Recycling with Kindergarten ELs

Setting and Student Population

The unit that I am presenting has been designed with Kindergarten ELs in mind. A description of the setting and student population correlates to the situated nature of the services that public schools provide and the students’ learner profile. The nature of an ESL classroom is always unique to the local supports that are available. Sometimes a local school system does not have a bilingual program for students in the L1 because there are not enough teachers qualified to give instruction. ELs entering Kindergarten may have no previous schooling or experiences that help them socialize to public classroom practices. Some students have recently come to the US and cannot communicate in any mode in English whereas others have been exposed and have moderate proficiency. The unit targets emerging ELs that may have a variety of ELP levels. In a sheltered English classroom, there is no “standard” demographic represented.

Course Description and Goals

When designing this unit, I wanted students to have opportunities to turn everyday items from trash into treasure. Seeing students’ creativity made the topic of recycling a natural choice for me to build my unit on. Using the concept of recycling was then a launching pad for me to focus on informational nonfiction writing which Kindergarten students are highly competent to complete. Nonfiction writing has an important presence in the Common Core State Standards that are used widely in the US for public schools, and this unit was designed to incorporate teaching these features in meaningful ways through mini-lessons and hands-on activities. The Next Generation Science Standards about creating environmental solutions were included because students could act as critical thinkers who reevaluated ways to recycle and reuse materials.

How the Unit fits with the Course

Students would each be given a nonfiction book related to recycling to explore and research for the duration of the unit. Using children’s literature is a simple way to connect recycling to students’ lives. Through various activities, students will be able to become problem solvers and transform everyday items into useful materials, such a milk cartons becoming planter boxes and plastic grocery bags becoming seat cushions. ELs especially benefit from these engaging activities that bridge the gap of language barriers.

Students publish a final report in a booklet to summarize their learning in the unit and meet the designated standards’ expectations. The scope and sequence for this unit is about ten days, over three weeks, and ending on or near Earth Day.

Other lesson plans that are part of this unit could include a focused lesson modeling how to write facts, a read aloud about where garbage goes, and a read aloud with The Lorax (Seuss, 1971). Each of the three R's reduce, reuse, and recycle can also be specific mini-lessons.