Sarah Vinluan

ED 640
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, & Reinvent
Lesson plan for Earth Day (April 22)

Summary:

Central Focus The Four R’s - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, & Reinvent

Grade Level 2nd grade

Standard/s – ELA CCSS
● Next Generation Science Standard (NGSS) -
K-ESS3-3 Earth and Human Activity:
Communicate solutions that will reduce the
impact of humans on the land, water, air,
and/or other living things in the local
environment. [Clarification Statement:
Examples of human impact on the land could
include cutting trees to produce paper and
using resources to produce bottles. Examples
of solutions could include reusing paper and
recycling cans and bottles.]

*Although the standard is labeled for kindergarten,

Student Learning Objectives
the NGSS website states that it can be used in grades
K - 2.
By the end of this lesson, students will:
● Define and describe the four R’s - reuse,
reduce, recycle, and reinvent
● List ways in which they can apply each of the
four R’s in their own life
● Create a new object from other recyclable
objects (reinvent)

Prior Academic Knowledge Prior knowledge that students must know to be

Common Errors, Developmental
Approximations, Misconceptions
successful with this lesson include:
● Human activity affects the land, water, and
other living animals
● It’s important to care of the land
● Some ways that can help keep the planet clean
(throw away trash, clean up after ourselves,
etc.)
Some common errors students make are:
● Students may confuse the definitions of the
four R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle, reinvent)
Instructional Strategies and Learning Tasks

Launch The class will go outside and play the Recycle Relay Race game -
10 Minutes ● Students will be broken up into four groups (more can be made if
the class is very large).
● Each group will have ten recyclable items in which they need to
place into the correct recycle bins. Recycle bins will be labeled
with a picture to show where the items should go.
● Each member of the group will race to place their objects in the
correct bins. The group who places all their items in the correct
bins first wins.
Instruction The class will return to the classroom.
10 Minutes
The teacher will then explain -
“In the game we just played, we placed the items which people consider
trash into special bins and not the trash can. What is this action called?”
(Recycling.

The teacher will then ask the following questions about the topic of
recycling. The powerpoint will be used during this portion of the lesson.

● What is recycling?
○ It is a process in which waste is converted into reusable
material
● What type of things do we recycle?
○ Bottles, paper, newspaper, plastic containers, aluminum
cans etc.
● Why do we need to recycle?
○ Increasing population and an over reliance on disposable
items (such as plastic water bottles) leads to too many
landfills. Landfills are places in which trash is buried.
○ There is only so much trash that humans can bury in the
ground. We need more things that we can reuse more than
once.
● What are some other good things we can do apart from just
recycling?
○ Reuse, reduce and reinvent.

The teacher will then introduce and explain the four R’s.
● Reduce​​ - to use or create less of something, such as trash
This can be done by:
○ Saving items from being thrown out and reusing them
○ Buying items that have packaging that can be recycled or
is made out of recycled material
 ○ Buying items from places that use fewer containers or let
you use your own recycled ones

● Reuse​​ - to use something again

○ For example, plastics bags from the store can be used
again the next time you go shopping

● Reinvent​​ - to make new, useful things from recyclable objects.

○ For example, using old plastic containers as lunch boxes,
making crafts from old boxes and containers, making
jewelry boxes from old containers, making original toys
and dolls out of unwanted objects or even making
costumes from recycled material.

● Recycle​​ - ​a process in which waste is converted into reusable

material
○ For example, a factory can take recycled newspaper and
make it into new paper

Structured For this section, students will focus on the reinventing (one of the four
Practice and R’s) recyclable items into a new object.
Application ● Students will be placed into small groups or partners
30 Minutes ● Each group of students will be given a group of recycle objects,
such as plastic bottles, cardboard, plastic bags, newspaper, etc.
● Their goal is to create a practical object (something that can be
used in the future).
At the end of this section, each group will share what they made.
Closure The teacher will quickly review the definition of each of the four R’s.
10 Minutes Then the students will receive a worksheet, which will serve as their exit
ticket.
● Students will write the definition of each of the 4 R’s - reduce,
reuse, recycle, reinvent. They will write a second sentence of how
they will apply the four R’s in their own life.
Extension An extension of this lesson:
● Students will use the BrainPop Jr. website page titled “Reduce,
Reuse, Recycle” to learn more about the topic -
https://jr.brainpop.com/health/beresponsible/reducereuserecycle/
● They will first watch the video, then take the quiz, and then be
allowed to play the related activities/games
Differentiation/ Whole Class:​
Planned Support ● Students will compete as a whole class to complete the Recycle Relay
Race Game.
Groups of students with similar needs:
● Students will be able to work in small groups or partners.
 ● Below grade level students will receive additional support from the
teacher and peers in group work.
● The activity in the structured practice and application portion of the
lesson provides differentiation for the various academic levels of
students.
● The gifted and talented students will have the opportunity to help their
team members in the structure application and practice activity.
Individual students:
● At the end of the lesson, students will individually work on the Exit
Pass Worksheet.
Student
Interactions ● Whole class interaction - There is whole class interaction in the
launch and structured practice and application sections of the
lesson. In the launch, students are playing the Recycle Relay
Race. During the structured practice and application section, the
groups will share the object they made with the whole class.

● Small group interaction - Students will work in small groups

during the launch and structured practice and application section
of the lesson. In these sections, students will need to collaborate
with their group members to complete the activity.

Materials Materials used by the teacher (these are also the technologies used by the
teacher):
● Computer with internet
● Projector and screen
● Earth Day lesson powerpoint

Materials used by the students:

● Recyclable objects (paper, plastic bottles, aluminum cans, plastic
bags, cardboard, etc) - these will be used in the Recycle Relay
Race and reinventing activity
● Three boxes/containers labeled with a picture of paper, a plastic
bottle, and an aluminum can.
● Scissors
● Tape
● Glue
● Markers
● Popsicle Sticks
● Pencils
● Exit Pass Worksheet - attached at the end of document

Technologies used by the students: (in the extension section)

● Computer with internet
 ● BrainPop Jr. website -
https://jr.brainpop.com/health/beresponsible/reducereuserecycle/

Description
Assessments
1. Formative Assessments:
a. Answers from class discussion during the
instruction section of the lesson
b. Reinvented object - students will build a
practical object that can be used in daily life.
This will be used to assess if the students
followed the directions and understand how to
repurpose a recyclable object.

2. Summative Assessment: The students will complete a

the Exit Pass worksheet that reviews the four R’s they
learned about in the lesson. The students will write the
definition of each R followed by how they can apply it
in their own life.
*The summative assessment is at the end of the document

Resources:
http://www.nextgenscience.org/pe/k-ess3-3-earth-and-human-activity
http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/lessonplans/earth/recycling.html

 
 
 
 
 
 
Name:  
Earth Day Lesson Exit Pass  
For each of the four R’s listed below, write one sentence with the definition of the 
and a second sentence with how you will apply it in your own life.  
 
Reduce 
1. Definition:  
 
 
 
 
2. What can you do to reduce waste?   
 
 
 
 
Reuse  
1. Definition:  
 
 
 
 
2. How can you reuse items that one might throw away?  
 
 
 
 
Recycle 
1. Definition:  
 
 
 
 
2. How can you recycle in your life? 
 
 
 
 
Reinvent 
1. Definition:  
 
 
 
 
2. What can you reinvent from recycled material?