Recycling

In this social studies lesson, students shall demonstrate knowledge of the interactions of location, family, school and community, including an understanding of how to work to improve those locations. Students will be able to separate glass, plastics, cans, and white paper. Students will also understand that recycling helps keep the environment clean by reusing things instead of throwing them away. This lesson includes hands on learning as well as music that can be used as an extension.

Grade Level: 1-2
I. Concept to be Taught; Recycling

II. Instructional Objectives;
- Students will be able to separate glass, plastics, cans and white paper.
- Students will understand that recycling helps keep the environment clean by reusing things instead of throwing them in the garbage.

III. Materials;
- 4 waste baskets, boxes or bins labeled "glass," "plastic," "cans," and "white paper."
- song sheet with "There's a Glass Bottle a Going."
- examples of recycled glass, cans, plastics and white paper.
- 30-50 objects such as glass bottles, pop cans, white paper and plastic containers.

IV. Procedures;
A. Introduction:
1 . Show students the examples of the recycled glass, pop cans, plastic and white paper, but don't tell them what it is.
2. Ask students if they can guess what the examples are. If the students are having trouble guessing, help the students out by telling them such things as "You can find these things in your house."
3. Once the students have guessed what the pieces are than proceed to tell them that today they will learn how to separate objects into recycling bins so that they can help keep the environment clean by reusing things instead of throwing them into the garbage.
4. Explain to students that we need to separate the objects into special bins before we can make our old objects into new objects by recycling.
5. Sing the 1st verse of "There's a Glass Bottle a Going." (Make sure to introduce the song and sing the 1st verse once through so students know what the song is.) B. Learning Activities:
1. Show students a glass bottle and explain that all the glass materials must go in the glass bin.
2. Show students the glass bin and ask for a volunteer to put the glass bottle softly into the glass bin.
3. Sing the 2nd verse of the song.
4. Show students a plastic container and explain that all the plastic materials must go in the plastic bin.
5. Show students the plastic bin and ask for a different volunteer to put the plastic container in the plastic bin.
6. Sing the 3rd verse of the song.
7. Show students a pop can and explain that all the can materials go in the can bin.
8. Show students the pop can and other cans and ask for a different volunteer to put the can in the can bin.
9. Sing the 4th verse of the song.
10.Show students a piece of white paper and explain that all the white paper goes
in the paper bin.
11. Show students the paper bin and ask for a different volunteer to put the paper in the paper bin.
12. Sing the 5th and 6th verse of the song.
13. Put all verses together and sing all verses of "There's a Glass Bottle a Going."
14. Each student should get one of each of the materials that they just learned about.
15. Have students line up on each side of the bins and have students walk by the bins and place their objects in the right bins. Remind students that when they are done they should go back to their seats.

C. Conclusion:
1. Have students get into small groups. Than have each group go to a different classroom in the school and tell the students in the other classroom about recycling and how they need to separate the objects before recycling can take place. By presenting how toseperate objects in every classroom the whole school can have a school wide recycling project to help the community. (You may want to think about taping your class signing the song so that the students can teach the other students the song.)
2. Tell students that the class is going to keep the bins in the classroom so they can continue to recycle and help the community reuse things. Have students decide where the best place is to have the recycling bins (classroom, hallway, cafeteria.)

D. Extension:
1. You may sing the "There's a Glass Bottle a Going"
2. Have students decorate the bins to keep in the classroom.

V. Evaluation;
1. Evaluate students on how they did presenting recycling to other classrooms. (You may ask for the other classroom teacher to evaluate how your students did since you cannot be in all places at one time or do half of the classrooms at a time and the other half at another time so you can walk from class to class and see how your students are doing. Modify the evaluation to fit the size of the school.)

Song Tune: There’s a Little Wheel a Turnin

1. We separate before we recycle
We separate before we recycle
Before…before…
We separate before we recycle

2. There’s a glass bottle going in the glass bin
There’s a glass bottle going in the glass bin
The glass bin….the glass bin…
There’s a glass bottle going in the glass bin

3. There’s a plastic container going in the plastic bin…
4. There’s a pop can going in the can bin
5. There’s paper going in the paper bin.
6. Recycling keeps the environment clean.
Recycling keeps the environment clean.
Clean…Clean…
Recycling keeps the environment clean.

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