Unit Plan: Impacting Our Environment
Day 1: Introduction Day 2: Types of Resources
Standards: 4.32.B, 4.52.C, 4.52.D
Artifact of Learning: Students will list what makes
the environment unhealthy and record predictions
about what caused the pollution and what can/can’t be
fixed in their science notebook.
Objectives:
1. Students will list what makes an environment
unhealthy.
2. Students will observe the characteristics of a
polluted environment.
3. Students will predict what they think caused the
pollution and what changes can/can’t be fixed.
Instruction:
1. Read The Lorax. Discuss the problem and how it
was addressed in the story.
2. Complete a trackway activity, where an image is
slowly revealed of a polluted environment. In
their science notebook, students will list what is
unhealthy about the environment.
3. While observing the image, the class will make
predictions in the science notebooks about what
caused the pollution and if the problems can be
fixed.
4. The predictions will be shared and written on an
anchor chart.
Day 3: What is Pollution?
Standards: 4.32.B, 4.52.A
Artifact of Learning: When given an
object, students will identify what type of
resource it is and justify their reasoning in
their science notebooks.
Objectives:
1. Students will identify which type of
resource an item is.
2. Students will classify objects
according to the type of resources’
characteristics.
3. Students will justify their reasoning of
why they classified each object.
Instruction:
1. Students will be given a variety of
objects. They will be asked to sort
these objects into two groups,
choosing the criteria on their own.
2. After each group explains their
rationale, manmade and natural
resources will be discussed.
Characteristics of each resource will
be written on a resources anchor
chart.
3. Students can adjust their groupings
based on new material.
4. Students will then look at their natural
resource group, discussing the
difference between renewable and
nonrenewable resources. Add
characteristics to the resources anchor
chart.
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Standards: 4.5.2.C
Artifact of Learning: Students will draw
a picture of an environment that includes
3 sources of pollution clearly identified.
Objectives:
1. Students will identify 3 sources of
pollution in an environment.
2. Students will communicate what they
believe caused the pollution in the
environment.
3. Students will create a drawing that
includes at least 3 sources of
pollution.
Instruction:
1. In groups, students will explore a
model of a polluted environment.
While exploring, students will make
observations in their science notebook
about the sources of pollution and
what may have caused them.
2. Groups will share their observations
and an anchor chart will be created
that includes different types of
pollution and what causes them.
3. At the end of class, students will
complete the formative assessment.
 Day 4: Reducing Pollution
Standards: 4.52.C
Artifact of Learning: In their drawing from the
previous lesson, students will identify one way to
eliminate each of the pollution sources they identified.
They will also write how the environment would be
impacted if the pollution was left untreated.
Objectives:
1. Students will list ways to reduce pollution in an
environment.
2. Students will apply what they observed during the
lesson to write what impact pollution has on an
environment if it goes untreated.
3. Students will create ways to eliminate the
pollution from their environment.
Instruction:
1. Students will revisit the polluted environment
model from the previous lesson. They will look at
sources the sources of pollution they identified in
the previous lesson. Using provided materials,
students will explore the environment to see how
the different materials can be used to reduce
pollution.
2. After time is given to use the materials, students
will discuss which ways were effective in
reducing the pollution.
3. Complete a chalkboard splash where students
apply the methods they used in the previous
activity to identify a way to reduce pollution in an
environment.
4. Using their drawing from the previous lesson,
students will complete the formative assessment
below.
Day 5: Recycling
Standards: 4.52.D
Artifact of Learning: In their science
notebooks, students will compare
recyclable and nonrecyclable items.
Objectives:
1. Students will identify if an item is
recyclable or non-recyclable.
2. Students will compare recyclable and
nonrecyclable items.
3. Students will defend their reasoning
using criteria determined in class.
Instruction:
1. Students will watch a video about
landfills and the need for recycling.
2. As a class, students will sort a variety
of materials, deciding if the item can
be recycled or not.
3. After all items are sorted, create an
anchor chart that addresses the criteria
an item must meet to be recycled.
4. In groups, students will be given a
trash bag full of “trash”. They must
sort it into recyclable and
nonrecyclable items.
5. In their science notebooks, students
will compare recyclable and
nonrecyclable items.
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Day 6: Reduce & Reuse
Standards: 4.52.D
Artifact of Learning: Students will
choose an everyday object and
write/illustrate a way to make it more
sustainable.
Objectives:
1. Students will explain what it means to
reduce and reuse items.
2. Students will observe an object and
brainstorm a way to make it more
sustainable.
3. Students will justify why their object
has been made more sustainable.
Instruction:
1. Briefly discuss what the terms,
“reduce” and “reuse” mean.
2. In groups, students will be given a
scenario. They will decide whether
the item addressed is effectively being
reduced or reused.
3. Students will then choose an object
that they encounter daily. They will
write and illustrate about how they
could recreate this object, making it
more sustainable.
4. Once completed, students will share
them with a partner and volunteers
will be asked to share with the whole
group.
 Day 7: Cleaning Our Community
Standards: 4.52.C, 4.52. D
Artifact of Learning: In their science notebooks,
while observing their school and nearby community,
students will identify sources of pollution in their
community and brainstorm ways they could reduce it.
Objectives:
1. Students will identify sources of pollution within
their nearby community.
2. Students will apply what they have learned
throughout the unit to find evidence of pollution
within their community.
3. Students will create different ways they could
eliminate the pollution they noticed in their
community.
Instruction:
1. Together, the class will be pollution detectives.
They will search around the school and then the
nearby community to identify sources of
pollution.
2. Students will record these observations in their
science notebook.
3. Once they return to the class, the class will share
the pollution they noticed.
4. Students will individually brainstorm ways to
reduce the pollution they noticed.
5. During a gallery walk, the class circulate, writing
ways that the identified pollution could be
eliminated.
Day 8: Community Project
Standards: 4.32.B, 4.52.A
Artifact of Learning (Community
Project): Students will be working to
complete their community project.
Objectives:
1. Students will find a pollution problem
within their community.
2. Students will apply what they have
learned throughout the unit to make a
change within their community.
3. Students will create a visual to bring
attention to a problem and offer
information about how the
environment is impacted.
Instruction:
1. Working in groups, students will look
at the pollution they noticed in the
community during the prior lesson.
Each group will identify the problem
they want to find a solution for.
2. Explain the “Community Project”.
3. Give students time to work on their
project, floating around to each group,
offering assistance as necessary. By
the end of the lesson, students should
have the following parts of the project
completed:
• Identify a pollution problem in the
community that they wish to improve.
• Identify the types of resources
influencing and impacting the
problem.
• Determine the cause of the pollution.
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Day 9: Community Project
Standards: 4.52.C, 4.52. D
Artifact of Learning (Community
Project): Students will be working to
complete their community project.
Objectives:
1. Students will list ways to reduce an
identified source of pollution.
2. Students will apply what they have
learned throughout the unit to make a
change within their community.
3. Students will evaluate a problem to
find a possible solution and the
consequences if left untreated.
Instruction:
1. Working in groups, students will
complete the rest of their project. By
the end of the lesson, the project
should be completed. These
components should be added:
• The impact of their problem is left
untreated.
• One creative and sustainable way
(written and illustrated) to reduce the
problem.
 Day 10: Presentation & Reflection
Standards: 4.32.B, 4.52.A, 4.52. C, 4.52. D
Artifact of Learning (Presentation): Students will
share their projects with invited community and
school members to raise awareness about the pollution
problems they identified.
Objectives:
1. Students will present their project to an audience.
2. Students will communicate their problem using a
visual they created along with verbal explanation.
3. Students will persuade audience members to take
action in eliminating their chosen problem.
Instruction:
1. Student groups will present their projects to
invited community members and school members.
The goal of the presentation will be to persuade
the audience to act in eliminating their problem.

Grade: 2nd
Standards:
• 4.3 2.B Identify products and by-products derived from renewable resources.
• 4.5 2.A Identify the natural resources used to make various products.
• 4.5 2.C Identify how people can reduce pollution.
• 4.5 2.D Describe how people can help the environment by reducing, reusing, recycling, and composting.

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