Links to the National Curriculum
H W Martin’s waste recycling operations can be studied as part of the National Curriculum – Science at Key Stages 1 to 4.
At all our waste facilities, but particularly at Materials Recycling Facilities (MRFs), the pupil or student can see how the principles of materials and physical science are applied in practice. A MRF uses a range of scientific principles on a large scale in order to automate the sorting and segregation of materials. These include relative mass, balanced and un-balanced forces, the effect of gravity and the refraction of light.
To assist the teacher we have highlighted the main elements that might be supported by studying our waste recycling activities. We have also added elements that can be found in the new Primary Curriculum.
New Primary Curriculum
Early
- to sort, group and identify familiar living things and materials according to observable features and properties (E4)
- to investigate the properties of everyday materials, find out where they come from, how and why they are used, how they can be changed and how they can be disposed of or recycled (E5)
- to explore changes in the way things move by using push and pull forces (E6)
- to explore simple mechanisms and structures to investigate how they work (E7)
- to investigate their local environment and use their findings to inform actions to care for and improve it (E12)
Middle
- to investigate the effects of different forces and how they can use these to move mechanical parts or objects in specific ways (M10)
- to investigate what happens when materials are mixed, and whether and how they can be separated again (M12)
Later
- to investigate combinations of forces (L9)
- to explore, explain and use reversible and non-reversible changes that occur in the world around them and how changes can be used to create new and useful materials (L10)
- to explore and explain practical ways in which science can contribute to a more sustainable future (L16)
Sc2 Life processes and living things
Living things in their environment
- care for the environment (KS1)
- about the importance of sustainable development (KS4)
Sc3 Materials and their properties
Grouping materials
- sort objects into groups on the basis of simple material properties (KS1)
- recognise and name common types of material and recognise that some of them are found naturally (KS1)
- find out about the uses of a variety of materials and how these are chosen for specific uses on the basis of their simple properties (KS1)
- that some materials are better electrical conductors than others (KS2)
Changing materials
- find out how the shapes of objects made from some materials can be changed by some processes, including squashing, bending, twisting and stretching (KS1)
- that burning materials results in the formation of new materials and that this change is not usually reversible (KS2)
Sc4 Physical processes
Forces and motion
- both pushes and pulls are examples of forces (KS1)
- to recognise that when things speed up, slow down or change direction, there is a cause (KS1)
- about the forces of attraction and repulsion between magnets, and about the forces of attraction between magnets and magnetic materials (KS2)
- that objects are pulled downwards because of the gravitational attraction between them and the Earth (KS2)
about friction, including air resistance, as a force that slows moving objects and may prevent objects from starting to move (KS2) - how to determine the speed of a moving object and to use the quantitative relationship between speed, distance and time (KS3)
- that the weight of an object on Earth is the result of the gravitational attraction between its mass and that of the Earth (KS3)
- that unbalanced forces change the speed or direction of movement of objects and that balanced forces produce no change in the movement of an object (KS3)
- how distance, time and speed can be determined and represented graphically (KS4)
Light and sound
- that light travels in a straight line at finite speed in a uniform medium (KS3)
- how light is reflected at plane surfaces (KS3)
- how light is refracted at the boundary between two different materials (KS3)
- that white light can be dispersed to give a range of colours (KS3)
- the effect of colour filters on white light and how coloured objects appear in white light and in other colours of light (KS3)
Energy resources and energy transfer
- about the variety of energy resources, including oil, gas, coal, biomass, food, wind, waves and batteries, and the distinction between renewable and non-renewable resources (KS3)
Breadth of study
- looking at the part science has played in the development of many useful things (KS1; KS2)
- using a range of sources of information and data, including ICT-based sources (KS1; KS2; KS3)
- using first-hand and secondary data to carry out a range of scientific investigations, including complete investigations (KS1; KS2; KS3)
- a range of domestic, industrial and environmental contexts (KS3)
- considering ways in which science is applied in technological developments (KS3)
Communication
- use simple scientific language to communicate ideas and to name and describe living things, materials, phenomena and processes (KS1)
- use appropriate scientific language and terms, including SI units of measurement, to communicate ideas and explain the behaviour of living things, materials, phenomena and processes (KS2)
Health and safety
- recognise that there are hazards in living things, materials and physical processes, and assess risks and take action to reduce risks to themselves and others (KS1; KS2)
For more information and to book a site visit contact recycling@hwmartin.com or call us on 01773 860600.
H W Martin Waste Ltd web resources
External web resources
(H W Martin is not responsible for the content of external internet sites)
services and case studies:
CASESTUDIES
Click the below links to go to the case study pages
Chesterfield Kerbside Recycling Collections Service