by Melanie Walsh
Comment les jeunes peuvent-ils faire pour économiser l’énergie et l’eau potable? Que peuvent-ils faire pour sauver les arbres? Et comment peuvent-ils contribuer à améliorer la qualité de l’air? Ce livre aide les jeunes à prendre conscience de leur environnement.
Strategies/Skills Used
Reading Strategy 1: Access background knowledge.
Reading Strategy 7: Determine the most important ideas and events and the relationship between them.
Reading Strategy 9: Identify and interpret literary elements in different genres.
Reading Strategy 11: Make inferences and draw conclusions.
Reading Strategy 12: Reflect and respond.
TEACHING THE ACTIVITY: PRE-READING
(1) Use the What’s Inside? process with a classroom recycling bin partially filled with varying shapes, colours and textures of paper products: parts of small boxes, cartons and rolls, variegated cardboard, newsprint, paper/gift bags, envelopes, discarded flyers. Ensure that sample paper items are small and can be handled and manipulated by early primary students in a small space.
(2) Gather students around the recycling bin and pass around items for students to have a closer look. Wonder with the students why these items are together, what they have in common, and why they are in the blue bin. Listen as the students explore their background understanding of recycling. Ensure that the whole class understands the purpose of the classroom blue bin for capturing discarded paper.
(3) Introduce the classroom practice of using the items in this bin to create. Give pairs of students a letter-sized, colourful cardstock palette, and invite students to use bits and pieces from the blue bin to create recycling mascots for the classroom.
(4) Explore in conversation with students the message that this is “one thing I can do to help my world.”
TEACHING THE ACTIVITY: DURING READING
(5) Display the team of recycling characters, recall the previous day’s exploration with recycled paper, and reflect on the message “one thing I can do to help my world.”
(6) Introduce the book cover of 10 idées écolos pour sauver ma planète and have students predict some of the things that might be included in the book. Record student ideas.
(7) Read aloud 10 idées écolos pour sauver ma planète.
TEACHING THE ACTIVITY: POST-READING
(8) Compare student-generated ideas with those in book.
(9) Decide where in your classroom recycling mascots could be displayed to help students be mindful of improving the world we live in.
(10) Use the Bubble Thinking process and have student partners work together to create simple messages to accompany the recycling characters.
(11) Provide an opportunity for students to take pictures of their characters. Print in reduced size for students to place in their homes as a manageable action beyond the classroom where they can affect change.