Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Learning Module
- Creator(s):
Abstract
Kindergarten students will learn how to reduce, reuse, and recycle to eliminate waste in order to protect their environment.
Keywords
Reduce; Reuse; Recycle; Environment; Waste; Litter
Kindergarten students will learn how to reduce, reuse, and recycle to eliminate waste in order to protect their environment.
Reduce; Reuse; Recycle; Environment; Waste; Litter
After completing this learning module, kindergarten students will be able to define key concepts of recycling and understand ways to apply what they have learned in their daily lives.
Students will answer the following questions:
Waste
1. What is waste?
2. What is littering?
Environment
3. What does environment mean?
4. Why is it important to protect the environment?
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
5. What are the Three R's?
Reduce
6. How can you use materials less to reduce waste?
Reuse
7. How can you reuse materials?
Recycle
8. Why is it important to recycle?
9. How does recycling work?
10. What materials can/can't be recycled?
Survey
11. What did you learn?
Here is the word 'Waste". With your partner, discuss what you think this means. Have you ever head of waste before?
Raise your hand and tell us what you think it means and I will write it on the board.
Now that we have discussed this, let's look up the word "Waste" on the internet to see what it means.
Do our ideas match the definition? Let's see how we can change our definitions to make one that matches what we looked up.
Write the word "Waste" on the Smartboard.
Using think-pair-share students will be able to discuss this topic using background knowledge.
Discuss and share in a large group and record student's ideas on the Smartboard.
Look up the word "Waste" on the Smartboard and read the definitions (3a and 3b) aloud.
Compare the definition with student's recorded ideas and discuss a new collective defintion that aligns with the actual definition.
Show the children pictures of waste and have them comment on how they feel about the pictures. What ideas does this bring to mind. Ask questions such as what things do you throw away at your hosue? at school?
This lesson should help you gain an understanding of what the children already know about this topic and what they are interested in learning. After this lesson, students should be able to define waste as garbage or useless materials that are thrown away.
Helpful Resources:
In our last lesson we learned what Waste means. Now, we are going to talk about littering.
Let's get moving:
We are going to play a game called Litterbug Wars!
I am going to tape a line down the middle of the classroom. Half of you will go to the right side of the toom and the other half will go to the left side of the room. I am going to give each team 20 pieces of crumbled up paper that we are going to pretend is trash. You will have 1 minute to try and litter more of your trash to the other side of the classroom. Ready...Set..Go!
Now that we have 'littered" what should we do? Let's work together to go clean up our trash and put it in the correct place.
How can we help eliminate litter?
Let's get outside and pick up any litter we see around the school.
This lesson will introduce the terms 'litter' and 'litterbug'.
Start a discussion to gain any background knowledge your students may have concerning littering. This is important because they may be able to explain it in a different way and "teach" their peers. Ask open-ended questions and encourage them to think critically about this topic. Record their answers to recap at the end of the discussion.
After your class discussion, explain the rules to Litterbug Wars. Split the class in two and tape a line down the middle of the room. Give each team the same amount of crumbled up pieces of paper to "litter" to the other side of the classroom. Give them a small amount of time to throw the paper back and forth then count which side has to most "trash". Have both teams clean up their litter and dispose of it appropriately.
Helpful Resources:
Litter and Pollution Teachers can extend this lesson by also introducing pollution.
The Wartville Wizard is a great book to read to engage children in conversations about littering. You may want to read this before starting your introduction and discussion on this topic.
We will be learning about the environment! The environment is where we live.
Watch the YouTube video What is Environment and How to Keep it Clean
With a partner, discuss your favorite part of this video and what you learned.
Fill out the chart below based on what you remember from the video...
| Animals | People | Other |
Now, let's discuss what you wrote in your charts.
Raise your hand if you can think of other things (people, animals, plants, etc.) that are found in our environment that were NOT listed in the video.
Explain that we will be learning about the environment.
Provide students with a definiton of environment, stating that it is the place where we live.
Show class YouTube video What is Environment and How to Keep it Clean.
Allow students time to discuss the video with their partner. Circulate and help facilitate their conversations if necessary.
Provide each student with a chart to record what specifically is found in our environment.
As a whole group, discuss and record what students wrote in their chart. Discuss any new things found in the environment students can think of that was not presented in the video.
Helpful resources:
Our Planet and Environment Teachers can extend this lesson and incoporporate planet Earth, energy, and water.
National Geographic Kids Green Tips
Now that we have learned what the word 'environment' means, we are going to learn why it is important to protect it.
Let's read the book The Lorax by Dr. Seuss, and watch the original movie based on the book.
Let's talk about what has happened so far. What do you think is going to happen next?
Now that we have finished the book and video:
It is very important to take care of our Earth so let's take a pledge to do so! Come write your name on our poster promising that you will help to protect our environment just like The Lorax did!
Read The Lorax by Dr. Seuss book aloud to the class.
Watch the YouTube The Lorax (Original) video. Pause the video every so often to discuss what has happened so far and allow the students to make predictions.
As a large group, ask questions to start a discussion about why it is important to protect the environment.
Have each student sign their name on The Lorax Pledge poster. Display the poster in your classroom.
Helpful resources:
The Three R's mean Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.
Watch this video and listen to the words in the song The 3 R's by Jack Johnson.
Discussion questions:
Let's try and come up with a defintion for the 3 R's.
| Reduce | Reuse | Recycle |
Now, let's look up the definitions on the internet and see how close we were.
| Reduce | Reuse | Recycle |
Make predictions:
Introduce the 3 R's and the image showing the recycle image.
Show the music video The Three R's by Jack Johnson.
Begin with discussion questions to gain an understanding of any prior knowledge on this topic.
Have students brainstorm what they think the terms 'reduce', 'reuse', and 'recycle' mean. Record their ideas on chart.
Look up actual defintions of these terms on the internet and record them in a seperate chart to compare and contrast definitions.
Have students make predictions about why we are learning about the 3 R's and why this topic is important. During this discussion is a good time for teachers to understand what about this topic specifically interests the students.
In our last lesson we learned that the 3 R's are Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle and what they each mean. We learned that 'reduce' means to make smaller or use less. What are some things that we should reduce, or what can we use less of?
Here is an online class about reducing one material that we have not talked about: Energy!
With a partner, talk about what you liked about the video and what you learned. When you are done, raise your hand and share with the class one thing your partner learned.
Can anyone tell me how they can reduce energy use at their home? What about in our classroom or at school?
I am going to give each of you a copy of this poster that we will hang up in our classroom. You may take yours home and teach your parents how to help save energy in your home.
Introduce the term "reduce" in terms of the definition you came up with in the last lesson.
Show the saving energy video to students.
Explain that we can help protect the environment by not just saving materials, but by saving things we cannot touch (i.e. water, air quality, energy, etc.).
Have children discuss topics from the video with a partner then share with the class. As a whole group, brainstorm ways in which students can save energy at school and home.
Give each child a copy of the Energy Action Plan to take home and show to parents. **Laminate the class poster and the individual handouts and provide dry erase markers. Students will be able to use this checklist each day at their homes. This is a great way to help parents be involved in their child's learning as well.
Helpful Resources:
One way we can help eliminate waste is by reusing materials! Look at the pictures of how some people reused household items to make new things.
Let's do a projec!
You will need to bring one item (or more) from home such as a toilet paper roll, tissue box, milk carton, can, bottle, jar, newspaper, magazine, etc. You will use the item to create a recycled art project. You are to create an animal using crayons, glue, markers, scissors, cotton balls, tape, tissue paper, etc.
Make your class aware that you will be moving on to learning about what it means to 'reuse' materials. Show them pictures of unique ways people have reused everyday household items (there are several other examples on Google Images). **to extend this, ask the students if there are any items in paticular they would like you to look up to see an innovate way to reuse it.
The day before this lesson, let your students know they will need to bring in one (or more) recycled materials from home. (Have some items handy in case your students do not have access to any recyclable materials at home)**Suggestion: If possible, explain the details of the project the day before so your students will have time to brainstorm what they would like to create and choose their recycled material accordingly.
Provide a variety of art materials (crayons, markers, paint, glue, scissors, tape, cotton balls, popsicle sticks, tisssue paper, felt paper, etc.) and give them time to create an animal from a recycled material. **Depending on your class, you may want show them some examples from the internet to give them ideas.
At the end of this project, students will write a peer-reviewed paper describing their project which they will present to the class.The peer review is for the recycled art project itself, not for how well the paper is written. The paper is designed as n introduction to peer review and is for the student to describe what they have made while following guidelines appropriately.
This project is designed to engage students in a multi-step project: Creating their project, presenting their project, writing a descriptive paper about their project, watching peer presentations, and reviewing their peers papers and projects. After completing this project students should be able to apply a deeper knowledge of why resuing materials is imporatnt, identify ways to reuse materials, and identify what materials can be recycled.
Helpful Resources:
Watch the YouTube video Michael Recycle READ-ALOUD.
Compare and Contrast:
BIG Question: Why is it important to recycle?
Now let's do an activity:
Show students YouTube video Michael Recycle READ ALOUD.
As a large group, compare and contrast the town in the story BEFORE and AFTER Michael Recycle came to town.
Ask the BIG Question: Why is it important to recycle? Record student's ideas on large chart paper to display.
Provide each student with a piece of lined paper with drawing space. Have students create and draw themselves as a recycling superhero. Write (or have the student write) the answer to the question: I can help us save the world by...
Helpful Resources:
Raise your hand and share one thing you learned from the video.
If you were able to visit a recycling center, what is one question that you would ask someone who works there?
Take the class on a virtual field trip to a recycling center. If you can, take a field trip to your local recycling center the next day. Have the students brainstorm a list of questions to ask the people who work there!
After taking the virtual field trip, engage the students in a discussion about what they learned/what they would like to learn more about.
Helpful resources:
Examples of Recycled Art Animals
We have learned what waste, environment, littering, reduce, reuse, and recycle all mean and why they are important. Now for our last lesson, we will be applying what we have learned in a fun way. We will be sorting recyclable materials: Paper, Plastic, Aluminum (cans) and glass.
Before we can sort items, we have to learn which materials can be recycled and which cannot. Watch this video about recycling:
I have brought some items from home that we will be sorting. I have made 4 bins that we will be using all labeled:
The last bin will be the trash can. Each of you may come up and choose one item and place it where it belongs.
Now each of you will get a turn to come play the recycle game on the computer.
Provide a brief recap of what students have learned about recycling so far. Show your class the video about recyclable materials. After watching the video, have a discussion about what they learned and what matericals can and cannot be recycled (the 4 categories).
Bring some recyclable and non-recyclable materials from home. Label 4 bins PAPER, PLASTIC, CANS, and GLASS, and have a trash can. Give each student a turn to place one item in the appropriate bin as recycling or waste.
Give each student a turn to play the science recyling game on the computer or Smartboard. (Some students may be able to help their peers with this)
**Extend this activity with this take-home worksheet:
Helpful Resources:
We have finished our learning module about the recycling process. Now complete the survey to show what you have learned.
.
This knowledge survey will assess how the students recalled key concepts from the learning module.
Other Resources about recycling:
Fig. 1a: Waste Image (Source); Fig. 1b: Waste (Source); Fig. 1c: Waste (Source); Fig. 2: Litterbug Image (Source); Fig. 3: Littering Fine (Source); Fig. 4: The Wartville Wizard (Source); Fig. 5: What is Environment YouTube Video (Source); Fig. 6: The Lorax Book Cover (Source); Fig. 7 The Lorax Original Video (Source); Fig. 8: The Lorax Pledge(Source); Fig. 9: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Image (Source); Fig. 10: 3 R's Chart (Source); Fig. 11: Jack Johnson The 3 R's Video (Source); Fig. 12: Energy Video (Source); Fig. 13: Energy Action Plan Image (Source); Fig. 14: Reused Bottle (Source); Fig. 15: Reused Egg Carton (Source); Fig. 16: Reused milk jugs (Source); Fig. 17: Reused Coffee Cups (Source); Fig. 18: Michael Recycle Video (Source); Fig. 19: Recycling Process Video (Source); Fig. 20: Recycling Video (Source); Fig. 21: Labels Image (Source); Fig. 22: Sorting Worksheet Image(Source); Fig. 23: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Tiles Image (Source)