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Students will learn the basics of recycling, why it is important, and how to do it.  They listen and comment on a story about a family learning to recycle at home, and practice critical thinking skills. They will write or draw a picture about why they think recycling can help the world. They will receive a handout to indicate what can and cannot be recycled.

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Display or print out the YES/NO slide to create a class discussion - story begins on slide #8.

Print out the “YES/NO”, Mark an “X”, and the Coloring Page handout. Pass out the YES/NO handout before the story to discuss recyclables and distribute the “Mark an X” handout at the end of the story. Distribute the coloring page after the “Mark an X” handout or send home as homework.

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Bring in optional supportive prop materials: PET plastic bottle, glass bottle, cardboard box, metal can, and items that cannot be recycled like juice boxes or dirty napkins from lunch.

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Key Learning Outcomes and Curriculum Alignment:

Lesson Prep & Curriculum Alignment

SDG Alignment

• Science - Earth and Human Activity: Communicate solutions that will reduce the impact of humans on the land, water, air, and/or other living things in the local environment.
• Social Studies - People, Places, and Environments: Students study people, places, and environments and enables them to understand the relationship between human populations and the physical world.
• English Language Arts and Literacy: Able to ask and answer questions about details in a literature text. Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.

Prep time: 10 - 15 minutes

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The Lesson

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Introduce the lesson to your students with a question.

• Who knows what “recycling” means?
• Has anyone seen this symbol before, and what does it mean?

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Pass out or display the YES/NO handout

• Discuss what we can and cannot recycle based on the items in the handout. There is a pdf printable version and is also included in the slideshow to display.
• What do you do with garbage at home?
• Where does it go?
• If you put everybody’s garbage into a big pile, how much would there be? Would it be too much?

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Read aloud “Rachel Rabbit Learns to Recycle”

• Encourage students to comment on the story.
• What mistakes did Rachel make? Why is recycling important?

You might suggest these as reasons that recycling is important:

• Garbage can be harmful to our air and water and can hurt animals and fish.
• When we use less paper, we save trees and animals in the forest.
• When we recycle, we make less garbage.

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Distribute the Mark an “X” handout

• Ask students to look at the pictures and draw an X across the things that should not be recycled. Which of these items needed to be rinsed and dried before recycling?

The following items should be crossed out on the worksheet:

• Juice box
• Banana peel
• Toys
• Pencil

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Distribute the coloring page and ask students to draw or write on the back of the worksheet how recycling can help the world.

• Possible responses could be:
• Save animals from being hurt.
• Less garbage in the ocean.
• Recycling keeps our air and water clean.

• Shoes
• Plastic bag
• Pizza box
• Light bulb

Lesson duration: 45 - 60 minutes

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Prepare the PowerPoint presentation

When you are ready to present the lessons to your class click on Slide Show on the top menu bar then select Presenter View. In Presenter view, you can see your notes as you present while the audience see only your slides.

The notes appear in a pane on the right. The text should wrap automatically, and a vertical scroll bar appears if necessary. You can also change the size of the text in the Notes pane by using the two buttons at the lower left corner of the Notes pane.

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Have you seen this symbol before?

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YES

NO

Always recycle:

Never recycle:

Glass jar

PET Plastic bottle

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Cardboard box

Metal can

Banana peel

Dirty napkin

Light bulb

Juice box

Toys

Plastic bag

Pencil

Shoes

Garden hose

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Once there were two little rabbits, a brother and a sister named Ray and Rachel Rabbit. Ray Rabbit was very good about cleaning up his toys after playing. But Rachel Rabbit was very messy and left her toys all over the house.

Rachel Rabbit Learns to Recycle

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Each morning before school, Ray and Rachel’s mom asks Ray to clean the kitchen. She also tells Rachel to take out the trash and the recycling.

Rachel Rabbit Learns to Recycle

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Rachel Rabbit Learns to Recycle

One day, mom asked, “What is that stinky smell?” She went outside to find the awful smell. “Oh no,” said Mom. “The smell is coming from the trash!” They all went outside - and you know what they saw? There was a GIANT pile of stinky garbage!

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Rachel Rabbit Learns to Recycle

There was old food, PET plastic bottles, a pizza box with broken toys and a big glass jar. What else do you think was in the pile? “Oh, no,” said Mom. “What are we going to do with this mess?

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Ray washed the dishes and cleaned the kitchen floor. But Rachel took the trash and recycling and put it into one trash can. She did not think about things you cannot recycle.

Rachel Rabbit Learns to Recycle

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Rachel Rabbit Learns to Recycle

Rachel felt sad that she made a big mess. “I am sorry, Mommy,” she said. “No problem Rachel, we can clean it up by recycling.” said Ray. “I learned in school recycling is important. It helps the Earth and all the people and animals stay healthy.” Ray showed Rachel and Mom how to do it.

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“All we recycle needs to be cleaned and dried,” Ray said. “because if we do not, it cannot be recycled.” Ray washed the bottles and set them aside to dry. Rachel piled up all the clean cardboard, notebooks, and cereal boxes. Mom put stuff you cannot recycle into the garbage can.

Rachel Rabbit Learns to Recycle

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When they finished sorting the recycling everybody felt happy. All the garbage went into the garbage can. All the empty, clean and dry recycling items went into the recycling bin. “Ray,” said Rachel, “I want to learn all about recycling.” “Great, it is as simple as one, two, three,” said Ray.

Rachel Rabbit Learns to Recycle

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Knowing what you can recycle and what you cannot recycle.

Rachel Rabbit Learns to Recycle

#1

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Step

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Empty, clean, and dry before putting in the bin.

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Put each recyclable item into the correct recycling bin.

Rachel Rabbit Learns to Recycle

#3

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When we clean, dry, and recycle we can make new things.

Rachel Rabbit Learns to Recycle

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From that day on, Rachel became a

She even started to clean up her toys!

Rachel Rabbit Learns to Recycle

Recycling

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Next Steps

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Distribute the Mark an “X” handout

• Ask students to look at the pictures and draw an X across the things that cannot be recycled. Which of these items need to be rinsed and dried before recycling?

The following items should be crossed out on the worksheet:

• Juice box
• Banana peel
• Toys
• Pencil

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Distribute the coloring page and ask students to draw or write on the back of the worksheet how recycling can help the world.

• Possible responses could be:
• Save animals from being hurt.
• Less garbage in the ocean.
• Recycling keeps our air and water clean.

• Shoes
• Plastic bag
• Pizza box
• Light bulb