K-12 Resources
By Teachers, For Teachers Provided by the K-12 Teachers Alliance

Lesson Plan

One Man’s Trash is Another Man’s Treasure: Creating Something New

Subject Science
Grades K-2

Introduction

Large items are often built from smaller items that were disassembled from something else. In this lesson, students will learn about the famous artist Simon Rodia, who constructed the Watts Towers. They will use a makerspace or a collection of recyclables to create their own new object.

Learning Objectives

2-PS1-3. Make observations to construct an evidence-based account of how an object made of a small set of pieces can be disassembled and made into a new object.

For the full lesson plan, download the PDF.

Download Full Lesson Plan: One Man’s Trash is Another Man’s Treasure: Creating Something New

Close up of young boy building a house with blocks

Builders and Bulldozers

Students practice creating and disassembling structures in a fun, hands-on activity.

You Rock! – Categorizing Rocks by Their Attributes

Students tackle describing rocks using attributes on a fun rock hunt.

Adult bald eagle hovering their young in a nest

How Do Parents Care for Their Young, Eagle Edition

Students observe parent eagles caring for their young and draw their observations.

Rubber duck floating in sink filled with water

Sink or Float?

Students grapple with buoyancy of different objects in a watery, hands-on experiment.

K-12 Resources By Teachers, For Teachers Provided by the K-12 Teachers Alliance