Components for Unit of Study #98

Unit of Study Title: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Topic Area: Social Science
Grade Level: K-2
Time Frame: 10 lessons
Key Words: environment, resource, pollution, litter, conservation, reduce, reuse, recycle, landfill

Unit Designer: Robin Cahoy (RC025)
Unit Designer E-mail: Robin.Cahoy@k12.sd.us
School District: John Paul II
Date Added: 6/19/2002 10:11:13 AM
Date Last Revised: 6/19/2002 10:11:13 AM

Peer Reviewer: Lynn Yahne
Peer Reviewer E-mail: Lynn.Yahne@k12.sd.us

SD Content Standard Goals (SD Content Standards):

SD Content Standard Indicators:
Indicator 1 - Analyze the various forms and purposes of government in relationship to the needs of individuals and societies.

Indicator 3 - Analyze the constitutional rights and responsibilities of United Sates citizens.

SD Content Standard Benchmarks:
Indicator 1 - Benchmark b: Explore the distribution of government power and authority.

Indicator 3 - Benchmark b: Explain individual's rights and responsibilities.
Benchmark c: Recognize basic Constitutional human rights.

Other Content Standards:
K-2 South Dakota Social Studies Standards (Civics)
1. Distinguish the difference between rules and laws.
2. Recognize that laws are needed in a community.
4. Recognize that there are legal consequences for lawbreakers.
5. Define conservation in terms of ways citizens protect global resources with emphasis on reducing, reusing, and recycling.

Brief Summary of Unit:
1. The students will recognize that there are many ways we can protect resources.
2. The students will understand that reducing, reusing, and recycling are ways to conserve resources.

Students will Understand:
The students will understand:
1. that living and non-living things are included in our environment.
2. resources are a part of the environment that people use.
3. changes in the environment are caused by natural processes and by people.
4. pollution and other changes affect the quality of our environment and its resources.
5. conservation helps reduce the negative changes in the environment.

Essential Questions to Guide this Unit and Focus Teaching and Learning:
1. What are some things you can do to help conserve and protect the resources in your community?

2. What are some things that we can recycle?

3. Why do you think it is important to recycle, reduce, and reuse things?

Key Knowledge and Skills Students will Acquire:
In this unit, the students will explore ways to conserve and protect resources. They will learn about the importance of reducing, reusing, and recycling materials.

Assessment Plan:
The teachers will evaluate the students on their discussions, participation, projects and related assignments.

Learning Activites:
Lesson 1: Play Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Power point presentation to introduce the Unit of Study.
Pass out color sheet on recycling following a discussion on the power point presentation.
Save this color sheet to use as a cover page on student's recycling book.

Lesson 2: Key word: Environment
Read and discuss pgs. 218-220 in the Merrill Science Student edition.
Students will take a nature walk in their environment and list on their Journal page things they have noticed in their environment.

Lesson 3: Key word: Resources
Re-read and discuss pgs. 219-220 in the Merrill Science Student edition.
Students will cut out pictures from magazines depicting parts of their environment. These will be glued on a tag board replica of the Earth. Each student will be asked to share about the pictures they have placed on the replica.
Lesson review p.169 from Merrill Science Teacher Resource Book.

Lesson 4: Changes in the Environment
Begin discussion about how we as people have changed since our birth to where we are in life now. Like people, our environment also changes. Continue the discussion by reading and discussing pgs. 222-225 in Merrill Science Student edition.
Discuss and complete lesson review worksheet p.171 from Merrill Science Teacher Resource Book as an assignment.

Lesson 5: Dependable Recycling Guest Speaker from local recycling company will speak to the students about recycling.

Lesson 6: Key word: Pollution
Set up pollution problems within the classroom. Example: overturned garbage can, something spilled on the table top. Students will be put into groups to solve each of the problems. Once they are finished they will share their problem and how they solved it with the class. Point out why it is necessary to work together to solve the problems together.
Start discussion with what the students know about pollution.
Read and discuss pgs. 226-227 from Merrill Science Student edition.
Assign Word find entitled Save Our Planet.

Lesson 7: Key word: Conservation
Have students brainstorm as a class a list of ways they can improve the environment.
Read and discuss pgs. 230-233 in Merrill Science Student edition placing emphasis on vocabulary words extinct and endangered.
Guest speaker - local conservation officer.
Assign Lesson 2 Review p.170 from Merrill Science Teacher Resource Book.

Lesson 8 : Make posters to display in school for collecting pop cans for a service project.
Introduce the graph on which we will update monthly to show the students progress in collecting cans and helping the environment.
Learn the song entitled "A South Dakota Song about Unwanted Waste".

Lesson 9: Watch the movie "Earth Day, Birthday"
Make and eat edible snack (Cup o' Worms) taken from www.enchantedlearning.com

Lesson 10: Watch Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Power Point Presentation.
Assign Recycle to Save Our Earth worksheet on how we can help our pets, cities, and people.
Compile all worksheets into a booklet for the students to take home and share with their families.

Notes:
In order to teach these lessons you must have access to:

1. Social Studies Series Harcourt Brace and Company, Making a Difference, Copyright 2000.
2. Merrill Publishing Company, Merrill Science, Copyright 1989.

Internet Resource Link:
www.enchantedlearning.com