Author: Adrian Tennant | Published on 1 February 2024
Read what a teacher says about this activity:
‘Rubbish?' is a great activity for raising awareness of issues connected to waste, recycling and looking after our planet. As the saying goes: ‘One person’s rubbish is another person’s treasure.’ When I use this activity with my learners I can see them learning far more than just English.
Stage 1: Prepare
Collect around 10-12 before the class. For example:
- a small stone
- an elastic band
- an empty plastic bottle
- one sock
- an old coin
- a light bulb (not working)
- a used tea bag
- a dead battery
Stage 2: Introduce
Start by showing each item and asking: ‘What is this?’ Elicit the answers and write the words up on the board.
You can also ask: ‘What is it made of?’ and elicit or provide words like plastic, cardboard, metal etc.
Stage 3: Discuss
Then, on the board draw the following table:
| Useful? | Rubbish? |
Put the learners in pairs or small groups and say: ‘Work together and decide if each item is useful or rubbish. If it’s useful say why. Complete the table.
Monitor.
Stage 4: Collate
Say: ‘Let’s share our answers together.’
Write up anything interesting on the board and try to reach a class consensus.
Stage 5: Follow-up
Either write the following questions on the board or dictate them. Learners should then discuss the questions in groups. They can then share their ideas in a whole class discussion.
- How much rubbish do you throw away each week?
- Do you try to recycle things? If so, how?
- If yes, what kind of things do you recycle?
- How can we reduce the amount of rubbish we produce?
- What happens to the rubbish we throw away?
- How can we persuade people to produce less rubbish and recycle more?
Using activities that include social issues is a good way of encouraging your learners to think about the world around them and to take personal responsibility for their behaviour and the decisions they make.