Lesson Plan

Lesson 4: Recycling Product Lesson

Subject Area

English Language Arts
Science

Grade(s)

K

Overview

This lesson may be taught as part of the Unit Plan - Solutions to Lessen Human Impact on the Environment. This lesson will culminate the lessons on recycling that have been previously taught. Students will work collaboratively in groups to discuss texts and factual information they have learned from previous lessons taught on recycling. The students will make a poster or brochure to share with the class. The shared portion of the lesson will be videoed so that the students can share with parents, other family members, and the local city council members.

This unit was created as part of the ALEX Interdisciplinary Resource Development.

Science (2015) Grade(s): KG

SC15.K.6

Identify and plan possible solutions (e.g., reducing, reusing, recycling) to lessen the human impact on the local environment.*

Unpacked Content

UP:SC15.K.6

Vocabulary

  • Identify
  • Plan
  • Solution
  • Human impact
  • Local
  • Environment
  • Reduce
  • Reuse
  • Recycle
  • Causes
  • Create
  • Ask
  • Imagine
  • Improve

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Human impact can have both positive and negative impact on the environment.
  • We can create possible solutions to reduce the negative impacts on the environment.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Identify possible solutions to lessen human impact on the environment.
  • Plan possible solutions to lessen human impact on the environment.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Human impact has a positive and negative effect on the local environment.
  • There are solutions that can lessen the negative impacts on a local environment.

Scientific and Engineering Practices

Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information

Crosscutting Concepts

Cause and Effect
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): KG

ELA21.K.R3

Expand background knowledge and build vocabulary through discussion, reading, and writing.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.K.R3

Vocabulary

  • Background knowledge
  • Vocabulary
  • Discussion

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Relating experiences through discussions, reading, and writing will help build background knowledge and improve vocabulary.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Connect new concepts to prior experiences to increase background knowledge through discussions, reading, and writing.
  • Construct the meaning of words through discussions, reading, and writing.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Background knowledge can increase by relating experiences to new ideas, topics, and words while participating in discussions, reading, and writing.
  • Vocabulary will increase by constructing the meaning of words while participating in discussions, reading, and writing.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): KG

ELA21.K.22

Use content knowledge built during read-alouds of informational texts by participating in content-specific discussions with peers and/or through drawing or writing.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.K.22

Vocabulary

  • Content knowledge
  • Read-alouds
  • Informational text
  • Participating
  • Content-specific discussions
  • Peers
  • Drawing
  • Writing

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Content knowledge gained from read-alouds of informational texts.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Use content knowledge built during read-alouds of informational texts by participating in content-specific discussions with peers and/or through drawing or writing.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Their understanding of and appreciation for informational text grows through discussions and active collaboration with others.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): KG

ELA21.K.30

With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in literary and informational texts.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.K.30

Vocabulary

  • Ask
  • Answer
  • Key details
  • Literary text
  • Informational text
  • Prompting
  • Support

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Key details in literary and informational texts.

Skills

Students are able to:
With prompting and support,
  • Ask questions about key details in literary and informational texts.
  • Answer questions about key details in literary and informational texts.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Text includes key details.
  • After reading a text, knowledge and understanding can be expanded by asking and answering questions.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): KG

ELA21.K.39

Participate in shared research and writing projects to answer a question or describe a topic.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.K.39

Vocabulary

  • Participate
  • Shared research
  • Shared writing projects
  • Answer a question
  • Describe a topic

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Research and writing can answer questions or describe a topic.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Work collaboratively with peers and adults in research and writing projects.
  • Use research and writing to answer questions about a topic.
  • Use research and writing to describe a topic.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Shared research and writing projects can help answer questions or describe a topic.

Primary Learning Objectives

Students will discuss with their group members how recycling can help the environment.

Students will plan, make visual aids, and share ideas of recycling that can help the environment.

Students will retell details from a story while asking and answering questions about key details in a text.

Additional Learning Objective(s)

I can ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

I can retell details from a story.

I can identify and plan solutions to help the environment.

Procedures/Activities

Before/Engage (10 minutes)

Explain to students they will continue to discuss recycling and investigate ways we can help lessen the impact on the Earth by humans.

Ask students to think about what ways they have already learned to lessen the impact of humans on the Earth. Have students turn and talk with their partner about their thoughts. Using equity sticks, ask group members to share what their partner's thoughts were.

**Equity sticks are sticks labeled with a student's name.  The teacher pulls one stick and calls on the student whose name appears on the stick.  This method can help teachers make sure to call on all students equitably.

Show the cover of the book to students and explain that this is the book we will read and discuss for this lesson.

During Strategy/Explore and Explain (Two 30-40 minute lessons taught on consecutive days)

Day 1

1.  Discuss with students their thoughts about the book by having them look at the cover.  After the group discussion, explain that this book is an informational text and the students will gain knowledge about recycling, ways to recycle, and other ideas to use to help reduce the impact of humans on the environment.

2.  Read Recycle by Gail Gibbons.

3.  Conduct a class discussion on ideas gained by reading the book and referring to the text for evidence.

4.  Give students exit tickets (Post-it note) to use for the next portion of the lesson. Have students work with their turn and talk partner to draw or write an idea they learned from the whole group reading that identifies a way to lessen the impact of humans on the environment. 

5.  Have partner groups come and place their ticket on the chart and share what they drew or wrote about with the class.

***This is where the lesson could be concluded for the first day.

Day 2 

6.  Discuss the exit tickets as a whole group, add any ideas that were not placed on the chart, and review from the previous day's lesson.

7. Review rules and expectations for group work. Divide students into groups using teacher discretion. Hand out the large construction paper or poster paper to the groups. They will need markers, pencils, or crayons to complete the assignment. Have groups come up with their favorite way to lessen the impact of humans on the Earth and draw and write about it on the paper. Explain to students they will be presenting their ideas and will be videoed so they can share their ideas with the school and beyond.  Each group is responsible for one drawing of their group's idea of how to lessen the impact of humans on Earth.

8.  After the groups are finished, the teacher will use iMovie to video the groups discussing their ideas and upload the video to YouTube for sharing purposes. The video can be shared with other classes, parents, etc.

After Strategy/Explain & Elaborate (10) minutes

The teacher should show the video that compiles each group's ideas and their thoughts on how to lessen the impact of humans on Earth. Allow students to discuss why they liked the ideas of their classmates. Allow students to use a "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" response to assess the groups' presentations. The students should determine if the ideas presented by each group are real ways to lessen the impact of humans on the environment. This response will also check for each group's ability to retell details from text based on the book that was read as a whole group. Students can also discuss the people they could potentially share the video with outside of the school.

Assessment Strategies

Formative Assessment: Students will complete exit tickets with turn and talk partners and engage in a group discussion where the teacher can use equity sticks to check for student understanding of how we can lessen the impact of humans on the Earth. The book can be used to reference the text for correct ideas on reducing, reusing, and recycling.

Summative Assessment: The students' posters will be assessed based on the presentation rubric in 4 areas: worked well with other group members, was engaged by asking and answering question about the text in the group work, the retelling of details from a text and ideas of how to lessen the impact of humans on the environment is represented in drawing or writing, and participates in the oral presentation.

Link for Rubric

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bH_3P8-LekZNryvZQqFZtCM7DZvutSayWqWqsslDv3I/edit?usp=sharing

 

Acceleration

Students can brainstorm how they can share their product outside of the school and with their parents. For example, sharing with City Council members via email or invitation to the school if there is not a recycling program already set up in the city.

Intervention

The teacher can give prompts or ideas to help groups that are struggling to complete their products.

Students can refer back to the exit ticket chart for ideas.

Approximate Duration

Total Duration

Greater than 120 Minutes

Background and Preparation

Background/Preparation

Prior to beginning this lesson, the teacher should teach the lesson titled "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle". The knowledge gained will provide background information for the students to complete the tasks asked of them in this lesson. Students should have background on the meaning of the words reduce, reuse, and recycle acquired from the lesson "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle". Students should be able to discuss ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle, such as planting trees, using alternate forms of transportation (such as walking and riding bicycles), conserving water during baths, showers, and brushing teeth, and turning lights off when they leave a room. Students should have experience in working in small groups and know the rules and expectations of working in groups with classmates. If students have not worked in small groups before, the rules, procedures, and expectations should be discussed before the students begin working with classmates. 

The teacher should have already read the book, Recycle by Gail Gibbons, to be familiar with the content of the book. The teacher should have the chart made and ready to use for the group discussion of the book, so students can help add ideas to lessen the impact of humans on the environment. The chart should be titled, "Ways to Help the Environment or Earth" with a blank space for the students to add their exit tickets.

Materials and Resources

Materials and Resources

Teacher Material and Resources

Recycle by Gail Gibbons

Exit Tickets (Post-it notes)

Chart paper and Marker

Equity Sticks

Summative Assessment Rubric (click to download)

Student Materials and Resources:

Markers, pencils, or crayons for completing Exit Tickets and Poster

Large Construction Paper or poster paper, 5-8 sheets

 

Technology Resources Needed

The technology resources will be used by the teacher to complete the video of the students sharing their posters and then the video will be shared for the public product.

iPad or iPhone with iMovie app loaded to access pictures

Internet Access

Approved Date

2017-04-05
ALSDE LOGO

This site may contain links to other websites or content belonging to or originating from third parties or links to websites and features in banners or other advertising. Such external links are not investigated, monitored, or checked for accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness by us. WE DO NOT WARRANT, ENDORSE, GUARANTEE, OR ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACCURACY OR RELIABILITY OF ANY INFORMATION OFFERED BY THIRD-PARTY WEBSITES LINKED THROUGH THIS SITE.
Alabama Learning Exchange © 2002-2023 by Alabama State Department of Education is licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International

Design by Adaptive Theme