Description: This lesson discusses conserving natural resources in terms of reuse and recycling of materials. When we reuse something, we use it for a second or maybe even more times. We can use plastic Tupperware containers multiple times by washing them after each use or dish towels instead of paper towels. Reusing something could also mean we can use soup cans to for a pencil cup or a milk jug to make a bird house. Recycling is sorting our waste into appropriate containers so that certain materials such as plastic, paper, aluminum and glass can be processed and used again. It is important to both reuse and recycle in order to preserve our natural resources.
Rationale: As students have learned about natural resources and the environment the preceding days, now they must learn to further protect our resources. Students must learn the proper way to dispose of waste in a non wasteful way. This means they must know how they can reuse and recycle in order to do their part in protecting the environment. Awareness of littering, pollution, recycling and reuse will make students better citizens to their communities and their environment. It is important to instill this awareness at a young age so that it remains as a habit throughout adulthood.
Prior Knowledge: Students must know the word “pollution” from prior lessons and know that this term is waste products that muddy and ruin an environment. Students should have an idea that recycling is good and that being wasteful is bad. It would be helpful for students to have an idea of what kind of materials they can recycle. A misconception that students may have about recycling is that they can only recycle paper. (In Robbins school, the classroom trash cans are only marked as trash and paper.) They may also come in with the misconception that recycling is difficult or time consuming to do. The read aloud we are going to do with the book Michael Recycle will certainly capture students’ imaginations. The book is about the “green superhero Michael Recycle” and it is very whimsical with its illustrations and rhyming verses. We think it will take their imaginations right into Michael’s world in the land of “Aberdoo-Rimey”. Their imaginations will further be captured when we ask them to think of a new use for a particular item. Students will have to use their imaginations in order to reuse.
New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards:
6.6.2.E.1 Environment and Society
Describe the role of resources such as air, land, water, and plants in everyday life.
6.6.2.E.3 Environment and Society
Act on a small scale, personalized environmental issues as littering and recycling and explain how such actions are important
Objectives
Students will be able to sort materials into recyclables and trash
Assessments
Students will properly sort items we give them into the proper container- plastic, glass, metal, paper or trash
Hook: We will use the story Michael Recycle Meets Litterbug Doug by Ellie Bethel as our introduction to this lesson. We will say, “Put your finger on your nose if you have heard the wordrecycle before. We will call on a few volunteers to see if they know. We will say, “Put your finger on your nose if you have ever heard the word litter or litterbug.” We will demonstrate littering and say, “Littering is throwing trash onto the ground no matter how little or big the piece of trash is. Sometimes we call people that litter, litterbugs.” We will read the book Michael Recycle quickly interjecting about difficult words such as culprit, crusader, reeking, and excelled.
Activities: Students will be called back to the carpet to view the “hook”. We will do our “hook” as explained above. We will read “Michael’s Green Tips” in the back of the story by calling up seven students to each read one of the tips from the book. We will discuss or entertain small questions about being green at this time. We will then say, “The best thing you can do for the environment is to recycle. Can anyone name a material that can be recycled?” We may have to help them out by asking if they have seen their parents recycle. We can discuss our own experiences recycling in order for students to understand that we can recycle plastic, paper, metals, and glass. All of the rest is trash. We will briefly explain how when we recycle materials, the sanitation workers collect them from our houses and they send them to a place where they can be cleaned and made into more of that material. We will talk about how a squished up old water bottle gets cleaned and then melted to make a brand new water bottle. Next we will start our sorting activity. We will give each student an item and they must decide which bin to recycle it in or if it is trash.
Materials: Michael Recycle book(s), at least 1 item for everyone in the class (some recyclables, some trash), five bins marked plastic, paper, metals and glass and trash.
Questions:
What is recycling? What does it mean to reuse something? What is litter, or littering?
Can you think of an instance where you may have seen someone litter?
What is the difference between recycling something and throwing it in the trash?
Can you explain the process of what happens when something is recycled properly?
What are some of the characteristics of plastic recyclables? Metal recyclables? Etc.
Is it true that I can put a metal can in with the glass recyclables and it can all get recycled?
Can you think of a new way you can reuse a plastic water bottle, can etc.
Do you think recycling protects natural resources and our environment? Why or why not
Closure: To close this lesson we will read another Michael Recycle book and along the way, point out items and materials and ask the students how they would recycle them in order to further reinforce the concept of recycling.
Individualization: This activity is very individualized in that it allows every student to express their creativity in their own way when they do the Reuse activity. We believe this lesson appeals to visual learners through the Michael Recycle books and the recycling activity. It also appeals to kinesthetic learners as students will be able to get up and move around when recycling their items and when swapping items in the Reuse activity. It will be a hands-on experience for all as the items are tangible and manipulative. Early finishers make take a look at one of the Michael Recycle books on their own and look at the recyclable items in the unique illustrations. Even Michael’s costume is made out of recyclables!
Follow-up Activities: The next lesson will be the culminating activity. We will put together what students have learned about landforms and resources into one big activity called “Making Mountains out of Milk Jugs”.
Rationale: As students have learned about natural resources and the environment the preceding days, now they must learn to further protect our resources. Students must learn the proper way to dispose of waste in a non wasteful way. This means they must know how they can reuse and recycle in order to do their part in protecting the environment. Awareness of littering, pollution, recycling and reuse will make students better citizens to their communities and their environment. It is important to instill this awareness at a young age so that it remains as a habit throughout adulthood.
Prior Knowledge: Students must know the word “pollution” from prior lessons and know that this term is waste products that muddy and ruin an environment. Students should have an idea that recycling is good and that being wasteful is bad. It would be helpful for students to have an idea of what kind of materials they can recycle. A misconception that students may have about recycling is that they can only recycle paper. (In Robbins school, the classroom trash cans are only marked as trash and paper.) They may also come in with the misconception that recycling is difficult or time consuming to do. The read aloud we are going to do with the book Michael Recycle will certainly capture students’ imaginations. The book is about the “green superhero Michael Recycle” and it is very whimsical with its illustrations and rhyming verses. We think it will take their imaginations right into Michael’s world in the land of “Aberdoo-Rimey”. Their imaginations will further be captured when we ask them to think of a new use for a particular item. Students will have to use their imaginations in order to reuse.
New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards:
6.6.2.E.1 Environment and Society
Describe the role of resources such as air, land, water, and plants in everyday life.
6.6.2.E.3 Environment and Society
Act on a small scale, personalized environmental issues as littering and recycling and explain how such actions are important
Objectives
Students will be able to sort materials into recyclables and trash
Assessments
Students will properly sort items we give them into the proper container- plastic, glass, metal, paper or trash
Hook: We will use the story Michael Recycle Meets Litterbug Doug by Ellie Bethel as our introduction to this lesson. We will say, “Put your finger on your nose if you have heard the wordrecycle before. We will call on a few volunteers to see if they know. We will say, “Put your finger on your nose if you have ever heard the word litter or litterbug.” We will demonstrate littering and say, “Littering is throwing trash onto the ground no matter how little or big the piece of trash is. Sometimes we call people that litter, litterbugs.” We will read the book Michael Recycle quickly interjecting about difficult words such as culprit, crusader, reeking, and excelled.
Activities: Students will be called back to the carpet to view the “hook”. We will do our “hook” as explained above. We will read “Michael’s Green Tips” in the back of the story by calling up seven students to each read one of the tips from the book. We will discuss or entertain small questions about being green at this time. We will then say, “The best thing you can do for the environment is to recycle. Can anyone name a material that can be recycled?” We may have to help them out by asking if they have seen their parents recycle. We can discuss our own experiences recycling in order for students to understand that we can recycle plastic, paper, metals, and glass. All of the rest is trash. We will briefly explain how when we recycle materials, the sanitation workers collect them from our houses and they send them to a place where they can be cleaned and made into more of that material. We will talk about how a squished up old water bottle gets cleaned and then melted to make a brand new water bottle. Next we will start our sorting activity. We will give each student an item and they must decide which bin to recycle it in or if it is trash.
Materials: Michael Recycle book(s), at least 1 item for everyone in the class (some recyclables, some trash), five bins marked plastic, paper, metals and glass and trash.
Questions:
What is recycling? What does it mean to reuse something? What is litter, or littering?
Can you think of an instance where you may have seen someone litter?
What is the difference between recycling something and throwing it in the trash?
Can you explain the process of what happens when something is recycled properly?
What are some of the characteristics of plastic recyclables? Metal recyclables? Etc.
Is it true that I can put a metal can in with the glass recyclables and it can all get recycled?
Can you think of a new way you can reuse a plastic water bottle, can etc.
Do you think recycling protects natural resources and our environment? Why or why not
Closure: To close this lesson we will read another Michael Recycle book and along the way, point out items and materials and ask the students how they would recycle them in order to further reinforce the concept of recycling.
Individualization: This activity is very individualized in that it allows every student to express their creativity in their own way when they do the Reuse activity. We believe this lesson appeals to visual learners through the Michael Recycle books and the recycling activity. It also appeals to kinesthetic learners as students will be able to get up and move around when recycling their items and when swapping items in the Reuse activity. It will be a hands-on experience for all as the items are tangible and manipulative. Early finishers make take a look at one of the Michael Recycle books on their own and look at the recyclable items in the unique illustrations. Even Michael’s costume is made out of recyclables!
Follow-up Activities: The next lesson will be the culminating activity. We will put together what students have learned about landforms and resources into one big activity called “Making Mountains out of Milk Jugs”.
