Science Lesson Plan K.

Hernandez

Age level: 1st grade

Scientific processes addressed: scientific reasoning,

logic, and the nature of science by planning and conducting investigations

Content-oriented objective: Natural Resources are limited, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

What do I want children to discover? Taking care of the earth is important and we can
recycle to keep the earth clean.

Description of introductory activity and discussion

Read a fairy tale book about people hurting the earth and the impact we have to
help clean it up.
Ask children to describe how they can keep the earth clean.
Describe the trash seen outside and discuss what we can do as a community to
help.
Think of ways to eliminate trash from home and school.

Materials needed:
One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia by
Mirada Paul
Observation Journals
iPad

Purpose of the lesson: Because the students are focusing on fairy tales as well as the recycling
unit, I am merging the two to integrate literacy, science, social studies, and art into one unit. This
is the where the students are starting to learn to write stories to bring awareness to people hurting
our earth. The students scientific ideas and creativity will spark new awareness in hopes to help
take better care of the earth.

Description of activities
BEFORE: (ENGAGE)
The teacher will take the class outside for a nature walk. The students will pick area to observe
such as the playground, sidewalks, nature area, street (observing from the sidewalk), etc. The
students will use an iPad to take pictures of trash outside. The teacher will discuss different
perspectives while outside on the nature walk. What do you see on the ground? What about the
playground? Is it dirty or clean? If it is dirty who is going to clean it up? Are the Waste
Collectors going to clean it up? The waste collectors only pick up trash cans, how is the trash on
the ground going to get in the trash can for the garbage man to pick up? What can we do to
help? Return to class after 15-20 minutes. Write down observation in Journal. The journal entry
will include a drawing of what they saw on the nature walk, they will describe with the problem
is that they saw, and they will describe what they think they need to do to fix the problem. When
Science Lesson Plan K. Hernandez

the students are finished with their journal entry they will put their journals away and transition
to the carpet for a story.
The teacher will read the multicultural fairy tale: One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the
Recycling Women of the Gambia by Miranda Paul. The teacher will have a read aloud discussion
focusing on earth care and how we can make a cleaner community in our own community. What
was the story about? What was the problem in the story? How did she solve the problem? What
did she do to take care of the earth?

DURING (EXPLORE)
After the story and discussion, students will be paired into groups of 2. The students will be
working at their tables with an iPad to share. The students will make a poster about a place that is
the most polluted in the world. On their posters they will write about where in the world they are
focusing for pollution. For example: Linfen, China has the most polluted air in the world. The
students would write why its the most polluted and what they can do to stop the pollution. When
the students discuss what they could do, they will come up with a hypothesis for the best solution
to solve the problem. What can you create to solve the problem? What way do you think you can
help? The students will then come up with ideas for a fairy tale story based on their own findings
and write about it using once upon a time, stating the problem, and what they are doing to solve
the problem. Students will draw a map to structure their story on the poster for planning.

How learners will be encouraged to investigate on their own in the classroom (EXTEND)

Expected conclusions: The students will research different areas that are severely polluted.
What can we do to help stop pollution? What can we use to help pollution in that area? Write a
story about the pollution and what you will do to stop it.
Applications to real-life situations: Learning about recycling will allow the students to become
aware of the trash problem all around the world and will allow them to be activist for their
planet. The students can continue recycling at home and in school to form healthy habits to
protect our environment.
Science Lesson Plan K. Hernandez

Assessment: (EVALUATE)

Table 1

Activity Checklist

Uses Identify the Identifies a Makes Creates a Researches

journal for problem polluted inferences story out of ways to
scientific around the area in the about what problem help the
process school. world. we can do and creates planets
to help the a solution. pollution.
earth.
Student 1

Student 2

Student 3

In table 1 above, the area the student successfully completes will be marked with an X.

The incomplete areas will be left blank.