Trees and Conservation

Learning Goals

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to understand conservation, how to properly dispose of paper products, and how to conserve paper products.

Success Criteria

• I will be able to make “green” choices.
• I will be able to understand the words waste, recycle, and re-use.
• I will be able to understand the word conservation.

Materials Needed

• Book “What Does It Mean to Be Green?” by Rana DiOrio, or the YouTube read aloud video
• Chart displayed on a white board, smart board, etc. with 3 sections, one for each landfill, recycle, and re-use

Minds On (Activating Prior Knowledge)

Have a class discussion about how trees are important to us.

• Why are trees important to humans (Prompt refreshers on photosynthesis)?
• What would happen if we didn’t have any more trees?
• Is it possible to stop cutting down trees?
• If it’s not possible to stop cutting down trees entirely, how can we ensure we are using trees sustainably?
• How can we conserve our trees and our tree products?

Read students the story “What Does It Mean to Be Green?” by Rana DiOrio, or show them a YouTube read aloud video:

Explain to students that the “fancy” or “grown-up” word for being green is conservation. Ask students what they think conservation means. Explain that conservation means protecting things found in nature and using Earth’s natural resources sensibly.

Activity (Teacher or Volunteer Lead)

Start by asking students where paper comes from. Then, ask how many trees worth of paper they think gets thrown away each year. Tell them that we can’t know the exact amount, but about 1 billion trees worth of paper are thrown out in one year in the U.S. That’s a lot of trees!

Next, explain to students 3 different places paper products made from trees can end up. First, in a landfill where the paper has gone through one-time use. It could also end up at a recycling plant where the paper will be recycled and made into new products. Finally, paper products may be re-used for new purposes.

Create a group tally chart on a smart board, white board, etc. Older students can use their own tally chart in their notebooks, personal whiteboards, etc. The chart should have 3 sections, one each for landfill, recycling, and re-using. Give students several minutes to explore the classroom and look for ways that paper is being wasted- this means the paper has gone through one-time use and will end up in a landfill. Record student observations in the chart. Prompt students for anything they missed (paper towels for hand drying, tissues, items in their lunch, etc.). Then, do the same for paper items that are (or will be) recycled and again for paper items that are being re-used.

Connection + Consolidation

Afterwards, discuss where the majority of paper items in the classroom are ending up (this may be different for each class). Tell students that they are going to be coming up with a plan as a class to conserve trees and reduce paper waste. Students with more autonomy may want to come up with individual goals, as well. Ask students to come up with suggestions and choose a project as a class that they will work towards.

For example: Limiting paper waste by having a classroom scrap paper box, using a reusable lunch box with reusable containers, using cloths instead of paper towels, playing and creating with paper trash, donating unused books to charity, using less paper worksheets, planting trees, hold a fundraiser to support tree planting organizations, or spread awareness to other school members of the ways they can reduce waste (perhaps create a video instead of making paper posters).

Choose a project based on the time and materials available to your class and come up with a plan on how the project will be implemented. For instance, if you are going to have a scrap paper box, students will have to put scraps there instead of the trash and check the box for paper they can use first before getting fresh pieces of paper. If possible, discuss the project on a regular basis and record how the project is being met or any challenges faced.

Modifications for Online Learning

Do the minds on activity and read the book/show the read aloud video to the class as indicated above. For the activity, have students explore their home for ways paper is each being wasted, recycled, and re-used. For the consolidation/assessment, challenge students to come up with a goal for their household or for themselves to reduce paper waste and check in on how the goal is being met regularly.

Note: Extension activities (listed below) may be able to be completed at home if it can be arranged with the parents ahead of time to collect recycled materials.

Extension Actvities

Tell students that they are going to conserve some trees and make a useful craft by re-using paper/cardboard materials that often end up in landfills. In the days leading up to the lesson, collect paper or cardboard materials from home, or ask parents to send some to school with their kids. Depending on the materials available and the preferences of students, make one of the following crafts below:

Paper Towel/ Toilet Paper Tube Instrument

• Many rolls (especially toilet paper rolls) end up in the garbage instead of the recycling simply because there is always a garbage in the kitchen and bathroom but usually not a recycling bin!
• Give each student a paper towel or toilet paper roll and allow students to decorate
• Tape one end shut using strong tape
• Add rice into the open end of the tube
• Close the other end of the tube with tape
• Play with them, use them to make sounds in music class, etc.

Materials:

• Paper towel or toilet paper rolls, one for each student
• Tools to decorate the outside with (markers, stickers, tape, scrap paper, etc.)
• Tape (masking, duct, washi, etc.)
• Rice

Pringle Can Storage Container

• Pringle cans are quite unfriendly to the environment as the mix of different materials with the paper means they can’t be recycled
• Have students decorate the outside of their can
• Store classroom materials in the containers (such as paint brushes, extra pencils, math manipulatives, etc.) or have students keep them in their desk to store items

Materials

• Clean Pringles cans (can be regular size or mini), one for each student
• Tools to decorate the outside with (glue, scrap paper, stickers, markers, washi tape, paint, etc.).

Milk Carton Bird Feeders

Many milk cartons end up in the garbage because people believe they cannot be recycled – but they can be!

• Decide if students will work alone or in small groups
• Help students cut a square near the bottom of the front of the milk carton
• Students decorate the outside of the milk carton (note: if students need strong glue to hold their decorations down, assist them with hot gluing)
• Poke a hole through the top of the milk carton and add a piece of string (to hang the feeder)
• Add bird feed into the bottom and hang them in the school grounds, or have students take them home and add bird feed themselves

Materials

• Milk cartons (empty and clean), one for each student/group
• Scissors
• Materials to decorate their bird feeders with (non-toxic paint, stickers, washi tape, twigs, and other environmentally friendly materials you have available that can stand up to outdoor elements)
• Hot glue
• Hole punch (or something else to poke a hole with)
• String
• Bird feed