TEACHER'S GUIDE - Think Earth

T E A C H E R’S G U I D ET E A C H E R’S G U I D EGRADE 2 UNIT: THE RASCALS

E N V I R O N M E N T A L E D U C A T I O N C U R R I C U L U M

ThinkEarth

©2014 Think Earth Foundation All rights reserved. No part of this program may be reproduced, recorded, or transmitted except for not-for-profit educational purposes.

It's time to THINK EARTH! With more than 7 billion people now inhabiting the planet and putting pressure on both our natural and built systems on Earth, environmental education is particularly important. All of us must consider our Earth and learn to:

• conserve natural resources • reduce waste • minimize pollution.

The Think Earth Environmental Education Curriculum is intended to help students become more aware of their environment and begin to develop responsible behaviors and caring attitudes toward it. By teaching children at an early age that we are part of our environment and by empowering them with behaviors with which they can make a difference, we can help develop a generation of people who will "Think Earth" in their personal lives and as members of our global society.

The Think Earth Curriculum consists of 9 instructional units, for preschool through middle school. Each unit introduces new concepts and behaviors, while reviewing those learned at earlier grades. The units are interrelated and sequential, yet independent. Students need not complete one unit before beginning another one.

In this Second Grade unit—The Rascals—students are introduced to: • the 3 Rs:

- reduce how much they throw away - reuse as much as they can - recycle whenever possible

• the benefits of following the 3 Rs:

- creates less trash - conserves natural resources - reduces pollution

Teacher's Guide

Think Earth Environmental Education Foundation 2 www.ThinkEarth.org

Contents

Introduction…………………….…………………………………3 Unit Objectives Planning Materials Technology Use Standards Correlations Teacher Response Form

Lesson 1: Understanding the Environment……………………6 A. Administer the Pretest B. Conduct a trash sack activity C. Introduce and show the Think Earth video D. Discuss the Think Earth video Additional Activities

Lesson 2: Learning About Trash……………..……………….11 A. Show or read Story 1, The Rascals B. Conduct group practice using Trash/Resource cards C. Have students complete Practice Exercise 1 Additional Activities Script: The Rascals

Lesson 3: Learning to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle………19 A. Discuss the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle poster B. Show or read Story 2, The 3 Rs C. Provide group practice identifying recyclable products Additional Activities Script: The 3 Rs

Lesson 4: Practicing the 3 Rs………………………....………31 A. Use the poster to review B. Conduct role-playing C. Have students complete Practice Exercise 2 Additional Activities

Lesson 5: Reviewing Think Earth Behaviors….……………..38 A. Conduct a brief oral review quiz B. Discuss the Family Activity Sheet C. Administer the Posttest

Unit Follow-Up Activities…………….………………….………42 Glossary…………………………………….…………..………..43 Acknowledgements…………….……………….……….………44


1. Concepts. Students will understand the following environmental concepts:

a. We use natural resources from the environment to make products we use (e.g., trees for paper, plants and animals for food and cloth, mineral ore for metals, fossil fuels for energy and plastics and other products).

b. When we use and throw away products, we create a lot of trash. c. Most of our trash is buried in landfills, which means many natural resources are buried and

can't be used again; new natural resources from the environment must be used instead. d. There are problems with burying so much trash in landfills: natural resources are wasted;

landfills are filling up and land for new ones can be expensive and difficult to find; chemicals from the trash can leak into the ground and pollute soil and water.

e. We can recycle and reuse the natural resources in many of the products we now throw away. f. Paper, metal, glass, and plastic can be recycled to make new products. g. Recycling has many benefits: conserves the natural resources used to make the products;

saves energy; saves land; reduces pollution. h. We can reduce how much we throw away by using fewer disposable products (e.g., paper

towels, cups, and plates), by reusing or by giving away many other products (e.g., wrapping paper, clothes), and by repairing items (e.g., toys, appliances).

2. Skills. Students will:

a. Identity products that most families can easily recycle. b. Identify behaviors that help reduce trash.

3. Behaviors. Students will practice the following behaviors to help the environment:

a. Use only the paper products really needed. b. Use reusable rather than disposable products when possible. c. Recycle paper, glass, metal, and plastic whenever possible. d. Reuse, repair, or donate items. e. Turn off electrical appliances when they are not being used. f. Close doors and windows when heat or air conditioning is on. g. Turn off water faucets when brushing teeth and when water is not needed. h. Not litter.

Instruction on the unit's objectives is organized into five lessons with detailed instructional procedures for each lesson, including a listing of the objectives addressed, the materials required, and the preparation needed. The vocabulary words introduced in each lesson are listed prior to the procedures, highlighted within the lesson, and defined in the glossary. At the end of each lesson are additional activities, which can help students not only accomplish the lesson objectives but also apply environmental concepts and behaviors to other disciplines and to everyday living. Each of the five lessons can be completed in one or more days, depending on your class and the activities that you do. Following Lesson 5 are Unit Follow-Up Activities that can be used periodically throughout the remainder of the year to reinforce the unit's objectives and to help students further develop strong environmental attitudes and habits.

Planning

Unit Objectives

Grade 2: Introduction


In addition to this teacher's guide, you will need the following instructional materials, which can be found in the Grade 2 Section of the Think Earth website. Links to these items are also included in the procedures in this teacher's guide.

• Student Materials – PDFs of: - Pretest - Practice Exercise 1 - Practice Exercise 2 - Poster in black and white - Trash/Resource Cards - Family Activity Sheet - Posttest

• Posters – PDFs of: - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - Think Earth

• Think Earth Video - Narrated version - Unnarrated version

• Stories - The Rascals (video and PDF) - The 3 Rs (video and PDF)

• Songs - Think Earth, Think Earth

(vocals and instrumental)

Materials


https://thinkearth.org/curriculum/second-grade/document/viewDocument/1160









https://thinkearth.org/curriculum/second-grade/document/1118-think-earth-narrated

https://thinkearth.org/curriculum/second-grade/document/1119-think-earth-unnarrated

https://thinkearth.org/curriculum/second-grade/document/1164-story-the-rascals



https://thinkearth.org/curriculum/second-grade/document/1165-think-earth-g2-mp3

https://thinkearth.org/curriculum/second-grade/document/1166-think-earth-g2-instrumental-mp3

https://thinkearth.org/curriculum/second-grade/document/1163-story-the-3rs


The Think Earth curriculum is flexible and can be taught using various classroom technologies. The student practice exercises and the posters can be displayed directly from a computer with a projector or smartboard, or pages can be printed and displayed with a document camera. If students use tablets in class, you can load the pages onto the tablets. If you do not have access to or choose not to use these technologies, simply print copies and distribute them to students. The videos—Think Earth and the two stories—can be presented directly from a computer with a projector, smartboard, or television monitor. Students can also watch the videos on tablets, on individual computers in the classroom, or in a computer lab. The stories are also provided in PDF format so that they can be printed out. Standards correlation information is available on the Think Earth Standards Correlation Charts on the Think Earth website. All units are correlated to:

• Common Core State Standards • NextGen Science Standards • McREL Online Standards Compendium

After you have finished teaching the unit, please complete the brief online Teacher Response Form. Your responses will help to improve the program and to inform other teachers about the Think Earth Curriculum.

Technology

Standards Correlations


Teacher Response Form



http://www.corestandards.org/read-the-standards/

http://www.nextgenscience.org/next-generation-science-standards

http://www2.mcrel.org/compendium/

https://thinkearth.org/curriculum/teacher-response-form



Understanding the Environment

Concepts: Students will understand the following environmental concepts:

a. We use natural resources from the environment to make products we use (e.g., trees for paper, plants and animals for food and cloth, mineral ore for metals, fossil fuels for energy and plastics and other products).

b. When we use and throw away products, we create a lot of trash.

c. Most of our trash is buried in landfills, which means many natural resources are buried and can't be used again; new natural resources from the environment must be used instead.

d. There are problems with burying so much trash in landfills: natural resources are wasted; landfills are filling up and land for new ones can be expensive and difficult to find; chemicals from the trash can leak into the ground and pollute soil and water.

e. We can recycle and reuse the natural resources in many of the products we now throw away.

f. Paper, metal, glass, and plastic can be recycled to make new products.

g. Recycling has many benefits: conserves the natural resources used to make the products; saves energy; saves land; reduces pollution.

h. We can reduce how much we throw away by using fewer disposable products (e.g., paper towels, cups, and plates), by reusing or by giving away many other products (e.g., wrapping paper, clothes), and by repairing items (e.g., toys, appliances).

• Pretest • Think Earth poster • Plastic trash bag and various "trash"

items or the Trash/Resource Cards • Think Earth video

• Make a copy of the Pretest for each student. • Print and cut apart the 16 Trash/Resource Cards and put them (or the actual trash

items) into a trash sack. See Procedure B. • Preview and prepare to present the narrated version of the Think Earth video. • Prepare to project or display the Think Earth video.

• environment – everything living and nonliving that surrounds us • trash – anything that we throw away

Objectives

Materials

Preparation

Vocabulary

Lesson One






A. Administer the Pretest

• Tell students that for the next few days they will be learning about the environment with a program called Think Earth. Show students the Think Earth poster.

• Explain that before they look at the program, they are going to answer some

questions to see what they already know. Tell students that it is all right if they do not know some of the answers.

• Give each student a copy of the Think Earth Pretest. Have students write their

names and the date on the Pretest. • Read the directions for the Pretest aloud. Be sure students can identify the words

YES and NO. Then read each question aloud and allow students time to circle their answers.

• Circulate around the room

to check that students are responding to the right row.

• Collect the Pretests and

later correct them using this answer key. Calculate the average number of items correct for the class to record later on the Teacher Response Form.

Grade 2: Lesson One

Procedures

Directions: Circle YES or NO after your teacher reads each question.

© 2014 Think Earth Foundation

Name_____________________________ Date _____________________

C U R R I C U L U M

ThinkEarthE N V I R O N M E N T A L E D U C A T I O NPRETEST

G R A D E 2 U N I T : T h e R a s c a l s

Are aluminum cans madefrom natural resources fromthe environment?

Should all of our used products be put in the trashwhen we are finished withthem?

Is most of our trash burnedto get rid of it?

Do we bury natural resources in landfills?

Can everything we throwaway be recycled instead?

Is glass made from sand?

Can a Styrofoam food box usually be recycled?

Should you use a cloth towelinstead of a paper towel ifyou have a choice?

Should you use a paper cup instead of a washable glassor cup if you have a choice?

Should you put an emptyglass bottle in the trash can?

5

1

2

3

4

6

7

8

9

10

YES NO

YES NO

YES NO

YES NO

YES NO

YES NO

YES NO

YES NO

YES NO

YES NO






B. Conduct a trash sack activity • Put some actual trash items or some of the Trash/Resource Cards into a trash

sack. • Tell students you have a sack of trash ready for the trash can. Pull out each item or

card one at a time, and ask: – What is this? (e.g., newspaper) – What is it made from? (e.g., paper is made from trees) – Why is it in the trash? (e.g., someone finished reading it)

• When students have identified all the items, ask:

– Where do you think all of these things are going to go after I put them in the trash can?

– Are there any items that shouldn't be in the trash?

• Accept all answers. Some students may already know about recycling and other waste-reduction practices, but don't discuss them now. Tell the students that they will be learning a lot about trash and about what happens to it.

C. Introduce and show the Think Earth video

• Tell students that they are going to watch a video about how people live in the environment and about what can happen to the environment.

• Ask students what they think the "environment" is. Lead students to understand

that the environment is everything around us—people, air, desks, trees, water, windows, cars, etc.

• Tell students to watch the video to see how and why the environment changes.

Tell them also to look for what the people do to help make their environment better. • Show the video. Either:

- show the narrated version and use the questions below to discuss it; then show the unnarrated version, having various students provide narration for short segments;

OR - show the unnarrated version first and ask students to describe what they saw;

then show the narrated version and use the questions below to discuss it. C. Discuss the Think Earth video

• Use the following questions to discuss the video with the class. Either discuss with the whole class or divide the class into cooperative learning teams and have each team discuss several questions before calling on a team member to respond.

Grade 2: Lesson One






Discussion Questions: Think Earth Video

Questions Possible Answers

1. What are some things you saw in the video that come from nature? trees, water, sun, air, bird, fish, bear, a man

2. What are some ways people used things in nature to make things that they need to live?

People cut down trees to build houses and to make paper products. They built dams to store water. They pumped oil from the ground to make gasoline for cars and trucks. They grew food on the land to eat. They made bottles and cans in factories.

3. Where did you see trash in the video?

There was trash at people's homes, on the city streets, at the fast-food restaurant.

4. What happened to the trash at the apartment house and at other houses?

Trash trucks picked it up and took it to some open land where bulldozers buried it under dirt.

5. Were people using more things than they really needed?

Yes. People used more water, electricity, and paper than they needed.

6. Why did the Earth finally sneeze and look red-eyed and unhappy?

People were using too many things and were making too much trash.

7. How did people change after the sneeze?

People stopped wasting. They turned off water faucets, televisions, and lights when not in use. They watered lawns carefully instead of flooding them. They replanted trees. People walked and rode bicycles, instead of driving, which also reduced air pollution. They began to recycle newspapers, cans, and bottles instead of throwing them in the trash.

8. How did the environment get better when people began to change?

There was less traffic. Streams and lakes were full of water again. Trees were in the forest again. The air was cleaner.

9. Why do you think people didn't take care of their environment until the Earth sneezed?

They probably didn't think about how much water, wood, paper, and other natural resources they were using and about whether there would always be enough for everyone. They probably didn't think about where they would put all the trash they were making or about all the air pollution they were creating.

10. Why do you think this video is called "Think Earth"?

Sometimes people don't think about the environment on Earth. We make millions of products and then throw them away. We use up things in nature, make a lot of trash, and create pollution. Everyone needs to "Think Earth" to keep our environment nice.

Grade 2: Lesson One


Note: The activities at the end of each lesson reinforce and extend the unit's concepts, skills, and behaviors. Some help students apply what they've learned to their own surroundings. Some are "hands-on." Use these activities as time and interest permit. • Take an environmental walk. Take students on a walk around the school grounds

and/or neighborhood. Point out and have students look for indications that we are: – wasting resources (e.g., sprinklers watering the pavement, lights left on, doors open

with heater or air conditioning on) – making too much trash (e.g., overflowing trash cans or dumpsters, aluminum cans

or other recyclable materials in trash, paper written on only one side and thrown away unnecessarily)

– polluting or littering the environment (e.g., smoke from buses and cars; paper and other litter on playground, in cafeteria, or on streets; plastic six-pack rings that can harm birds and other animals).

Have students make a list of the wasteful things and litter they observe. Perhaps take photos showing things both helpful and harmful to the environment. Talk about the need and responsibility for each of us to help keep the environment nice.

• Create pictures and stories. Have students draw or paint pictures of scenes they

remember from the Think Earth video. Have them write stories to accompany either the pictures they create or photos taken on their environmental walk.

• Identify local environmental concerns. Inform students about some of the

particular environmental issues and concerns in your neighborhood or community (e.g., air pollution/smog, water quality, landfill space, etc.). Encourage students to ask their parents about these issues.

• Plan and give Think Earth talks. Have students plan short talks on the

environment, based on what they saw and learned from the video or from their environmental walk (e.g., "Why We Need to Think Earth," "How the Environment Helps Us Live," etc.).

• Conduct a "closed classroom" experiment. Tell students that for

the next week, the trash in their classroom will not be emptied. (You may have to get the cooperation of the custodian to do this, and you may have to get more trash cans.) Tell students that they are going to have to be careful about what they throw away. Explain that at the end of the week, they'll check to see how much trash they have and if anything didn't need to be thrown away.

• Conduct a litter experiment. Before students enter the classroom,

scatter various litter items around the room. Do not mention the litter. Watch students' reactions and behaviors. Eventually, ask students how they feel about having their environment littered. Discuss the problems litter can cause.

Additional Activities

Grade 2: Lesson One


Learning About Trash

Concepts: Students will understand the following environmental concepts: a. We use natural resources from the environment to make products we use (e.g., trees for paper,

plants and animals for food and cloth, mineral ore for metals, fossil fuels for energy and plastics and other products).

b. When we use and throw away products, we create a lot of trash. c. Most of our trash is buried in landfills, which means many natural resources are buried and can't

be used again; new natural resources from the environment must be used instead. d. There are problems with burying so much trash in landfills: natural resources are wasted; landfills

are filling up and land for new ones can be expensive and difficult to find; chemicals from the trash can leak into the ground and pollute soil and water.

• Trash/Resource Cards • Story 1, The Rascals (video or PDF) • Practice Exercise 1

• Prepare to present Story 1, The Rascals. You can show students the video, show

the PDF pictures and read the story aloud, or print the PDF and create a book to read to students.

• (Optional) Make copies for students of Story 1. See Procedure A. • Prepare to present Practice Exercise 1. Make copies to hand out to each student

and/or project on a screen or smartboard to use with the entire class. • Print and cut apart the 16 Trash/Resource Cards.

• aluminum – a light metal used to make cans, pots and pans, lawn furniture, and other products

• energy – makes things work or go • fossil fuels – sources of energy

(coal, oil, natural gas) that formed in the earth from the remains of prehistoric plants and animals

• landfill – open land where trash is buried

• metal ore – rocks that contain minerals used to make aluminum, steel, and other metals

• natural resources – things in nature, such as trees and water, that we use to make products and to live

• non-renewable – cannot be replaced once it is gone

• renewable – replaced by growth or never used up

• valuable – something important or worth a lot

Objectives

Materials

Preparation

Vocabulary

Lesson Two






A. Show or read Story 1, The Rascals

• Tell students that they are going to listen to a story about twins, Tony and Tina, and

about some funny little "rascals" that help them to Think Earth. • Present the story to students in one of the following ways:

– Show the video of The Rascals. – Project the pictures from the PDF and read the text from the script (included in the

PDF and at the end of this lesson). – Give each student a copy of the story or project the script and have students either

follow along as you read the story or read the story aloud themselves while you show them the pictures from the PDF.

– Print the PDF and create a book to read to students. • Use the questions below to discuss the story. Either call on individual students or

teams of students to answer questions.

1. Why did the rascal say that trash is valuable? (Everything we throw away is made from natural resources from the environment. Some natural resources, such as oil, cannot be replaced once we use them up. Others, such as trees, take a long time to replace. It also costs money to get the natural resources and make them into products.)

2. What kinds of things make up most of our trash? (Paper and yard wastes make up most of our trash. Other trash includes metal, plastic, and glass.)

3. Where did rascal #2 say our trash goes when it is taken "away"? (Trash is usually taken to a landfill where it is buried under dirt.)

4. Why do we have to pay to have our trash taken to a landfill? (It costs money for the trucks, for the gasoline, for the drivers, for the workers at the landfill, and for the land itself.)

5. Why did rascal #3 say we shouldn't bury so much waste in landfills? (1. The products we throw away are made from valuable natural resources that can't be used again if we bury them in the ground. 2. We're filling up our landfills too fast, and it is not easy to find new places for more landfills. 3. The trash in landfills can create gas, which pollutes our air. 4. Dangerous chemicals in some of the trash we bury can leak into the ground and pollute or poison our soil and water.)

Grade 2: Lesson Two

Procedures





6. Why does conserving energy save natural resources, like Tina said? (Most energy comes from burning fossil fuels, which are natural resources we get out of the ground. Oil makes gasoline, which runs our cars; natural gas and oil and coal are used to heat our homes and to make electricity. So when we use less energy, we use fewer natural resources.)

7. How does conserving water save natural resources? (Water is a natural resource, and though we use it over and over, we have only so much fresh water on Earth, and we don't always have enough where we need it. Also, it takes energy to clean water and to get it to our homes. So using less water means saving water and energy.)

B. Conduct group practice using Trash/Resource Cards

• Remind students that everything is made from natural resources—things in nature. Ask students to name some natural resources; as they do, list them on the board (e.g., trees, plants, animals, sand, rocks, air, water, oil, coal, natural gas, metal ore).

• Explain that some natural resources are never used up or they can be replaced; for

example, more trees can be grown. Tell students that these natural resources are called renewable, because we can get "new" resources.

• Explain that other natural resources cannot be replaced when we use them; for

example, once we use all the metal ore in the ground, we cannot get more. Tell students that these natural resources are called non-renewable, because we cannot get "new" ones.

• Hold up each Trash/Resource Card and ask:

1. What natural resource does this item come from?

2. Is this natural resource renewable—one we can get more of—or is it non-renewable, meaning it cannot be replaced once we use it all up?

(Answers are on the back of each card.) • Help students to realize that even though some resources won't run out completely, it

takes time and money and energy to get the resources and make them into products. • Continue practice, if necessary, by determining the resource base of various objects in

the classroom, e.g., desk, window, cabinet, book. Help students discover that everything comes from the environment.

• Ask students what happens to products when we throw them in the trash. (They

usually go into landfills.)

Grade 2: Lesson Two



C. Have students complete Practice Exercise 1, Trash and Natural Resources • To complete Practice Exercise 1, either:

– give each student or small group a copy along with a pencil or crayon, or – project the exercise on a screen or smartboard, or – give each student or group a copy AND project the page.

• After reading aloud the directions for each part, either read each item aloud to

students and give them time to mark their answers, or have students read and answer questions on their own.

• Correct the exercise using this answer key. IMPORTANT: Be sure students correct

any wrong answers.


C U R R I C U L U M

ThinkEarthE N V I R O N M E N T A L E D U C A T I O N

5

animals

Name_____________________________________

Practice Exercise 1: TRASH AND NATURAL RESOURCES

1

2

3

4

6

Are trees, animals, water, and metal ore natural resources? YES NO

Are natural resources used to make products such as paper, YES NOcans, and bottles?

Will less trash help our natural resources last longer? YES NO

Can we get more of all our natural resources if we run out? YES NO

Do we bury most of our trash in landfills? YES NO

Is there plenty of land left in our cities to open new landfills when old ones fill up?

Part A: After each question, circle YES or NO .


metal ore

sand

plants

trees

11

7

8

9

10

16

12

13

14

15

Part B: On the line next to each product, write the natural resource the product is made from.

woodenbaseball bat

cotton T-shirt

glass vase

leather belt

plastic doll

aluminum can

cardboard box

Styrofoam cup

window pane

frying pan

fossil fuels

YES NO

trees

trees

plants

sand

sand

animals

fossil fuels

fossil fuels

metal ore

metal ore

Grade 2: Lesson Two



• Create "Rascals" pictures and stories. Have students draw or paint pictures of the rascals from the story. Have them write stories to go with the pictures.

• Discuss local trash system. Talk with students about what happens to their trash.

Where do they put it when they "take it out"? When is it picked up? Where is it taken? Have any of the students been to the local landfill? With students, investigate how trash is collected and where it is taken in your neighborhoods. Do an Internet search to find information about waste management in your local area. Look for information on how trash should be prepared (bagged, sorted for recycling, etc.), and how to deal with special items such as hazardous or toxic waste, green or brush waste, and bulky items. Help students work together to summarize their findings in a report.

• Build a mini-landfill. Gather the following materials: large glass jar, soil, metal paper

clip, small pieces of plastic, newspaper, aluminum foil, pieces of food waste. Place a layer of soil in the jar and put a few solid waste items on top. Sprinkle lightly with water and then cover with more soil. Alternate soil and waste items, ending with soil. Water lightly every day and observe the decomposition of the solid waste items for about four weeks. Have students compare and contrast the decomposition of the solid waste items.

• Plan and give talks. Have students give short talks on trash and natural resources,

e.g., "Why we shouldn't throw so many things in the trash," "What natural resources are in your trash?"

• Make resource tags. Divide the class into six groups and assign a natural resource to

each group (animal, plant, tree, oil, sand, metal ore). Give each group a different color of construction paper and have groups make tags labeled with their natural resource. Have the groups tape their tags to items in the room that are made primarily from their natural resource.

• Classify trash. Have students keep track of everything they throw in a trash can for

one day. Encourage them to be specific: e.g., candy wrapper, banana peel, plastic sandwich bag. Have students work in groups or as a class to classify their trash. What got thrown away the most and the least? How could they reduce how much they threw in the trash?

• Demonstrate fossil fuels. Explain that millions and millions of years ago when animals and plants died, they were covered by mud, sand, and water and that the increasing pressure on them over millions of years turned them into coal, oil, and natural gas. To give students an idea of what these fossil fuels look like, show them:

– charcoal or chunks of coal (if coal is available in your area) – motor oil – a butane lighter (if safe and allowed)

Tell students that: – coal is a solid substance that is dug (mined) out of the ground – oil is a liquid that is pumped out of the ground – natural gas is an substance, like air, that either rises naturally or is pumped out of

the ground.


Grade 2: Lesson Two


Every day, Tony and Tina, who were not only brother and sister but also twins, took the trash out to the alley behind their house. They didn't like the job much because the alley was usually pretty messy. The trash cans were overflowing most of the time and trash was always lying around. For the past two days, however, they noticed that the alley didn't look so bad. The trash cans were still full, but everything was neatly organized and arranged. Glass bottles were in one box; aluminum cans were in another. Newspapers were stacked

neatly and tied with string. Grass clippings and leaves were swept into piles. "What's going on?" said Tony as he stood in the alley, looking around. "Who do you suppose did this, and why?" "Beats me," answered Tina. "I don't know why anyone would spend time cleaning this up. It's just a lot of trash!" "Trash! Who said this stuff was just trash?" Tony and Tina spun around quickly to see a strange little creature in a pointed purple hat pop up out of one of the trash cans. "I said that," replied Tina. "But who are you?" "I'm a rascal," answered the little creature, scrambling out of the trash can. "But who l am doesn't matter. What matters is all this valuable stuff people are throwing in their trash cans!" "Valuable?" Tony blurted out. "This stuff is just trash!" The little creature, his chest puffing up under his orange T-shirt, walked right up to Tony, jumped up on a trash can so he could look Tony in the eye, and said, "Every single piece of 'trash,' as you call it, is made from valuable natural resources."

"I know about natural resources," said Tina, moving up next to this little rascal. "Natural resources are what nature gives us—trees, water, soil, air, animals—they're all natural resources. I know conserving water and energy saves natural resources. But what do natural resources have to do with trash?"

Script: The Rascals

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2

Grade 2: Lesson Two


"Have a seat," the little rascal said, jumping off the trash can and pointing to some crates for Tina and Tony to sit on, "and I'll tell you. Everything you have—your clothes, your house, your toys—comes from natural resources. For example, those boxes you're sitting on are made from trees, and so are all these papers people have thrown out." "What's so valuable about trees?" asked Tony. "They grow all over the place." "Oh, yes, indeed, we can grow more trees," replied the rascal, "but do you know how long it takes to grow a tree?" Tony and Tina stared at him with blank faces. "Years!" he screeched. "Okay," said Tony, "I got it. Wasting paper wastes trees. But all this stuff isn't made from trees." "You're right," the rascal agreed. "This aluminum can is made from mineral ore—a rock mined from the ground. This glass bottle is made from sand, and all this plastic stuff is made from fossil fuels—like oil and natural gas. We can't grow more of these natural resources, and we're using them up fast. Once they're gone, that's it, no more, ever!" "Wow," Tina exclaimed. "That doesn't sound good."

"Just look at this alley," the rascal demanded, twitching his tail. Tina and Tony looked around. Most of what they saw was either paper or yard waste, such as leaves and grass. But there were also metal cans, plastic bags, old clothes, even an old car battery. "Gosh, there is an awful lot of stuff," sighed Tina. "This trash is a waste of natural resources," the rascal said, "and is making a mess of the environment."

Tony was thinking. "I guess picking up some of this junk is a good idea. Then the garbage truck will take it all away." Just as he said that, the top popped off another trash can, and another rascal appeared. "Away?" he called out, his ears wriggling. "There is no away! This stuff has to go somewhere." Tony and Tina looked from rascal to rascal. They were twins too. The only way you could tell them apart was by their T-shirts, one saying "R1" and the other "R2." "Well, where do the trash trucks take all this stuff?" asked Tina.

3

Grade 2: Lesson Two


"To the landfill," answered rascal number 2. "Everyone pays to have the trash trucks pick up the trash and take it to some open land." "And the trash is just dumped there?" Tina asked. "Oh, no. They don't just dump it," rascal number 2 continued. "Every day bulldozers spread it out and cover it with a new layer of dirt. It takes lots of work." "Sounds pretty good," said Tony. "The trucks take the garbage to the landfill and it gets buried. No problem."

"Wrong!" echoed a voice as a lid popped off another trash can and still another rascal appeared, an "R3" printed on his T-shirt. The rascals were triplets, not twins. "The trash trucks and the landfills do take care of our trash, but there are plenty of problems. First, did you forget what happens to the natural resources?" "Oh, yeah," said Tony. "They're buried and lost forever." "Very good," replied rascal number 3. "And what happens when the landfill gets full?"

"I suppose," Tina spoke up, "that we'll just open a new one." "Oh really," said R3. "Where? We have only so much land in our town, and we need it for other things besides burying trash. If we just keep opening landfills, someday the land will be covered with trash!" Tina and Tony looked at each other and wrinkled their noses. That didn't sound like a good idea. "Besides," said rascal number 3, continuing to sort the trash into boxes and piles, "there are other problems. The trash in landfills can create gas, which pollutes our air. Dangerous chemicals in buried trash can pollute our water. And that's not good!" "So, what do we do with our trash?" Tony asked. "Tony! Tina!" The twins' mother was calling them to come back into their house. The twins turned to answer their mother. When they turned back to the alley, the rascals were gone.

4

Grade 2: Lesson Two


Learning to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle

Concepts: Students will understand the following environmental concepts: e. We can recycle and reuse the natural resources in many of the products we now throw away.

f. Paper, metal, glass, and plastic can be recycled to make new products.

g. Recycling has many benefits: conserves the natural resources used to make the products; saves energy; saves land; reduces pollution.

h. We can reduce how much we throw away by using fewer disposable products (e.g., paper towels, cups, and plates), by reusing or by giving away many other products (e.g., wrapping paper, clothes), and by repairing items (e.g., toys, appliances).

Skills: Students will: a. Identify products that most families can easily recycle.

b. Identify behaviors that help reduce trash.

• Reduce, Reuse, Recycle poster • Poster in black and white • Story 2, The 3 Rs (video or PDF) • Trash/Resource Cards • Prepare to project the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle poster • (Optional) Make a copy of the black and white poster for each student. • Prepare to present Story 2, The 3 Rs. You can show students the video, show the PDF

pictures and read the story aloud, or print the PDF and create a book to read to students.

• (Optional) Make copies for students of Story 2. See Procedure B. • disposable – made to be used once and thrown away

• recycle – to turn old products into new ones

• reduce – to make less

• reuse – to use something again instead of throwing it away

Objectives

Materials

Preparation

Lesson Three

Vocabulary







A. Discuss the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle poster

• Project the color version of the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle poster. If applicable, have

students view the poster on their tablets or computers, or give each student a copy of the black and white poster.

• Explain to students that the poster shows part of our environment. Use the directions

and questions in the following chart to discuss the poster.

Discussion Questions: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Poster

Questions Possible Answers

1. On the poster, find some natural things in the environment.

water, air, sun, trees, plants, animals, people

2. How do these things help us live and how do they affect other things in the environment? - sun - air - water - land - plants and animals

sun - The sun gives us warmth and light and helps plants grow. air - Plants, animals, and people need fresh, clean air to live. water - Plants, animals, and people need fresh, clean water to drink. land - Food grows on the land. We build houses on the land. We take natural resources from the land. plants and animals - They provide food. We make paper out of trees. We make cloth from both plants and animals, e.g., wool, cotton.

3. Do you ever just enjoy things in nature?

Yes. Water is pretty to look at and fun to swim or play in. Trees and plants are pretty to look at, and trees provide shade and homes for animals. Animals are sometimes pets or are just nice to see in nature.

4. On the poster, find the place where these things originally come from:

- paper - food - aluminum cans - plastic

paper - forest food - plants and cows on farm

aluminum cans - metal ore mine plastic - oil fields

Procedures




Discussion Questions: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Poster (continued)

5. Is everything made from natural resources?

Yes. Everything comes from natural resources.

6. What are some things made from - trees? - plants? - metal ore? - fossil fuels?

trees - paper, boxes, houses, fences, furniture plants - food, clothes

metal ore - cars, cans, furniture fossil fuels - gasoline, plastic (used for bottles, cups, containers, toys, furniture, computers, etc.), chemicals (used in many cleaners, cosmetics, and other products)

7. On the poster, trace the life cycle of a can that gets thrown away.

from the metal ore mine to the can company, to the store, to someone's home, into the trash can, into a trash truck, out to the landfill

8. What happens to the metal ore when the can is buried in the landfill?

It is lost. It can't be used again.

9. What happens to the landfill when the can is buried?

The landfill fills up more.

• If you distributed black and white posters, either collect them or have students keep

them and color them in their spare time. Tell students that they'll be looking at the poster again.

B. Show or Read Story 2, The 3 Rs • Tell students that they are going to listen to another story about the three rascals. • Present the story to students in one of the following ways:

– Show the video of The 3 Rs. – Project the pictures from the PDF and read the text from the script (included in the

PDF and at the end of this lesson). – Give each student a copy of the story or project the script and have students either

follow along as you read the story or read the story aloud themselves while you show them the pictures from the PDF.

– Print the PDF and create a book to read to students.

Grade 2: Lesson Three





• Use the following questions to discuss the story. Either call on individual students or teams of students to answer questions. 1. How did rascal #1 say we can reduce the amount of trash we make?

(We can use fewer things that need to be thrown away, like paper cups, paper plates, paper towels, plastic spoons, disposable pens and razors. We can use washable, reusable products instead.)

2. How did rascal #2 say we can reuse things instead of throwing them away? (We can give old clothes to people who can use them. We can use shoeboxes and margarine tubs to store things. We can use old towels as dust cloths. And we can repair things and keep using them.)

3. What are other things you might reuse? (Answers will vary.)

4. What does recycling mean? (Recycling means to make new products out of old ones. For example, old metal is melted and made into all kinds of new metal products.)

5. What did rascal #3 say could be recycled? (We can recycle aluminum cans and other metal items, glass bottles and jars, some plastic products, and paper. Note: Check with your city or local recycling center to find out what is collected.)

6. What do you do with the things you're going to recycle? (Answers will vary depending on where students live. In many places, recyclables are placed in special containers and picked up at homes. In other places, recyclables can be dropped off at collection centers. Some recycle centers pay for certain materials, e.g., metal cans or plastic bottles.)

7. What are the 3 Rs that we should follow? (Reduce our use of things that need to be thrown away; reuse products instead of throwing them away; recycle paper, glass, metal, and plastic items whenever possible.)

8. How will following the 3 Rs help the environment? (Fewer natural resources will have to be used. Less trash will have to be disposed of. And the environment will be less polluted.)

C. Provide group practice identifying recyclable products

• Tell students that as you hold up each of the Trash/Resource Cards, they are to raise

their hands if the product shown on the card should be recycled. Tell students that if the product is not something usually recycled by most families, they should not raise their hands.

• Hold up each card and ask students to quickly raise their hands if the item can usually be recycled. (Answers are on the back of each card and in the following chart.) Make two separate stacks—recyclables and non-recyclables.




• After students have identified all the recyclable products, hold up each card in the non-recyclable stack, use the information on the chart to explain why some items are usually not recyclable, and have students suggest how those items might stay out of the trash. Discuss any items that students believe cannot be reduced, reused, or recycled.

Discussion Guide: Is it Recyclable?

Metal, Glass, Paper These items are most often recycled.

- Some items may be collected at your home. - Some items may need to be taken to a collection location.

Let students know how to recycle these items in their community.

Item Recyclable or Non-recyclable Other Examples

aluminum can recyclable other metal (steel) cans and containers (e.g., soup can), foil aluminum pie

pan recyclable

glass bottle recyclable glass cup, glass pan

glass jar recyclable

magazine recyclable catalogues

newspaper recyclable notebook paper, computer paper, paperback book

cardboard box recyclable gift box, cereal box, paper egg carton

paper bag recyclable file folder, envelope

Plastics There are many kinds of plastic. Look on the product for a recycling symbol with a number from 1 to 7 inside. Each number represents a different type of plastic. Different types of plastic must not be mixed for recycling. Each community accepts different types of plastic and different products.

Item Recyclable or

Non-recyclable Other Examples

plastic bag recyclable produce bag

plastic bottle recyclable jar (e.g., peanut butter), jug (e.g., milk, bleach), tub (e.g., margarine, yogurt)



Discussion Guide: Is it Recyclable? (continued)

Textiles Some textiles (e.g., cotton, wool, polyester) and leather can be recycled into other fibers and materials; however, very few places recycle these materials. It takes a lot of labor—sorting, removing zippers and buttons and other trim, etc. If the item is usable, give it to a friend or donate it to a charity. (Some charities sort for reuse or recycle.)

Item Recyclable or


cotton towel non-recyclable t-shirt, jeans

leather shoes non-recyclable handbag, belt, coat

wool hat non-recyclable sweater, blanket

Food-Contaminated Containers Materials contaminated with food or other substances that you cannot clean off cannot be recycled. One dirty product can contaminate thousands of pounds, causing all of it to go to the landfill instead of being recycled.

Item Recyclable or


food box non-recyclable coffee cup, French-fry box, candy wrapper, burrito bag, butter wrapper

Polystyrene Whether contaminated with food or not, Styrofoam® (polystyrene) is often not part of recycling programs because it is difficult to recycle. Try to avoid using Styrofoam.

Item Recyclable or


Styrofoam cup usually non-recyclable

egg carton, box, plate, food tray, packing "peanuts"

PVC and Mixed Plastics Beach balls, other inflatable toys, squeeze bottles, and other soft plastics are made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which isn't usually recycled. Hard plastic toys and other products (e.g., sunglasses, DVD cases) are made from mixed plastics, which cannot be recycled. Repair these items, if possible, and keep using them, or donate them.

Item Recyclable or Non-recyclable

Other Examples

plastic beach ball

usually non-recyclable

pool raft, doll, shower curtain, toy blocks



• Repeat trash sack activity. Repeat the trash sack activity from Lesson 1. This time

have students identify products that can be reused or recycled. Also, have them identify non-disposable substitutes for disposable products, such as a sponge instead of a paper towel.

• Create a 3 Rs display. Have each student bring five clean trash items from home. Set

up three "stations" or tables in the classroom, each one labeled with one of the 3 Rs: REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE. Ask students to put each item at the station for which it is best suited. For example, aluminum cans, glass bottles, and newspapers should go to the RECYCLE station. Paper towels and excess packaging should go to the REDUCE station. Old toys or clothes should go to the REUSE station. Discuss any items that don't seem to fit at any station, e.g., butter wrapper, broken pen. Divide the class into three groups and assign one group to each station. Have each group use the items at their station to create a display illustrating their table's method of creating less trash. Encourage students to create poems, posters, essays, and artwork. Leave the finished displays in the classroom or put them somewhere in the school to share with other classes.

• Create 3 Rs pictures and stories. Have students draw or paint pictures from the

second rascals story showing one of the rascals reducing, reusing, or recycling. Have students write stories to go with their pictures.

• Play "Who am I?" with Trash/Resource Cards. Have a student pick a card and play

"Who am I?" Allow the other students to ask up to five Yes/No questions to determine which product was selected, e.g., "Are you made from paper?" "Are you worn as clothing?" "Are you recyclable?"

• Give talks. Have students give talks on the 3 Rs: for example, "How to recycle and

make money," "Reuse so we don't lose." • Make more Trash/Resource Cards. Gather pictures of other items that end up in the

trash: for example, banana peel, cereal box, magazine, plastic wrap, etc. Paste the pictures onto cards and have students determine each item's resource base and whether this item could be reduced, reused, or recycled.

• Investigate your community's recycling program. Have students use the Internet or

contact local agencies to find specific information about your local community recycling programs. Is curbside pick up available? Is there a drop-off center? How do recyclable items need to be sorted or prepared for recycling? Have students create brochures, posters, blogs, or social media posts to raise public awareness of recycling in the local community.




• Learn a song. Teach students the following song. If desired, have students listen and sing along to the audio of either the vocal or instrumental recording. (Note: A new verse is added to this song at every grade level.)

(to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star") Think Earth, Think Earth Is our song. Everyone should sing along. Don't waste paper, Save a tree. It is good for you and me. Think Earth, Think Earth Is our song. Everyone should sing along. Turn off lights And the TV. It is good for you and me. Think Earth, Think Earth Is our song. Everyone should sing along. Reduce, reuse, Recycle, too. It is good for me and you. Think Earth, Think Earth Is our song. Everyone should sing along.


https://thinkearth.org/curriculum/second-grade/document/1165-think-earth-g2-mp3

https://thinkearth.org/curriculum/second-grade/document/1166-think-earth-g2-instrumental-mp3


For the next week, Tony and Tina checked the trash cans in the alley every day when they took out the trash. But the rascals were nowhere to be seen. Then one afternoon when the twins were washing the dishes, Tony put the last glass in the dish rack for Tina to dry and said, "Tina, grab some paper towels. There's water all over the counter and the floor." Tina hurried to the cupboard, opened the door, and stuck her hand in to pull out the roll of paper towels. But the towels wouldn't budge. She tugged harder,

but it felt as if something was tugging back. She knelt down to look in the cupboard to see what the problem was and came face to face with a rascal, who was holding on tightly to the paper towels. "So there you are," exclaimed Tina. "We've been looking all over for you. Come on out of that cupboard and bring those paper towels with you." "I'll come out," replied the rascal, "but I'm not bringing the paper towels with me." "Why not?" asked Tina as she backed up to let the little creature out of the cupboard. "Because," answered rascal R1, "you could use a sponge or a rag instead of the paper towels." "Yeah, so what?" Tony spoke up. R1 wasted no time jumping up on the counter so he could look Tony right in the eye. "So using paper towels when you don't need them," the rascal explained, "wastes natural resources and creates more trash that has to go to the landfill." And as he said that, he turned around to show the word "REDUCE" printed on the back of his shirt. "REDUCE?" said Tony and Tina at the same time. The rascal spun back around and explained. "Yes, REDUCE," he repeated. "You can reduce how much trash you have simply by using fewer things that need to be thrown away." "Like paper towels," said Tony. "And paper cups and plates," added Tina. "That's right," cried R1 jumping excitedly up and down. "And lots of other things, like disposable pens and razors, and plastic spoons and forks." "We'll do it!" said Tony. "We'll REDUCE how much trash we have."

Script: The 3 Rs

1



"We're going out to play," said Tina. "Why don't you and the other rascals come with us? By the way," she paused, looking from side to side, "where are the other rascals?" "Oh, they're around," answered R1, sliding off the counter. Then the rascal ducked around the corner and disappeared. "Wait!" called Tina and Tony, but it was too late; the rascal was gone. So they headed for the closet to get jackets before they went outside. They pulled on their matching red jackets and stared at each other.

The sleeves were halfway up their arms and the jackets wouldn't close. "We've grown," said Tony, wriggling out of his jacket. "It's time to get rid of these." Tina took her jacket off and the two of them walked straight into the kitchen and put the jackets into the trash can. Then they went back to the closet to get their sweatshirts. They opened the closet door, and there, sitting on the closet floor, were two rascals, wearing the red jackets they had just thrown away! The twins' mouths fell open. Tony was the first to speak. "We just threw those jackets in the trash," he said. "Why do you have them on?" "Because," started rascal number 2, jumping up off the floor and scurrying out of the closet, "these are perfectly good jackets. Why throw them in the trash when someone else—like us—can use them?" And at that he slipped out of the jacket, did a somersault, and stood up with his back to Tony and Tina. On the back of his T-shirt was the word "REUSE."

"REUSE what?" asked Tina. "All sorts of things," answered R2, turning around to face the twins. "The more you reuse instead of throw into the trash can, the less trash that has to go to the landfill." The rascal darted into the kitchen with Tony and Tina and R1 close behind. When he reached the trash can, he started pulling things out. "This shoe box," he said tossing it up, "could be used to store baseball cards. This old towel could be used for a dust cloth. And this ball could be patched and be almost good as new."

3

2



"Hmmm, you're right," said Tina, lifting a margarine tub out of the trash. "We do throw away a lot we can reuse." "But we can't reuse all this stuff!" Tony exclaimed, holding an aluminum can in one hand and an old newspaper in the other. The two rascals looked at each other, giggled, jumped up in the air, and ran out of the room. Tony and Tina started to chase them, but the rascals were too fast. The last thing the twins saw was the orange T-shirts saying "REDUCE" and "REUSE."

"They do like to disappear," sighed Tony as he turned to throw the can and the paper back into the trash. Just as they were about to fall into the trash can, rascal number 3 leaped up from behind the trash can and caught them, the aluminum can in one hand and the newspaper in the other. "These don't belong in the trash," R3 stated. "Why not?" asked Tina. "They're trash." "No, they're not," responded the rascal. "They're 'resources' that can be used again." Then he grabbed hold of the edge of the trash can, slipped

over the top of it, and landed on his feet so Tony and Tina could read the back of his T-shirt, which said "RECYCLE." "RECYCLE—I've heard of that," said Tina. "That's when old products are used to make new things." "Very good!" cried R3. "We can RECYCLE aluminum, glass, paper, and some plastic; and it's easy." "Yeah, but what do we do with them?" Tony wanted to know. The rascal stopped sorting and looked up at Tony. "That depends," he said, "on where you live. In some communities, the recyclables are picked up right at your home. In other communities, there are places to drop them off. Sometimes you even get money for them!" "Seems like recycling would really cut down on the amount of trash," said Tina, seeing how much R3 had taken out of the trash can to be recycled.

4



"Indeed it would!" answered R3. "And we save lots of resources, too, since it takes less energy to make products from recycled materials, and we don't have to find and use new natural resources." "So to make less trash," Tony said… "And," Tina chimed in, "help the environment..." Instantly, the three rascals appeared in front of them, and said all together, "You should follow the 3 Rs!" Then the rascals all spun around backwards and

Tony and Tina read aloud from their T-shirts, "REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE!" "Yes, yes, yes!" cried the rascals. Then they scurried out the door and disappeared.

5



Practicing the 3 Rs

Skills: Students will: a. Identify products that most families can easily recycle.

b. Identify behaviors that help reduce trash.

Behaviors: Students will practice the following behaviors to help the environment: a. Use only the paper products really needed.

b. Use reusable rather than disposable products when possible.

c. Recycle paper, metal, glass, and plastic whenever possible.

d. Reuse, repair, or donate.

e. Turn off electrical appliances when they are not being used.

f. Close doors and windows when heat or air conditioning is on.

g. Turn off water faucets when brushing teeth and when water is not needed.

h. Not litter.

• Reduce, Reuse, Recycle poster • (Optional) Poster in black and white • (Optional) Props for role-playing • Practice Exercise 2

• Prepare to project the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle poster • (Optional) Gather props for role-playing (sweater, sweatshirt, jacket, garden hose,

stuffed dog, trash can, soup can, plastic tub, magazine, napkins, sandwich bag, plastic spoon, paper bag, aluminum foil, paper towels). See Procedure B.

• Prepare to present Practice Exercise 2. Make copies (back-to-back, if possible) to hand out to each student and/or project on a screen or smartboard to use with the entire class.

Materials

Preparation

Objectives

Lesson Four





A. Use the poster to review

• Display the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle poster. (Optional: Have students also look at their own copies of the black and white poster or view the poster on their own tablets or computers.)

• Ask individual students to come up to the big poster and point out examples of the 3 R

behaviors listed in the first column below. Then ask the class the related questions.

Review Questions: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Poster

Find… Examples Questions Possible Answers

1. people reducing trash by using a product that doesn't have to be thrown away

- A man is washing windows with a sponge.

- A woman is carrying groceries in a reusable bag.

- A boy is carrying a lunch box.

What are some other products you can use that don't have to be thrown away?

washable plates and eating utensils, cloth towels, canvas bags

2. people reusing products instead of throwing them away

- An old tire is being used as a swing.

- Someone is putting old clothes in the charity bin.

What are some other ways you can reuse products?

Answers will vary, e.g., use empty tubs or jars to hold leftover food or rubber bands or nails; use old shirts as rags; give old comics or books to others to read.

3. examples of products being recycled

- People are recycling at home and in the park.

- There is a recycle bin at school.

- People are taking recyclable products to the recycling center.

How does your family recycle?

Answers will vary.

Procedures

Grade 2: Lesson Four



Review Questions: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Poster (continued)

Find… Examples Questions Possible Answers

4. the life of a can that is recycled instead of thrown away

from the metal ore mine to the can company, to the store, to someone's home, into the recycle bin, to the recycle center, back to the can company, back to the store, to someone's home, etc., i.e., not ending at landfill.

How does recycling a can help the environment?

Less metal ore has to be dug out of the ground. Less trash goes to the landfill. Less energy and water are used to make new cans from recycled cans than from new natural resources. Our land and air are less polluted.

5. people conserving water and energy

- A man is washing windows with a bucket of water instead of with a running hose.

- Child is brushing teeth with water turned off.

- A little pool is used to play in instead of a sprinkler.

- Television is turned off in the house.

- Child is closing the door as he leaves the house.

- People are biking or walking instead of riding in cars.

- People are carpooling.

How else can you conserve water and energy?

Answers will vary.



B. Conduct role-playing

• Tell students that they are now going to get a chance to Think Earth and show what they can do to help the environment. Explain that you are going to read several unfinished stories and they are to act out what they would do.

• Either read each story aloud or photocopy the stories and paste them on cards to give

to groups of students. Then have groups of students act out each story and provide endings. (Note: Sample endings follow each story but encourage students to do whatever they like.) Perhaps have students do two different endings—one that is helpful for the environment and one that isn't. Use the questions after each story to discuss why people act in certain ways.

Role-Play Cards

Old Clothes Characters: Shirley and Gloria Props: (optional) old sweaters, sweatshirts, and jackets Shirley is helping Gloria clean out her closet. They find several sweaters, sweatshirts, and jackets that are now too small for Gloria. "Come on," says Gloria "Let's go throw these in the trash can." What does Shirley say? (Shirley says that the clothes aren't worn out and that she or her younger sister could use them. Or, the clothes could be given to a charity who would give them to people who need them.)

Ask: Why don't more people reuse things instead of throw them away? (People may want new things and not think about what happens to the old ones. People may not realize how much it helps the environment to repair things instead of buy new ones. And people may not know what to do with some items, like outgrown clothes or old furniture, that they can no longer use.)

Water, Water Everywhere Characters: Robbie and Denise Props: (optional) garden hose, stuffed dog Robbie and Denise are going to give Fluffy, their dog, a bath. "You hold him and soap him up," says Robbie, "while l hold the hose over him." What does Denise say? (Denise tells Robbie that they will waste water. They could wash Fluffy in a washtub. And they could rinse him over the lawn so the water from the hose isn't being wasted watering the cement.)

Ask: What are some other things we can do not to waste water? (We can turn off the water while we're brushing our teeth. We can fill the tub only part way when we take baths. We can use a bucket of water and not leave the hose running when we wash cars.)



Role-Play Cards (continued) In the Trash Characters: Garrett and Garrett's mother or father Props: (optional) trash can, soup can, plastic tub, magazine Garrett is helping his mother clean up after dinner. She throws a soup can in the trash. Garrett notices that there is a plastic tub and a magazine in the trash as well. He tells his mother that these things can be recycled. "It's too much trouble to separate all that stuff," says his mother. What does Garrett say or do? (Garrett could tell his mother that recycling saves resources and reduces trash. He explains to his mom how recycling is done in their community and volunteers to help recycle items in their home from now on.)

Ask: Why don't more people recycle products? (They think it's a lot of trouble to separate the trash. It's easier just to throw everything in one can. People may not know they can get money for recycling. People may not realize how much recycling helps the environment.)

Ask: What would make it easier for people to recycle? (Answers will vary.)

Lunch To-Go Characters: Hilary and Duncan Props: (optional) napkins, sandwich bag, plastic spoon, paper bag, aluminum foil, paper towels Duncan and Hilary are packing lunches for school. Hilary makes a sandwich, wraps it in foil, and puts it into a plastic sandwich bag. Then she wraps an apple in several paper towels. She puts these things in a paper lunch sack, along with a container of yogurt, a plastic spoon, and 7 napkins. What does Duncan tell Hilary? (Duncan tells Hilary that she is wasting resources and creating too much trash. She should just put the sandwich in a plastic bag, not wrap it in foil, too. Or she could put it in a reusable container that she could bring home and wash. She doesn't need to wrap the apple in paper towels. She could take a metal spoon instead of a plastic one and bring it home. She needs only one or two napkins. And she could put her lunch in a reusable, washable bag instead of a paper sack.)

Ask: Why do people use so many things that just get thrown away? (They don't realize that they are wasting natural resources. And they don't realize that our landfills are filling up and that our trash has to go somewhere. Sometimes it's more convenient to use throw-away products.)

Ask: Is it sometimes okay to use disposable products? (Yes. For example, we sometimes need to use paper towels and napkins; and disposable plates and utensils might be better for a picnic or other outing.)



C. Have students complete Practice Exercise 2, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle • To complete Practice Exercise 2, either:

– give each student or small group a copy along with a pencil or crayon, or – project the exercise on a screen or smartboard, or – give each student or group a copy AND project the page.

• Work through each part of the exercise—A, B,

and C—with the class. If students have their own copies, have them mark their answers as you go.

• For Part C, read the explanation below for each

item. After students have marked their answers, ask someone to explain how each behavior helps or hurts the environment. Part C 1. Greg has just finished his juice. Should he

put the can in the recycle box, as the first picture shows? Or should he just throw his empty can in the trash, as the second picture shows?

2. Suki is having lunch. Should she use a paper plate and plastic knife and fork and then throw them away, as the first picture shows? Or should she use a plate and silverware that can be washed and used again, as the second picture shows?

3. Eric is brushing his teeth. Should he let the water run while he's brushing? Or should he turn the water off and then turn it back on?

4. Cherry has an empty plastic container. Should she use it to store some leftover food or other items? Or should she throw it away?

• Correct the exercise using this answer key.

IMPORTANT: Be sure students correct any wrong answers.


C U R R I C U L U M


Name_____________________________________

Practice Exercise 2:REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE


Page 2 of 2

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Part C: Put an X through the box where someone is NOT helping the environment.


C U R R I C U L U M


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Name_____________________________________

Practice Exercise 2: REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE

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Can most families cut down on their trash? YES NO

Does recycling mean turning used products into new ones? YES NO

Can some of the things we throw away be used again by us or other people? YES NO

Can everything we throw away be recycled instead? YES NO

Is using throw-away products like paper plates, plastic spoons, and paper towels good for the environment? YES NO

Does recycling save natural resources and energy?

Part A: After each question, circle YES or NO .


Part B: Can these things usually be recycled? Circle YES or NO .

YES NO

Page 1 of 2

7 aluminum can 8 glass bottle 9 T-shirt 10 Styrofoam box

YES NO YES NO YES NO YES NO

11 writing paper 12 plastic bottle 13 candy wrapper 14 newspaper

YES NO YES NO YES NO YES NO



• Reshow the Think Earth video. Show the unnarrated version of the video and ask

various students to narrate short segments. • Make a Think Earth mural. Title the mural "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" and have

students either draw or find and attach pictures that show people following the 3 Rs. • Study natural cycles. Discuss recycling in nature, especially the water cycle.

Compare nature recycling with our recycling paper, aluminum, glass, and plastic. • Make recycling boxes for your classroom. If your school does not already

participate in a recycling program, find out how your community collects items for recycling. Have students label boxes for these items and place them in the classroom so students can recycle their waste. If your state or community provides cash refunds for certain items, raise funds for your classroom or school by collecting and redeeming these items.

• Practice math. Use the fact that each person produces about four pounds of trash a

day to have students create and solve math problems using repeated addition. For example, how much trash does a person produce in a week? How much does each family produce in a day? In a week? Have students draw pictures or symbols to represent the amount of trash their families produces in a week and write an equation to represent their thinking.

• Draw pictures and write stories. Ask students to think about a 3 R behavior they can

do at home. Have students draw pictures or take photos of themselves reducing, reusing, or recycling, and then write stories about their drawings or photos.

• Make paper. Gather the following materials: newspaper, buckets or bowls, water, electric or hand beaters, pieces of screen or felt. Have students tear the newspaper up into small pieces. Fill the buckets or bowls with one part paper pieces and two parts water and allow to sit overnight. The next day, use an electric or hand beater to pulp the paper. Beat the mixture until it looks like mush. Have students place a handful of paper mush on a piece of screen or felt and mold it to the size of a sheet of paper they wish to make. Press out the excess water by hand or use a rolling pin. Let the paper dry one or two days. When it feels dry, remove it from the screen or felt. Have students use their paper for an art project.





Reviewing Think Earth Behaviors

• All • Family Activity Sheet • Posttest • Make a copy of the Family Activity Sheet for each student (back-to-back, if possible), or

post it online or email it to families.

A. Conduct a brief oral review quiz • Use the questions below to briefly review the concepts presented in the unit. • Conduct the review in one of the following ways:

– Read questions aloud and have individual students respond and explain their answers.

– Have students number a sheet of paper from 1 to 10 and write YES or NO after you read each question.

– Give each student two different colored cards, e.g., green for YES and red for NO. Have students hold up the appropriate color card after you read each question.

– Divide the class into teams, giving each team a point for a correct answer. 1. Are natural resources used to make products like newspapers, cans, and

bottles? (Yes.)

2. Does throwing away so many products waste natural resources from the environment? (Yes. All products are made from natural resources from the environment.)

3. Is most trash put into the ocean? (No. Trash should not be put in the ocean. Our trash is buried in landfills.)

Objectives

Materials

Preparation

Procedures

Lesson Five




4. Are places for new landfills easy to find? (No. There is limited land for landfills in most places.)

5. Can all products be recycled instead of thrown in the trash? (No. Not everything can be recycled. Most metal, paper, and glass, and some plastic can be recycled. We do not usually recycle clothes or other fabrics, dirty food containers and wrappers, plastic toys, etc.)

6. Does recycling mean to wash and refill soft drink cans? (No. Used cans are melted and made into new cans when recycled. Recycling means to turn old products into new products.)

7. Do we throw away many products that could be reused by us or other people? (Yes. We throw away boxes, bags, and clothes that could be reused. And we could repair things instead of throwing them away and buying new ones, such as appliances and electronics.)

8. What should we do with a bag we get from the grocery store or another store to carry what we've bought? (We should reuse the bag and then recycle it when it is no longer useful or needed. We can take our own bags with us when we go shopping.)

9. Should you put magazines in the trash can? (No. We should recycle them or reuse them by giving them to other people.)

10. Will it help the environment if we make less trash? (Yes. We'll use fewer natural resources, save energy, create less pollution, and send less to the landfill.)

B. Discuss the Family Activity Sheet

• Hand out a copy of the Family Activity Sheet to each student. Have students write their

names on both sides of the sheet. Tell them that they are to take this sheet home so that their families can learn about the environment and about how to Think Earth. (Alternatively, project the pages and tell students that you will be emailing the Family Activity Sheet to their families or posting it online for their families to download.)

• Have students look at page 2, "My Helpful Habits." Explain that the eight statements

describe ways that they can help the environment. • Ask individual students to read each item aloud. After each statement is read, ask

students to mark how often they do this behavior—Always, Sometimes, or Never. Check to see that students are marking only one box for each item.

• Tally answers as you go, or at the end, to see which behaviors need the most

improvement. Ask students what they think would help more people always practice helpful habits.

Grade 2: Lesson Five



• Have students look at page 1. Explain that they are to discuss the five behaviors on this page at home with their parents. These are things that families can do together.

• Tell students that they will share in class what happened at home when they looked at

the Family Activity Sheet with their families.



D. Administer the Posttest • Distribute the Posttest and administer in the same manner as the Pretest. • Collect the completed tests. Later, correct the Posttests using this answer key and

compare scores to the Pretest. Calculate the average percent correct for the class to record on the Teacher Response Form.

• Return the tests and go over them with the class. Congratulate students on learning to

Think Earth.

Note: Upon completion of this curriculum unit, please fill out and submit the online Teacher Response Form.


Directions: Circle YES or NO after your teacher reads each question.


Name_____________________________ Date _____________________

C U R R I C U L U M

ThinkEarthE N V I R O N M E N T A L E D U C A T I O NPOSTTEST


Are natural resources usedto make cans and bottles?

Should we put everythingwe don’t want in the trashcan?

Is it easy to open new landfills?

Does recycling mean turning used products intonew ones?

Will it help the environment if we have less trash?

Can cardboard boxes be recycled?

Is it better for the environ-ment if you give old clothesaway rather than put them in the trash?

Should you save a cleanpaper bag to use again?

Should you usually use 3 or 4 paper towels to dry your hands?

Should you put an empty aluminum can in the trash?

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YES NO

YES NO

YES NO

YES NO

YES NO

YES NO

YES NO

YES NO

YES NO

YES NO




Note: Use the following activities during the remainder of the year to reinforce the unit objectives and to help students develop strong environmental attitudes and behaviors.

• Read stories. Read other stories about living in the environment. A literature list is included on the Think Earth Curriculum Home Page.

• Arrange field trips. Arrange for a field trip to your local landfill or recycling center. Other

possibilities include factories that make recycled paper or aluminum and charitable organizations that collect, renew, and distribute old clothes, appliances, and other items.

• Start a school recycling campaign. If your school is not already recycling, contact

recycling centers in your community to determine what kinds of materials are accepted, how the materials should be prepared, and the prices paid for the materials. Allocate responsibilities to specific students, teachers, and others for publicizing the recycling campaign, collecting and storing the recyclables, preparing the materials for the recycler, transporting materials to the recycler, and keeping records.

• Conduct more role-playing. Have students make up more unfinished stories about the

3 Rs and act them out.

• Review helpful habits. Write the eight behaviors from the Family Activity Sheet on the board. Have students identify how each behavior helps the environment. Then tally how many students are practicing each behavior.

• Monitor class trash can. Periodically analyze the class trash can with students at the

end of the day. Is paper being written on both sides and used sparingly? Are there items in the trash that can be reused or recycled? Have students make pictures or bar graphs to show the contents of the trash and have them ask and answer questions about their data.

• Do a litter search. Explain to students that they are going to search for litter on the

school grounds. Divide students into pairs and give each pair a litter bag, a pair of gloves, a yardstick or tape measure, a pad of paper, and a pencil. Assign an area of the schoolyard for each pair to search for litter. As they find a piece of litter, they are not only to pick it up, but also to record where it was found, what type of litter it is, and how far it was from the nearest trash can. When students have completed their data gathering, have them make bar graphs showing the kinds of litter found (i.e., paper, food, plastic, metal, glass, etc.), and the distance from the trash can (i.e., 0-1 foot, 1-5 feet, 5-10 feet, etc.). Ask what could be done to reduce the amount of litter.

• Start a borrow box. Label a large box "The Borrow Box" or "Reuse Receptacle," and

place it in the classroom. Ask students to bring in reusable items that they no longer want (books, games, toys, etc.) and put them in the box. (Perhaps have several boxes for different items, or different shelves on a bookcase.) Create an "inventory" list, and establish a method for students to be able to borrow or take an item.

Unit Follow Up Activities

Second Grade: Uni Follow Up



• aluminum – a light metal used to make cans, pots and pans, lawn furniture, and other

products • disposable – made to be used once and thrown away • energy – makes things work or go • environment – everything living and nonliving that surrounds us • fossil fuels – sources of energy (coal, oil, natural gas) that formed in the earth from the

remains of prehistoric plants and animals • landfill – open land where trash is buried • metal ore – rocks that contain minerals used to make aluminum, steel, and other

metals • natural resources – things in nature, such as trees and water, that we use to make

products and to live • non-renewable – cannot be replaced once it is gone • recycle – to turn old products into new ones • reduce – to make less • renewable – replaced by growth or never used up • reuse – to use something again instead of throwing it away • trash – anything that we throw away • valuable – something important or worth a lot

Glossary


The Think Earth Environmental Education Foundation greatly appreciates the following organizations who have contributed to the development of the Think Earth Online Curriculum. Evergreen Level: $20,000 or more

Edison International

Joseph Stanley Leeds Foundation

Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County

South Coast Air Quality Management District

Water Replenishment District

Sapling Level: $10,000 to $15,000

Conrad N. Hilton Foundation

Sempra Energy

Acknowledgements

TEACHER'S GUIDE - Think Earth

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