Days 1-2 Introduce students to vocabulary. Read The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry to students. Days 3-4 Revisit vocabulary. Read Just a Dream by Chris Van Allsburg to students. When he has a dream about a future Earth devastated by pollution, Walter begins to understand the importance of taking care of the environment.
Students read critically for fictional information.
Day 5 Go to computer lab. Look up information about pollution and recycling on the World-Wide Web. Information will be used later for reports. Students print out web pages and turn in with reports. See examples of students' writing Teacher's comments Day 7 Students learn about recycling paper by making their own recycled paper in class.