Welcome to The Story of Litter
What is The Story of Litter?
Do you want to teach your students where litter comes from, how it moves through and negatively impacts the environment, and how we can work together to solve this problem? Look no further than The Story of Litter!
The Story of Litter is a program developed by San Antonio River Authority educators and field tested by teachers. We’ve crafted resources that make teaching stewardship TEKS-aligned! Using the resources below, you can choose from a variety of ways to educate your students about litter and then plan a litter pickup on your school grounds to put their education into action!
The Story of Litter Resources for Educators
Teacher Preparation Materials
Lesson Plan
A detailed lesson plan that can be leveled up or down depending on your grade level.
Vocabulary List
A list of vocabulary terms that may be new to students. We highly recommend front-loading these words!
Extension Activities
Want to extend students’ learning and make cross-curricular connections? Check out these additional activities!
Litter Pickup Planning Checklist
Here you’ll find everything you need to consider when planning a litter pickup on your school grounds.
Slide Decks and Videos
The Story of Litter Slide Decks: If you would like to personally present this information to your students, you can download this slide deck that will enable you to take your students through The Story of Litter from beginning to end. We have one version for elementary school students, and another version for middle and high school students.
The Story of Litter Videos: If you’d rather have a San Antonio River Authority educator teach your students about The Story of Litter, show your students this video! The content here matches the slide decks linked above, so there is no need to present both. Just like the slide deck, we have two versions for you to choose from according to your students’ grade level.
Student Materials
Student Litter Log
This resource can be provided to students to count and categorize the items they find during their school litter pickup. After the litter pickup, they can analyze their findings and discover patterns that can inspire change! We would love to know what you find!
The Story of Litter Pledge
Once your students have learned about the ins-and-outs of litter, you can display this pledge in your classroom to remind them of how we can keep our land and water safe, clean, and enjoyable!
We would love to hear about your experience using The Story of Litter toolkit! After you have completed The Story of Litter, please fill out this short survey to earn a San Antonio River Authority swag bag.
