CIDNEY WRISLEY

Title: What happens to plastic that is not recycled?

 

Name: Cidney Wrisley Date: 10/9/17

 

Grade Level/Subject/Context: This lesson is designed for a 5th grade class. This is a social

studies lesson plan that could be integrated into a science and also inquiry subject area as well.

This fits into a bigger unit where students will be learning about plastic and what happens when

it doesn’t get properly recycled. By the end of the unit, students will make a plan on ways that

they can reduce their plastic use as well as ideas for decreasing the amount of plastic that

comes from their communities. This will be taught in the Spring, when students in a

expeditionary learning school will be focusing on reducing their carbon footprint as a unit.

 

Standards:

ODE.SocialSciences.5.22. Identify characteristics of an event, issue, or problem, suggesting

possible causes and results.

ODE.SocialSciences.5.23. Propose a response or solution to an issue or problem and support

why it makes sense, using support from research.

CCSS.ELPA.4-5.1 An ELL can participate in grade-appropriate oral and written exchanges of

information, ideas, and analyses, responding to peer, audience, or reader comments and

questions.

 

Learning Targets:

• I can describe what happens to plastic that ends up in the ocean on a padlet and to my

peers.

• I can describe ways that I can reduce my plastic use.

• I can research new information through library sources or text.

Content Objectives:

• During the lesson, students will be able to demonstrate their understanding of how

plastic in the ocean is hurting multiple types of animals, by describing that it is

mistaken for food in a class discussion.

• During the lesson, students will demonstrate their understanding of ways to find

new information about plastic by computer research of appropriate library based

sources or by looking through books.

• At the end of this lesson, students will be able to demonstrate their understanding

of ways that they can reduce plastic by describing them to the class or small group.

• By the end of this lesson, students will demonstrate their understanding of how to

put their research into their own words by summarizing their information on a

padlet.

 

Language Objectives:

• By the end of this lesson, students will demonstrate their understanding of how to

participate in communication with their peers by speaking during the class discussion.

Vocab Words: Ocean current, Nano-plastic, Reduce

Student Assessment: At the end of this lesson, students will come together at the carpet and

we will have a discussion about the new information they found. I will start off by asking

students to remind me of why we need to worry about animals eating plastic in hopes that they

remember that it is because it looks like food to them. Next, we will review the google

classroom- padlet where students were writing down their ideas to reduce their use of plastic. I

can look through this padlet to see if they were able to learn something new from a text or

website as well as seeing if they copy/pasted or put information into their own words. As we

look through the padlet as a class students will have the option to expand on what they wrote

about by discussing it more with the class. I can also comment on the interesting finds that they

posted about and ask the students where they were able to find their new information. After

the discussion about what we learned, we will review the learning targets and children can do a

fist to 5 (0-5 fingers up) to say how they feel about each of the learning targets. I don’t expect

children to be at a full 5 yet, but this will be a good way to find out how to build upon and

scaffold the next lesson for the unit.

 

Materials/Preparation: Copies of the books “Pesky Plastic” by Letcicia Colon de Mejias, “One

Plastic Bag” by Miranda Paul, “Oceans: the Threats to our Seas and What You Can Do to Turn

the Tide” by John Bowermaster, and any other alternatives available. The more options for

children to look through about plastic and the ocean the better it enhances this lesson plan.

Each student or pair of students needs a computer/iPad with access to internet. Teacher should

have a padlet set up that students have been granted access to ahead of lesson plan.

Teacher should have these websites ready on a laptop with the links already opened

and loaded to project to show the students:

 

https://www.good.is/infographics/transparency-the-great-pacific-garbage-patch#open

http://www.waste360.com/sites/waste360.com/files/styles/article_featured_standard/

public/Great-Pacific-Garbage-Patch.jpg?itok=6to4QxCg

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/07/ocean-plastic-patch-south-pacific-spd/

(Show 1 minute video at top of article)

https://genxmedia.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/2f3d0-birdsbellies.jpg

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Bn7adnhIYAA_qWr.jpg

http://www.factorydirectpromos.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/seaturtle_

bag-300x200.jpeg

 

Differentiation strategies: For the child in the class who speaks Japanese I will provide him with

a variety of pictures that show and are labeled plastic, ocean, garbage patch, animals eating

plastic. I will provide him with an article that shows different words in English and has pictures

(http://www.japanese-language.aiyori.org/japanese-words-7.html and

http://www.littleexplorers.com/languages/swedish/subjects/sea.shtml). I can also offer him the

chance to work with a partner with access to google translate so that he is more guided. I can

provide some students who have trouble focusing with a copy of the learning targets, pictures of

what was in the articles and a set of step-by-step instructions so that they can stay focused and

on task. I can allow students to sit anywhere in the classroom or in the pod to research so there

is differentiated seating for them. This means a variety of wobble chairs, pillows, and quieter

spots. For some of the TAG students or ones who find this too easy I will ask them to challenge

themselves through their research by digging deep about the history of pacific garbage patch and

what possible solutions are being tested. As an extension for all students, I can offer them the

option to create a poster/flyer or something of their choice that could be shared with the

community to motivate them from using plastic.

 

 

Lesson Sequence:

Lesson Introduction/set (5 minutes): Here is an image of a map. There is a part of the map that

is circled. Can you guess what might be here? Ocean.. islands… plastic?... This is a spot where

the ocean currents have pulled together. They have started to form their own island, let’s watch

a video to see what this island is made of. (Show video listed above)

Communication of Learning Targets (2 minutes): I will write learning targets on the board. We

will briefly talk about them at the beginning of the lesson and check in during closure.

I have written the learning targets on the board, can I get two volunteers to read them?

“I can describe what happens to plastic that ends up in the ocean on my padlet and to

my peers. I can describe ways that I can reduce my plastic use. I can research new

information through library sources or text.”

Learning Activities:

a. Mini Lesson- Students will remain on carpet. We will go through the different links

above to see pictures of what is happening. When showing the pictures of animals I will

ask “How do you think plastic is affecting the animals that live in or near the ocean? Why

might they be eating plastic? What could plastic look like in the water?” (7 minutes)

b. Small group work- "Now I’d like you to get into groups of 2. You can work wherever you

feel comfortable in the classroom or a few groups can go in the pod. You will need to get

your chromebooks, and I have provided some books (listed in the materials section) in

back table of the classroom. I would like (pick half of the room) to research about what is

happening to the plastic in the pacific garbage patch and the other to learn about ways

that you can reduce your use of plastic. If you feel that you need more of a challenge,

you can decide to focus on the history of the pacific garbage patch and how it started as

well as possible solutions being tested. During your research, you will work on putting

facts that you read into your own words on a padlet. You will have 30 minutes to work

and post on the padlets I have provided for you, and then we will come back to the

carpet and share in a class discussion." (30 minutes)

c. Extension- Children can create a poster, speech, artwork or creative piece of their

choosing that could be shared in their community to inspire others to reduce their use

of plastic.

d. Work time- While students are working, the teacher should be walking around to help

remind them to stay on task, answer questions the students might have and help to

guide them into thinking more deeply. What do you think that means for the world? Do

you think you could practice these methods of reducing plastic? Where did you find this

information? Remind students that they should be putting information into their own

words. Give 5-minute warning before work time is up. You have 5 more minutes, it is

time to get the rest of the information onto the padlet that you would like to share about

your learning.

e. Sharing- Open up the first padlet. Read some key points you see, ask students if they

would like to share some interesting facts they found or facts they think their classmates

might not know. (10 minutes)

Closure: I will ask some closing questions that can help me assess where the students are at

and if the learning objectives were achieved or if we need to spend more time. I can ask

questions like “Why is it important that we limit our plastic? How do you think you could make

a difference by yourself? What about in your community?” I will read over the learning targets

one more time and ask for students to raise fist to 5 if they feel they have met some of these

learning targets. I will call on students who feel confident to share what they have learned. (5 minutes)

 

Field Notes:

One challenge that I noticed seems to happen with most lesson plans I have seen is time. I

could easily see this lesson running out of time and not getting the strong closure that I want. I

would really make sure I was using a timer under the document camera when they are working.

I would also need to make sure that all of the websites were prepped on my computer so I

could easily scroll between them. I know that I would like to read the children’s books I have

listed under materials as a class, so I will make sure to check them out from the library in

advance and try to see how some of the children are reacting to them as they are looking

through for their research. This can give me a better idea of which way to move the next lesson

when looking deeper into this topic. One thing that would also worry me is that they know a lot

more about this topic then I anticipate they already do know. This is an EL unit for the fifthgrade

class so the information shouldn’t be overlapping too much, but if it is than I need to be

able to adjust the lesson into more of a challenge for the children that already know a lot. I can

do this by having them do some deeper thinking in their research. I will make sure that I give

the kids enough think time in between questions so the ones that already know the answers

aren’t the same ones that are always answering.

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