LESSONPLANTEMPLATE

YourName:DonaldA.Beaver
TitleofLesson:Trashpercentage/reduction
Grade:5thScience
STANDARDS

(PO 2.) Predict the results of an investigation based on observed patterns, not random guessing.

(3.W.2) Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information
clearly.

PO 1. Analyze information to generate ideas and processes.

PO 5. Record data in an organized and appropriate format (e.g., t-chart, table,list, written log).

LESSONSUMMARY/OVERVIEW

This lesson asks the student to examine the unit of the past four days and to reflect on
the data that they have acquired and contrast it against their own lives at home and in
school with a focus on reduce, reuse, and recycle.
OBJECTIVES

Write a Mission Statement.

Students will be able document their current average trash production and look for
ways to
reduce, reuse and recycle factors that create trash in their lives.

Students will be able to create a customized Mission Statement that they will be
able to implement for themselves.
ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION

The students will write his/her Mission Statement

The Mission Statement must be 1-2 paragraphs long; each paragraph must contain 8
sentences.
PREREQUISITEKNOWLEDGE

The student will use the knowledge of his/her own life experiences both at home and in
school in relating to trash production and also using the information acquired through
their life experience.

MATERIALS

Chrome books
Multimedia videos
Educational web sites
Pencil & paper
Individual Science Notebook.

VOCABULARY/KEYWORDS

Trash: anything worthless, useless, or discarded

Reduce: to bring down to a smaller extent, size, amount, number
Reuse: use again or more than once
Recycle: to treat or process (used or waste materials) so as to make suitable for
reuse:
Sustainability: the quality of not being harmful to the environment or depleting
natural resources, and thereby supporting long-term ecological balance

TEACHINGPROCEDURES

1. For a few days now we have been researching information about trash, watching
videos, and reading articles. Now lets make out own date that represents us as a
class.
2. Engage the students by asking a few general questions; by a show of hands how
many students drink bottled water? How many drink things like Gatorade,
PowerAde, Sunny D, and soda?
3. I want you to come up with a team name for your table, talk in your table groups
and make a list of all the different types of drinks youve had, any types of drinks
that you, your family, or friends have consumed. List any kind of coffee, tea, juice
box anything you want.
4. Let the student list out their drinks 5-7 minutes, while circulating the room and
listening to their ideas and discussions.
5. Bring them back in and have each table share out how many different types of
drinks and the amount on their list, count them all. Ask for a volunteer to write on
the board the amounts for each group.
6. Have the volunteer write the table team names vertically on the left side of the
board.
7. Then write the amounts of the drink names to the right of the table names.
8. Now I want you to list the types of container that drink comes in, for example glass
bottles, aluminum cans plastic bottles, etc. Just write it next to the drink, and if
that drink comes in several different containers just list the one you use most. OK
start.
9. After 4-5 minutes call on the tables to start sharing out one at a time.

10.
Write down 5 different container categories from the list created by the
students horizontally just to the left and above the amounts of drinks given by the
teams.
11.
Have the volunteer use a yard stick to draw rows and columns for the
different data.
12.
Have each team give the writer their container category numbers. And total
them with the help of the class.
13.
What you should see is a data table something like: Write this in page 80 of
you ISN.
Team
Names

Drink
Name

Aluminu
m

Plasti
c

Pape
r

Gla
ss

Styrofoa
m

Hello Kitty
Bears
Avengers
Wild Cats
Snakes
Lions
Sharks

30
25
28
21
31
18
23

12
9
13
8
11
5
8

15
12
10
10
14
8
12

1
1
3
2
3
1
1

1
1
1
1
2
1
1

1
2
1
0
1
3
1

Total Class

176

66

81

12

14.
Ok, so now we have some data we can study. First lets analyze the data and
do some math based on a couple of questions.
15.
Question 1: Which containers are the easiest to recycle? Show of hands for
Aluminum. OK, looks like the majority of the class. Now find the percentage of
aluminum for the entire class, you got 2 minutes. Answer: 37.5% over a third.
16.
Question 2: Which containers are the hardest to recycle? Show of hands for
Plastics. Ok looks likes plastics. Find out the percentage. Answer: 46% or almost
half.
17.
Question 3. Based on this data if you were going to change one thing on the
path to minimizing trash what would that be and why? Discuss in your groups for
1-2 minutes.
18.
Lets share out. Seems like the most popular response is to purchase drinks
that have containers that are easily recycled.
19.
I want you all to think of something, and talk in your groups for 1 minute.
What if all the students in this school used only the easily recyclable containers?
What about the whole district. What about the entire state? How much trash would
we eliminate?
20.
Ok, we have about 23 minutes left; I would like you to write a Mission
Statement for yourself of what you can do to reduce the amount of trash that you
produce. During this unit you have done a lot of researched on trash, where it
comes from, how much we make and where it all goes or ends up.
21.
Your Mission Statement should be for yourself and must be 1-2 paragraphs in
length with no spelling errors, and correct grammar and punctuation. It must be
put on a Google doc and uploaded to your student website.

WAYSOFTHINKINGCONNECTION

In this last lesson the futures thinking connection I was leading them to I felt needed to
have some background knowledge about the subject. In directing the students in their
research, one that would have a real a world connection to their lives, for example
researching the trash management systems in our cities here in the valley and other
research throughout this unit would give them the depth of knowledge to be able to think
forward for themselves in a positive way about their own behaviors in relationship to
trash production.
I think the investigative lessons with research and student to student discussions will be
more beneficial to the student as a whole because they themselves will be researching
the issues and making their own discoveries and exchanging ideas with their peers.