Jellyfish or Plastic Bag? Lesson Plan

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Academic Standards

 

Reading Objective:

Children will discover ways to keep plastic bags out of the ocean.

 

Social Studies Focus:

Earth Day, recycling

 

ELA Skills:

key details, vocabulary, cause and effect

 

Page 4 Skill:

RI.2.7 read a chart

 

Vocabulary:

landfill, decompose, factory

 

CCSS:

SL.2.3, RI.2.1, RI.2.4, RI.2.10, RI.2.3

 

Guided Reading Level:

L

 

Lexile Level: 

510L

Download TEKS Standards
Download California State Standards
Download Common Core Standards

Provide students with some background on trash and recycling.

Build background knowledge (10 min.)

  • Watch our video “What Happens to Our Trash?” After children have finished watching the video, discuss the following questions:
    • Why are sanitation workers’ jobs important? (They keep our communities clean and healthy.)
    • Name one way trash gets to a landfill. (Answers include: by train, by barge.)
    • How can you make less trash? (Answers include: by recycling, by composting.)

Preview vocabulary (3 min.)

  • Next, play the online vocabulary slideshow. This issue’s featured words are landfill, decompose, and factory.

Set a purpose for reading (5 min.)

  • Pass out the issue, and discuss the cover. How do kids think plastic bags get into the ocean? Might there be a way people can keep this from happening?
  • Next, read the As You Read prompt on page 2: “Think about what you would do with a plastic bag.” Encourage children to think about this prompt as they read.

Read together (20 min.)

Pass out the Read and Think printable. Use it to check comprehension as you read the issue together, pausing to ask the questions. 

Assessment: Reading Checkpoint (15 min.)

  • Pass out the Reading Checkpoint to review key concepts from the issue and assess students’ proficiency on key nonfiction reading skills.
  • Throw Out That Trash! gives children practice in capitalization. Every time children answer correctly, a piece of trash goes into the bin!

You can use our printable worksheets to focus on important ELA skills. Here’s how.

ELA Focus: Vocabulary (15 min.)

  • Use the Word Work printable to deepen students’ understanding of the words landfill, decomponse, and factory.

Editor’s Pick: Cause and Effect (15 min.)

  • The What Happens If . . .? skill sheet asks children to match causes and effects. The sheet not only teaches children an important reading skill, it also helps reinforce the content they learned in the issue.

Recycling Activity: Make a Jump Rope (15 min.)

  • The Recycled Rope! skill sheet helps you and your class put words into action! Children can work in small groups to create one rope each. Read and model each step, helping children follow along. Then make sure to take along your recycled jump ropes for outdoor time. Children can take turns skipping and jumping!

 Here are two past issues you can use to extend your lessons for Earth Day:

You can find a higher-Lexile-level and a lower-Lexile-level version of the article online here:

  • Higher-Lexile level: 530L
  • Lower-Lexile level: 460L