Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Science
Standard 2.1.7: Recognize and describe ways that some materials, such as recycled
paper, cans, and plastic jugs, can be used again
Standard 2.2.5: Draw pictures and write brief descriptions that correctly portray key
features of an object
Mathematics
Standard 2.2.2 Add two whole numbers less than 100 with and without regrouping.
Standard 2.2.3 Subtract two whole numbers less than 100 without regrouping
Blooms Taxonomy: Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis,
Evaluation
Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences: Bodily Kinesthetic, Linguistic, Interpersonal,
Intrapersonal, Visual- Spatial, Musical, Naturalistic, Logical – Mathematical
Integration with other subjects: Art, Music, Language Arts, Social Studies
Science Process Skills: Observation, Measurement, Communication, Classification,
Inferring, Predicting
Monday
Find out what prior knowledge students have about the reusing, reducing, and recycling.
Have the students start a KWL chart, and discuss what the students know and what they
want to learn. (Communication)
Read the book Stuff! Reduce, Reuse, Recycle by Steven Kroll
Discuss the concept of reusing (finding ways to reuse containers and products),
reducing (the amount and of trash you throw away) and recycling (turns
materials that would otherwise become waste into valuable resources).
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKdZYYmTT9A&feature=fvsr
This music video is a song about reduce, reuse, and recycle with pictures that go
along with it (Musical) (Integration-Music)
Have students brainstorm in groups for 5 to 10 minutes about items that are
thrown away at their house that can be reused to make something.(Interpersonal)
Have the groups add up the total amount of items on their list. Write each group total
amount on the board, and have the students calculate the total number of items the class
found. Then make that your goal as a class to bring in that amount of items throughout
the week. (Logical – Mathematical)
The students will develop an understanding about the concept of reuse, reduce, recycle,
and that it is positive for the Earth.
Objective: At the end of today’s lesson, the students will be able to recognize the
differences between reuse, reduce, recycle.
Tuesday
Read the book Common Ground by Molly Bang
Talk about the importance of taking care of the earth, and how we share the planet
Take the students on a walk around playground or wooded area and have them collect
aluminum cans. Reinforce the idea of how we share the earth, and the importance of
taking care of it. (Naturalistic)(Application)(Bodily-Kinesthetic)
Have the students keep a tally of the amount of aluminum cans they find on the walk. The
student must show the can to the teacher before it can count. Have the students calculate
the classroom total when you get back.
Explain to the students that instead of throwing cans on the ground, those cans
can be reused and made into new cans through recycling. Discuss the benefits of
recycling cans (you get money, help the earth, and keep our playground clean)
Have the students make a prediction about what happens to aluminum cans at the
recycling center (Comprehension) (Predicting)
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKpoCzt03B8
This video breaks down the recycling process of aluminum cans; it shows how
they are reused and made into new cans. (Observation)
Students will draw a picture of what their recycling center might look like, and
write a brief summary about how the aluminum cans are recycled in their center.
(Knowledge) (Integration-Art)
The video will help show students the process of reusing and recycling aluminum cans.
Objective: By the end of the lesson, students will be able to provide detailed information
about the process of reusing and recycling aluminum cans. The students will also be able
to give reasons why reusing and recycling benefit’s the Earth.
Wednesday (This lesson will be completed in the computer lab)
Read the book Earth Day by Linda Lowery
Have the students research Earth Day and find the year Earth Day was created.
They must then find out how long Earth has been around by subtracting the Earth
Day year from the present year. (Integration- Social Studies)
Also have the students visit the Recycle Bank website and watch the video over the
recycling process of different materials.
Video: The Recycle Bank “The Cycle” http://www.explorethecycle.com/
This video breaks down how different materials are reused, recycled and shows
products that the reused plastics is used to make. (Classification)
Discuss the video (talk about the recycling process of plastics and what products
are made with the reused plastic.) (Inferring)
Have students explain two ways they could reuse a milk jug, instead of recycling
it encourage them to come up with creative ways (examples birdfeeder, water jug
for their athletic events, piggy bank, ect) they could use a plastic milk jug over
and over. (Intrapersonal)(Analysis)
The video will show how plastics is used over and over again, the creative thinking is a
way for student to come up with their own way to reuse plastic items.
Objective: By the end of the lesson students will be able to recognize and describe the
process of recycling plastic items. The students will also be able to come up their own
ways to help reuse plastic.
Thursday
Read the story Are Trees Alive by Debbie S Miller
Discuss the importance of trees, and the reasons they help our environment
Explain that paper comes from trees, and the more paper we use the more trees we have
to cut down. Show them a picture of trees cut down. (Visual-Spatial)
Have the students brainstorm in groups of ideas on how to reduce the amount of
paper use in our classroom and around the school.
Have a brief class discussion about their ideas.
Then have the students brainstorm ideas on how to reuse paper in the classroom
more than once.
Have a brief class discussion about their ideas.
Have the students use the same piece of paper they have already written on, and
write a about how they would feel if trees around their house were cut down to
use for paper? (Linguistic) (Integration-Language Arts)
Students will learn about paper and where it comes from, and will come up with ways to
reuse paper to help save trees.
Objective: By the end of the lesson students will know where papers come from and how
we can reduce and reuse paper in the classroom. The students will also have awareness
about how cutting trees down effects the Earth.
Friday
Fun Friday
Read the book Planet Earth: 25 Environmental Projects You Can Build Yourself
Show the students projects in the book, which they could build out of reusable
materials. This will get their minds going for the activity.
Activity: Trash Inventions (Indiana State Resource Center)
http://www.indianastandardsresources.org/files/sci/sci_2_1_7.pdf
Have each student use the back of a piece of paper instead of getting a new piece,
and have them sketch a picture of what their invention might look like before they
build it. Have the students calculate the amount of each material used, and write
down the dimensions of their invention. They will turn this in. Use the items
students brought in throughout the week, item such as milk jugs, toilet paper rolls,
magazines, cups, egg cartons, plastic bottles. (Synthesis) (Measurement)
Assessment
Have each student tell the class how their invention can be used over and over, and what
they used to construct it. The final assessment will be trash invention activity and have
the students finish the KWL chart. Have each student fill out the, what they learned part
of the chart and turn it in. Both of these assessments will allow me to see if the student
can recognize and describe ways materials can be used again. It will also assess the
students’ knowledge about the recycling processes we learned about. (Evaluation)
Objective: A project that allows the students to use all the ideas discussed in class, and
build an invention that goes along with the knowledge we learned about reuse, reduce,
and recycle.