McGraw-Hill Health 2005

 Return to Unit List
Macmillan/McGraw-Hill Health Grade 3
Grade 3
e-Journal

Health Online
Not Just Any Dump!

Step 1. Questions

After you take the last sip of milk what happens to the carton and straw? Like tons of other garbage produced each day, it ends up in a landfill. Imagine all the things that end up in a landfill. Some of the garbage contains dangerous chemicals or poisons. Landfills must be designed to prevent such wastes from seeping into the environment. People must also learn to precycle, recycle, and reuse. Even the best designed landfills fill up sooner or later!


For this e-journal project you are going to investigate landfills. Use these questions to guide your research:
  • What is a landfill?

  • How are landfills designed? What prevents hazardous wastes from seeping into the environment?

  • What happens when a landfill is filled up?

  • How can people help by precycling, recycling, and reusing?

First, visit the Web sites listed in Step 2 to research the answers to these questions. Take notes in the note-taking boxes. You may also visit other approved Web sites, or research diabetes in encyclopedias and other resources at the library.


Then, follow Steps 3 and 4 to write your report.


Step 2. Research

Research answers for the questions you were asked in Step 1. Visit these Web sites. Take notes about them on this page, too!

How Stuff Works: Landfills
Explore everything there is to know about landfills! This site will tell you how much trash there is and how landfills are built. You will discover the parts of a landfill and what happens to all the trash. Follow the links to find out more about garbage in our landfills.
Take Notes:



Recycle City
This is the story of Dumptown. People here were not aware of what was happening to the trash they threw out, until it became a big problem. Try playing the Dumptown game where you can help the citizens recover their environment. It’s a fun way to learn about protecting the environment.
Take Notes:



The Three R’s of the Environment
Explore the facts about garbage and where it goes. Did you know that most of our garbage is sent to a landfill where it can take some items 100 to 400 years to break down? Find out more about trash, our environment, and some solutions to our garbage woes.
Take Notes:



Go to Step 3 or Save My Notes


Leave e-Journal