Kristen Pizzolo
Natural Resources and Landforms Unit
Lesson #8
Lesson Plan Format
School of Education
The College of New Jersey
1. Title or Topic of the Lesson and Grade Level:
● Recycling
● 2nd Grade
2. Lesson Essential Question(s):
● What does reduce, reuse, and recycle mean?
● What objects can we recycle?
● How can we reuse things that are in the classroom or at home?
3. Standards:
● 5.4.P.G.1 - Demonstrate emergent awareness for conservation, recycling, and
respect for the environment (e.g., turning off water faucets, using paper from a
classroom scrap box when whole sheets are not needed, keeping the playground
neat and clean).
4. A. Learning Objectives and Assessments: Write a sentence for each of
your desired learning outcomes. These must be written in observable terms and
be assessable. These must also correlate to the NJCCC Standards addressed
above.
B. Assessments: Describe the assessments you will use to measure student
progress towards or success in attaining the learning objectives. You may
include homework assignments.
Learning Objectives
Assessments
Students will be able to sort which items Students will pick items out of a bag
are recyclable and which items are not. and determine if they are recyclable
(and put them in the recycling can) or
if they are not recyclable (and put
them in the garbage can).
Students will be able to reuse items in
the classroom to make something new.
Students will take different items and
reuse them to create a spring picture
(reusable art project).
5. Materials:
● Construction paper
● Buttons
● Glue
● Scissors
● Googly eyes
● Toilet paper rolls
● Paper towel rolls
● Recyclable object pictures
● Non-recyclable object pictures
● Posters
● Pipe cleaners
6. Pre-lesson assignments and/or prior knowledge:
● Students have some prior knowledge because there are recycling cans and
trashcans in the school. In addition, they have prior knowledge on natural
resources and the environment from other lessons in this unit.
7. Lesson Beginning:
● The lesson will begin with the teacher asking the class “What are some ways
people can take care of Earth?” The teacher will write the students answers on
the board. Then the teacher will explain to the class that they will be talking
about ways to help the environment today. There are three very important ways
known as the “3 R’s”: reduce, reuse, and recycle. There will be a chart on the
board that is divided into three sections: reduce, reuse, and recycle. The teacher
will ask the students if they know what it means to reduce, reuse, or recycle. The
teacher will write their ideas and thoughts on the poster. After the chart is
complete, the teacher will explain to the students that they will be discussing in
detail what the words reduce, reuse, and recycle mean.
8. Instructional Plan:
● The lesson will begin with a chart divided into three sections: reduce, reuse, and
recycle. The students will raise their hands and say what they think each of the
words means.
● Then, the teacher will explain to the students the meanings of the three words.
The teacher will say, “Reduce means to use less. How can you reduce the
amount of water you use each day?” The students will raise their hands and
share their ideas.
● The teacher will say, “We can reuse things. Reuse means to use again. How
could you reuse a shoe box?” The teacher will hold up a shoebox and ask the
students for suggestions.
● After the students make suggestions for the shoebox the teacher will explain to
the students “People can recycle. Recycle means to change something so it can
be used again. Cans, glass, paper, plastic, and metal can all be recycled.” The
teacher will put the words can, glass, paper, and plastic on the board.
● The teacher will hold up a recycling can and a garbage can and show the
students the symbol on the recycling can (♻ ). The teacher will ask the students
if they know what the symbol means. If the students do not know the answer, the
teacher will explain to the students that it means it is a recycling can. The items
that go into a recycling can are cans, glass, paper, and plastic.
● Then the teacher will hold up a garbage can ask the students if they know what
goes into a garbage can.
● After showing both the garbage can and the recycling can, the teacher will take
out a bag that is filled with pictures of recyclables and non-recyclables. The
students will raise their hand and come up to the room to pick an item out of the
bag. The student will show what the item is to the class and the class, as a
whole, will determine if it belongs in the recycling can or the garbage can.
● The teacher will hold up the worksheet and explain to the students that before
they begin the next activity they are going to go back to their seats and answer a
worksheet discussing reduce, reuse, and recycle.
● After everyone has finished the worksheet, the class will come back to the
carpet. The teacher will read the book The Dumpster Diver by: Janet S. Wong.
● After the book, the teacher will tell students that they will be reusing objects to
create something new. Some of the items they can use are construction paper,
buttons, googly eyes, toilet paper rolls, and paper towel rolls. The teacher will
hold up an example of a butterfly made using a toilet paper roll, old construction
paper, and pipe cleaners.
● The students will go back to their seats and work on their projects individually.
o Differentiation:
● The students that finish their reusable art project early may read one of
the recycling books on the carpet.
● ESL/ELL learners: the teacher will translate the objects that belong in the
recycling can.
o Questions:
● What does it mean to recycle?
● How could you reuse a shoebox?
●
●
●
●
How can you reduce the amount of water you use each day?
What kinds of things can be recycled?
What does the symbol on the recycling can mean?
What could we make using construction paper, buttons, and paper towel
rolls? Would this be reducing, reusing, or recycling?
o Classroom Management:
● Students will be instructed to raise their hand when they want to come to
pick an object out of the bag. Only students who are sitting quietly in their
seats will be able to pick an object.
● Supplies for the reusable art project will be put on the ipad table. Students
may come up three at a time to pick the supplies they need. They only
have one minute to pick their supplies and go back to their seats.
● Students must stay in their seats when creating their reusable art projects.
If a student needs to get out of their seat to get more materials they must
ask the teacher first.
o Transitions:
● When coming to the carpet, students will be asked to push in their seats
and come quietly to the carpet. Once on the carpet, the students must sit
with their legs crossed and with their hands in their lap.
● When going back to their seats to begin the art project students will be
called back to their seats by rows.
● When students have finished their reusable art picture they must raise
their hand and have the teacher view their work before they can go to the
carpet and read.
9. Closure:
● Once every student has finished using their reusable objects to make a butterfly,
they will share with the class what objects they used.
● If students finish early they may read silently at their desk or go to the carpet to
read one of the teachers recycling books.