4-6 : Lesson Plan #5
Recycling Survey

Objective: The students will create and administer surveys to gather information on recycling attitudes and practices.

Materials:

Procedure:

Brainstorm with the students items which can be recycled. Record these on the chart paper or chalkboard.
Pose the question to the students “Do you recycle when possible?” Allow the students to give responses on how they recycle either at home or at school.
Discuss with the students what a survey is. Discuss what type of information the class would like to know about people and their attitudes and practices relating to recycling.
Work as a class to devise an open-ended survey to be given to friends and family about their recycling attitudes and practices. What information would they like to know? List questions they want to include on the survey on the chalkboard or chart paper. Some sample questions may be:
- “Do you recycle?”
- “What items do you recycle?”
- “How does recycling make you feel?”
- “What, if anything, do you find difficult about recycling?”
Once questions have been decided upon, devise the survey and make enough copies for students to each administer 2 surveys each. Stress to the students they should administer the survey to people they know – family or friends and not approach strangers.
Allow the students 2-3 days to have the surveys completed.
Regroup and discuss the findings of the survey. Were there any similarities in the responses? Were the students surprised by any of the responses?
As an extension, brainstorm ways that would increase people's recycling behavior.

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