Lesson 4
Recycling with Nature Girl
Alternative title choices: Get to know recycling
Curricular links:
National curriculum
KS2: 5a, 5b
QCA
Geography unit 8, section 2: What do we throw away in the classroom? How could it be reduced?
Geography unit 8, section 3: How much do we throw away in the school grounds? How could it be reduced?
Objectives:
In this lesson children will learn about the importance of recycling and that we can all do our bit. They should learn:

how people affect the environment

how and why people seek to manage and sustain their environment

to use ICT to present findings
Resources:

Activity sheet 4 : How materials are recycled (one for lower KS2 and one for upper
KS2)

IWB game 4: Recycling game. See: www.funfruityworld.com/game4

Introduction:
Ask the children if any of them recycle at home. What do they do? Do they have recycling bins, compost bins, go to a bottle bank? Ask why they recycle. Look at a picture of an
Innocent Smoothie carton. Is it recyclable? How do we know? Look at the symbol for recycling. What does it actually mean when something can be recycled? Has anyone been to a recycling plant? What happens there?
Main activity:
Take a look at one or both of these recycling websites: http://www.recycling-guide.org.uk/science-paper.html
http://www.recyclenow.com/schools/index.html
Discuss the process that paper goes through to be recycled. Look at the recycling process for other materials such as aluminium and glass.
Highlight the fact that all Innocent Kids wedge cartons are now made from 100% Forest
Stewardship Council-certified material (or at least let them know that they are 100% recyclable). All Tetra Paks are also recyclable, but some councils still don’t have the correct recycling facilities. (See www.tetrapakrecycling.co.uk/tp_about.asp)
Lower KS2: Read the sentences and draw a picture illustrating the recycling process for paper, aluminium, glass and food.
Upper KS2: Look at the pictures and using what the pupils have learnt in class, write a sentence about each stage of the recycling process.

Extension: Ask the children to write a persuasive letter to the local supermarket asking them to provide a recycling bin for plastic.
Plenary:
Play the interactive whiteboard game provided and ask the children to work out which recycled product goes into which recycling bin and complete it together.
Extension/homework:
Set pupils the task of producing a PowerPoint presentation highlighting the benefits of recycling. They can add images and audio comments.
IWB Game 4
Recycling Game. See www.funfruityworld.com/game4
Led by Nature Girl, this game helps the children to recycle items by putting them into the correct recycle bin.