Conserving Natural Resources

Overview:
This unit focuses on the concepts of conserving natural resources and reduce/reuse/recycle.

Essential Question:
How can we produce less waste in our school? Students will work in partners to create a
method of conserving resources at school.

TEKS:
ELA:
19b write short letters that put ideas in a chronological or logical sequence and use appropriate conventions (e.g.,
date, salutation, closing)
20 Writing/Persuasive Texts. Students write persuasive texts to influence the attitudes or actions of a specific
audience on specific issues. Students are expected to write persuasive statements about issues that are important to
the student for the appropriate audience in the school, home, or local community.
SS:
8c identify ways people can conserve and replenish natural resources.
20 uses problem-solving and decision-making skills, working independently and with others, in a variety of settings.

Background Knowledge:
-Some practice writing persuasive letters
-Vocabulary: conservation, resources
-Basic idea of reduce, reuse, recycle

Materials:
-Donated recyclables and clean trash (egg cartons, cereal boxes, plastic bottles, plastic bags,
yarn, magazines, toilet paper rolls, etc) https://www.education.com/activity/recycled-crafts/
-Nonfiction and fiction picture books about helping the environment, landfills, saving trees &
water, etc (Bag in the Wind by Barry Root, Michael Recycle by Ellie Bethel)
-Here Comes the Garbage Barge by Jonah Winter -for read aloud
-Arthur Turns Green by Marc Brown -for read aloud
-Persuasive letter planning sheet
-iPads
-Video clips
-Computers

Procedure:
Day 1:
1. Visit the cafeteria after all of the lunch periods have concluded. Notice the bags and
bags of trash and recyclables. Ask students to consider how much waste we produce
after a week, a school year, several years.
 2. Read aloud Here Comes the Garbage Barge by Jonah Winter. Ask students to think
about whether we have a responsibility to keep our world clean. What could happen if
everyone dumped their trash, stopped reusing and recycling, didnt conserve resources,
etc.

Day 2-3:
1. Tell students that they are going to watch a video about a boy named Oliver and a big
pile of garbage. Tell them to look for something in Oliver's garbage that somebody else
might want. Show the Garbage video.
https://ninenet.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/lpsc10.sci.life.garbage/garbage/
2. Ask students to identify ways that they could share, reuse, or recycle what they no
longer need or want. Write these ideas on the board. (donate old toys, collect old sports
equipment for a homeless shelter, make dog beds out of old towels for animal shelter)
3. Introduce the concept of natural resources by explaining that these are natural materials
that we obtain from the environment. Have students identify natural resources in their
immediate surroundings (cotton in their clothing, wood in the furniture, paper in books).
Explain that many people are working to help protect our natural resources. Ask why
they think this is important. How could using both sides of a sheet of paper before
recycling it help protect the environment? How could using old magazines or catalogues
to wrap presents help protect and preserve natural resources? What about donating
unused toys or old clothes to a thrift store?
4. Introduce stations for students to explore in small groups. Students should use their
iPads to take a photo of each other at each station.
1. Book browsing
2. Trash or recycle? Sort items into trash can or recycle bin, check QR codes for
assessment
3. Upcycle some unwanted materials into something new/useful
4. Computer (any/all depending on time)
a) http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/games/action/recycle-roundup-new/
b) http://meetthegreens.pbskids.org/episodes/ (choose 2 episodes to watch,
play a Green game)
c) Watch brainpop video and complete an activity.
https://jr.brainpop.com/science/conservation/reducereuserecycle/
5. Create a poster designed to encourage other students to reduce/reuse/recycle

Day 4:
1. Read aloud Arthur Turns Green. Review the meaning of natural resources. Explain that
some of our resources are renewable (trees can be planted) and some are
non-renewable, so once they are gone, there will be no more to replace them (oil).
Discuss how some natural resources are used to produce energy (oil, coal, water, wind,
natural gas). These resources give us electricity, heat our homes, and power our cars,
so we need to be careful to help conserve them.
 2. Lets think about what we can do to help. In small groups, brainstorm some of the ways
in which our school uses energy. Look around the room. Ask each group to focus on
different areas of the classroom and consider ways we could conserve energy. Create a
list to share with the class. Some things to consider:
a. a/c and heat: is it often too cold or too hot?
b. Lights: When, if ever, are lights turned off? Is natural light used anywhere? What
kinds of lightbulbs do we use?
c. Electricity: Are unused items unplugged? What equipment uses electricity?
d. Are there gaps in windows?
e. Could we improve reducing, reusing, and recycling of materials?

Days 5-10:
1. In partners, students should create a proposal for a creative way to produce less waste
in our school. They might create a new product, offer a suggestion for reusing a material,
or design a method of using less electricity. Offer a few real-world examples, like
playgrounds made of old tires and crocheting plastic grocery bags into sleeping mats for
the homeless (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiUC0iDQtkA). They should include
data showing how much of the item could be saved by their method (students might
create a survey and visit classrooms to gather information, speak with custodial staff
about amount of paper towels used in restrooms, speak with kitchen staff about amount
of food waste, etc). Photos from station activities may be used in presentations. Students
can decide how they want to present their idea, but must include a persuasive letter to
be emailed to administration explaining how it will help our school and why they should
implement it. Partners will present their ideas to pairs of first graders to explain what they
learned and how the first graders can help implement the plan.
Name _____________________________ Date _______________

Persuasive Letter Planning Sheet

Whats the problem?

__________________________________________________________________

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Why are changes needed?

__________________________________________________________________

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What are your suggestions for fixing the problem?

__________________________________________________________________

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How will your suggestions help?

__________________________________________________________________

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