Lesson Three: How Does Madison, WI Recycle?
Grade: 4th/5th Time Needed: 45 minutes Unit: From Trash to Treasure
Essential Questions addressed in this lesson:
· How much trash and waste are produced in our city (Madison)?
· What recycling program does our city of Madison, WI have?
· How can we adjust our habits and lifestyles to help save our planet?
Standards addressed in this lesson:
NCSS Standards-
· III. People, Places and the Environment.
· VII. Production, Distribution and Consumption.
MMSD Standards-
· A.4.9 (Geography) Give examples to show how scientific and technological knowledge has led to environmental changes, such as pollution prevention measures, air-conditioning, and solar heating.
· B.4.9 (History) Describe examples of cooperation and interdependence among individuals, groups, and nations.
· D.4.7 (Economics) Describe how personal economic decisions, such as deciding what to buy, what to recycle, or how much to contribute to people in need, can affect the lives of people in Wisconsin, the United States, and the world.
· E.4.12 (Behavioral Science) Give examples of important contributions made by Wisconsin citizens, United States citizens, and world citizens.
UW-Madison Teacher/School of Education Standards-
· Standard 9: Manages learning environment. This lesson demonstrates my ability to establish and maintain an environment that engages students and provides for students’ physical and socio-emotional well-being in the way that I allow every student to participate yet remain anonymous. For example, every student is to select an item to place in a section of recyclable or non-recyclable, but once they place their item it is in a sense anonymous. This gives students the chance to participate without feeling as if there is a right or wrong answer, and does not put them on the spot as much as it allows for them to think about their answer.
· Standard 12: Accommodates for all students. In this lesson, students have a chance to participate on an individual basis through selecting an item and placing it in the recyclable or non-recyclable sections of the room. Then, they can participate during one-on-one or small group interactions with their peers, as well as large group discussions, for the remainder of the lesson. This demonstrates an educational environment to accommodate students’ strengths and challenges.
Materials Needed:
· Various items that are recyclable (according to the Madison program) such as junk mail, paper grocery bag, envelope, computer paper, phone book, cereal or cracker boxes, soda cases, roll cores from paper products, receipts, wrapping paper, greeting cards, paper egg cartons, milk cartons, juice boxes, #1 peanut butter and condiment jars, plastic frozen juice container, newspaper, etc. (make sure all items are washed out and safe to have students touch)
· Various items that are not recyclable (according to the Madison program) such as styrofoam, frozen food containers, microwave dinner plates, plastic wrap, tissue paper, cellophane, photographs, light bulbs, mirrors, paper or plastic cups, plastic packaging, plastic bags, film, single use alkaline batteries, etc.
· Various items that need to be dropped off or specially recycled (according to the Madison program) such as tennis balls, wine corks, batteries, computers, cell phones, ink jets, hearing aids, keys, unwanted medications, paint, etc.
· Designated parts of the room to represent recycling and trash.
· List of which items can be recycled and which cannot (City of Madison website).
Objectives:
· Students will explore the city of Madison’s recycling program.
· Students will complicate, then clarify their understanding of what items can be recycled in Madison and which cannot.
· Students will interact respectfully with one another and be understanding of their peers’ ideas and thoughts.
Lesson Context:
This is the third lesson in a larger 5-lesson unit. In previous lesson, students were exposed to how much trash our city produces as well as the 3 R’s, being reduce, reuse and recycle. In this lesson, our class will explore the recycling process that is in place in our city of Madison, Wisconsin. Following this lesson, we will explore other countries recycling procedures.
Lesson Opening:
Last lesson we learned about the 3 R’s, which are reduce, reuse, and recycle. Today, we are just going to focus on recycling and the process that Madison has in place for recycling different materials in our city.
Procedures:
1. As a review, ask students what the word “recycling” means.
2. Ask students to share examples of times they have recycled something or seen their families or school recycle.
3. Introduce the fact that our city of Madison has its own recycling program to responsibly get rid of some trash in our community. Recycling programs vary according to states and cities, so it is not the same everywhere. Tell students that, according to the City of Madison, we have “a very successful recycling program.”
4. Tell students that, even though we recycled or composted over 57% of our waste stream last year, we still sent over 49,000 tons of material to the Dane County Landfill. This large pile of trash costs Madison taxpayers $1,380,000 in landfill fees and another $544,000 to haul to the landfill.
5. Tell students that, in order to cut back on these costs, we need to be more responsible with our recycling. In order to be more responsible, we have to know what items we can recycle and which items we cannot.
6. Bring out big tubs of various materials, some of which can be recycled and others that cannot. Tell students that they will each be able to select an item and determine whether it is recyclable or not. Designate two different sections of the room, one for recyclable materials and the other for non-recyclable items.
-This activity is meant to spark confusion and force students to really think about whether their item can be recycled or not. Because this is difficult to do, they will place their item in the appropriate section that they think it belongs (recycling or trash), and then it will become, in a sense, anonymous.
7. Encourage students to work together and discuss their item with their peers if they are unsure of where to place it. This will act as a way to teach my students to see each other as resources and has the potential to tap into students background knowledge that they may not have been aware of (example: a student is unsure of whether or not they can recycle a plastic bag, and another student remembers that her dad always gets paper bags at the grocery store because he says you can’t recycle the plastic bags).
8. Once all students place their items in the section in which they believe it belongs, give all students a few minutes to observe the two sections. Tell them to think about each of the items they see and if they agree or disagree with the section it was placed in.
9. Invite students to, one at a time, question any of the item’s placement. Give students a few minutes to discuss whether the debatable items are recyclable or not and why they think that.
10. After the students share their thoughts of each item, tell them whether or not they are in fact recyclable according to the city of Madison’s recycling program. (Teachers should either have the website available or a print off of the materials and whether or not they can be recycled). This includes mentioning if certain items have to follow a certain recycling procedure (example: tennis balls can be recycled by calling a number or dropping them off at various locations).
11. Record items in a chart so students can use it as a reference for what can and cannot be recycled in Madison.
Lesson Closing:
Today, we explored the recycling program that our city of Madison has in place to help us take better care of our environment. I hope each of you take this knowledge outside of our classroom and use it in your life to be a responsible recycler.
Assessment:
· Students will be informally assessed on their participation in selecting an item and placing it in the section (trash or recycling) in which they believe it belongs.
· Students will be informally assessed on their respect of their peers and participation in the discussions.
Special Considerations:
· Ensure that no students are allergic to any of the materials (example: latex, etc.)
· Have a handout created that states what items can be recycled and which cannot that students can take home with them if they want.
Sources Used:
City of Madison (2011). City of Madison: Streets & recycling. Retrieved from
http://www.cityofmadison.com/streets/recycling/guidelines.cfm
