One day at a Time

Saving Our Community

Saving Our Community

Teaching Point- Students will learn about recycling and understand how it effects the environment and their communities.

Grade level/population- 2nd grade special education 12:1:1

Vocabulary- reduce, reuse, recycle, environment, clean, energy, pollute, community, responsibility, citizen

Time Allotted- 12 50 minute periods and 1 full day field trip

Material- Hand out of Shel Silverstein poem “Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout would not take the garbage out”, internet, Microsoft paint software, garbage

Objectives-

1) Students will understand the 3 R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle)2) Students will understand the importance of recycling for the environment and

community.3) Students will be able to understand the concept of recycling and understand what

garbage goes into the different bins.

Procedure-

Monday

1) As a class we will create an Acrostic poem using the word recycle so students can become familiar with the word. We will sit on the rug and I will write the word recycle on big paper on the easel. We will discuss what an acrostic poem is. This should just be a review because they learned what an acrostic poem is already this year. As a group we will create different sentences for each letter of the word. (50 minutes)

2) We will read Shel Silverstein’s poem “Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout would not take the garbage out” as a class and then as groups. I will read the poem to the class first so they become familiar with it, then they will break into partners and read it with a partner. (50 minutes)

Tuesday

3) We will have a class discussion about the poem from yesterday and I will ask students the following questions: (25 minutes)

What do you think would happen to our environment if everyone did what Sarah did?

If everyone through their garbage on the street how would that affect the community?

4) We will sit in a group and we will use or problem solving skills to answer the following question: (25 minutes) What can we do to keep the environment clean? Answers will hopefully be

things such as we can walk instead of going in a car, we can ride our bikes, do not smoke, plant a tree, refill your water bottles, etc.

Wednesday

Ask a group I will explain what reduce, reuse, recycle means and we will draw the symbol that represents reduce, reuse, and recycle. (25 minutes)

5) I will introduce certain facts to the students and how these things can affect their environment and community. (25 minutes)

Paper is made from trees. Many medicines are made from trees. The leaves put oxygen in the air and we are killing trees by not recycling

and polluting the air.

Thursday

6) All students that have permission slips will spend a day at the community park looking for items that they think should be recycled. They will work in 4 teams of 3 for this activity. We will play a game and let the students compete to see who can collect the most trash. This is an activity were students will have the opportunity to brainstorm and reflect on what they have been learning all week. The will be a very interactive part of the lesson because students will be out engaging in community activities. It will also be very interactive because students are trying to collect the most trash to win the competition. 9:30-2:00

Friday- 2 50 minute periods

7) After the field trip I will set up different garbage pals in the classroom the next day.

8) Students will break into 4 teams of 3 for a garbage pal game (the same teams as they were on the trip). Teams will have to put the item of garbage in the correct pal.

9) We will have a competition to see who gets the most correct.

Week 2

Monday-50 minutes

10) I will make sure I have the lab top carts for this activity and students will work individually and use Microsoft paint to draw pictures of there experience with recycling and the field trip. Their pictures are going to be used to see exactly what they learned about recycling. They will use Microsoft paint and try to create a picture that communicates what they learned about recycling. An example of what the student artwork may look like is attached at the end of the lesson. This Part of the lesson will help students visually explain what they learned and by doing this it also reinforces in their brains what they learned. I will be able to see the success of what they learned by looking at their artwork and listening to how they present it.

Tuesday

11) After they are done doing their artwork students will present there work to the class. We will have a publishing party in the class room. I will invite the principal and assistant principles. (2 hours 30 minutes)

Standards 4 economics

Key Idea 4.1-The Study of economics requires an understanding of major economic concepts and systems, the principles of economic decision making, and the interdependence of economies and economic systems throughout the world.

4.1a-know some ways individuals and groups attempts to satisfy their basic needs and wants by utilizing scarce resources.

4.1b-explains how people’s wants exceed their limited resources and that this condition defines scarcity.-students will understand that we have exceeding our limits, we must recycle to make sure our community is taking care of.

4.1c-knows that scarcity requires individuals to make choices and that these choices involve costs.- students will understand that every person is responsible for recycling and keeping our community safe.

4.1f-investigate how production, distribution, exchange, and consumption of goods and services are economic decisions with which all societies and nations must deal.- this standard is being met by students understanding about how recycling is done.

Student Art Creations