Combatting Food Waste Lesson

Lesson Plans

Grades6, 7, 8Biology

Scientist Reviewed

Provided by Great Lakes Now

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What it is

This multi-week lesson includes several activities for students to explore food waste, its impacts, and possible solutions.
Students will watch a video and read an article about efforts in Cleveland to reduce food waste, research local efforts to combat food waste, bake with minimal ingredients, and compare food storage methods.

Teaching tips

Positives

The 4 Notes Summary Protocol is a handy procedure that teachers can use for other note-taking activities outside of this lesson.
Students will love the hands-on baking activity to demonstrate limiting reactants.

Prerequisites

The portion of the video about food waste begins at 9:30.
Teachers should refer to the Introduction section for a list of topics students should be familiar with.
Some students may benefit from having a formal definition of the terms composting and circular economy.
If students are interviewing and contacting local business owners, teachers may want to call ahead of time.
Teachers should know of any food allergies in the class and plan accordingly for the baking activity.

Differentiation & Implementation

Depending on class length, teachers may want to assign the article as homework and begin the class the following day with discussion and activities.
Teachers can have information for each of the food-related businesses in their city available for students to look at when they start their research project.
To help students prepare to interview local business owners, teachers can hold practice interviews and help students generate a list of relevant interview questions.

From the scientist review

This five-activity lesson plan introduces students to programs that combat food waste before inviting them to conduct independent research. The attached PDF features clear definitions of key terms and the instructions are clear. The climate implications of food waste are a central focus, with the included video stressing how food waste produces methane in landfills. This resource is recommended for teaching.

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At a glance

Grades: 6, 7, 8
Subjects: Biology
Other types: Articles/Websites, Videos, Projects, Assessments, Activity - Classroom, Worksheets, Experiments
Format: PDF
Language: English
Location: North America > United States > Michigan, North America > United States > Ohio
Provider: Great Lakes Now
Authors: Great Lakes Now, Detroit PBS
Published: October 16, 2024
Last updated: July 16, 2026
: Reviewed by our climate scientists How we review

Standards alignment · CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.7.4 + 10 more

Core

Common Core English Language Arts Standards (CCSS.ELA)

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.7.4Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone.

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)

MS-ESS3-3.Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.
MS-ESS3-4.Construct an argument supported by evidence for how increases in human population and per-capita consumption of natural resources impact Earth's systems.
MS-LS1-C.2.Within individual organisms, food moves through a series of chemical reactions in which it is broken down and rearranged to form new molecules, to support growth, or to release energy. (MS-LS1-7)
MS-LS2-B.Food webs are models that demonstrate how matter and energy is transferred between producers, consumers, and decomposers as the three groups interact within an ecosystem. Transfers of matter into and out of the physical environment occur at every level. Decomposers recycle nutrients from dead plant or animal matter back to the soil in terrestrial environments or to the water in aquatic environments. The atoms that make up the organisms in an ecosystem are cycled repeatedly between the living and nonliving parts of the ecosystem. (MS-LS2-3)

New Jersey Climate Education Hub

English Language Arts

RI.CI.6.2Determine the central idea of an informational text and explain how it is supported by key details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.
SL.PE.7.1Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
SL.II.8.2Analyze the purpose of information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and evaluate the motives (e.g., social, commercial, political) behind its presentation.

Science

MS-PS1-3.Gather and make sense of information to describe that synthetic materials come from natural resources and impact society.
MS-ETS1-1.Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.
MS-ETS1-2.Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.

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