One day at a Time

Saving Our Community

 Saving Our Community
Teaching Point- Students will learn about recycling and understand how it effects the
environment and their communities.

Grade level/population- 2nd grade special education 12:1:1

Vocabulary- reduce, reuse, recycle, environment, clean, energy, pollute, community,

responsibility, citizen

Time Allotted- 12 50 minute periods and 1 full day field trip

Material- Hand out of Shel Silverstein poem “Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout would not take
the garbage out”, internet, Microsoft paint software, garbage

Objectives-

1) Students will understand the 3 R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle)

2) Students will understand the importance of recycling for the environment and
community.
3) Students will be able to understand the concept of recycling and understand what
garbage goes into the different bins.

Procedure-

Monday

1) As a class we will create an Acrostic poem using the word recycle so students
can become familiar with the word. We will sit on the rug and I will write the word
recycle on big paper on the easel. We will discuss what an acrostic poem is.
This should just be a review because they learned what an acrostic poem is
already this year. As a group we will create different sentences for each letter of
the word. (50 minutes)
2) We will read Shel Silverstein’s poem “Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout would not take
the garbage out” as a class and then as groups. I will read the poem to the class
first so they become familiar with it, then they will break into partners and read it
with a partner. (50 minutes)

Tuesday

3) We will have a class discussion about the poem from yesterday and I will ask
students the following questions: (25 minutes)
 What do you think would happen to our environment if everyone did what
Sarah did?
  If everyone through their garbage on the street how would that affect the
community?
4) We will sit in a group and we will use or problem solving skills to answer the
following question: (25 minutes)
 What can we do to keep the environment clean? Answers will hopefully be
things such as we can walk instead of going in a car, we can ride our bikes,
do not smoke, plant a tree, refill your water bottles, etc.

Wednesday

Ask a group I will explain what reduce, reuse, recycle means and we will draw the
symbol that represents reduce, reuse, and recycle. (25 minutes)

5) I will introduce certain facts to the students and how these things can affect their
environment and community. (25 minutes)
 Paper is made from trees.
 Many medicines are made from trees.
 The leaves put oxygen in the air and we are killing trees by not recycling
and polluting the air.

Thursday

6) All students that have permission slips will spend a day at the community park
looking for items that they think should be recycled. They will work in 4 teams of
3 for this activity. We will play a game and let the students compete to see who
can collect the most trash. This is an activity were students will have the
opportunity to brainstorm and reflect on what they have been learning all week.
The will be a very interactive part of the lesson because students will be out
engaging in community activities. It will also be very interactive because students
are trying to collect the most trash to win the competition. 9:30-2:00

Friday- 2 50 minute periods

7) After the field trip I will set up different garbage pals in the classroom the next
day.
8) Students will break into 4 teams of 3 for a garbage pal game (the same teams as
they were on the trip). Teams will have to put the item of garbage in the correct
pal.
9) We will have a competition to see who gets the most correct.

Week 2

Monday-50 minutes
 10) I will make sure I have the lab top carts for this activity and students will work
individually and use Microsoft paint to draw pictures of there experience with
recycling and the field trip. Their pictures are going to be used to see exactly
what they learned about recycling. They will use Microsoft paint and try to create
a picture that communicates what they learned about recycling. An example of
what the student artwork may look like is attached at the end of the lesson. This
Part of the lesson will help students visually explain what they learned and by
doing this it also reinforces in their brains what they learned. I will be able to see
the success of what they learned by looking at their artwork and listening to how
they present it.

Tuesday

11) After they are done doing their artwork students will present there work to the
class. We will have a publishing party in the class room. I will invite the principal
and assistant principles. (2 hours 30 minutes)

Standards 4 economics

Key Idea 4.1-The Study of economics requires an understanding of major economic

concepts and systems, the principles of economic decision making, and the
interdependence of economies and economic systems throughout the world.

4.1a-know some ways individuals and groups attempts to satisfy their basic needs and
wants by utilizing scarce resources.

4.1b-explains how people’s wants exceed their limited resources and that this condition
defines scarcity.-students will understand that we have exceeding our limits, we must
recycle to make sure our community is taking care of.

4.1c-knows that scarcity requires individuals to make choices and that these choices
involve costs.- students will understand that every person is responsible for recycling
and keeping our community safe.

4.1f-investigate how production, distribution, exchange, and consumption of goods and

services are economic decisions with which all societies and nations must deal.- this
standard is being met by students understanding about how recycling is done.
Student Art Creations