Classroom Visits
Waste literacy education to grade 5 students in the Toronto area
What do we cover?
Our classroom program delivers waste literacy education to grade 5 students in the Toronto area. We have a series of lessons, designed to improve scientific and waste literacy and to foster a sense of curiosity about the natural world and human impacts on the planet.
Our program includes four lessons: 1) plastic cycle 2) watersheds and their relationship to litter 3) impacts of plastic on ecosystems and 4) solutions to plastic pollution. Each lesson is 75 minutes long, including at least two inquiry-based learning activities and a reflection on the topics learned with connections to local research and current events. Each workshop is designed to stand alone or be taught sequentially over four separate classroom visits.
Our lessons are based on Global Competencies and aim to prepare the next generation for the future. Matter, energy and sustainability are some of the fundamental concepts connected with the Ontario Curriculum.
To reduce barriers to accessibility, our classroom visits are offered at no charge. We believe everyone should have the opportunity to access materials, participate in science-based learning and help inspire positive actions towards waste reduction.
Our approach
Our school program utilizes a peer-to-peer teaching model. This means that our U of T Trash Team volunteers, comprised mainly of undergraduate and graduate students, design and lead lessons in grade 5 classrooms in the Toronto area. Our lessons include a series of STEM-based activities.
How to book a classroom visit
For the 2023/2024 school year, we are hosting synchronous in-person and virtual classroom visits for Grade 4, 5 and 6 students within the TDSB.
We offer virtual lessons to any school within the TDSB and in-person visits to schools within a certain range from TTC to accommodate our instructors course schedule. Please check the map before booking to confirm we are able to travel to your school or contact us to discuss.
Please, click the button below to schedule a visit for your class.
If you are outside the TDSB area, we encourage you to use the online versions of our lesson plans.
While we are focused on delivering lessons for Grade 5, members of our team are always interested in presenting about plastic pollution to all ages. If you teach another grade level or youth program and are interested in a visit from a member of our team, please complete our outreach request form to discuss options.
Our team of instructors
Thank you to all of our amazing instructors, past, present and future!
2022/2023: Alan Bui, Hana Fahim, Luana Fakhreddine, Penelope Giesen, Zoe Gin, Mahbano Ibrahim, Mahika Jain, Cindy Li, Katie Monat, Jill Sanderson, Brooke Sutherland, Stefan Teofilovic, Erica Turkiewicz, Gloria Wang
2021/2022: Nadia Gericke, Yulan (Annie) He, Sisley Irwin, Henry James, Megan Kelly, Reena Lepik, Darius Mahdavi, Ashlyn Nance, Sofia Pereira, Dominique Rumball, Jill Sanderson, Varchaya Thillaiambalam, Adeena Zahid
2020/2021: Alishba Afaq, Alana Attai, Emma Bloomfield, Gloria Hui-Yu Gao, Rachel Giles, Su’aad Juman-Yassin, Jill Sanderson, Anusha Srinivasan
Research
In parallel, we aim to evaluate the effectiveness of our program, enabling us to develop evidence-based strategies for education about plastic pollution. As part of the classroom activity, and with the help of the teachers, students will be given a short paper questionnaire to assess their understanding of the subject matter and their general environmental attitudes and behaviours prior to the lesson plan. We will administer the same survey in the classroom two months after students participate in the lesson plan. A consent form will be sent to parents or a guardian with information about the lesson’s activities, the study and what is required of the participants for the study. Parents or guardians will have to approve and sign the consent form. If approval is granted, student participants will complete the survey in a classroom and the process should take no longer than 10 minutes each time.
This research is in collaboration with Dr. Shelby Riskin.
Supported by:
