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Keywords: Technology, Art, Recycling, Science, Photography
Subject(s): Science, Photography, Technology
Grades 3 through 4
NETS-S Standard:
  • Creativity and Innovation
View Full Text of Standards
School: E A Lawhon Elementary School, Pearland, TX
Planned By: Cynthia Ramirez
Original Author: Cynthia Ramirez, Pearland
At my campus we are getting a rather large collection of used CD cases with old software. As educators we are always looking for ways for students to learn how to recycle, whether it is putting items in the appropriate bin, sending items to a recycling center or creating art with recycled materials. Students will design a colorful background to glue a picture on and place this background with their picture into a used CD case.

Teachers can take the students pictures (mainly faces) or have students take pictures of each other. Have pictures printed for students, could be yearbook size or a little larger.

Students will first design their background using the tools found in drawing software; in our case we would have them use Kid Pix. To conserve ink, students will only need to create their design on one side of the drawing canvas since the CD case won’t take a whole sheet. Another alternative is the teacher can provide a template with the exact size of the CD case for students to create their design in. Once the backgrounds are created and printed, students can cut out their background to the size they need to place into the CD case. They will then glue their picture to the background. The background with the picture will be glued to the inside part of the case on the right side. (Put glue on the corners or tape it down.) The inner left side of the CD case can be decorated in any manner, examples: foam shapes, stickers, markers, construction paper, paint, markers, etc.

This project can be completed during various parts of one day. Students could spend 30 minutes using the computer to design their background and then at most another 30 minutes decorating their frame.
Comments
Students could even bring their own CD cases to be recycled.
Cross-Curriculum Ideas
-Visit websites to see how other technology items were recycled
-Have a guest speaker from the recycling center
-Hold a technology recycling drive
-Write about their recycling experience and other ways they could recycle
-Find items at home to recycle and create something with the items
Follow-Up
Pictures of students working on their project could be posted on the school website.
Materials: Art Tools, Flash/USB Drives, Printers, Point and Shoot, Digital Cameras
Other Items: 1 Photo Quality Paper, $10 each, total of $10.00
2 Pack of Art Foam, $1 each, total of $2.00
3 Foam Shapes-Various shapes, $1 each, total of $3.00
1 Inkjet Printer, $150 each, total of $150.00