Academic Language:
 Recycle
 Reduce
 Renew
 Reuse
Procedural Language
 Conduct
 Create
 Explain
5E Planning Guide for Inquiry Teaching!
Your Name: Matthew Carr
Unit Name: Natural Resources
Lesson Name: Explain recycle, reduce,
Renew, and reuse?
Learner outcomes: (content and inquiry – measurable): The students will:
 Be able to explain how to recycle, reduce, renew, and reuse materials.
 Be able to conduct research and create poster for natural resource project
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Grade Level Standards, Grade, Theme, & Topic
Standard (highlight one):
Earth
Life
Grade: 5th
Grade Band Theme: Interconnections within Systems
Topic: Interactions within Ecosystems
Condensed Content Statements
 Organisms perform a variety of roles in an ecosystem.
 Populations of organisms can be categorized by how they acquire energy
5-E Phase
Engage
Time: _10_ min
(Lesson 4)
 Tap prior knowledge
 Focus learner’s thinking
 Spark interest in topic
Explore
Time: _10_ min
 Provide learners with
common, concrete, tactile
experiences with skills
and concepts
 Observe and listen to
Planned Activity/Event
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Each group of students will be
given a material that can be
recycled.
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Ask students to think creatively
about ways in which they can
reuse materials; the students will
design a new object from
household materials that would
normally be thrown away.
Emphasize that the goal of this
activity is for students to create
useful objects that will not be
discarded later.
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Show students pictures of
pollution, materials of plastic,
aluminum, and paper all mixed.
Physical
Guiding Questions

What is something you can use
a bottle for other than drinking out
of it?

How can you reuse this object?

Ask the students what is wrong
with the pictures being shown?

What are the effects of this
pollution?

How can we prevent this from
happening?
Notes: Materials, Safety, Modifications
 Paper to design new object
 Markers
 Plastic bottles
 Empty flashlights
 Toothbrushes
 Aluminum cans

Pictures of pollution
students
 Ask probing questions
 Act as a consultant
Explain
Time: __15__ min
(Lesson 4 )
 Encourage students to
explain concepts in their
own words
 Ask for justification
 Use students previous
experiences as the basis
or explaining concepts
 Clarify and correct
misconceptions
Extend
Time: _100_ min
(Lesson 4, 5, 6)
 Apply same concepts and
skills in a new context
resulting in deeper and
broader understanding
 Encourage the students to
apply the concepts/skills
to new situations
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Explain to the students the
concept of reduce, reuse, recycle,
and renew.
Explain to the students how
pollution occurs when there is less
effort going to recycling.
Explain some steps that have been
taken to conserve resources.

What are some steps taken to
conserve resources?

Why is it important to monitor
what we throw away?

Concepts on reduce, reuse,
recycle, and renew.
Give the students a take home
message about today’s lesson.
All of us must find ways to
reduce the use of nonrenewable
resources. By using these
resources at the current rate, we
are not dealing justly with people
or the environment. The use of
nonrenewable resources can be
lessened by developing new ways
to utilize renewable resources as
well as recycling, reducing, and
reusing products that are made
from nonrenewable resources.
Give this take home message
to the students for homework.
Their homework assignment is to
bring in their chart of what they
have been cutting back on and to
write a few sentences about how
this message makes them feel.
For lesson 5 and 6 the students
will be working on their poster
presentation.
Assign, or let each student


Printed copies of take home
message
Posters
Markers
Planning Sheet
Website for researching natural
resource

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How does this take home message
make you feel?
What is the message trying to get
across?
How will you address this take
home message?
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Evaluate
Time: _45__ min
(Lesson 7)
 Observe as students apply
new concepts and skills
 Assess, formally and/or
informally student
progress toward achieving
the learner outcomes
 Assess students’
knowledge and/or skills
 Allow students to assess
their own learning and
group process skills
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select, a natural resource to
research. Inform students that
they need to become an expert on
their resources.
Give students a Planning
Sheet, and discuss how they might
find research for the required
information.
As a group, each person will be
assigned to a specific question to
answer.
Provide students with research
materials that contain the
background information needed
to complete the planning sheets.
After the groups have
completed their planning sheet
then they will begin working on
their poster. They will have to put
all the information from their
planning sheet onto the poster
The poster needs to be
colorful.
A rubric will be provided
On the last day of the unit, each
group will be presenting their
posters to the class.
The class will get in a big circle in
the classroom as the groups are
presenting
Each group will present for 5 min
or less.
They must answer all the
questions from the planning sheet
when presenting in order to
receive full credit.
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Did you answer all the questions
correctly?
Is the poster colorful?
Did each group meet the
requirements from the rubric?
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Completed Posters
Rubric
Planning sheets