Reading, Writing and Recycling
In Janine Avitabile’s fourth grade reading class at Matthew Paterson Elementary School, students marked Earth Day with a lesson on reducing plastic waste. The project blended reading, writing and creativity. It gave students a chance not just to learn about the issue, but to see themselves as part of the solution.
The lesson began with the book “One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia,” by Miranda Paul, which tells how one woman’s determination to recycle discarded plastic bags sparked change in her community.
“The book was about littering,” Johnny said. “They decided to take the plastic bags that were left around and make a recycled purse out of them.”
Then the class turned to Adobe Express to design their own Earth Day posters. Each student created a message about reducing, reusing or recycling plastic. They matched their words with images that reinforced their ideas. The students each listed something they could change in their own lives to reduce plastic waste.
“I will use a metal water bottle instead of a plastic one,” Eliana said.
Once the posters were complete, students evaluated each other’s work across four categories: themes, visuals, readability and layout. The exercise encouraged them to think about how effectively their messages were communicated, an important skill for any writer.
For these fourth graders, Earth Day was not just a lesson. It was an opportunity to imagine a cleaner world and the role they can play in creating it.