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Science lesson plan · Kindergarten (Reception and Year 1 in England) · 30 minutes

Reduce, reuse or recycle?

Ecosystems and food chains

CCSS NGSS.K-ESS3-3England: EYFS Understanding the World: The natural worldEngland: KS1 Y2 Uses of everyday materials

Objective and success criteria

Students will: Reduce, reuse or recycle?.

  • I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
  • I can explain each step and say why it works.
  • I can check my answer and spot a mistake.

Before and after

Needs first: no earlier skill in the map; start from what students know.

Leads to: Sort waste into the right recycling group; Actions that help or harm the environment

Materials: Food web cards, Arrows to build chains, Mini whiteboards, A diagram or short video clip of the idea, Printed student sheet (below).

Warm-up · 4 min

  • Quick retrieval: three short questions students should already manage. Answers on mini whiteboards.
  • Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
  1. Is this reducing, reusing or recycling: putting glass bottles in the bottle bank? (reduce / reuse / recycle) → recyclePrompt: Reduce = use less. Reuse = use again. Recycle = make into something new.
  2. Which of these is a way to reuse? (refilling a water bottle / sending old newspapers to be made into new paper / switching off lights when you leave a room / putting glass bottles in the bottle bank) → refilling a water bottlePrompt: Is the item used less, used again, or turned into something new?
  3. A class drinks from paper cups and throws them away every day. Which change makes the biggest difference? (Throw the cups away twice as fast. / Everyone uses their own refillable bottle. / Use a new cup for every sip. / Use bigger paper cups.) → Everyone uses their own refillable bottle.Prompt: Which choice means fewer cups are thrown away?

Hook · 3 min

  • Show a food web and ask what would happen if one animal disappeared.
  • Share the objective: Reduce, reuse or recycle?. Read the success criteria together.

I do: model it · 7 min

  • Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
  • Example: Is this reducing, reusing or recycling: using a jam jar to store pencils?
  • Step 1: Reuse means using something again instead of throwing it away.
  • Step 2: So the answer is: reuse
  • Answer: reuse
  • Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

We do: guided practice · 6 min

  • Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
  • Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
  1. Is this reducing, reusing or recycling: putting empty cans in the recycling bin? (reduce / reuse / recycle) → recyclePrompt: Reduce = use less. Reuse = use again. Recycle = make into something new.
  2. Which of these is a way to reduce? (buying fruit without plastic wrapping / putting glass bottles in the bottle bank / giving outgrown clothes to a friend / refilling a water bottle) → buying fruit without plastic wrappingPrompt: Is the item used less, used again, or turned into something new?

You do: independent practice · 7 min

  • Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
  • Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.

The 6 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

Exit ticket · 3 min

  • Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
  1. Which of these is a way to reduce? (taking the same cloth bag to the shop each week / putting glass bottles in the bottle bank / switching off lights when you leave a room / sending old newspapers to be made into new paper) → switching off lights when you leave a roomPrompt: Is the item used less, used again, or turned into something new?
  2. Is this reducing, reusing or recycling: turning off the tap while you brush your teeth? (reduce / reuse / recycle) → reducePrompt: Reduce = use less. Reuse = use again. Recycle = make into something new.

Watch out for

  • Everyday meanings of words getting in the way of the science meaning: define key words explicitly.
  • Remembering facts without the reason: ask "why?" and "what is the evidence?"

Support and stretch

Support

  • Use concrete materials: food web cards.
  • Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
  • Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.

Stretch

  • Move on to: Sort waste into the right recycling group; Actions that help or harm the environment.
  • Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
  • Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.

Homework and more practice

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/science/kindergarten.

Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder

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Reduce, reuse or recycle?

Name

Date

Score/ 6

  1. Question 1

    Which of these is a way to reuse?

    • A. using a jam jar to store pencils
    • B. switching off lights when you leave a room
    • C. printing on both sides of the paper
    • D. turning off the tap while you brush your teeth

  2. Question 2

    Is this reducing, reusing or recycling: taking the same cloth bag to the shop each week?

    • A. reduce
    • B. reuse
    • C. recycle

  3. Question 3

    Which of these makes the LEAST rubbish?

    • A. paper plates thrown away after lunch
    • B. single-use plastic cutlery
    • C. a reusable lunchbox
    • D. a new plastic bag every day

  4. Question 4

    Which of these is a way to reduce?

    • A. putting glass bottles in the bottle bank
    • B. using a jam jar to store pencils
    • C. turning off the tap while you brush your teeth
    • D. taking the same cloth bag to the shop each week

  5. Question 5

    Is this reducing, reusing or recycling: switching off lights when you leave a room?

    • A. reduce
    • B. reuse
    • C. recycle

  6. Question 6

    Banana peel and apple cores can go in a compost bin. What happens to them?

    • A. They stay the same for ever.
    • B. They rot down into rich soil for plants.
    • C. They turn into new bananas straight away.
    • D. They turn into plastic.

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Answer key: Reduce, reuse or recycle?

  1. 1. A. using a jam jar to store pencils

  2. 2. B. reuse

  3. 3. C. a reusable lunchbox

  4. 4. C. turning off the tap while you brush your teeth

  5. 5. A. reduce

  6. 6. B. They rot down into rich soil for plants.