Day 7: Science Lesson-Recycling
Topic: Recycling
Objectives:
Students will understand basic facts about the benefits and importance of recycling.
Students will do recycling activities to find out about waste management and recycling.
Iowa Core Curriculum Standards:
Content Standard 2: Students can understand concepts and relationships in life science.
Benchmark : Students can understand environmental interaction and adaptation.
Materials: Internet access, worksheet 6.1, recycling handout 6.2, poster board, supplies to make
posters, rubric 6.2, containers for sorting recycled items, extra trash bags, list of classrooms in school,
worksheet 6.3, scale, blank paper to write commitment statement on.
Sources: http://www.pbs.org/teachers/classroom/6-8/science-tech/resources/
Strategies:
Introduction-Review the 3 R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. When students come into class have this
question written on the board (“Why is our first choice in fighting trash is reducing, our second choice is
reusing and our third choice is recycling?”) and give them several minutes to respond to it in their
journals. Say, “Today we’re going to be talking about recycling.” Write “Recycle” on the board and ask
students what is the difference between recycling and reusing trash. (Reused items are used the way
they are, but recycled items must go through some sort of process in order to create something new
from them.) Today is going to be a very exploratory, hands-on lesson in which the students will
complete three different activities to build their understanding of recycling.
Lesson Steps:
1. Split students up into three different groups and briefly explain each of the three activities to
the class. Each activity will take about 25 minutes.
2. Activity #1: Play the Garbage Dreams Game
Introduce the interactive Garbage Dreams Game to the students. This is a recycling game in which the
students will have to help Cairo, Egypt recycle their trash. Explain the instructions are listed on
worksheet 6.1. Tell students that the specific instructions for the game are given at the beginning of the
game.
Place instructions for the game/worksheet 6.1 (one document) next to the computer station.
*This is a partner activity!
3. Activity #2: Read Hand-Out about Recycling
After reading handout, with a partner, create a recycling poster that can be hung in the hallways. This
poster should emphasize the importance of recycling. Give students rubric 6.2 which describes how the
poster will be graded.
4. Activity #3: Research what can and can’t be recycled.
Have students research what can be and cannot be recycled using the following website:
http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/deputate/airwaste/wm/recycle/recywrks/recywrks2.htm
Have them make a quick list of these items.
Then, have student get in pairs. Create a list of all the classrooms in the school. Have each pair of
students choose two classrooms from the list and go pick up their trash. Remind them to replace the
trash bag in the teacher’s trash can. When they bring the trash back, have them weigh their trash and
then do worksheet 6.3. Then have them use their list of what can and can’t be recycled to sort the trash
into different containers.
5. Monitor students and guide them in the activities. Each activity should take between 25 and
30 minutes.
Closure: We don’t want to lose track of the reason why it is important for us to recycle. As Christians,
what does the Bible say about being stewards of creation? How does this relate to recycling? (resource
to answer these questions: http://www.christianecology.org/Stewardship.html) Have students make a
commitment statement about recycling. Such as “I will commit to assisting in recycling by
_____________________.” This blank can be completed in many different ways (i.e. by informing my
parents about recycling, recycling all my aluminum cans, by talking to the principal about recycling trash
cans, etc.) Hang these statements up around the room.
Assignment:
Basic: worksheet 6.1, recycling poster to hang in hallways, worksheet 6.3
Extension: Have students create boxes for recycling for each of the classrooms in the school and
then have them go around and hand-out the recycling boxes. The boxes must include instructions for
the teacher about what can be recycled. At the end of each week have students collect and sort the
recyclables.
Evaluation: Check for completion of worksheet 6.1, grading recycling posters with rubric, and grade
worksheet 6.3