PUT AN „R‟

IN YOUR LIFE!
You won‟t regret it

DIDACTIC UNIT
©Elena González Guerrero
 Didactic Unit: Put an R in your Life!
©Elena González Guerrero

PUT AN „R‟ IN YOUR LIFE!

You won‟t regret it

1. Have a look at these six pictures and think about them. Do they show
something positive or negative? What do they have in common? Give an
appropriate title to each picture:

2. SUSTAINABILITY

2.a. What is „sustainability‟? Look it up in the dictionary and complete the

chart below:

WORD SUSTAINABILITY (SUSTAIN+ABILITY)

WORD CLASS

DEFINITION

RELATED WORDS
………………………… (v.) ; ………………………… (adj.)

1
 Didactic Unit: Put an R in your Life!
©Elena González Guerrero

2.b. Watch this video on sustainability and answer the questions below:
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5NiTN0chj0)

a. What is sustainability according to the video?

b. What things should our planet provide?

c. What is unsustainability?

d. Which are the four basic principles of sustainability?

e. Which are the demands that increase with population?

f. Where should we apply the instructions to be sustainable?

2.c. Since 2005 it has been agreed that that sustainability relies on three
basic pillars. Have a look at this scheme. Which are the pillars? What is
your interpretation of this picture? You can use the expressions below
to give your opinion:

In my opinion,
As I see it,
From my point of view,
I think,
I believe,
I agree,

2
 Didactic Unit: Put an R in your Life!
©Elena González Guerrero

3. The THREE Rs STRATEGY:

3.a. To be sustainable we should follow the Three Rs Strategy (reduce,

reuse and recycle). Join the symbols to the words and then work in groups to
give a definition for each word. Then use the dictionary to check:

REUSE

REDUCE

RECYCLE

3
 Didactic Unit: Put an R in your Life!
©Elena González Guerrero

3.b. Write the appropriate R-word next to each sentence. There may be
more than one answer:

a. Take carrier plastic bags back to the shops when you go shopping
to avoid using new ones. Also, use them as bin bags instead of
buying special bags for this purpose.

b. Cancel unwanted post deliveries and read news online as

opposed to buying newspapers.

c. Wash glass jars and pots. You can use them as containers to store
your odds and ends.

d. Use any paper you find at home as scrap paper or packing

material. You can also write down notes and reminders on used
envelopes and print on both sides of the page, especially if what
you are printing is a draft or for your personal use.

e. When you mow the lawn, leave the grass cuttings on the ground
instead of throwing them away. They turn into an excellent fertilizer
for the soil. This is called grass cycling.

f. Buy bottles instead of cans and rechargeable batteries. They

create very little waste because they can be used more than once.

g. Take printer cartridges back to the shop where you bought them
to refilled. It can cost 10% of what original cartridges do!

h. Give away or sell unwanted items to people who may need them.

i. When you buy a new mobile phone, check if the company has a
recycling programme, so you can send it back when you want to
upgrade and make sure it is going to be recycled.

j. Buy products of recycled material. Remember that making

products from recycled paper produces 73% less air pollution than
if they were made from raw material.

k. Choose safer alternatives to hazardous household products. You

can use products such as vinegar to replace chemical cleaners.

l. Use organic waste: eggshells, old tea bags and raw vegetables to
make compost that you can use in your garden as an organic
fertilizer.

4
4. RECYCLING Didactic Unit: Put an R in your Life!
©Elena González Guerrero

4.a. Super Recycler‟s Advice:

4.a.1. Go to the website below and follow the instructions to do the

different online listening activities:
http://www.esl-lab.com/enviro1/enviro1.htm
4.a.2. Have a look at the poster and learn some tips for recycling and
reducing.

4.a.3. Complete Super Recycler‟s advice with the words in the box.
Then listen to your teacher to check your answers:

spread buy (2) cut clean ask sort rinse use classify avoid (2) check take (2)

5
 Didactic Unit: Put an R in your Life!
4.b. Recycling Paper: ©Elena González Guerrero

4.b.1. These pictures show the process of how paper is recycled.

However, they are not in the correct order. Join the pictures to the
correct paragraphs and then, write the correct number in the picture:

Paper is taken from the bin and

deposited in a large recycling container
along with paper from other recycling
bins.

The separated paper is then

washed with soapy water to remove
inks, plastic film, staples and glue. The
paper is put into a large holder where it
is mixed with water to create ‘slurry’.

The slurry is spread using large

rollers into large thin sheets.

The paper is taken to a recycling

plant where it is separated into types
and grades.

By adding different materials to

the slurry, different paper products can
be created, such as cardboard,
newsprints or office paper.

The paper is left to dry, and then

it is rolled up ready to be cut and sent
back to the shops.

6
 Didactic Unit: Put an R in your Life!
©Elena González Guerrero

4.b.2. Check your answers in the website below and correct your
mistakes: http://www.recycling-guide.org.uk/science-paper.html

4.b.3. Read this statement and do the activities below:

“Paper is recycled at recycling plants”

is an example of a sentence in the passive voice.

4.b.3.1. Underline all the verbs in passive voice in activity 4.b.1.:

4.b.3.2. Look at the examples and complete the following rule

choosing the correct word or filling in the blanks:

verb object

People / They recycle paper at recycling plants.

Paper is recycled at recycling plants.

subject verb

subject verb object

The students throw the used paper into a recycling bin.

The used paper is thrown into a recycling bin by the students.

subject verb agent

7
 Didactic Unit: Put an R in your Life!
©Elena González Guerrero

We can turn active sentences into passive ones by performing a series of changes:

 The active object becomes the passive subject / object.

 The active subject becomes the passive object / agent.

 We form the passive verb with the verb ………………. followed by a past
participle. The verb to be will function as the auxiliary for negative and
interrogative sentences.

To form the passive agent we need the preposition ……………. In many cases,
the passive agent disappears, especially when it is obvious or unknown. They and
people are always omitted.

4.c. Recycling Glass:

4.c.1. Have a look at the pictures showing the process of recycling

glass. Then, complete the paragraphs writing the verbs in brackets in the
passive voice:

8
 Didactic Unit: Put an R in your Life!
©Elena González Guerrero

The consumer throws glass into a recycle bin.

1

Glass ……………………. (take) from the bin and ……………………. (take) to a glass
2
treatment plant.

The glass ……………………. (sort) by colour and ……………………. (wash) to remove any
3
impurities.

The glass ….. then ………… (crush) and ……………………. (melt), then …………………….
4
(mould) into new products such as bottles and jars. Or it may ……………………. (use)
for alternative purposes such as brick manufacture or decorative uses.

The glass ….. then ………… (send) back to the shops ready to ……………………. (use)
5
again.

4.c.2. Check your answers in the website below and correct your
mistakes: http://www.recycling-guide.org.uk/science-glass.html

4.d. Recycling Aluminium:

4.d.1. Learn about the process of recycling aluminium and rewrite the
paragraphs using the passive voice:

The consumer throws aluminium cans and foil into a recycle

bin.

Then people collect the aluminium and take it to a treatment

plant.

9
 Didactic Unit: Put an R in your Life!
©Elena González Guerrero

In the treatment plant they sort the aluminium and clean it

ready for reprocessing.

It then goes through a re-melt process and turns into molten

aluminium, this removes the coatings and inks that may be
present on the aluminium.

Then they make the aluminium into large blocks called

ingots. Each ingot contains about 1.6 million drinks cans.

They send the ingots to mills where they roll them out. This
gives the aluminium greater flexibility and strength.

Then they make the aluminium into aluminium products such

as cans, chocolate wrapping and ready meal packaging.

In as little as six weeks, people send the recycled aluminium

products back to the shops ready to be used again.

10
 Didactic Unit: Put an R in your Life!
©Elena González Guerrero

4.d.2. Check your answers in the website below and correct your
mistakes: http://www.recycling-guide.org.uk/science-aluminium.html

4.d.3. Go to the website below for further information and activities

on the passive voice:
http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/passive

4.e. Recycling other materials:

4.e.1. Apart from paper, glass and aluminium, we can recycle many
other materials. Now we will learn how to handle with them:

4.e.1.1. Form groups of three or four and choose one of the

following materials:

BATTERIES COMPUTERS PLASTIC MOBILES

PRINTER CARTRIDGES ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT METAL

4.e.1.2. Look for information on how to recycle the material

you have chosen. Make sure you learn about:

 Why it is important to recycle this material.

 Process.
 Place.
 Important aspects.

4.e.1.3. Make an oral presentation to your class on the recycling

process you have studied. You can use any material support.

4.e.1.4. Listen to your classmates and fill in the appropriate

form with the necessary information.

4.e.1.5. Post and article in your class blog stating something

interesting about recycling.
http://ourbloh4english.blogspot.com

11
 Didactic Unit: Put an R in your Life!
©Elena González Guerrero

MATERIAL IMPORTANT FACTS

(at least 3)

12
 Didactic Unit: Put an R in your Life!
©Elena González Guerrero

13