Needs and Wants Focus on electroncis

Needs and Wants (Focus on Electronics)

Grade 5 Social Studies- Resources and Wealth (RW)
Grade 5 English Language Arts (CC)

Outcomes:  

• Social Studies-RW5.1 Explain the importance of sustainable management of the environment to Canada’s future.
• RW5.2 Hypothesize about economic changes that Canada may experience in the future.
• English Language Arts-CC5.4- Using a writing process to experiment with and produce multi-paragraph narrative, expository and persuasive compositions that clearly develop topic and provide transitions for the reader.

Lesson 1: Needs and Wants

Instructional Procedures:

1. Discuss the concept of wants and needs.  Needs are what we must have to survive, wants are the extras in life.
2. Brainstorm a list of wants and needs with the class.
3. Examine the lists with the students, looking for patterns.  You want the students to realize how many of the wants run on either electricity or battery power.
4. Pose the series of questions:
   1. Where do electronics come from before they reach the store? (industry)
   2. What are some of the materials they are made of? (resources)
   3. Choose one of the “wants” and make a list of “pros” and “cons” for upgrading or buying it. Draw out the social, economic and environmental benefits and downsides of the new product.
   • Social impacts are those that affect people, including the health, wellness, and human rights available where the product is made. 
   • Economic impacts include jobs and how well people are paid for their work as well as how countries support and are supported by the industries that create the products.
   • Environmental impacts include what resources are used to make the product and what impacts the manufacturing has on the surrounding community and environment.
   4. Ask students to choose another of their “wants” and write their own pros and cons list using the same three criteria: social, economic and environmental. Students should bring their list to the next class.

Lesson 2: Focus on Electronics

Instructional Procedures:

1. Allow the students to share their answers from the question assigned to them last class.
2. Show students the video 'E-Waste" on the importance of electronics recycling and how it works in Saskatchewan.
   http://www.sweepit.ca/consumer-information/recycling-process (2:12)
   or CBC description of an E-Waste company and how it works - "E-Waste Dumping Group".
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nXyYEnyW1w (1:55)
3. Discuss the video and what it is trying to show us.
4. Why is throwing out electronics a problem?  Brainstorm with students.  From the videos, there are three main points to look for:
   1. Dumped electronics take up space in the landfill.
   2. Working electronics could be donated to many people and organizations.
   3. If they aren’t properly disposed of, there are chemicals in the electronics that are dangerous to our health and to the health of the environment. (See Health Reference Sheet for the types of chemicals, and their effects on human health.)
5. Discuss how students’ “electronic wants” can be properly dealt with when they are no longer needed or working.
   1. Reusable items can be sold through garage sales, Kijiji, etc.  Electronics are often welcomed by charitable organizations, which either resell the items or distribute them to people who are in need.
   2. Broken or unusable electronics are collected by SARCAN.  To find other places where electronics can be recycled in your area visit: www.saskwastereduction.ca/dbase
      
6. It is also important that the students understand that when they buy most electronics in Saskatchewan they are charged a recycling fee.  This fee is in place to help cover costs associated with the recycling of electronics. This is called a “stewardship” program.
7. Review the social, economic and environmental impacts of purchasing electronic “wants”.
8. Have students write a persuasive essay convincing people to carefully consider their electronic wants or to properly dispose of electronic equipment while keeping in mind the effects on industry and resources.
   OR
   Create a comic strip or poster dealing with the same.

Resources for additional inquiry

Printable PDF version including health reference sheet and additional resources sheet

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