EDU 527 - Unit Plan

Taking Care of the Earth


Lesson 3 - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Instructional Objective

Throughout this unit students will learn how to take care of the Earth. They will learn
about the different parts of the Earth (land, water and air), garbage, pollution, and how they can
help the environment by reducing, reusing and recycling and being mindful of what they use and
do on Earth (this will be focused on in this lesson). They will learn about this subject by using
interactive lessons on nearpod.com. Students will produce Taking Care of the Earth journals and
posters. They will be assessed on their journals, work on Nearpod and posters.

Standards/Key Concepts

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.2 - Confirm understanding of a text read aloud or information

presented orally or through other media by asking and answering questions about key details and
requesting clarification if something is not understood.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.1 - Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners

about kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.K.1 - With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about
key details in a text.

• These standards will be addressed when students are asked to identify key details about
what they are learning in each slide and overall throughout the lessons. Additionally, this
will be assessed during discussions and checking for understanding slides on nearpod.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.K.2 - Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to

compose informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and
supply some information about the topic.

• This standard will be addressed in students Taking Care of the Earth journals

Motivation

Students will get interested in the lesson through the use of the iPads and by meeting the
“Mother Earth” puppet.

Materials

• Puppet
• Ipads - one for each student
• Teacher read aloud - to record read aloud before presenting the lesson
• Taking Care of the Earth journals
• nearpod.com
Strategies

Examples:

Direct Instruction - These lessons will be presented to a full class with mostly teacher led
questions/discussion 

Turn and Talk- Students will talk to table partners about what they see, what they learned, what
they think and any questions they have


Adaptions 

ADD - Child has alternative seating, checklists, and “spin” breaks
English Language Learner - Students who are ELLs will be paired with another child who is
strong in both English and Spanish so that they can discuss in both languages

Differentiation of Instruction

Struggling - Struggling students will be given pictures to help them remember what to write
about. They will also be given a sentence that they can cut and sort. They will paste the sentence
into their journals. After cutting and pasting the sentence the students will copy them in their
own handwriting.

Advanced - These advanced students will be given vocabulary words to add into their writing.
For example students will have to create a sentence that uses reduce, reuse or recycle.

Developmental Procedures

Before starting the lesson students will log themselves onto the live lesson through Nearpod.

1. Students will see a picture of Earth with trash covering it. What do you see in this
picture? Why do you think “Earth” is showing us this picture? Students will listen to
Earth explain that people generate trash not any other animal and how it is our
responsibility to keep Earth clean. Students will also see a picture of a landfill, students
will discuss what is the purpose of the landfill. Think about how much trash our
classroom makes. Now let’s think about every classroom in the school, then all the
schools. What happens to all of that trash? 


2. Students will take a virtual reality field trip to a landfill. Students will walk around with
their iPads in order to explore the landfill. They will have about five minutes to explore
the landfill. Once students return to their seats students will turn and talk about what they
saw and what they think of the landfill. What did you notice in the landfill? Teacher will
support children’s discussion.

3. Students will look at pictures and listen to “Earth” explain what reduce (picture of paper
towel roll vs dispenser), reuse (picture of a reused piece of paper) and recycle (picture of
 a plastic bottle and toy dinosaur) mean. What are ways that you can reduce your use of
paper towels in our bathroom? I’ll show you some ways we reuse in this classroom. Have
you ever reused something at home? What happens after the bottles go to the recycling
bin?

4. Students will look at the recycling bins in the classroom and learn about what can go in
each bin (garbage, plastic, paper). “Earth” will explain what are recyclable items and how
you can know if something is recyclable. Using the draw it activity students will sort
recyclable items by circling items that can be recycled and putting an “x” through items
that would go in the garbage. What kind of items can you recycle? (paper, plastic, tin)
Which garbage can would newspaper go in? Which garbage can would a yogurt cup go
in? Students will then play a recycling game where they sort items into the bins they
belong. Additionally, the website tells you what items that are recycled can turn into. For
example, enough paper turns into playing cards or enough metal turns into a toy car.
https://www.learningliftoff.com/kindergarten-science-activity-recycling-game/

5. Students will create a new entry in their Taking Care of the Earth Journal. Turn and tell a
partner, What are you going to write about today? What did you learn that you can tell
others about? Students will have time to write and draw about what they learned during
this lesson. Student differentiation will be used here.

Assessment

• Listen to students turn and talk and responses during discussions

• Review students Nearpod draw it answers

• Read students journal entries. Check for pictures that relate to what was discussed and possible
writing that match their picture and the lesson.

Independent Practice

Students will draw a picture of themselves reducing, reusing or recycling and write a sentence
that matches their picture.

Academic Intervention

These students can use the student-paced mode to listen to the lesson again. They will sort real
life objects into different recycling/garbage bins in order to further their understanding of the
different types of materials that can be recycled.

Academic Enrichment

This student will create a booklet that has a picture of ways to reduce, reuse and recycle. This
student will also do a recycling sorting activity.

What is Listening and Learning?

 In my school we use CKLA as our reading/phonics program. A component of CKLA is
Listening and Learning. Each specific unit is accompanied by a series of pictures that each have
a reading that the teacher reads to the students. Each lesson is about 8 to 10 pictures all on a
subtopic within the unit. During these lessons the students look at the pictures while listening to
the teacher talk. In my classroom, I have created a puppet and persona for each unit (In this
particular unit it is “Earth” or “Mother Earth”. I have used Smart Notebook and Nearpod to
record the audio beforehand making the lesson flow better and more engaging for the students.

Lesson 1 - Introduction to Taking Care of the Earth

Before this lesson begins students will create a KWL chart of what they know about
Taking Care of the Earth. After creating a chart they will meet “Earth” a puppet, and hear what
we will be learning about in this unit. “Earth” will explain to the students that they are not the
only creatures living on the Earth but, as humans they have the responsibility to take care of it.
Through different pictures the students will also learn that there are many parts of the Earth that
have to be taken care of. They will learn that people are responsible for taking care of the land,
water and air. Throughout the lesson students will have discussions about vocabulary (creatures,
responsibility) and talk about why it is a humans responsibility to take care of the Earth and not
other creatures.

Lesson 2 - Garbage

In this lesson students will begin to think about what happens to the garbage they throw
out each day. They will start by imagining eating cake at a birthday party. While looking at the
picture they will discuss all of the items they use when eating cake at a birthday party and what
they do with it when they are done. “Earth” will then take them on the journey that their trash
goes on. Students will learn how trash goes from your trash can, to a dumpster, to a truck to a
landfill. Students will take a virtual reality field trip to a landfill through Nearpod. During this
field trip they will discuss what they see at the landfill and what do they think happens to all of
this trash? In the next part “Earth” will explain what happens to all of the garbage at the landfill
and how landfills can be dangerous places. Students will write about what happens to garbage in
their Taking Care of the Earth journal.

Lesson 3 - Reduce, Reuse Recycle

In this lesson students will learn about the vocabulary words reduce, reuse and recycle.
They will start by taking a virtual field trip to a landfill and discussing what type of trash they
see. After talking about how a lot of the garbage is made up of plastic bags, bottles, paper, etc.
they will learn what reduce, reuse and recycle mean. “Earth” will talk to the students about ways
you can reduce or reuse certain objects. Students will discuss ways that they already reduce or
reuse items in their everyday life. “Earth” will also introduce them to recycling. Students will
learn how recycling objects can turn them into new objects. On Nearpod, students will complete
a draw it activity where they circle the objects that can be recycled. Afterwards students will play
a recycling game.
Lesson 4 - Pollution!

In this lesson students will learn about different types of pollution, land, water and air. At
first, students will discuss what they think pollution means. After learning about ways pollution
happens, through litter and smog, students will discuss ways that humans lead to pollution and
how they can help reduce the amount of pollution in the environment. Students will write and
draw about pollution in their Taking Care of the Earth journal.

Lesson 5 - Goodbye from Good Old Earth

In this final lesson students will review what they have learned so far about taking care of
the Earth. “Earth” will tell the students about how taking care of the Earth is their responsibility.
Students will discuss ways to take care of the Earth along with ways to encourage others to also
take care of the Earth. Students will use their journals and KWL chart in order to create posters
that show how to take care of the Earth.