lesson 4: recycle
STANDARDS:
UW Teacher Education Standards:
Standard 2: Understands Social Context of Schooling
Standard 9: Manages Learning Environment
MMSD Standards:
Geography 5: Explain how people’s actions can have an effect on the environment.
Economics 4: Describe how and why people recycle in the school, home, and community.
Political Science and Citizenship 4: Describe how all home and school members have rights and responsibilities.
Wisconsin DPI Social Studies Standards:
Standard A: Geography: People, Places, and Environments
Standard C: Political Science and Citizenship
Content Objectives:
Students will learn that:
1. Human activities can affect the environment in negative ways.
2. Trees are important to both humans and animals in nature.
3. Trees are used to make paper
4. We can make paper without cutting down new trees.
5. Using something old to make something new is called recycling.
6. We can recycle paper.
7. Human activities can affect the environment in positive ways.
Process Objectives:
Students will…
Listen to The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
Engage in conversation about The Lorax
Tear recycled paper
Moosh recycled paper and water together in cups
Blend the paper/water mixture with help from a teacher
Flatten mixture on a screen, getting rid of as much water as possible
Decorate paper with glitter if desired
Listen to Dear World
Engage in conversation about Dear World
Write Dear World letters on their recycled paper
Share letters with the class.
Psychomotor Objectives:
Students will:
Make paper from recyclable materials.
Affective Objectives:
Students will:
Work together while making paper by holding screens/buckets for each other.
Take turns while making paper by sharing materials.
Care about the earth and how humans affect it.
Want to recycle whenever possible.
Materials:
The Lorax
Dear World Recycled paper
Water
Large cups
Blender(s)
Screens (3)
Buckets (3)
Sponges (3)
Wax Paper
Nature (flowers, grass, pine needles, etc.)
Markers
Draft books
Lesson Context:
Students are in the midst of a “Go Green” unit. They have learned what ecological footprints are and how we can make our footprints on the earth smaller. One way to do that is through recycling. We will explore more about how recycling works and why it is important in this lesson.
Procedure:
1. Remind students what was previously learned: “Do you remember what we talked about earlier about footprints? Does anyone remember what special word we called them? (Ecological footprints) Do we want to have big ecological footprints or little ones? (little) How can we make our footprints smaller on the earth? (recycling) Wonderful! I’m so proud that you remembered so much! Today we are going to talk about recycling.
2. Read The Lorax, stopping for conversation when appropriate (1)
3. Discuss The Lorax: during this discussion time, have students find a partner, then get in two circles: one circle inside the other, with partners facing each other. After each question is read and discussed the teacher says, “Switch” and the inner circle moves one person to the right to discuss the next question.
4. Questions:
-Why did the Onceler cut down all of the Truffula Trees? (to make thneads)
-Did anything happen after the Trees were cut down? (Barbaloots couldn’t eat any more fruit, birds had nowhere to live, factory poured gunk into lake so fish left)
-Do we cut down trees? (yes) What are some reasons we cut down trees? (to make paper!)
-What are trees good for in our world? (give us oxygen, places for birds and squirrels to live, grow fruit, give us shade, help us build houses, stop erosion, etc.)
-Do you think if we cut down all of the trees in our world like the Onceler did, that we’d have some of the same problems he did? (yes—animals would leave/die, we couldn’t breathe, etc.) (2)
-You said that one of the reasons we cut down trees was to make paper. (3) How much paper do we use at school in one day? ( a LOT)
-Do you think we cut down new trees for every piece of paper we use? (yes/no)
-Is there a way we can make paper without cutting down new trees? (yes—recycling!)(4)
-You’re right! Today we’re going to take paper that we have already used at school and make brand new paper from it. When we use something old to make something new it is called recycling. (5)
5. Model how to make paper
6. Tear pieces up REALLY small, fill cup half-way up, add colored paper if desired.
7. Add water to paper, moosh up in cup with fingers
8. Blend mixture in blender with teacher’s help
9. Press mixture through screen with a sponge (over bucket)
i. Get as FLAT as possible—want all of the water out
ii. Have a partner help hold the screen and bucket
10. Place flattened paper on wax paper, and write name on wax paper
11. Decorate with nature pieces if desired.
12. Let dry overnight (6)
NEXT DAY
13. Read Dear World
14. Discuss ideas used—write to parts of nature, say things they love about nature, things they are sad about being endangered, things they can do to help save the earth.
15. Discuss form—letters
i. Show parts of a letter (date, greeting, body, closing)
ii. Model example Dear World letter with ideas from the class
16. Students go back to tables and write own letter to the World
-Idea webs and rough drafts in Draft Books
-Final copies on recycled paper (7)
17. Students share their letters with class
18. Discuss whether we should send our letters to anyone or not? Yes/no. If so, who? City council, Governor, President, Senators, Representatives, National Wildlife Foundation, WISPIRG, etc.
19. If further action is discussed and desired, follow through (i.e. send the letters) (7)
Closure:
Discuss: Is it enough to recycle the paper we use and write letters to the Earth? (NO!) What else can we do to show what we’ve learned? (DO the things we talked about in our letters, tell our friends/family about them, recycle everything we can, get more recycling bins at school, etc.)
Assessment:
Lots of observation: listen to discussions about books, observe teamwork while making paper, etc.
Formal: Read students’ letters to the earth: Do they follow the correct letter-writing format? Are they written to a part of nature? Do they address topics of “Going Green?”
