Introductory Lesson in Recycling - Piece by Piece

Recycling is a necessary part of any waste reduction program and second graders quickly grasp its efficiency, making it a great starting point for their involvement. As they gather data on their household habits, and reflect on the impact of those habits, students understand that awareness is the first step in changing behaviors to promote the greater good of their community. The teacher frames the consequences of today's actions so students connect long-term goals as a part of their collective future. In this project, students collected information from their household recycling habits, using a student-developed questionnaire, and use the data gathered to contribute to a class chart. The data also served as the basis for brief individual reports presented in class. Data gathered through the surveys allowed students to be draw conclusions about which habits needed to be strengthened. Students made magnetic refrigerator signs to carry their messages home and wrote persuasive paragraphs that explain the student's learning to the family. The teacher encourages critical thinking necessary to connect behavior at home with larger civic ideals through reflective processes, such as writing and discussion.