Packaging
Summary
Overpackaging is one of Japan’s main
environmental flaws. Often packaging is meant for presentation
only, and it almost always includes double or triple layers. Most
packaging is usually thrown away upon opening. We need a
"less is better" attitude when it comes to packaging so
people can be convinced to reuse it or refuse it. In this lesson,
bring in examples of packaging for students to identify and group
into three different types. This lesson urges students to think
about the packaging they use, whether it is necessary, and what
alternatives exist.
Level: *
Grammar
"I
will", "I will not…anymore"
Materials
The
Packaging Worksheet.
Bring in an assortment of the following kinds of waste packaging:
nutshell, orange peel, banana peel, paper and plastic shopping bag,
glass bottle, plastic bubble packaging, wrapping paper, styrofoam
container, saran wrap, disposable plastic containers (e.g. bento box
or cookie tray along with individual cookie wrappers).
Procedure
- Spread out the packaging examples on the
teacher’s desk at the front of the room.
- Tell the class that today you are going to
talk about an environmental problem (kanyoo mondai)
and ask them to guess what it is.
- Once you have established that
today’s lesson is about packaging, ask the class to
identify what are the items that you have brought to
class. Hand out the worksheet and students write down the
items in the space provided. The teacher writes down the
items on the black board as well.
- Tell them that there are three kinds of
packaging among the pile. Before explaining them, see if
the students can guess what they are (hint: think about
the environment).
- Biodegradable (natural)
- Packaging that breaks down naturally (bury them in the
ground and they decompose into soil), e.g. fruit and nuts
likes oranges, bananas and peanuts have biodegradable
peels or shells.
- Reusable/Recyclable:
- Usually not biodegradable, but easy to reuse or
recycle, e.g. paper and plastic shopping bags and
glass.
- Non-recyclable/Non-reusable
- Many products from stores come with a lot of
unnecessary packaging that is difficult to reuse or
recycle, such as plastic bubble packaging, cookie wrappers
and styrofoam .
- Ask the class to rate the packaging types
in terms of their environmental-friendliness. Draw a smiley
face next to the items on the blackboard that can be
reused or recycled.
- As a class, identify the source of each
type of packaging and decide whether or not it is
necessary: Irimaska? Iranai desu ka?
- Biodegradable (natural)
- Comes from trees or plants.
- Reusable/Recyclable
- Paper bags comes from trees, plastic bags come from
petroleum and glass bottles come from glass.
- Non-recyclable/Non-reusable
- Plastic bubble packaging and styrofoam comes from petroleum
(oil).
- In pairs, students choose two or three
packaging items and fill in the chart. They must include
at least two different types of packaging. The last
column, "Better packaging ideas?", is a
challenge for students to decide if there is a better
kind of packaging option available to create less waste.
- Draw a chart on the board. If there is
time, ask 8-10 students to fill in one packaging type.
- Share good ideas on alternative packaging.
Bring in some examples of alternatives such as,
tupperware, towels instead of styrofoam for protection,
etc.
- Ask students to make one promise how they will reduce their
packaging use and to tell their partner in English: "I will
not use … anymore", "I will use
more … and use less …", "I will
reuse …".
- If there is time, ask a few students say
their promise out loud to the class.
Acknowledgments
Adapted
from "What’s in the Packaging?" lesson in Linking
Language and the Environment by George M. Jacobs et al.,
Pippin Publishing, 1998.