Elementary Social Studies Recycling Curriculum Fully Developed Lessons Designed To Meet MCPS Social Studies Objectives And MSPAP Outcomes and Indicators

---

Kindergarten | Grade 1 | Grade 2 | Grade 3 | Grade 4 | Grade 5

---

Kindergarten

• Integrated Learning Experience 1  In this learning experience, children will become aware of the importance of taking care of the Earth. Through readings, discussion, pantomime, and school/ neighborhood walks, they will identify ways people care for the Earth in their communities. They will be introduced to the term "natural resources." Finally, the children will create paintings showing good ways to care for the Earth and its natural resources.
• Integrated Learning Experience 2  In this learning experience, children will investigate the problem of too much trash and apply solutions for waste reduction. They will examine a bag of trash over several days and observe changes in the contents, weight, and appearance as trash items are removed. Children will reuse trash items to create new objects and decide new uses for unwanted items. Children will use the terms reuse and reduce as they further their understanding of how they can take responsibility for the Earth.
• Integrated Learning Experience 3  In this learning experience, children will explore their school environment to become acquainted with different kinds of trash found in school and ways people try to reduce their trash. Students will then address trash issues in their own classrooms. They will generate solutions for handling their class trash that demonstrate their awareness of how they can help care for the Earth.
• Integrated Learning Experience 4  In this learning experience, students will visit the Montgomery County Recycling Center or view the county's videotape. They will then use the decision-making process to design and construct a social setting - a recycling center. They will determine how their recycling center will operate, what materials will be required, and the jobs that will be needed. They will design their system so it is integrated with the school's recycling system. Students will have the opportunity to practice the recycling process in their setting. The development of the recycling center will act as a stimuli for continued reflection of the need to reduce trash and to care about the Earth.

Grade 1

• Integrated Learning Experience 1  In this learning experience, children will become aware of the importance of the Earth and its natural resources . Through picture interpretation, community walks, readings, song, and drama, children will investigate the ways people treat the Earth. They will discuss people's good and bad litter habits and their effects on the Earth's resources. They will then generate good habits for caring for the Earth.
• Integrated Learning Experience 2  In this learning experience, children continue to recognize the importance of caring for the Earth as they investigate the kinds of trash they throw away in the classroom and the cafeteria. They will develop a classroom reuse/recycling system and posters about food waste in an effort to reduce their volume of trash.
• Integrated Learning Experience 3  In this learning experience, children will explore the concept of overpackaging of food and other items and its impact on the Earth and its natural resources. Children will examine their own lunches for excess packaging and compare with lunches prepared in other countries. Children will then examine the packaging of various items and conduct an investigation on the importance of packaging. Advantages and disadvantages of packaging are discussed.
• Integrated Learning Experience 4  In this learning experience, children will continue to recognize the importance of caring for the Earth. They will focus on reuse and recycling at home, including the county's recycling program. Using pantomime, they will identify the types of activities that occur in various rooms of their homes. Then they will identify types of trash these activities tend to produce. Through songs, books, poetry, scientific investigations, and field trips, they will focus on ways to reuse and recycle this trash in an effort to reduce the amount of waste thrown away.

Grade 2

• Integrated Learning Experience 1  In this learning experience, children investigate the kinds of trash they throw away in class and in the cafeteria. They will determine the quantity of trash and make connections among people, trash, and the Earth. They will develop a classroom reuse/recycle system in an effort to reduce their volume of trash.
• Integrated Learning Experience 2  In this learning experience, children will investigate how much and what kinds of trash people throw away. After discussing the kinds and amounts of trash generated at home, the children will explore these topics for a neighborhood. Field trips on trash and recycle days in the school neighborhood will generate data for helping children see that as the number of people increase so does the amount of trash. The trips also will enable children to observe a government's trash removal program. Finally, children will read The Great Trash Bash to explore how citizens of a community work together to solve their trash problems.
• Integrated Learning Experience 3  In this learning experience, children will investigate different methods of solid waste disposal and types of jobs and services in each. Through music, reading, field trips, science experiments, and guest speakers, children will focus on the economic concept of scarcity as they determine how and why natural resources are consumed, how they can be conserved, and the impact of individual's wants and needs on the environment.
• Integrated Learning Experience 4  In this learning experience, children will investigate peoples' attitudes toward conserving resources. By developing and conducting cross-generational surveys, children will integrate peoples' attitudes and practices regarding trash and recycling to see if they have (or have not) changed over time. Children will discover that new isn't always better if one truly wishes to conserve natural resources.
• Integrated Learning Experience 5  In this learning experience, children will examine the concept of an evolving trash problem as a community changes. Through art, drama, reading, applying decision-making skills, and class discussion, children will see and experience the connections among people, trash, and natural resources as communities grow.
• Integrated Learning Experience 6  In this learning experience, children will increase their knowledge of different types of trash generated by businesses and methods of trash reduction and disposal. Children will develop research questions for business managers in the community and use a variety of ways to collect information (correspondence by letter or telecommunications, field trips, interviews). Children will examine efforts by businesses to care for the Earth.

Grade 3

• Integrated Learning Experience 1 In this learning experience, students will explore the idea of caring for the Earth from a global perspective. Through reading and discussion, students will examine stories about children around the world to compare their feelings about the Earth and its environment. Through role play, they will experience the interdependence found in a natural region and the impact of environmental problems like trash on this web of life. Finally, they will examine the rain forest as a web of life and the conflict between nature and peoples' needs and wants.
• Integrated Learning Experience 2 In this learning experience, students will continue the theme of caring for the Earth by investigating the trash in their own classroom. They will examine the types and quantity of trash they throw away in the classroom and then design a recycling system to reduce their volume of trash. They will implement and evaluate the effectiveness of their plan. Students will determine how their action will help care for the Earth.
• Integrated Learning Experience 3 In this learning experience, students will examine trash and trash disposal methods in Montgomery County and the United States. They will explore ways they can conserve our natural resources. Students will then investigate trash and trash disposal methods in Japan. Comparisons will be made between the two industrialized nations and how they are addressing this environmental issue.
• Integrated Learning Experience 4 In this learning experience, students will discuss waste in the cafeteria and propose solutions for reducing their volume of trash. Students will then compare American lunches with Japanese lunches to determine who generates the most trash. Finally students in grades 1 and 3 will teach each other about ecological lunches.
• Integrated Learning Experience 5 In this learning experience, students will continue to investigate trash as a global concern. They will examine cultural patterns related to packaging and compare overpackaging habits in the U.S. and Japan. Students will propose solutions to excess packaging that will help protect the Earth and its natural resources.
• Integrated Learning Experience 6 In this learning experience, students will continue their investigation of waste disposal practices in Japan. Through a role play on population density, students will experience the scarcity of land in Japan and discuss how this problem affects trash accumulation and disposal.

Grade 4

• Integrated Learning Experience 1  In this learning experience, students will define the terms garbage and trash. They will investigate personal trash disposal habits in the cafeteria and classroom. Using math strategies, they will determine the quantity of trash generated and determine the relationship among people, trash, and space. They will devise and implement recycling systems to reduce trash in their classroom and school.
• Integrated Learning Experience 2  In this learning experience, students will complete a survey of the kinds of trash found at home. Using math strategies, they will compare findings and calculate the quantity of trash they, their families, and those of the entire class generate in one day. Ways to reduce trash through reuse and recycling will be discussed. The sorting process for recycling required by the Montgomery County government is examined. Students then generate ways they and their families can reduce their volume of trash at home.
• Integrated Learning Experience 3  In this learning experience, students will continue to discuss the phrase "thrown away." They will research three other methods of solid waste disposal (landfill, incinerator, and composting), types of jobs and equipment needed, and the route their trash takes once it leaves their homes. Through this investigation of Montgomery County's solid waste management process, students will expand their understanding of solid waste management.
• Integrated Learning Experience 4  In this learning experience, students will define the term natural resources, and determine whether a given resource is renewable or nonrenewable, and identify products they use that come from some natural resources. They will describe the impact of human activities on different natural resources, and will discuss how the environment has and will continue to change over three periods of time - the Algonquin era, modern times, and the future. Students will develop an understanding for the need to conserve and preserve the Earth's treasures.
• Integrated Learning Experience 5  In this learning experience, students will realize that they are influenced to buy products based upon advertising and packaging. They will distinguish between wasteful and essential packaging and discuss the environmental impact of overpackaging. They will generate recommendations for reducing packaging. Finally, they will investigate efforts by the business community to become more environmentally responsive.
  

Grade 5

• Integrated Learning Experience 1  In this learning experience, students will investigate the history of trash. They will assume the role of an archaeologist to learn about the past from artifacts. They will develop and analyze their own artifact kits. Finally, through readings performing and interpreting a rap, and observing a skit, they will trace the history and evolution of garbage.
• Integrated Learning Experience 2  In this learning experience, students will develop an understanding of the relevance of the Earth and its natural resources to the way of life of the Native Americans. Students will then compare the different ways Native Americans and the explorers and settlers used these resources and the conflicts that arose. Students will begin to construct an understanding of the impact of human activities on the Earth and its natural resources.
• Integrated Learning Experience 3  In this learning experience, students will investigate the concepts of frugality and self-sufficiency in American history. Ways that Americans have reused and recycled items and the necessity for this are researched and compared to the present day need for recycling. Students also will investigate their personal trash disposal habits in the classroom and cafeteria. Using math strategies, they will determine the quantity of trash generated and determine the relationship among people, trash, and space. They will devise and implement a recycling system to reduce trash in their classroom.
• Integrated Learning Experience 4  In this learning experience, students will examine and compare the various methods of trash disposal in Montgomery County and the United States. Through readings, surveys, and role play, they will further clarify their responsibility for caring for the Earth and its natural resources.