Lesson Plan

Grade: 3

Subject: Science

We Must Recycle!

Objectives & Outcomes

Students will learn how items can be reused instead of simply discarded.

Materials Needed
card stock
crayons, colored pencils, paint (optional)
clean, plastic bottles
scissors
assorted art supplies

Procedure

Opening to Lesson
Ask students if they have ever recycled anything. For some this will be a daily or
weekly thing, but for others this may be a foreign concept. Explain that recycling
has two meanings, for most it means taking things that others may throw in the
trash to go to a dump and cleaning and sorting them (glass, plastic, paper) and
letting the recycling center use this stuff to make something else. The other
meaning is about the same, but it means using something, like a pop bottle, to
create something else, usually something useful. This is sometimes called
upcycling.

Body of Lesson
 Explain that the need to recycle is not just so plastic bottles do not end up
rolling around in the landfill.
There are many types of recyclables that end up in landfills, but never
biodegrade. Though they should be safely contained in the landfill, some
trash, including recyclables, can end up out in nature. This can harm wildlife
and plants that are trying to survive in the wild.
What would happen if a duck accidently swallowed a bottle cap? What if a fish
got stuck in the plastic rings that soda comes in at the store? These things
could be really dangerous to animals.
So today we are going to try to use trash that could be harmful to make
something functional and beautiful.
This is one way to recycle, or upcycle, as some say. Lets see what we can
create.

Closing
Allow students to get creative and make something unique out of the pop bottle
and art supplies. Display the creations in the classroom and have an open
discussion about recycling items to give them new life.

Assessment & Evaluation

Students will create a functional or displayable item out of an empty plastic
bottle. The goal is to create something that keeps the bottle from going into the
trash.

Modification & Differentiation

If a child is having trouble on his/her own, allow students to work with a partner
or in small group. This will allow the student to brainstorm more easily.