Recycling and Recovery

Lesson Overview

Unit: Waste Wise: Sustainability in Action (Lesson 3 of 6)
Duration: 45 minutes
Class Size: 1 student
Age Group: Year 5 (9-10 years old)
Subject Area: Other – Sustainability and Environmental Awareness

---

National Curriculum Links

• Science – Year 5:

  • Working Scientifically: Plan and carry out some investigations, comparing and grouping materials based on their properties (NC Appendix 1)
  • States of Matter & Properties of Materials: Understand how some materials can be reused, recycled or recovered to reduce environmental impact.

• PSHE – Health and Wellbeing:

  • Living in the Wider World: Understand how choices impact the environment and local community.

• Geography:

  • Understand human impact on the environment, including waste management and sustainability issues.

---

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, the student will be able to:

1. Explain the recycling process and its importance in sustainability.
2. Identify common recyclable materials and distinguish them from non-recyclable waste.
3. Understand how recovery contributes to waste management beyond recycling.

---

Success Criteria

• Can verbally describe the main stages of recycling (collection, sorting, processing, remanufacturing).
• Accurately identifies at least five recyclable materials during a sorting activity.
• Demonstrates understanding of recovery processes (e.g., composting, energy from waste).

---

Resources Needed

• Selection of clean waste items (paper, plastic bottles, aluminium cans, food waste, glass jars, textiles)
• Three labelled, colour-coded bins/baskets (recycling, recovery, landfill)
• Recycling process diagram (simple and dyslexia-friendly with images and minimal text)
• Colour-coded labels for materials: blue for paper, yellow for plastics, green for glass, brown for organic waste, etc.
• Worksheet for reflection and recording sorted materials
• Access to a simple local recycling information leaflet or poster (if available)

---

Lesson Structure

1. Introduction to Recycling and Recovery (10 minutes)

• Start with a simple, engaging question: "Have you ever thought about what happens when you throw something in the recycling bin?"
• Use the brightly illustrated recycling process diagram to introduce the steps: collection, sorting, processing, and making new products.
• Discuss what happens when items can’t be recycled (introduce recovery: composting and energy recovery).
• Tie back to the National Curriculum: how recycling supports reducing waste and conserving resources.

2. Sorting Activity (20 minutes)

• Explain the sorting task: the student will sort mixed waste items into three bins — Recycling, Recovery, and Landfill.
• Use labelled bins with colour-coded materials to aid recognition and support dyslexia (e.g., blue bin labelled “Paper”)
• To deepen understanding, ask the student to think about why each item belongs in its bin.
• Discuss each choice, reinforcing recycling facts (e.g., “Paper can be recycled but food waste goes to composting”).
• For the single student, partner yourself as the sorting “buddy” to model and guide decision-making, ensuring scaffolding.

3. Reflection and Explanation (10 minutes)

• Use the worksheet to draw or write the items sorted and explain their categories.
• Prompt the student to verbally describe the recycling process in their own words, encouraging use of keywords (collection, sorting, remanufacturing).
• Discuss why recycling and recovery are important to the environment and local community.

4. Extension (if time/allows) (5 minutes)

• Introduce the extension task: research a local recycling programme or facility (e.g., council kerbside collection, nearby recycling centre).
• Help the student plan a simple presentation or poster on their findings, which they can complete at home or in a later lesson.

---

Differentiation Strategies

• Support: Partner the student with the teacher during sorting for guided decision-making and verbal cues.
• Challenge: Ask the student to categorise tricky materials (like multi-material packaging or textiles) and explain why it’s complicated.
• Visual Aids: Use colour-coded, labelled bins and materials for easier identification — critical for dyslexic learners.
• Linguistic Support: Provide sentence starters on the worksheet, e.g. “This is recyclable because…”

---

Dyslexia-Friendly Adaptations

• Fonts: Use dyslexia-friendly fonts such as OpenDyslexic for all printed material.
• Layout: Clear headings, lots of spacing, bullet points instead of paragraphs.
• Visuals: Large icons and photos next to words.
• Colour: Use consistent, contrasting colour codes for recycling categories (e.g., blue = paper).
• Hands-on: Emphasise kinaesthetic learning through sorting physical objects.

---

Assessment

• Formative assessment through questioning and discussion during sorting task and reflection.
• Use student's ability to correctly sort items and verbally explain recycling process as evidence of understanding.
• Use worksheet completion to assess written or drawn responses aligned to success criteria.

---

Teacher’s Notes

• Encourage curiosity by asking “What do you think happens if something is not recycled properly?”
• Make connections to the student’s home life and community — ask “What does your family recycle at home?”
• Reinforce positive environmental attitudes by linking recycling to saving trees, reducing landfill, and protecting wildlife.
• Maintain a pace that suits the single student, allowing time to explore and explain ideas fully.

---

This lesson plan pries open the doorway to environmental stewardship with accessible, supportive learning tailored to the Year 5 National Curriculum expectations, ensuring a memorable and meaningful step towards waste-wise action.