Design for Learning

Instructor: Autumn Combs Lesson Title: Recycling to Reduce Waste Curriculum Area: Science Grade Level/Cooperating Teacher: 3 Date: November 1, 2013 Estimated Time: 30 minutes

Standards Connection: Alabama 3.13 Describe ways to sustain natural resources, including

recycling, reusing, conserving, and protecting the environment.

Learning Objective(s): When given a chart, students will be able to correctly identify objects as

recyclable or not.
Learning Objective(s) stated in kid-friendly language: Today we are going to talk about ways that we can keep the earth clean and healthy. Evaluation of Learning Objective(s): The students will use a two column chart that has items listed to the left hand side. The two columns will be labeled recycle and cannot recycle. The object of the chart is to correctly identify six out of the seven items in the list. Engagement: (Teacher will bring in a Walmart bag full of paper, bottles, food wrappers, cereal boxes, and other items that are often thrown away.) Class, who can tell me what I have in my bag? (Teacher pours out the contents of the bag so that everyone can see) Elizabeth, you think that this is trash? Ok. Does anybody see anything else? Charlie you see trash too? Well what if I told you that this wasnt just trash? What if I said that these are actually valuable items? Today we are going to learn about how valuable these items are. When I call you I want you to come to the front and get one item that I poured from my bag. Take it back to your seat and wait for me. (Teacher calls student tables to the front one at a time to get their item. These items will be used in a class activity later to emphasize recycling) When you have you item, put it under your chair. We are going to use it later on. Learning Design:

I.

Teaching: So now that we have our items lets talk about trash. Does anyone know where trash goes after the garbage man picks it up from our house? (Wait for appropriate responses) Right, it goes to a landfill. What happens to it once it is there? (At this point show students a picture of a landfill so that they can see the mounds of garbage. Link to this picture is provided) Once your trash leaves your house it goes to a place that looks like this and gets added to the trash that is already there. Raise your hand if you think this is a bad thing. (Notice the hands that are raised) Now raise your hand if you think that this isnt so big of a deal. (Again take notice) Well lets look and see exactly what is happening to the items that are put in the landfill after we get rid of them. (Show students the decomposition graph. Link provided) We know that decomposition means how long it takes for something to break down and go away right? Ok, so lets take a look at just how long it takes for our items that we pulled from the bag to decompose in a landfill. (allow students to hold up their items and reference the graph to see how long it would take for the item to decompose.) Wow, those are some long amounts of time arent they? As you are putting your items back under your chair, I want you to think about this question: Do you think that it is

a good thing to have a big area of the ground look like that landfill picture that I showed you earlier? (Wait for responses. Check to see individual attitudes about the subject.) These landfills are not good for the Earth. When we dump trash in them we are polluting the Earth more. When we pollute the Earth, we cause the Earth to not be as healthy as it could be. We should take pride in the Earth and work to keep her as healthy as possible. So what can we do to help? (Allow students to answer and keep an ear out for recycle.) Recycling is the most helpful thing that we can do to keep the trash out of the landfill. We can also reuse some things instead of throwing it away after only using it one time. (Show students recycle rap video. Link provided) We are lucky that in our town, the city provides us with recycling bins that we can use. Has anybody ever seen their parents use the recycling bin before? (Wait for responses) Well your parents have access to the bins so if you do not have one in your home then your parents can get one and you can start using them at your house. Lets practice recycling. Please get your item out from under your chair. Will table one and two please join me on the carpet? Will table three and four please join us on the carpet? (Have students sit around the edge of the carpet in a circle with the recycling bins in the middle. Explain that there are three bins.) We have three bins in the middle. One is for aluminum, one is for paper, and the other one is for plastic. You can also recycle glass and steel cans but none of our items are in those categories so we do not have a bin for them. Ok so lets start. (Teacher puts the items to recycle guide in plain view for the students to use as a reference. Teacher has students go around the room and decide whether or not their item can be recycled. If it can be recycled, then the student will put it in the bin that it is supposed to go in. Continue to sort until everyones item is in a bin. Pull out a Styrofoam cup at the end.) Now, can we recycle this? (Wait for response) No? Why not? (Wait for response) You are right. There is not a bin for Styrofoam. We should actually try our hardest not to use Styrofoam because it never breaks down in the landfills and you cannot recycle it. No, can we recycle a napkin or paper towel? (show these items to the class) No we cannot because they have too many germs and food particles on them for it to be safe. Great job everyone. So Elizabeth, why are you still holding a t-shirt? (Wait for response) Good. It doesnt fit our categories does it? Could you recycle it somehow or would you have to throw it away? (Wait for response) you could donate it to the thrift store so that they could reuse it and sell it to somebody else. This all ties back to our video that we watched. Now lets go through our recycling bins and make sure that everything was sorted correctly and lets just review some. (Teacher begins with one bin and pulls items from it. Class talks about why the items are located there. This process happens for each bin separately so that the children can see all of the like items in the same place. This will help reinforce their ability to recognize recyclable material and know where the material should be taken.) Great job working on sorting our items today. We are going to go back to our seats and practice some more with recycling. II. Opportunity for Practice: Please have a seat. You will not need a pencil for this activity so you can put those away and clear your desks. You will be working with your partner during this activity. I have a chart for you that has two columns, one is for recyclable material and the other is for no recyclable material. What I want you and your partner to do is try to come up with as

many things that will fit in each column. When you think of something, decide if you can recycle it or not and then write the name of the object under the correct heading. Does everyone understand what they are to do? (Wait for appropriate responses. Pass out papers and allow students to begin.) When you are finished, hold on to it and we will go over it at the end. (While children are working, walk around to ensure that they are on task. When everyone is finished ask students to share some of their ideas while you keep a running record of all the ideas on the smart board.) Ok Charley, share with us one of your recyclable items and one of your nonrecyclable items. (Write answers on smart board) Elizabeth will you give us one example from both of your columns as well? (write answers on smart board. Continue this process until a quality list has been made.) This is very good. You guys had some great ideas. III. Assessment: Now I am going to pass out another chart for you to do on your own. This chart is a little different. (Teacher passes out the chart while taking up the practice chart.) Ok, lets look at this together. There are items on the left hand side and two columns. Each column is labeled. Look at the first item, if it can be recycled then put an x in the can recycle column (point to this column). If you cannot recycle the item, then put an x in the cannot recycle column. Are there any questions before we get started? (Provide wait time) Do not forget your name. Once you put it on your paper then you may start. When you finish, please turn your paper over and wait patiently while our classmates finish their work. IV. Closure: (Take up assessments when children finish them) Great job being respectful of your classmates during our work time. That was very considerate of you all. So real fast before we go to recess, who can tell me one item that you can recycle? Remember to raise your hand. (call on student) A milk jug can be recycled that is right. What is something that cannot be recycled? (call on student) Styrofoam cups! Way to remember.
Materials and Resources: 1. Bag of recyclable items 2. http://www.epa.gov/recyclecity/index.htm (interactive city) 3. http://www.recycling-revolution.com/recycling-quicklist.html (items to recycle guide) 4. http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=landfill&FORM=HDRSC2#view=detail&id=AB0B6C8D F0050241BADBD51CD9BFD932C9186696&selectedIndex=2 (Landfill picture) 5. http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=landfills+plastic+decompose&qpvt=landfills+plastic+dec ompose&FORM=IGRE#view=detail&id=5D4FC07945789DD6BBFD84CA8A4881AD57AC14 01&selectedIndex=1 (Decomposition graph) 6. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQjhgyNoLO0 (recycle rap) 7. Styrofoam cup 8. Napkin 9. Paper towel 10. Blank chart for student practice (attached) 11. Assessment (attached) 12. Rubric (attached)

Differentiation Strategies (including plans for individual learners): For learners who are having trouble understanding the material they could be allowed to play a sorting game with a can recycle/cannot recycle board and premade card. These cards would have pictures and words one them so that they can be identified easier by the student.

Data Analysis:

Reflection:

Samford University Design for Learning

Name:

Can Recycle

Cannot Recycle

Name: Assessment

Item
Milk Jug Newspaper Styrofoam Cup Water bottle Glass bottle Napkin Paper towel

Can Recycle

Cannot Recycle

Name: Assessment Rubric

Item
Milk Jug Newspaper Styrofoam Cup Water bottle Glass bottle Napkin Papertowel

Can Recycle
x x

Cannot Recycle

x x x x x