Jump to main content.

Teachers: Curriculum & Activities

Also check out the
Eco-Portal for Teachers
—an information gateway to additional resources and materials!

The resources below include project ideas, tools, games, and activities for students of all ages.

Resources for Grades K - 5
Resources for Grades 6 - 8
Resources for Grades 9 - 12
Additional Materials

You will need the free Adobe Reader to view some of the files on this page. See EPA's PDF page to learn more.


Resources for Grades K - 5

Three boys standing together in a classroom
The Planet Protectors Club is an interactive Web site that takes you and your students on a learning adventure with challenging activity books, educational games, and fun stories. A free, hard copy Planet Protectors Club kit is also available. This kit provides guides for elementary school students, as well as for parents, teachers, and after school leaders.

Planet Protectors Club kit includes the following:

You can order the kit in any of the following ways:

  1. Link to the Order Form, fill in all of the boxes, and click on the submit button at the bottom of the form.
  2. Call the National Center for Environmental Publications at 1-800-490-9198.
  3. Send your order to US EPA/NSCEP, P.O. Box 42419, Cincinnati, Ohio 45242-0419;
  4. Fax your order to (301) 604-3408; or
  5. E-mail.

The Quest for Less—Activities and Resources for Teaching K - 8
The Quest for Less provides hands-on lessons and activities, enrichment ideas, journal writing assignments and other educational tools and skills relating to reusing, reducing, and recycling waste. In sequence, The Quest for Less introduces the concept of natural resources as a source for many products that become solid waste; explains the life cycle of products and the quantity and type of waste they produce; and reviews the common methods of managing waste, including composting, landfilling, incinerating, and preventing waste in the first place.

Teachers can use The Quest for Less in development of, or as a supplement to, lesson plans, as special week-long units on the environment and solid waste, or to commemorate Earth Day. Each chapter includes one or more fact sheets providing background information on each topic; each activity provides the suggested duration, materials needed and other helpful information for teachers. A glossary of terms and a glossary on skill are also included.

EPA's Environmental Kid's Club
This Web site offers games, activities, pictures, and stories that enable kids to explore their environment and learn about how to protect it. Topics include garbage and recycling, air, water, plants and animals, and others.

Top of page

Resources for Grades 6 - 8

Students comparing notes in a classroom

The Quest for Less—Activities and Resources for Teaching K - 8
The Quest for Less provides hands-on lessons and activities, enrichment ideas, journal writing assignments and other educational tools and skills relating to reusing, reducing, and recycling waste. In sequence, The Quest for Less introduces the concept of natural resources as a source for many products that become solid waste, explains the life cycle of products and the quantity and type of waste they produce, and reviews the common methods of managing waste, including composting, landfilling, incinerating and preventing waste in the first place.

Teachers can use The Quest for Less in development of, or as a supplement to, lesson plans, as special week-long units on the environment and solid waste, or to commemorate Earth Day. Each chapter includes one or more fact sheets providing background information on each topic; each activity provides the suggested duration, materials needed and other helpful information for teachers. A glossary of terms and a glossary on skill are also included.

Make a Difference Campaign (Middle School Kit)
The "Make a Difference" campaign is aimed at educating and engaging young people in resource conservation and environmental protection. It encourages youth to make informed decisions in their day-to-day lives to help protect the environment. As part of the campaign, EPA has developed a resource kit entitled, Your Life, Your World, Your Choices, which inspires youth to reduce, reuse, and recycle to "make a difference" at home, at school, and in their communities.

The kit includes the following items:

You can order the kit in any of the following ways:

  1. Link to the Order Form, fill in all of the boxes, and click on the submit button at the bottom of the form;
  2. Call the National Center for Environmental Publications at 1-800-490-9198;
  3. Send your order to U.S. EPA/NSCEP, P.O. Box 42419, Cincinnati, Ohio 45242-0419;
  4. Fax your order to (301) 604-3408; or
  5. E-mail.
Make a Difference Events:

Handle with Care: How To Throw Out Used Insulin Syringes and Lancets at Home: A Booklet for Young People with Diabetes and Their Families (PDF) (10 pp, 467K)
Offers easy directions and illustrations on how to protect family members and waste handlers from injury, while keeping the environment clean and safe.

Recycle City
This interactive Web site allows students to explore how the residents of a fictitious town called "Recycle City" reduce, reuse, and recycle their waste. The Web site also provides a game called "Dumptown" that allows students to help clean up a littered, polluted city. Ideas for teachers on how to use Recycle City in the classroom are included.

Recycling Study Guide (PDF) (36 pp, 870K) Exit EPA
This study guide, developed by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, is intended to help teachers and students understand what solid waste is, where it comes from, why it’s a problem and what can be done about it. The guide includes an overview of solid waste and recycling, a glossary, suggested activities and a list of resource publications, audiovisual materials and organizations. Activities in this guide have been designed for use in grades 4 through 12.

Rotten Truth About Garbage Exit EPA
This online exhibition takes an in-depth look at the complex issues surrounding municipal solid waste. It is organized into four major sections: What Is Garbage?, There's No "Away", Nature Recycles, and Making Choices. Includes activities for at home or school, a guest expert to answer garbage-related questions, and an extensive resource list to learn more. This Web site was developed by the Association of Science-Technology Centers and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service.

Creating Less Trash at School (PDF) (4 pp, 165K) Exit EPA
From the classroom to the cafeteria, this flyer shows students how to reduce waste at school (created by the Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance).

EPA's Student Center
This Web site allows students to explore a wide range of environmental issues. Topics include waste and recycling, air, water, conservation, and ecosystems.

Top of page

Resources for Grades 9 - 12

Teenagers talking outside of a high school

Your Environment. Your Choice.
This EPA Web area encourages high school students to make environmentally sound choices about the products and natural resources they use, the waste they create and the environment in which they live.

Recycling Study Guide (PDF) (36 pp, 870K) Exit EPA
This study guide, developed by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, is intended to help teachers and students understand what solid waste is, where it comes from, why it’s a problem and what can be done about it. The guide includes an overview of solid waste and recycling, a glossary, suggested activities and a list of resource publications, audiovisual materials and organizations. Activities in this guide have been designed for use in grades 4 through 12.

Rotten Truth About Garbage Exit EPA
This online exhibition takes an in-depth look at the complex issues surrounding municipal solid waste. It is organized into four major sections: What Is Garbage?, There's No "Away", Nature Recycles, and Making Choices. Includes activities for at home or school, a guest expert to answer garbage-related questions, and an extensive resource list to learn more. This Web site was developed by the Association of Science-Technology Centers and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service.

EPA's High School Environmental Center
Provides information about environmental issues to help students protect the environment. Topics include waste and recycling, air, water, conservation, ecosystems, health and safety, and community resources.

Top of page

Additional Materials

EPA's Teachers Center
This Web site provides a collection of fact sheets, brochures, and other information to assist you in teaching your students about the environment. Information on workshops, conferences, grants, scholarships, and awards is also included.

Waste Prevention and Recycling Clip Art Exit EPA
You can find a variety of clip art at this Web site for inclusion in school reports or other projects. Clip art is available relating to everything from recycling to waste reduction measures. You can easily download this clip art in several different formats. More photos and clip art.

Photo Library - Environmental Education Station Exit EPA
These photos are royalty free and may be used without charge for any educational purpose. Includes photos of pollution, dumping, litter, waste receptacles, recycling, and much more. More photos and clip art.

Young students working on classroom science project

Keep America Beautiful Exit EPA
Provides lesson plans on solid waste management, recycling, composting, litter, and more. Two curricula—Waste In Place (grades K - 6) and Waste: A Hidden Resource (grades 9 - 12)—build critical thinking, processing, and problem solving skills through imaginative, hands-on lessons. The Web site also provides information on workshops and training for teachers, as well as information on how to set up solid waste recycling programs in schools.

America Recycles Day Exit EPA
The America Recycles Day Web site contains information on the upcoming and past America Recycles Day. The site contains a fact sheet and press releases about the event, as well as suggested reading materials and links to additional information. Learn how schools can participate through the America Recycles Day state contacts.

National Library for the Environment Exit EPA
Provided by the National Council for Science and the Environment, this Web site serves as a comprehensive portal to environmental information and data. A list of "hot topics" allows users to quickly and easily locate information on a wide-range of environmental issues.

Earth 911 Exit EPA
The Earth 911 Web site contains a wide variety of information on solid waste related topics, including recycling, composting, and buying recycled products. The site also includes a kid’s section with activities and information for students of all ages and teachers.

Top of page

Local Navigation

Jump to main content.