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N. Trubble and the Environauts provides an opportunity for students to expand their critical thinking skills by solving a series of questions related to solid waste (or trash) management. It encourages students to gather information, formulate answers, and learn whether they have answered questions correctly. Other parts of the site also enable students to apply what they have learned through a variety of hands-on activities and worksheets.
Students can interact with the site individually and in groups, as well as in a classroom, afterschool, or home setting. It can be integrated in science, language arts, or math classes and takes approximately 25 minutes to complete. You can review the information contained in the site on the Text Only pages.
What solid waste topics are covered?
This activity educates students about source reduction, reuse, and recycling. It describes the importance of resource conservation and explains how students can help conserve Earth's resources by reducing the amount of trash they create. It also presents surprising facts about composting, recycled products, used oil, household batteries, and a variety of other products that are part of students' everyday lives.
How do I navigate the site?
The site is designed to lead students sequentially through eight different environments. In each environment, students are presented with one question that they must answer before going to the next environment. Students gather the information needed to answer the question by clicking on different parts of the environment. After clicking on each part, a screen appears with key facts about that part.
When students are ready to answer the question, they click on the "Answer Questions" button. A new screen then appears with multiple answers. Students select an answer to the question by clicking on it. If they are correct, they move on to the next screen. If they are incorrect, they are returned to the environment to analyze more clues until they can input the correct answer. After they have answered the question correctly, they click on the "Next" button to explore the next environment.
A "Help" button appears on each screen to assist students in navigating the site, and a glossary of words used in the site is available from the main (introductory) page.
How can I use the site in a classroom or afterschool setting?
The site provides an opportunity for self-directed learning by students. All of the information that students need to interact with the site is contained within it. After students have navigated the site, you can assess what they have learned in the following ways:
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Provide students with a list of the questions contained in the site, without multiple answers, and ask them to formulate an answer. You can print out a list of these questions, or make up additional ones based on the information in the activity.
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Ask students to apply what they have learned by conducting hands-on activities, answering essay questions, and solving math problems. You can print out worksheets and project descriptions from the Additional Activities link off the main page.
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Test students' knowledge of the vocabulary contained in the site. A complete list of definitions is available on the Glossary page.
Where can I get more information?
For more information about solid waste management or teaching students about solid waste, see the EPA's Office of Solid Waste home page and the Students' and Teachers' page.