Title: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Student population: Level 1, 17 yr. old ninth grade boy from China/in U.S. for 5 mo.

                             Level 2, 14 yr. old eighth grade girl from India/in U.S. for 1 mo.

                             Level 3 12 yr. old sixth grade girl from Mexico/in U.S. for 3 yrs.

                             Level 3 12 yr. old sixth grade boy from Vietnam/in U.S. for 9yrs.

SOL’s: Science

K.10 The student will investigate and understand that materials can be reused, recycled, and conserved. Key concepts include

a)     materials and objects can be used over and over again;

b)     everyday materials can be recycled; and

c)      water and energy conservation at home and in school helps preserve resources for future use.

 

1.8

The student will investigate and understand that natural resources are limited. Key concepts include

a)     identification of natural resources (plants and animals, water, air, land, minerals, forests, and soil);

b)     factors that affect air and water quality; and

c)      recycling, reusing, and reducing consumption of natural resources.

 

3.10 The student will investigate and understand that natural events and human influences can affect the survival of species. Key concepts include

b)     the effects of human activity on the quality of air, water, and habitat;

c)      conservation and resource renewal.

 

6.9 The student will investigate and understand public policy decisions relating to the environment. Key concepts include

a)     management of renewable resources (water, air, soil, plant life, animal life);

b)     management of nonrenewable resources (coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear power, mineral resources);

d)     cost/benefit tradeoffs in conservation policies.

 

E.S.7The student will investigate and understand the difference between renewable and nonrenewable resources. Key concepts include

a)  fossil fuels, minerals, rocks, water, and vegetation;

d)  making informed judgments related to resource use and its effects on Earth systems; and

e)  environmental cost and benefits

BIO.9 The student will investigate and understand dynamic equilibria within populations, communities, and ecosystems. Key concepts include

d)  the effects of natural events and human activities on ecosystems; and

 

 

VA LEP: 1.1/2.1/3.1 The student will demonstrate growth in the understanding and use of oral language.

1.4 The student will demonstrate an understanding that print and signs convey meaning (the recycle logo.)

 1.5/2.4 The student will read and demonstrate comprehension of fiction/nonfiction (analyze for level 2.)

2.2/3.2 The student will develop oral communication skills.

2.7 The student will use meaning clues and language structure to expand vocabulary when reading.

3.4 The student will read and demonstrate comprehension of familiar stories, poems, and informational text as a result of classroom instruction.

 3.6 The student will use strategies to read a variety of narrative materials, poetry, and informational text.

 3.7 The student will expand vocabulary and concept development.

 3.9 The student will write to communicate ideas.

 

TESOL standards: Goal 1, Standard 1-To use English to communicate in social settings:

       Students will use English to participate in social interactions

                          Goal 1, Standard 3 To use English in social settings: Students will use

        learning strategies to extend their communicative competence

                           Goal 2, Standard 1To use English to achieve academically in all

content areas: Students will use English to interact in the classroom

Goal 2, Standard 2 To use English to achieve academically in all content areas: Students will use English to obtain, process, construct, and provide subject matter information in spoken and written form       

Goal 2, Standard 3To use English to achieve academically in all content areas: Students will use appropriate learning strategies to construct and apply academic knowledge

Goal 3, Standard 3 To use English socially and culturally appropriate ways: Students will use appropriate learning strategies to extend their sociolinguistic and socio-cultural competence.

Student objectives:

Ø      The students will demonstrate the effects of pollution in an ocean environment.

Ø      The students will connect ways pollution affects ocean organisms.

Ø      The students will formulate ideas and ways to reduce the amount of pollution in our environment. 

Ø      Students will be able to classify items into a recycle bin or trash can.

Ø      Students will be able to choose the material that is better for the environment.

Ø      Students will be able to recognize vocabulary words from the book’s illustrations.

Ø      Students will be able to answer questions about what has been read.

Ø      Students will be able to create artwork from recyclable materials.

 

 

INTASC principles:

Principle #4: Language teachers use a variety of strategies to help learners develop proficiency.

 

Principle #5 Language teachers create an interactive, engaging, and supporting learning environment.

 

Key vocabulary words:

Garbage       trash            waste           dump           landfill          incinerator

Renewable Resources                  Non-renewable resources

 

Presentation: 

1.) Connect to last week’s lesson:   Teacher says, “Many species of whales are endangered, because people have polluted the ocean waters.”

Now, put students into two pairs.  One person will measure out one cup of water in a big glass jar representing the ocean.  The other student will add two drops of food color into the water, representing chemicals or trash.  Have students take turns adding water to the ocean.  How many cups of water does it take before the “ocean” does not look red anymore?  Do the chemicals ever really leave the “ocean?” Let students discuss their results with each other.

 

Now, give each student a rubber band.  Have the students wrap the rubber band from their pinky finger, around the back of their hand, to their thumb. Without using their other hand, students will try to remove it from them.  This will show the students how hard it is for ocean animals to remove things like 6-pack holders from their necks, or how hard it is for ocean animals to escape the pollution human beings cause.  Now have students cut each other’s rubber bands to “free” them.  Give students some 6-pack holders to cut up with a partner.

 

Quick-write:  Have students write for two minutes ways that they can help cut down on the amount of pollution that they produce at home or in school.  Students can then share their ideas to compose a class list.

 

Attention: Nature Detectives

 

Show students an assortment of items.  Tell them that they are going to make predictions about which product is better for the environment.  Ask them which of the two is better for the environment:  paper plate vs. china plate, paper towel vs. dish towel, and plastic bag vs. paper bag.

 

Dump a bag of “trash” onto a table or the floor.  Identify the items that were in the bag.  Tell students that everyday Americans add 230 million tons of trash into landfills everyday, about 4.6 lbs. per person.  Say, “That is the same weight as throwing away 230 million Orca whales.” Then tell students that approximately 70% of material currently in landfills today could have been recycled.  Ask students for their ecological assistance in sorting items into the recycle bin and trash can.  Look for the recycling symbol on each of the items.

 

Co-construct:

 

Identify the genre of the book, Where Does the Garbage Go?  Identify the author and illustrator. Preview the story by taking a picture walk, discussing the pictures on each page.

Pg.4,5 Pay attention to the bulletin board and the containers underneath it.

Pg 6,7 What items can you identify in the picture on pg 7?

Pg 8,9  What is that truck called?

Pg 10,11 How do you think the fish are feeling on page 10?

Pg 12,13 What are the machines called on pg 13? What are they doing?

Pg 14, 15  Notice the structure of the landfill.

Pg 16, 17  Why do you think there is a picture of a park here?

Pg 18, 19  What do you think they are doing with the trash here?

Pg 20, 21  Why do you think the people are holding the barrels there?

P22, 23 How is the boy on the left helping more than the girl on the right?

P24, 25 Read the caption to see what happens in each step.

P26, 27 What materials are being recycled?

P28, 29 Read the ways the boys and girls in this class are helping the environment on the bulletin board on page 28.

P30, 31What kind of bags are they using in the picture?

 

Pass out Active Reading questions.  Read through questions and highlight any materials that could be considered renewable/non-renewable resources.

 

Popcorn read the book, answering the active reading questions after each page.

 

Extension activities:

  1. Have students work in pairs to make a collage out of recycled materials.
  2. Check into local recycling sites in your area.
  3. Invite a speaker from Clean Valley to come and talk to your class.
  4. Start a recycling program in your school cafeteria.
  5. Classify groups of objects (you may use your underlined resources from earlier)into renewable and nonrenewable resources.
  6. Information Gap Activity:  Have students interview each other about their experiences with what people are doing in other parts of the world to recycle.
  7. Information Gap Activity:  Students can ask each other questions about what are other ways people in other countries use alternate forms of making electricity.

 


Active Reading:

 

Pg. 4,5 Look at the blackboard in the picture.  Predict the answers to the questions on the blackboard.

 

P 6,7 What is the difference between garbage, trash, and waste?

 

Pg 8,9 Where do they take the trash?

 

Pg 10,11 How did people used to pollute the ocean?

 

Pg 12,13  What is the place where they take the trash called?

 

Pg 14, 15 Why do you think they make it in layers?

 

Pg 16, 17 What percentage of the landfill is paper? Food? Plastic?

 

Pg 18, 19 How could incinerating the trash be more harmful than helpful?

 

Pg20, 21How much of our trash can be recycled?

 

Pg 22, 23 Can you get money from the things you recycle?

 

P24, 25 How do factories make the old aluminum and paper new?

 

P26, 27 What new resources can be made from recycled plastic?

 

P28, 29 How can we help the environment at the grocery store?

 

 

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