Know it! - Recycling - Year 1 - Teacher's notes

The "Know it! - Recycling" teacher's notes provide a structured approach for Year 1 students to understand and engage with the concept of recycling. The lesson includes a variety of retrieval tasks to reinforce learning even after the unit is completed. One such task requires the children to list five items made of plastic. This individual activity allows them to earn two points for each correct item they list within a ten-minute timeframe. Importantly, in this task, spelling is not a priority, which encourages students to focus on the content rather than the form of their answers.

Another activity in the lesson plan involves identifying words associated with recycling. Students are presented with a list of words, including 'pollution', 'environmentally friendly', 'biodegrade', and 'landfill', among others. They must individually select six words that they believe are related to recycling, with each correct word circled earning them two points. This task also has a ten-minute limit. Additionally, an interactive group activity called 'Cops and robbers' is described where children sit in groups of four and first note down their own recalled knowledge about recycling. They then have the opportunity to learn from their peers by 'stealing' information they didn't initially recall, with each new piece of knowledge awarded two points. This collaborative exercise, which takes approximately 15 minutes, promotes sharing and consolidates understanding of the topic.