students will find ways to make a difference for the environment in their own lives. Concepts include: sustainability, economy, social order, recognizing the difference between needs and wants and re-using or re-purposing products.
Fun Fact: Plastic takes over 700 years to biodegrade in a landfill.
Kindergarten - Grade 2 Grades 3-5 Grades 6-8
72 in 64
Students will gain awareness about SARCAN locations across Saskatchewan, where they are on the map, as well as where Saskatchewan is located on the globe. Concepts include: geography, location and mapping awareness of the province of Saskatchewan, understanding of community identities, SARCAN depots, towns or cities names.
Fun Fact: Regina is home to the most SARCAN depots in the province - with five depots located throughout the city.
Kindergarten - Grade 2 Grades 3-5 Grades 6-8
Reflective Road Paint
Clear glass recycled at SARCAN is made into tiny glass spheres that provide reflectivity in paint for road lines. Hands on science activities explore why and how this works.Concepts include: properties of light, including reflection and refraction, exploring alternatives uses for recycled glass beads, critical thinking about community safety.
Fun Fact: There are over five million pounds of recycled beverage containers in the form of glass beads on Saskatchewan's roads today!
Kindergarten - Grade 2 Grades 3-5 Grades 6-8
Plastic 450
Students will learn when plastics end up in the landfill or oceans, it takes hundreds of years to break down. They need to take action to stop plastics from going in the garbage. Concepts include: decomposition, learning about landfills, comparing composting and the life of plastic, social responsibility to leave a healthy planet for future generations and how products can be recycled into new, useful products.
Fun Fact: One tonne of biodegradable waste produces between 200 and 400 cubic metres of landfill gas.
Kindergarten - Grade 2 Grades 3-5 Grades 6-8
PET (Polyethylene terephthalate)
Plastic: what is it, how do you say it and how is it processed into new products.
Concepts include researching plastic to identify what makes it “extremely versatile, extremely important and extremely recyclable”, and discovering what products are made from recycled PET.
Fun Fact: Plastic containers are squashed and shredded into plastic flakes which make new bottles, buckets and pails. It is also used to create polyester used in fleece clothing and carpet. Your jacket or the carpet in your car could be made from a bottle you drank from!
Kindergarten - Grade 2 Grades 3-5 Grades 6-8
Historically Speaking
Students will learn about SARC (SARCAN's parent company) and the history of SARCAN in Saskatchewan.Concepts include: Saskatchewan's leadership in Canada, the history of recycling in Saskatchewan and Canada.
Fun Fact: Thanks to the residents of Saskatchewan and their dedication to recycling, Saskatchewan can boast the highest return rates in all of Canada.
Kindergarten - Grade 2 Grades 3-5 Grades 6-8
Building a Caring Community
Students will learn about different types of disabilities. Through the activities they will see how all people have similar needs and wants and how SARCAN helps people if disabilities meet those needs. Concepts include: learning about people with varying abilities and non-profit organizations.
Fun Fact: SARCAN has over 600 employees in Saskatchewan with varying abilities. All employees earn competitive wages, and have pension and benefits.
Kindergarten - Grade 2 Grades 3-5 Grades 6-8
Is your Glass Half Empty?
Learn about the recycling process for glass. Concepts include: researching and describing the process of recycling glass, tally marks, adding up bottle totals for refunds, reviewing shapes and 3D drawing.
Fun Fact: The clear glass that customers bring into SARCAN goes to Potter’s Industries Inc. in Moose Jaw, and turns into reflective road beads. Coloured glass is shipped to Vitreous Environmental Group in Airdrie, Alberta. From there, it is made into fiberglass insulation.
Kindergarten - Grade 2 Grades 3-5 Grades 6-8
Closed Loop Aluminum Recycling
The students will learn about the closed loop cycle of aluminum and the importance of getting everyone to recycle their cans so they can be turned back into new cans. Concepts include: sound discovery (working with the ‘unmistakable sound when opened’ aluminum), researching the efficiency of the closed loop recycling system, effective transporation methods (compressing weight).
Fun Fact: Aluminum cans turn back into... aluminum cans. In fact, the recycling of aluminum is incredibly efficient: when you drop off an aluminum can at your local SARCAN depot, it can be back on the shelves as a new can in as little as 60 days!
Kindergarten - Grade 2 Grades 3-5 Grades 6-8
Can You Feel It?
The structure and properties of the tin can is explored through math, art, and culture. Concepts include: magnetic/non-magnetic metals, creating art and/or poetry on the elements and properties of the sphere and the importance of recycling.
Fun Fact: The more durable steel containers that come into SARCAN end up at the Evraz in Regina, a leading steel manufacturer. At Evraz, they produce a wide range of specialty industrial steel products, such as rail for trains, line pipe and coiled plate.
Kindergarten - Grade 2 Grades 3-5 Grades 6-8
Global Comparisons
Learn about recycling around the world and look at the creative ways some countries’ recycling bins are decorated. Concepts include: world population and waste management, percentages and value representation, creative recycling bin design and leadership in environmental issues.
Fun Fact: Austria comes in at number one, recycling a whopping 60 percent of its total recyclable waste. Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands all recycle around 50 percent of their waste, and the rest of Europe comes up somewhere in the 35-40 percent range. Currently, North America recycles about 28 percent of its total recyclable waste.
Kindergarten - Grade 2 Grades 3-5 Grades 6-8
The message in these lessons is to buy less stuff! Students reflect on their own buying habits and consider REUSE as an alternative to buying new.
