Science Lesson Plan (Early Childhood) By Whitney Whitehair

Lesson: Sorting “Good” Junk (Recycling) Length: 60 minutes Age or Grade Level Intended: Second Grade

Academic Standard(s): SCIENCE

2.1.7 Recognize and describe ways that some materials — such as recycled , cans, and plastic jugs — can be used over again.

Performance Objective(s): Given 5 pictures of recyclable material, the student will write the name of the object into the column on the worksheet with 60 percent of their answers correct. (3 out of 5 blanks)

Given 5 pictures of recyclable material, the student will describe one use for the recyclable materials with 100 percent completion.

Assessment:

Students will be assessed on the worksheet in the second column for accuracy of their answers based on the 5 recyclable materials. The third column will be assessed on completion based on the idea for a re-use of the material that is given. Students will be assessed on completion for the item because the answers are based on opinion and will vary because there is no “right” or “wrong” answer.

Advance Preparation by Teacher:  Just a Dream by Chris Van Allsburg

 For the class: trash bag; various “trash” materials such as soft drink cans, milk (plastic and ), toilet paper tubes, tubes, yarn, frozen dinner trays (plastic), newspaper, plastic juice drink jugs, fabric scraps, felt, ice cream tubs, egg cartons, pop tabs, old nuts and bolts, wood scraps (small pieces); computer paper boxes o (items from each section aluminum, cardboard, plastic, paper, glass)  Labels  5 different large tubs  Prepare a bag of trash for the students. The bag should contain examples of common materials that can be recycled (four or five pieces each of cardboard, paper, plastic, glass, aluminum etc.).  Print off assessment worksheet  Glue  Tape  Markers

Procedure: Introduction/Motivation:

“Trash” the room before the students enter with items that can be recycled as well as trash that cannot. Upon the students entering the room, let them explore how the room looks like without making any comments. (Gardner’s: Bodily-Kinesthetic) Ask the students:  (Bloom’s: Knowledge)  What do you think happened in here?  How do you feel about the changes?  Name items that you see.  Would it be easy to leave these items here?  What happened if small children and animals lived in this room?  What could we do with the items on the floor?  Have the students return to the story area on the floor. Introduce the book Just a Dream by Chris Van Allsburg. o SUMMARY: . Young Walter is a careless boy who tosses rubbish on the grass, thinks recycling is a waste of time, and mocks his neighbor, Rose, for her delight in the tree she has just received for her birthday. Walter longs to live in the future, which he imagines to be full of robots, tiny personal planes, and machines that make life easier. One night when he falls asleep, his wish to live in the future comes true. However, his dreams carry him into a future not filled with the robots and machines he believes will make life better, but instead ravaged by the careless mistakes of the past. Walter travels in his sleep to the midst of an endless garbage dump on his own street, to a tree in a forest that is about to be cut down, to the top of a smokestack belching pollution, to the middle of a fishless sea, and to other places that show him possible negative versions of the future. When he wakes up, he is a changed boy. On his birthday, he asks for a tree, which is planted near Rose's birthday tree. When he falls asleep that night, he dreams of the future again. In this dream, he is shown a different version—instead of a world of robots and machines, laundry hangs on the line, a man mows his lawn with a motor less mower, and Walter is delighted to see that the two little trees have grown tall and strong in the clean air. o Questions to ask during reading:

. What do you think of the way Walter tosses his wrappers on the ground and makes fun of Rose's tree? What do these behaviors tell us about Walter's character? (Bloom’s: Analysis)

. At the beginning of the story, Walter thinks that life will be much easier in the future, with robots and machines to help us do everything. Do you agree or disagree? Why? What do you think the future will be like?

. As you read the story to your students, pause at several scenes in Walter's dream journey and discuss the issues described. For example: Why do you think there are no more fish in the sea in Walter's dream? What can be done about the problem of reduced fish stocks in the world's oceans? (Bloom’s: Application) . Walter's ideas change drastically over the course of the story. What does he learn from his dream?

. Have you had an experience that changed your mind about something?

. What does Chris Van Allsburg teach readers about caring for the Earth? (Bloom’s: Evaluation)

o Ask students how they think the boy in the story should sort his trash. o Invite a discussion about how the students sort their trash at home. Ask: “Do you recycle at home? How do you sort your trash?” o Introduce the students to a bag of items to the students. o This is the pre-prepared bag of trash for the students. The bag should contain examples of common materials that can be recycled (four or five pieces each of aluminum, cardboard, plastic, paper, glass.)

Step-by-Step Plan: A. Sorting Trash 1. Present the prepared bag of trash to the students. 2. Set out computer paper boxes for each kind of material in the bag (one for aluminum, cardboard, plastic, paper, glass). Do not label the boxes ahead of time. 3. Give each student one item out of the trash bag. Distribute different types of items evenly. 4. Once students have their items, have them try to sort themselves into groups of similarly made items. 5. Encourage students to figure out a way to form groups. (Any way the students come up with is acceptable as long as they can explain why and how they did what they did.) (Gardner’s: Interpersonal) If students end up not grouping themselves by the “make” of the materials, ask further questions to guide them such as: “Do you think your item is made of the same material as [insert student name]’s?” (Bloom’s: Synthesis)

If students do group themselves by the “make” of the materials, continue by having each group talk for a minute about what materials make up its items.

B. Labeling the Trash 1. Once students in each group decide which material their items have in common, provide them with a label, marker, and a box in which to put their items. Have the students label the box using phonetic spelling and known sight words. 2. As a class, have each group share the items in their boxes and the kinds of material the items have in common. 3. Put the boxes in the center of the room or on a special “good” junk shelf where students can sort additional items from the bag or items they bring in from home throughout the year. (Gardner’s: Existential) 4. Explain examples to the students each of the 5 items that are most commonly recycled.  Plastics (milk jugs, shampoo bottles, detergent bottles, vitamin bottles, plastic soda and water containers etc. Most centers will only accept those plastics labeled with the PETE 1 and HDPE 2 symbols. These can generally be found molded into the bottom of the containers. If you can't identify the type of plastic, don't include it. Most facilities also require that you remove the cap since it is usually made of a different type of plastic. Some facilities will accept additional plastics, so if you are so inclined, check with your local recycling center.)

 Paper and (office paper, paper, cereal boxes, non-Styrofoam egg cartons, some pre-packaged food boxes. Some paper items like paper milk cartons and drink boxes are lined with wax or plastic and are often not accepted)

 Corrugated Cardboard (shipping and packaging boxes, usually identifiable by a squiggly layer of paper sandwiched between sheets. Used pizza boxes are often NOT accepted)

 Glass (pickle jars, jelly jars, etc. Occasionally a center will accept only certain "colors" of glass. Light bulbs, Pyrex, ceramics, and mirrors are NEVER accepted. Glass is becoming less accepted because of the potential of worker injuries due to broken glass.)

 Aluminum Cans (you all know these, the Coke, Pepsi, and Sprites of the world)

Closure: Have the students explore the “trash” to make new uses of it instead of throwing it away. Provide materials needed. Allow students to share these items to their peers in the classroom. Allow students to bring items in to re-use for projects in the classroom. Encourage students to continue to recycle at home! (Gardner’s: Visual-Spatial)

Adaptations/Enrichment:

Adaptations:

Students with ADHD: Give student fewer objects at a time. Allow them to pass out items to the groups.

Enrichment:

High ability: Provide poster paper for the student to make a sign to promote re-using materials. Allow the students to use pieces of the materials on their poster. Have the student share the brochure with younger students and tell them how they can recycle.

Resources: http://www.indianastandards.org/files/sci/sci_k_3_sorting%20good%20junk.pdf

http://www.recycling-revolution.com/recycling-basics.html

Recycle! Name______Date______Directions: Complete each column. Use the word bank for the second column. Word bank: Paper, Glass, Aluminum, Plastic, Cardboard

Recyclable Item What is it made of? What can we re-use it for?

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Recycle! Name______Date______Directions: Complete each column. Use the word bank for the second column. Word bank: Paper, Glass, Aluminum, Plastic, Cardboard

Recyclable Item What is it made of? What can we re-use it for?

1. PLASTIC ANSWERS

2. GLASS

3. WILL PAPER

4. CARDBOARD VARY 5. ALUMINUM

Answer Key