KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY

ELEMENTARY EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

PROFESSIONAL SEMESTER PROGRAM
LESSON PLAN FORMAT
Teacher: Victoria Castner
Group Size: 20

Date: Day 5
Allotted Time: 50 minutes

Grade Level: 2

Subject or Topic: Reuse and Recycle

STANDARD: (PA Common Core):
4.5.2.C: Identify how people can reduce pollution.
I.

Performance Objectives (Learning Outcomes)

The 2nd grade students will explore way to reuse items to help the environment by
taking items that could be thrown away or recycled, and instead, planning a
design to remake them into something new.

II.

Instructional Materials
A. Smartboard
B. Recycle: A Handbook for Kids by Gail Gibbons
C. Bag for props/props inside
D. 5 Reuse This! Bins
E. 20 rubrics for students
F. 20 sheets of blank white paper

III.

Subject Matter/ Content (prerequisite skills, key vocabulary, big idea, new
content)
A. Prerequisite Skills:
1. The students know of animals and plants that make up the temperate
forest.
2. The students can work well in the predetermined groups they are
assigned to.
B. Key Vocabulary:
1. Recycle: convert waste into a reusable material.
2. Reuse: action of using something again.
C. Big Idea:
1. By reducing, reusing, and recycling, we can help keep our temperate
forest biome maintained and at its best.
D. New Content:
Items can be recycled into 4 groups. These groups are paper, plastic,

metal and glass. Items can also be reused. This means taking
something like a water bottle and refilling it or using it as something
new, such as part of a craft. Items can be reduced if we use less of
them. For example, we can use a lunch box instead of brown bags
everyday.
IV. Implementation
A. Introduction
1. The teacher will pull out a grab bag. Inside the bag will be a recycling
symbol, a can, a water bottle, a glass Snapple bottle, and a worksheet. The
teacher will ask the students to turn and talk with their tables about what
these items have in common.
2. The students will turn and talk.
3. The teacher will call on students to share ideas.
4. The teacher will say the right answer is that all these items can be
recycled. Today we are going to learn about what it means to recycle, and
why recycling can help make the temperate forest the best it can be!
B. Development
1. The teacher will hold up all the items in her bag and say, Talk with your
tables. What do you think could happen if all these items were littered
outside in a place like the temperate forest?
2. The students will turn and talk.
3. The students will share ideas and the teacher will list them on the
smartboard.
a. Ideas should include, the animals like birds, could eat these instead
of the foods they need, hurt or kill animals, smother plants, start
fires, attract rats and bacteria, ect. The teacher will add to the list as
needed to hit those key ideas.
4. The teacher will read the book, Recycle! A Handbook for Kids, by Gail
Gibbons. This book teaches about sorting recyclables and the process they
go through.
5. The teacher will say today, we are going to practice the three Rs. Reduce,
reuse, recycle. The teacher will explain that reduce means to use less. So
for example, using a lunch box instead of throwing away a brown bag
everyday. Reuse means to use something again. An example could be
taking a water bottle and using it again or using it for something brand
new, such as a part of a craft.
6. The teacher will give each child a Reuse this! bin. There will be 5
groups, each with 4 students. The groups have been predetermined. The
teacher will explain that everyone is being graded on this project. She will
hand out the rubric and explain it after giving the directions. In the bin will
be recycled objects, such as water bottles, cans, cereal boxes, shoe boxes,
mason jars, plastic containers, ect. There will also be craft supplies such as

crayons, markers, glue, scissors, pom-poms, sequins, heavy tape, ect. The
teacher will also give each student a piece of blank paper to sketch his or
her ideas onto.
7. The teacher will explain the directions. With your groups, you are to first
explore the items in your bins. Then you must work together to come up
with an idea to use some of these products. For example, I could cut this
cereal box open, decorate it to make sure I use at least one of each
material, and tape the outside border to turn it into a place for students to
turn papers into. Once you have an idea, each member must sketch it out
as a plan. Your sketch must include labels. I will approve your idea, and
then you can get to work on creating it!
8. The students will work with their groups to create and sketch ideas.
9. The teacher will circulate monitoring progress and scaffolding as needed.
10. All students will create something new, reusing the materials in their bins.
C. Closure
1. The teacher will ask each group to share.
2. The groups will come up one at a time to show the class their new
creations.
3. The teacher will ask, Turn and talk with a partner about why it is
important to reuse and recycle materials, instead of throwing them away.
4. The teacher will share on a student to say that recycling reduces the
harmful effects on our environment. The teacher will use this as a whole
group discussion to clarify understanding if necessary. The teacher will
also explain that we can do this at home, and reuse things instead of
throwing them away.
5. The students will bring up their bins and creations and turn in their idea
sheet.
D. Accommodations / Differentiation
1. Students will be discussing in small groups and whole group through out
the lesson.
2. The students will be creating something new hands on.
3. To accommodate a student with Autism, the teacher will make that child a
checklist/schedule for the lesson. It will read:
a. Grab bag
b. Teacher will read a recycle book
c. Brainstorm, sketch and label creation idea
d. Draw creation idea
e. Make your creation
f. Share with the class
g. Class talk
h. Clean up

E. Assessment/Evaluation plan
1. Formativea. The teacher will use a checklist. Each student will earn Complete or
Incomplete on drawing out their ideas. The teacher will also mark
Participating or Not Participating for the day. The student must be
talking with and contributing within their group to earn participating.
2. Summativea. There is no summative evaluation for this lesson.
b. At the end of the unit, students will complete a unit test.

3. Performance Assessment:
The students will be assessed on their performance of the day using the
following rubric:

Material
Design

Use of
Materials

Presentation

Awesome Job!

Good Effort

3
Student has
planned, and
sketched with
labels for their
work ahead of
time.
Students used
all 4 types of
recyclables to
create their new
design!

2
Student has
planned and
sketched, but
without labels.

Student spoke
clearly, made
eye contact,
was and was
loud.

Students used
2-3 different
types of
materials to
create their
design.
Student spoke,
but was missing
one of the key
elements (clear,
eye contact,
loud)

Needs
Improvement
1
Student has
only orally
planned and has
no sketch.

Incomplete

Students used 1
material type to
create their
design.

Students did
not use any
materials and
did not create a
new design.

Student spoke
but was missing
two of the key
elements (clear,
eye contact,
loud)

Student did not

speak during
group
presentation.

0
Student has not
planned at all
before starting
to use
materials.

V. Reflective Response
A. Report of Students Performance in Terms of States Objectives (Reflection on
students performance written after lesson is taught, includes remediation for
students who failed to meet acceptable level of achievement)
1. Report of Student Performance:

2. Remediation Plan: Students who are not participating in the activity will
be asked to stay inside during recess. These students will be given another
bin to try again. The teacher will assist these students as needed to guide
them.
B. Personal Reflection (Questions written before lesson is taught.)(Reflective
answers to questions recorded after lesson is taught.)
1. Was I able to keep the class under control?

2. Was I able to answer any questions the students had to give them a
further explanation if needed?
VI. Resources
Gibbons, G. (1992). Recycle!: A handbook for kids. Boston: Little, Brown.

Name_______________________________
Date_____________
Directions: With your group, you will use materials from your Reuse This! bins to
create something new from recycled goods. Please use at least one material from
each category, (paper, plastic, glass, metal). You must sketch your design and have it

teacher approved before you begin building! We will be presenting these at the end
of class today.

Material
Design

Use of
Materials

Presentation

Score: ____/9

Awesome Job!

Good Effort

3
Student has
planned, and
sketched with
labels for their
work ahead of
time.
Students used
all 4 types of
recyclables to
create their new
design!

2
Student has
planned and
sketched, but
without labels.

Student spoke
clearly, made
eye contact,
was and was
loud.

Students used
2-3 different
types of
materials to
create their
design.
Student spoke,
but was missing
one of the key
elements (clear,
eye contact,
loud)

Needs
Improvement
1
Student has
only orally
planned and has
no sketch.

Incomplete

Students used 1
material type to
create their
design.

Students did
not use any
materials and
did not create a
new design.

Student spoke
but was missing
two of the key
elements (clear,
eye contact,
loud)

Student did not

speak during
group
presentation.

0
Student has not
planned at all
before starting
to use
materials.