Recycling

Grade 3 Thematic Science Unit

Cody Schnitzler, Nicole Brant, and Matthew Jellison

Science Standard and Vocabulary • Science Standard

– ESS 3: Earth and human activity

• Vocabulary

– Planet

– Recycle

– Pollution

– Environment

• Environmental changes or conditions

– Cause and effect

Read Aloud Title: The Adventures of an Aluminum Can: A Story About

Recycling by Alison Inches and Illustrated by Mark Chambers

• Definition: Is a planned oral reading of a book or print excerpt, usually related to a theme or topic of study. A read aloud can be used to engage students and to model the use of reading strategies that aid in comprehension.

• Standards:

– CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.1 Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.

– CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from non-literal language.

– CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.7 Explain how specific aspects of a text’s illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a story (e.g., create mood, emphasize aspects of a character or setting)

– CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.3.4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.

Read Aloud

• Activity: – Large group reading of the book, The Adventures of an

Aluminum Can: A Story About Recycling by Alison Inches and Illustrated by Mark Chambers

– Before you read, propose the question “What do you know about recycling?”

– Read the story to the class. • During the reading, use the proposed questions from

the book. – Discuss the book

• Ask questions such as: “What did you learn?” “Why is it important to recycle?” “Do you recycle at home?”

Read Aloud • Assessment:

– The assessment of the students will involve discussion with questions from Bloom’s Taxonomy.

– The teacher will take notes from the students’ responses to those questions.

• Best Practices:

– Increases reading aloud to students.

– Increases teacher modeling and discussing of his/her own reading processes.

– Increases questioning, thinking, and problem solving.

Shared Reading Title: “Recycle Man”

• Definition: Is a reading activity in which students read together from an enlarged print. It can be read from a large print book, a poem, or a song.

• Standards: – CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.3 Describe characters in a

story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events.

– CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from nonliteral language.

– CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.3.4b Read grade-level prose and poetry orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression.

Shared Reading

• Activity:

– Read “Recycle Man” poem found in The Green Mother Goose: Saving the World One Rhyme at a Time by Jan Peck and David Davis.

– Discuss the vocabulary words in the poem that relate to recycling.

• Recycle

• Sort

• Trash

• Remake

• Reuse

Shared Reading • Assessment:

– The assessment of the students will be through participation of reading and group discussion. • Students each match vocabulary words to the written

definitions through a matching game. • The teacher will provide a checklist for each students’

vocabulary development.

• Best Practices: – Increases children’s exposure to a wide and rich range of

literature. – Increases primary instructional emphasis on comprehension. – Increases social, collaborative activities with much discussion

and interaction. – Questioning, thinking, and problem solving, especially: willing

to modify explanations, open to changing one’s opinion.

Guided Reading • Definition: Is a highly effective form of small group instruction

where students are put into appropriate groups based on their reading levels in which the teacher guides and supports their reading.

• Standards:

– CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.1 Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.

– CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.3.4a Read grade-level text with purpose and understanding.

• Activity:

– The students will read a grade-level book in small groups with the teacher. During this time the teacher will teach small lessons in the guided reading.

Guided Reading • Assessment:

– The teacher will assess the students with running records.

• Best Practices:

– Increases grouping by the students’ interest or book choices.

– Increases time for independent reading. – Increases teaching reading as a process. – Increases social, collaborative activities with much

discussion and interaction. – Increases the measures of success of the reading

program by students’ reading habits, attitudes, and comprehension.

Reciprocal Teaching

• Definition: Is an instructional activity that takes place in the form of a dialogue between the teacher and the students regarding segments of the text. The students can assume the roles of: a summarizer, a questioner, a clarifier, and a predictor.

• Standards:

– CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.1 Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.

– CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.2 Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text.

Reciprocal Teaching • Activity:

– The students will be divided into groups of 4 with each students assuming the role of either the summarizer, the questioner, the clarifier, or the predictor.

– The students will read and discuss passages from Waste and Recycling by Sally Morgan.

Reciprocal Teaching

• Assessment: – The students will be assessed by having each group make a poster

about the passage they read. The poster should include questions, predictions, summary, and answers to the questions. The group will present and explain their poster to the class.

• Best Practices: – Increases time for independent reading.

– Increases the exposure in children to a wide and rich range of literature.

– Increases teaching reading as a process.

– Increases social, collaborative activities with much discussion and interaction.

– Increases writing before and after reading.

– Increases evaluation that focuses on holistic, higher order thinking processes.

Literature Circles

• Definition: Is a small group of students discussing a piece of literature, in-depth. The discussion is guided by students’ response to what they have read.

• Standards: – CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.2 Recount stories, including

fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text.

– CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.6 Distinguish their own point of view from that of the narrator or those of the characters.

Literature Circles

• Activity: – Students will be divided into small groups to

participate in an in-depth discussion about recycling.

– Each group will read a chapter from the book, Garbage and Recycling by Helen Orme.

– Each group will discuss the chapter they’ve read within their group.

– To further explore, students may discuss the chapter they have read with students who have not read the same chapter.

Literature Circles

• Assessment: – The students will be assessed by giving relevant

information about their chapter to other students.

– The students will be assessed by participation within their small group.

• Best Practices: – Increases silent reading followed by discussion.

– Increases in-depth study of a few important thematic topics.

Daily 5 Activities Read to Self

• Definition: A period of time in which the students get to read independently.

• Standards: – CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.6 Distinguish their own point of

view from that of the narrator or those of the characters.

– CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.7 Explain how specific aspects of a text’s illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a story (e.g., create mood, emphasize aspects of a character or setting).

– CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.3.4a Read grade-level text with purpose and understanding.

– CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.3.4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.

Daily 5 Activities Read to Self

• Activity: – The students read independently. – The students have a free choice of the book they read.

• Assessment: – The students will write a journal entry in their Reader’s

Journal. The entry could describe the students’ thoughts, questions, and/or summary of the reading.

• Best Practices:

– Increases independent reading. – Increases the child’s choice of their own reading

material.

Daily 5 Activities Read to Someone

• Definition: The students are paired up with Lips and Ears in which students take turns reading and listening to one another.

• Standards:

– CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.3.4b Read grade-level prose and poetry orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression.

– CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.3.4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.

– CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from non-literal language.

Daily 5 Activities Read to Someone

• Activity: – The students are given choices of books in their reading

levels, in which each pair chooses a book to read.

• Assessment: – The students can be assessed by the teacher’s observations

of their fluency, accuracy, comprehension levels, and listening skills.

• Best Practices:

– Increases the children’s choice of their own reading materials.

– Increases the exposure in children to a wide and rich range of literature.

– Increases the measure of success of the reading program by students’ reading habits, attitudes, and comprehension.

– Increases grouping by interests or book choices.

Daily 5 Activities Listen to Reading

• Definition: The students will listen to a story by an audio recording or read aloud by the teacher.

• Standards: – CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.4 Determine the meaning

of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from non-literal language.

– CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.7 Explain how specific aspects of a text’s illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a story (e.g., create mood, emphasize aspects of a character or setting).

Daily 5 Activities Listen to Reading

• Activity: – The students will listen to an audio recording of The Garbage

Truck while following along in the book.

• Assessment: – The students will put pictures from the book in chronological

order while discussing the storyline.

• Best Practices: – Increases the teacher facilitating students’ investigative

steps. – Increases the integration of reading, writing, and math in

science units. – Increases teaching reading as a process especially structure

help during reading and providing after-reading applications.

Daily 5 Activities Word Work

• Definition: A time period where students work with vocabulary to become better readers and writers.

• Standards:

– CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from non-literal language.

– CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.3.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.

– CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.3.4c Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.

Daily 5 Activities Word Work

• Activity: – The students will create a word bank with vocabulary words related

to recycling. – The students will play BINGO with the vocabulary words and

definitions from the word bank.

• Assessment: – The students will be assessed with a checklist and notes sheet by

the teacher. The teacher can check for vocabulary development and comprehension.

• Best Practices: – Increases integration of reading, writing, and math in science units. – Increases writing before and after reading. – Increases social, collaborative activities with much discussion and

interaction.

Daily 5 Activities Work on Writing

• Definition: Is a daily activity that practices writing to help children become effective and successful writers.

• Standards: – CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.3 Write narratives to develop real

or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.

• Activity:

– The students will read an article about recycling. Then the students will create a science Glogster from the article. The Glogster will consist of each student summarizing an article and making note of new vocabulary words.

• Assessment:

– A rubric will be designed and used to evaluate each students comprehension, fluency, and expansion of vocabulary words.

Daily 5 Activities Work on Writing

• Best Practices: – Increases time for independent reading. – Increases students choice for their own reading

materials. – Increases teacher modeling and discussing his/her own

reading processes. – Increases silent reading followed by discussion. – Increases active application of science learning to

contemporary technological issues and social choices. – Increases in-depth study of a few important thematic

topics. – Increases integration of reading, writing, and math in

science units. – Increases evaluation that focuses on scientific concepts,

processes, and attitudes.

Conferencing • Definition: Time in which the teacher meets with

individual students to discuss 1 of the 4 elements of CAFÉ. This is done while the students are completing their literacy tasks during the Daily 5. – C Comprehension – A Accuracy – F Fluency – E Expanding Vocabulary

• Standards:

– CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.1 Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.

Conferencing • Activity:

– Each student will discuss different concepts of recycling with the teacher. Each student’s conference will be personalized to fit the needs of the particular student.

• Assessment:

– The students will be assessed on their prior knowledge, their current knowledge, and their comprehension of the subject.

• Best Practices: – Increases in-depth study of a few important thematic topics. – Increases evaluation that focuses on scientific concepts,

processes, and attitudes. – Increases the measure of success of the reading program by

students’ reading habits, attitudes, and comprehension.

Modeled Writing • Definition: The teacher demonstrates the process

of writing in a particular style.

• Standards:

– CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.6 With guidance and support from adults, use technology to produce and publish writing (using keyboarding skills) as well as to interact and collaborate with others.

Modeled Writing • Activity:

– The teacher will model by creating a letter to someone about how he/she feels about recycling. While writing the teacher will verbalize his/her own thinking process.

• Assessment: – The students will be assessed through their participation of

ideas.

• Best Practices: – Increases teacher modeling writing – drafting, revising,

sharing – as a fellow author and as demonstration of processes.

– Increases integration of reading, writing, and math in science units.

Shared or Interactive Writing

• Definition: The teacher and students compose writing together. The writing is completed in a large print form, either on paper or on a board.

• Standards:

– CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.5 With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing.

Shared or Interactive Writing • Activity:

– The teacher and the students will write a letter about recycling together in large print form.

• Assessment:

– The students will be assessed on following directions and their participation in the writing activity. Student participation will be recorded with a checklist provided by the teacher.

• Best Practices:

– Increases class time spent on writing whole, original pieces through instruction in and support for all stages of the writing process, as well as establishing real purposes for writing and students’ involvement in the task.

– Increases making the classroom a supportive setting for shared learning, using active exchange and valuing of students’ ideas.

– Increases integration of reading, writing, and math in science units.

Guided Writing • Definition: Students are placed into appropriate

writing levels, in which students receive instruction in small group writing.

• Standards:

– CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.4 With guidance and support from adults, produce writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above).

Guided Writing • Activity:

– In small groups students will discuss topics about the Earth. As a group, the students will choose a topic about the Earth, research, and write a paragraph on the topic.

• Assessment:

– The students will be assessed with a rubric that will check for a clear idea, good organization, and word choice.

• Best Practice:

– Increases making the classroom a supportive setting for shared learning using collaborative small-group work.