Example Final Assignments: Grades 3-5
Below are samples of final assignments. Several samples include instructor comments in red.
Final assignment formats change from year to year; these are assignments from 2011 & 2012.
The following teachers have granted permission to reprint and share their assignments: Jennifer
Bowen, Kathy Morrison, and a 4th grade teacher from Linn County.
PART I Assignment: Mini­Unit
Deadline: July 3 if enrolled in Peterson course; July 6 if enrolled in Iowa City course.
Subject: Science ­ as an add on to a unit about plants
Grade Level: 3rd Grade
Name: Jennifer Bowen
School: North­Linn CSD (Coggon Center)
Projected dates the
mini­unit will be taught: September 2012
1) Explain what you want your students to know or do as a result of the mini­unit. (Limit this to
one to three outcomes. See page 3 of Teacher Notebook for ideas.)
● Where does paper come from?
● How can recycling keep from using so many trees? If we reduce, we will use less, and eventually use
less trees (some new pulp goes in with the old)
● How can we inform others and then apply the ideas of reducing paper use to reducing with other
materials as well?
2) Mini­unit plan (daily activities)
● Newly introduced resources.
o Someday A Tree by Eve Bunting
o The class will be using the 72 hours of trash log
Thursday, Day 1 Daily Activities and Resources to be used: In our unit about plants, we barely
touch on trees so I plan to extend the concepts to the life cycle of a tree. I will share the book Someday
A Tree by Eve Bunting that was received at the class. (I will also ask the custodian not to empty our
garbage for the next week so that we can look at what we have gotten rid of)
http://texastreeid.tamu.edu/content/howTreesGrow/
http://www.realtrees4kids.org/threefive.htm
Formative assessments will include: I will give students a “pre­assessment” asking students to list all
of the things they can think of in the classroom or at home that come from a tree.
Friday, Day 2 Daily Activities and Resources to be used: Go over the lists that were made
individually to compile a class list on the SmartBoard. Turn the focus to paper and show a YouTube
clip called “From Tree to Paper” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGH7kQ30SKo&feature=related) that
shows the process of going from tree to pulp to paper in a way the students can understand and then
watch “Copy Paper – How It’s Made” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FO4pEpejE1s&feature=related). I
especially want the students to listen to the first part of the clip when it talks about computers being
intended to do away with paper usage but they have actually increased paper usage.
http://thepaperlifecycle.org/
http://www.technologystudent.com/prddes1/lifecy1.html
Formative assessments will include: Have students complete a worksheet completing a diagram of
the paper making cycle.
Monday, Day 3 Daily Activities and Resources to be used: Talk to the students about what
should be done with paper products once you are done with them. Hopefully since we have a recycling
bin in our room, most will come up with recycling. Watch YouTube clip “Paper Recycling With UPM”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tiZEtvLsjE&feature=related
(this was filmed in the UK – I would like to keep looking and try to find something similar filmed in the
US – but if not, this one is very understandable for students). *Homework assignment to bring an old
t­shirt that won’t need to be returned home to school to use in activity on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Formative assessments will include: Have students complete an activity (first on SmartBoard as a
class for example and then on a worksheet for assessment) having students place items
(either cut/paste or draw a line) where they should go after use. They will have choices such as trash,
sell, and recycle. Have students take home a 72 hour log to complete over the weekend. Even though
our focus has been on paper, I am going to encourage them to write down all items they dispose of.
Tuesday, Day 4 Daily Activities and Resources to be used: What happens to the paper that gets
recycled? Many may answer that it gets made into new paper (as shown in the video clip on Friday).
Discuss other types of paper and products that are made from recycled paper. Show YouTube clip
“How Toilet Paper is Made.”
( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrg_6dny6Po&feature=related )This clip showcases a toilet paper
company that makes theirs from mostly recycled paper.
Formative assessments will include: Challenge students to find items in the classroom and at home
that are made from recycled paper (I have ordered pencils I found that are made from recycled paper
and some that are made from recycled money).
Wednesday, Day 5 Daily Activities and Resources to be used: Today we will go back to our
weekend logs (waited a day in case not all were returned on Monday). Take a look at what was gotten
rid of on their logs. What else besides the paper did they get rid of? Take a look at our class garbage
that we have been collecting and see what has been disposed of and examining to see what could have
been recycled, reused, or disposed of in another manner. Expand the discussion to reducing what we
use and trying to reuse or recycle as much of what we do use as possible.
http://yr6rrr.wikispaces.com/Reusing­things+used+in+the+classrooms,school+itself
I am also going to take my sewing machine to school (as well as some extra shirts from home) and help
students to cut the shirt (assigned to bring on Friday) to make a reusable bag from their old shirt. I will
help them to sew the bags and then keep this bag in the bottom of their school bag so when they have
extra items they need to take home this year (boots, snowpants, etc) they will already have a bag
instead of wanting to use a paper or plastic one.
End of unit activity will include: making posters (hopefully using our new portable lab, or hand
drawn) to help others classes in the school know what they can/should be recycling. We will also be
challenging some other classes to see if they can reduce their trash output as much as we did.
***I also am working on another unit to be completed later in the school year (but it wouldn’t be able
to be done before the Nov 9 deadline to be completed with my water unit. I plan to use the “Who
Polluted the Potomac?” lesson ideas as well as others with this unit.
3) What is the name, position and school of the teacher/administrator who gave input on this
draft unit? Tony Bowen, 2nd grade teacher at North­Linn Community School District gave input into
this plan. We discussed items in our lessons that would not overlap from 2nd grade to 3rd grade.
PART II Assignment: Reflection
Deadline: November 1 if enrolled in Peterson course; November 9 if enrolled in Iowa City
course.
1) What changes did you make on your mini­unit, either before or during the teaching of the
unit? Before we started, I decided to add a little more about reducing in general and not just focusing
on paper. I read The Quiltmaker’s Gift, The Wartville Wizard, and Material World more than I thought
I would.
2) Reflect on your daily lesson plans below.
Day 1 Reflection: What worked? What would you do differently next time?
Other than the fact that I got started a day later than I had wanted to, the first day went rather well. The
students liked the book…many of the girls thought it was very sad. With the garbage collection, I did
make one change…I did let the kids have a garbage can for dirty tissues – we had lots of colds at the
time and I didn’t want the germs hanging around. Everything else went in the clear garbage can unless it
was recycled.
Day 2 Reflection: What worked? What would you do differently next time?
The lists were long as the kids got very specific with their types of paper. They thought it was
interesting that computers were to help eliminate paper. Some thought that computers have actually
increased paper because of all that people now print.
Students did very well on their paper making cycle diagram.
Day 3 Reflection: What worked? What would you do differently next time?
Most did very well at knowing where paper should go. They had lots of fun dragging the paper
products into the recycling bin on the SmartBoard.
Day 4 Reflection: What worked? What would you do differently next time?
When talking about what happens when paper is recycled, we branched out a lot to talk about bags as
well. It ended up being a great tie in for the bags we were going to make. I showed a You Tube clip
“How Plastic Bags Get Recycled”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6hzhKmw4EY&list=PL0C43F127C394239A&index=2&feature
=plpp_video
We also referred to the fact printed on the fabric bags from Half­Price Books about the petroleum in 14
bags being enough to drive a car for a mile.
Before this lesson, I had bought pens for the students made from recycled bottles. This led to a very
interesting conversation with my students. We were examining all of our “garbage” before deciding
what to do with it during our classroom garbage survey. The plastic packaging that the pens came in
did not have a recycling code on it. My students were flabbergasted that the company would go to
these lengths to recycle plastic bottles into pens, but wouldn’t then package them with the same care.
We turned this into a persuasive writing assignment that led to searching the website for a customer
comment area. As a class we drafted an email to inquire about this (politely). We didn’t really get the
answer we were looking for, but we are still trying.
Day 5 Reflection: What worked? What would you do differently next time?
This ended up being a log for two evenings instead of the weekend. With starting the unit a day late, I
forgot to move the log a day earlier in my plan so that it would go home over the weekend. With the
collection in our room, and two evenings, we had plenty to look at and discuss. We got into discussions
about reducing what we use instead of just recycling. We talked a lot about trying to see that stuff
doesn’t make you happy. I read The Quiltmaker’s Gift and The Wartville Wizard. We also looked
some at Material World to see how much we tend to take advantage of what we have compared to
other parts of the world.
We made the t­shirt bags in class. Other than a few issues with my sewing machine, it was a great
project. The students now carry them in their backpacks to use as overflow if they have extra things to
carry. I hope for them to be helpful as we get into winter and they often want to carry winter clothes
(boots & snow pants) home instead of wearing them. Many of the students used them as their bag for
at least a week because they thought they were so cool.
Our school (not just my class) ended up participating in the Linn County Build With Bags competition.
The goal was for up to 50 schools to try to collect at least 100 pounds of plastic bags to be recycled.
In the information we received, we learned that there are about 4 bags to an ounce. Our class spent
time figuring out how many bags were being kept from the landfill each week. We then used the figures
of 14 bags to a gallon of gas (we just compared the 14 bags to about one pound – 16 bags – being
about equal) to find out how many miles of gas compared to how many bags we recycled. Our school
(combined Coggon and Walker for North­Linn Elementary) collected 490 pounds of bags in a month,
which comes out to approximately 31,360 bags.
3) Refer to Part I, Question 1: By the end of the unit, did your students know what you wanted
them to know, or do what you wanted them to do? Explain.
I feel that my students got the point of what we were doing and SO much more. They are
constantly checking each other about what they throw away and recycle. My students with cold
lunch are bringing more reusable containers when possible, and are checking the packaging to see
what can be recycled if its not reusable. Some of my students talked to our cooks and asked why
we use disposable bowls and spoons whenever we have soup and they have made some changes in
that area. I even had some parents tell me at conferences tell me that their children are monitoring
the garbage can as well as how much gets printed (emails, etc) at home to see how their family
could reduce their carbon footprint.
4) Did the unit fit the goals and objectives of your class? Yes No Please explain.
I felt that this unit was a great way to directly branch out from learning about plants and trees. It
was a natural next step. I feel it is also a direct part of Citizenship from Character Counts curriculum.
PART I Assignment: Mini­Unit
Deadline: July 3 if enrolled in Peterson course; July 9 if enrolled in Iowa City course.
Subject: Science, Social Studies
Grade Level: 4
School: St. Joseph School, Marion
Projected dates the
mini­unit will be taught:
August 22­29
Course Challenge: Help your students understand why waste reduction is preferable to
recycling. As you plan your unit, consider structuring it so students review definitions/concepts they
already understand: What is waste? What is litter? What is recycling, and what is reuse? That context
will help them better understand waste reduction and its focus on prevention. Who Polluted the
Potomac? is one lesson that may be able to help you make the distinction and get those light bulbs going
off!
1)Explain what you want your students to know or do as a result of the mini­unit. (Limit this to
one to three outcomes. See page 3 of Teacher Notebook for ideas.)
1. Students will learn the term “waste reduction” and understand its importance related to the world’s
increasing population and natural resources.
2. Students will understand that everything on the planet comes from the earth’s natural resources.
2) Data Collection Pre and post question: What is waste reduction? Students will respond on an
index card.
3)Mini­unit plan (daily activities)
● Complete your mini­unit plan, below, for as many days as you anticipate your unit will last, with a
minimum of 5 days.
● Clearly state what new­to­you resources introduced through the Waste Reduction Workshop will be
used in your mini­unit. Resources include DVDs, textbooks, books, lessons, websites, etc. You must
use at least two of the newly introduced resources.
● Describe the formative assessments you will include in your plan to assess whether students are learning
what you want them to know or do.
Iowa Core Curriculum
Science 3­5: Use appropriate tools and techniques to gather, process, and analyze data
Understand and apply knowledge of environmental stewardship
21st Century: Communicate and work productively with others emphasizing collaboration to
produce quality work
Social Studies 3­5 Understand the role of scarcity
Understand how physical processes and human actions modify the
environment and how environment affects humans
● Indicates a new­to­me resource introduced at the Waste Reduction Workshop.
Day 1 (Aug. 22) Daily Activities and Resources to be used: (Data Collection: What is waste
reduction? Students respond on index card. Collect the cards for the post.
Students will preview the cover of *The Wartville Wizard by Dan Madden and make predictions about
the story. The teacher will tell the students to be thinking about the lesson in this story. The teacher will
read the story orally. Students will be given an index card on which to write their name and the lesson
of this story followed by large group discussion of the lesson. Collect cards for reuse.
Formative assessments (how teacher will monitor whether the students are learning what
teacher wants them to know or do) will include: Students will write the lesson of this story on an
index card and discuss in large group. Index cards will be collected to be reused (showing students
should use both sides of paper when possible).
Day 2 (Aug. 23) Daily Activities and Resources to be used: The teacher will ask the students to
retell the story, The Wartville Wizard by Dan Madden, using pictures as prompts. Ask the students
what things are realistic about this story (people of all ages litter). Then ask what seems unrealistic (The
old man is sitting in the woods, hears music, and Mother Nature gives him the power over trash so that
litter sticks to the person that threw it). Students will work with a partner to think of two realistic ways
littering can be handled, esp. at school (written on the back of yesterday’s index card). Allow 5 minutes
of work time. Students share their ideas and teacher records. Collect and recycle index cards. The
teacher challenges the students to collect litter found on the floors of classrooms, hallways, and
lunchroom (no restrooms) for 24 hours (*adapted from “72 Hours of Trash”).
Formative assessments will include: Students will deposit items found on the floors into a plastic
bag hung in the classroom. (This will be used as a team­building activity rather than an individual
activity. Students will be given plastic bags and assigned other classrooms to collect items on the floor
at the end of the day.)
Day 3 (Aug. 24) Daily Activities and Resources to be used: Plastic table cover, gloves, log
sheet adapted from “72 Hours of Trash”, pencils. Students will sort items found on floors into reusable,
recyclable, compost, and waste. Introduce the Enduring Understandings: “Waste reduction is different
than recycling or reuse because it prevents waste rather than cleaning it up.” Teacher explains waste
reduction and relates waste to the 24 Hours project results.
Formative assessments will include: Complete the log sheet. On the back students will write one
thing learned in this class and have the opportunity to ask questions. Collect.
Day 4 (Aug. 27) Daily Activities and Resources to be used: Teacher will address comments and
questions generated about waste reduction during the previous class.
Ask students, “What happens to trash after you set it out to be collected?” Discuss the Linn County
Landfill as a replacement for Mt. Trashmore, and talk about the different kinds of wastes handled there.
Show *DVD “World Population” about 7 min. (Stop after the year 2030 to focus on population
growth rather than importance of decreasing population for this level).
Enduring Understandings: For every one pound a citizen throws away, on average, 71 pounds is
discarded in the manufacturing and transportation used to get the product to us. What do you predict
will happen at our landfills? Stress that reusing and recycling is not enough. What must every person
do?
Enduring Understanding: Everything on the planet comes from the earth’s natural resources.
Ask students, “Where did this pencil come from?” Teacher records responses on poster paper. Show
video, *“How It’s Made­Pencil “(5 minutes). Add additional ideas to poster.
If time allows, show “How It’s Made­Eraser” (5 ½ min.). The teacher will introduce the book,
*Stuff: The Secret Lives of Everyday Things by Ryan and Durning and add it to the class library.
Formative assessments will include: Students each share one new idea they learned today.
Day 5 (Aug. 28) Daily Activities and Resources to be used: Review: Everything on the planet
comes from the earth’s natural resources. . Discuss posters *”The Life Cycle of a CD or DVD” and
*”Life Cycle of a Hamburger.” View and discuss videos *PBSkids.org Mr. Rogers Neighborhood
“How People Make Things” series balls, crayons, sneakers (5 min each) Stress the natural resources
used for each in addition to the process and people. Teacher will model the mini­poster format for The
Life of: Balls, Crayons, and Sneakers.
Formative assessments will include: On an 8 ½ by 11inch paper students will illustrate the life of an
object they use at school or at home with emphasis on resources used.
Day 6 (Aug. 29) Daily Activities and Resources to be used: Students will be divided into three
groups for sharing their “Life Cycle” posters. Students will be encouraged to ask questions such as
“How are the natural resources transported?” or “What resources were used to make the shoe strings?”
Each group will choose two posters to be shared with the class. All posters will be hung in the hall.
Wrap up: Why is waste reduction an important lesson for people of all ages? What can 4th graders do
to reduce waste? “How is the idea of waste reduction related to The Wartville Wizard?
Formative assessments will include: The class will compile a list of five ways 4th graders can reduce
waste. Post in the classroom. Students will respond, “What is waste reduction?” on the back of the
index card from the first class. (data collection)
Optional Additional Learning: *Field trip to the Linn County Landfill or a classroom presentation
(History of Garbage or Landfill design and monitoring) Contact Kristin Simon 365­9941, ext. 126 or
email kristin.simon@ecicog.org The teacher will introduce the books *Material World, a Global
Family Portrait by Peter Menzel, *The Quiltmaker’s Gift by Brumbeau de Marcken, *Agatha’s Feather
Bed by Deedy/Seeley, and *Dirt by Steve Tomacek and add them to the classroom library.
4) What is the name, position and school of the teacher/administrator who gave input on this
draft unit? (Deleted for privacy purposes), 5th grade teacher, St. Joseph School, Marion
Name________________________________ Date
_______________
Log for 24 Hours of Trash at St. Joseph School
Item
Number
Reusable
Recyclable Compost
*Adapted from “72 Hours of Trash”
Waste
PART II Assignment: Reflection
Deadline: November 1 if enrolled in Peterson course; November 9 if enrolled in Iowa City
course.
5) What changes did you make on your mini­unit, either before or during the teaching of the
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unit?
I needed to add an extra day to the unit.
I shifted reading & discussing The Wartville Wizard to Language Arts time.
I added Agatha’s Feather Bed and The Quiltmaker’s Gift as read­alouds during Language Arts time.
I had students work in pairs for the “Life Cycle” posters rather than individually because I felt I needed
to mix student ability levels.
I showed more of the Mr. Rogers videos “How Things Are Made” because they were short, and the
students really liked them.
My class participated in the Linn County “Bag It” project (Solid Waste in conjunction with Iowa
Grocers) where students were challenged to collect plastic grocery bags for recycling. In addition,
families taking reusable bags to the grocery store could earn points for the school. My students made
posters for the halls and a line graph to show the number of pounds of plastic bags collected during the
five week project.
I would use The Wartville Wizard at the beginning of the school year to teach the lesson of picking up
things you or others drop to help keep our school looking nice. But the other activities I would use later
in the year added to current curriculum. The “Life Cycle” posters were quite a challenge for the
beginning of fourth grade, and time for research would have been helpful.
On a field trip to the Health Free Clinic we had an excellent view of Mt. Trashmore so I gave an
outdoor mini­lesson.
I would still like to have the student tour the Linn County Landfill in the spring.
While I was teaching this unit an article was written for “The Gazette” about recycling the plastic fibers
in carpet in Linn and Johnson counties.
6) Reflect on your daily lesson plans below.
Day 1 Reflection: What worked? What would you do differently next time?
● When asked “What is waste reduction?” fourteen fourth graders wrote recycling, and seven fourth
graders left the index card blank.
● Fourth graders LOVED The Wartville Wizard ! All students understood the lesson of the story. This
was the perfect story to capture the interest of this class because of the humorous illustrations. Reading
and discussion had to be shifted to Language Arts due to schedule issues.
Day 2 Reflection: What worked? What would you do differently next time?
● The students were able to easily retell the story of The Wartville Wizard and to discuss what was
realistic and unrealistic.
● The main suggestions for decreasing littering at school were to make posters for the halls and pick up
things found on the floor.
● Students collected items found on the floor of our classroom and the hallways for 29 hours (rather than
24 hours). It was not feasible to collect items from other classrooms and the lunchroom so close to the
beginning of the school year.
Day 3 Reflection: What worked? What would you do differently next time?
● Since we did not collect items from the lunchroom I did not use a plastic table cover. There were not as
many items collected as I anticipated (28) so I held up an item, and students determined if it should best
be reused, recycled, composted, or put into the trash. Students listed and tallied items on individual log
sheets.
● I would not plan this activity early in the school year.
Day 4 Reflection: What worked? What would you do differently next time?
● We had a great discussion about the history of Mt. Trashmore and the newer landfill here in Marion.
● The DVD “World Population” amazed the students, and we discussed the amounts of natural resources
being used to manufacture items and the amounts of trash generated by an increasing population. We
discussed what this may mean to the Linn County Landfill located in Marion.
● We had such a good discussion that the Mr. Rogers “How People Make Things” videos were shown
during the next class period.
Day 5 Reflection: What worked? What would you do differently next time?
● So due to less time in this year’s schedule, I’m now one day off on my unit plans.
● The Mr. Rogers videos were shown and discussed (pencil, eraser, balls, crayons, and sneakers).
Students LOVED these videos.
Day 6 Reflection: What worked? What would you do differently next time?
● Using posters provided “Life Cycle of a Hamburger” and “Life Cycle of a CD” as models, pairs of
students created mini posters showing the life cycle of a common item. Posters were made for a book,
bicycle, school desk, teacher’s desk, marker, car, plastic trashcan, plastic ruler, plastic water bottle,
and a book bag.
● There were many changes here such as working with a partner and sharing all posters with the class.
The fourth graders had difficulty with this project because of lack of knowledge about resources. For
example, no one knew that plastics were made from petroleum.
● The schedule did not allow enough time for adequate research or high quality posters. In the future I
would plan this as a longer project rather than one class period.
But the students had fun and were amazed at the number of resources used.
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Day 7 Reflection: What worked? What would you do differently next time?
This was the extra day added due to shorter class periods.
All posters were discussed as well as renewable and non renewable resources and waste reduction.
Students easily could see the difference between waste reduction and picking up litter (The Wartville
Wizard). Students were able to understand the difference between waste reduction and recycling.
The class generated a list of things they could do to reduce waste: use refillable water bottles or a
drinking fountain, give toys and clothes to Good Will, share toys and clothes with family members, use
both sides of notebook paper, reuse crayons and markers from year to year, and collect “hotel” soap
and shampoo to give to a homeless shelter.
(We have collected hundreds of these to take to the Health Free Clinic in Cedar Rapids.)
7) Refer to Part I, Question 1: By the end of the unit, did your students know what you wanted
them to know, or do what you wanted them to do? Explain.
1. Students will learn the term “waste reduction” and understand its importance related to the world’s
increasing population and natural resources.
2. Students will understand that everything on the planet comes from the earth’s natural resources.
Without a doubt my fourth grade students were able to understand the importance of waste reduction
and that everything comes from the earth’s natural resources. These were both totally new concepts to
them. I was also able to introduce renewable and nonrenewable resources. There was terrific interest,
discussion, and questions. All students were engaged in the activities. The students especially enjoyed
the picture books and the Mr. Rogers videos. They were perfect resources for the fourth grade level.
8) Did the unit fit the goals and objectives of your class? Yes No Please explain.
Yes, this unit did fit the goals and objectives as defined in the Iowa Core Curriculum (see first page) for
science and social studies. In the future I would like to incorporate materials and ideas from this class
into current curriculum rather than having a separate unit.
Part I & Part II Assignments
Check one: __Peterson course _X_Iowa City course
Subject: Technology and Math
Grade Level: 3rd through 6th
Name: Kathy Morrison
School: St. Patrick (Anamosa)
Projected dates the mini­unit will be taught: middle of Sept. (10th­21st perhaps)
1)Explain what you want your students to know or do as a result of the mini­unit. *Students will develop awareness that it is as important to reduce waste as it is to recycle. *Students will brainstorm and create alternatives for DVDs and CDs. (these will be sold at our annual
fundraiser.)
*Students will become aware as to how much trash, especially milk, is being wasted at lunch.
2)Mini­unit plan (daily activities) I teach both Technology and Math to 3rd through 6th graders. These activities will be done in all of my
classes.
Underlined items are the resources introduced through the Waste Reduction Workshop.
Lesson 1: (Math class)
* Students will be given a pre­test over Reduce, Reuse, and Recycling. Collect.
* I will read “Agatha’s Feather Bed.”
* I will have each student write down 2 or more things they learned from the book and I will collect
these as they leave the room.
Lesson 2: (Technology class)
* I will show the video on “The Life of a Cell Phone”
* Students will use computers to research DVD’s and CD’s. How they are made, materials,
packaging, etc.
* Students will take notes from their findings. I will collect these as they leave.
Lesson 3: (Math class)
* Discuss findings on DVD’s & CD’s. (Hand back their notes before discussion)
* Introduce poster “The Life Cycle of a CD or DVD.” (from Materials acquisition to useful life).
* Assign the “At Home Scavenger Hunt” (copies made from the back of the poster).
Lesson 4: (Technology class)
* Students will do a web search using a worksheet I made and the web site;
http://www.solidwasteagency.org/#/education/ * Collect worksheets at the end of the class, see if more time is needed or if anyone is struggling and
may need to work with a partner.
Lesson 5: (Math class)
* We will discuss web search, correct and collect wkshts.
* We will discuss and collect the “At Home Scavenger Hunt.”
* We will brainstorm ideas for use of DVD’s and CD’s. Start collecting them.
Lesson 6: (Technology class)
* I will explain our lunch room project. This includes measuring the wasted milk, weighing the trash,
and collecting the empty milk cartons. We will build a milk carton wall outside of the school for the
week and keep a daily chart of weight and amount of wasted milk and number of cartons.
* Students will research Milk Cartons, materials used, processed, etc.
* Students will take notes during research.
Lesson 6: (Technology class)
* We will discuss students research on milk cartons, I will collect notes.
* Students will explore the games available on the Solid Waste Agency web site.
Lesson 7: (Math class)
* After the week long results, the 5/6 graders will figure how many gallons of milk was wasted, how
much money that involved, the total weight of trash, and the number of milk cartons. Students will make
posters of this information and we will share our results with the whole school and display posters in the
lunch room.
* Post­test. I will collect and compare to the pre­test.
Lesson 8: * I will read the “Wartville Wizard” book to the whole school during our morning prayer and
announcement time. I will explain how the whole school can help to keep our school and grounds
clean. I will show the big stuffed animal and explain how we can stick (clean) trash on it. This will be
kept in our main hallway for everyone to see.
* I will keep a record using pictures as to how much trash is collected.
3) What is the name, position and school of the teacher/administrator who gave input on this draft unit? Diana Jones, 2nd grade teacher, St. Patrick School.
PART II Assignment: Reflection
Deadline: November 1 if enrolled in Peterson course; November 9 if enrolled in Iowa City
course.
1) What changes did you make on your mini­unit, either before or during the teaching of the
unit?
I did move some lessons around to fit schedules. I planned a field trip to the Solid Waste Agency with Jason Evans. I have not yet read the Wartville Wizard, but still plan to as several teachers are more involved in
reusing materials. For example, Anamosa has a “Christmas Tree Walk," where groups, schools, etc.,
display decorated trees. We are going to decorate our schools tree with recycle able ornaments. We
plan to use milk jugs, water bottles, and CD’s.
Another teacher came across an idea to make a tree out of recycled gum and candy wrappers, clean
trash, etc. We plan use the Wartville Wizard Book to introduce this project. We will make an outline
of a tree on a plywood board, students will glue wrappers, etc., onto the tree.
Lesson 1 Reflection: What worked? What would you do differently next time? Worked: 3rd through 5th pretest (I have samples), I read Agatha’s Feather Bed, and explained our lunch project to begin the following week.
Did not work: I ran out of time to have students write down things learned from the book. We did
discuss items as I read. Next time I will plan more time so we are not so rushed.
Lesson 2 Reflection: What worked? What would you do differently next time? Worked: 5th grade, in Religion class, we were on a chapter about taking care of God’s creation. Perfect “tie­in” to my unit. I also introduced the poster of “Life of a CD.” We brainstormed ways to reuse CD’s, ways to make wind chimes, ornaments, etc. I sent home the scavenger hunt worksheet as homework. ( I have samples). I’d do nothing different.
Lesson 3 Reflection: What worked? What would you do differently next time? Worked: In 3rd through 5th gradeTechnology class, I showed the video “Life Cycle of a Cell Phone.” We also discussed the life cycle of the “Hamburger Poster.” Students researched the web about milk
cartons. I had them work in pairs, younger with older, and took notes about how milk cartons are
made, how long does it take for them to decompose in a landfill, etc. (I have samples of their notes.)
In Religion class with the 5th grade, we discussed their inventory worksheets. (I have samples.)
In my lesson plans, I said they would research CD's and DVD's. I decided since we were collecting
milk cartons, it would be better to research those. Also, I had the poster we discussed on CD's and
DVD's.
Lesson 4 Reflection: What worked? What would you do differently next time? Worked: In 3rd through 5th grade Technology class, I had students work in pairs and do a web search
I made up over the Solid Waste Agency web site. (I have samples)
After our week long collection, the 5th graders figured the cost of wasted milk at lunch. They made a
display and set it up in the lunch room to show the number of cartons of milk they collected, weight of
the trash, the money spent on milk that was poured down the drain (in gallons and per cartons). I have pictures I displayed in the hall at school and also sent the information to the local paper, which was
published. Even our head cook was amazed at the results. I’d do nothing different.
Lesson 5 Reflection: What worked? What would you do differently next time? Worked: 3­5th grade Technology class, students played games on the Solid Waste Agency web site.
I’d do nothing different.
Lesson 6 Reflection: What worked? What would you do differently next time?
Grades 3­5 took a field trip to the Land fill and Solid Waste Agency. Students were very impressed. It
was a wonderful tour and Jason was great with the students. The next day we sent Jason a thank­you
card and students wrote some of the things that impressed them. Some were the land fill itself, some
were garbage juice as Jason called it, some were the reuse store, some were the pen he gave them
made from tires, etc.
The next day we took the posttest. (I have samples.)
Different: I’d have the second graders come on the field trip.
1) Refer to Part I, Question 1: By the end of the unit, did your students know what you wanted
them to know, or do what you wanted them to do? Explain. By the end of this unit, the students were amazed at the amount of trash everyone throws away daily. They were surprised at the amount of trash, milk and cartons we collected after just 1 week at lunch. They really enjoyed the trip to the Landfill. 1) Did the unit fit the goals and objectives of your class? Yes No Please explain. My goal was to make students aware of the amount of trash being thrown away instead of recycling or
reusing. Now my students make sure to recycle, even the paper used in our class room goes into a
recycle box. 5th grade students help daily in the lunch room with trays etc. They are always letting me
know if there was a lot of milk thrown away and they compare it to the day before. There actually has
been less milk thrown away.
Students have come up with ideas to use the CD’s or DVD’s, such as: make wind chimes, and
Christmas ornaments. We have been collecting them and will start the project for our Spring Gala in
February.