Engaging the Student (Entry Task) 

Checking for Understanding (exit ticket)

~30 min

1. Break students into teams of 3 or 4. We recommend that you decide between random or assigned teams. You may want to put students into teams that balance their skills, interests, and abilities to work together, therefore encouraging positive team dynamics.
2. Pose to teams the Engagement question: “Which is more environmentally sustainable: paper or plastic bags?”
3. Allow students to discuss in teams and then report their team consensus back to the entire class. An effective engagement question is an open-ended either/or question that stimulates further discussion and questions about the topic.

Grocery Bag Worksheets:

• Pro-Plastic/Anti-Paper
• Pro-Paper/Anti-Plastic 

Assign teams positions (either pro-paper/anti-plastic or pro-plastic/anti-paper) and the corresponding "Grocery Bag Worksheet" (Student Handout) for homework.

• If some teams have a strong opinion on one side, give them the opposing side. This expands their thinking and challenges what they think they know.

• This would be a good time to have a discussion about sources. (This is a time to gauge whether your class has enough experience knowing the difference between sources.)

• What makes a good source?

• Was the author biased? If so how could you confirm the information given by that source?

• Student Journals

Journal check-in Spend a few minutes answering reflection questions in journals.

• What did you learn today
• Does the grocery bag you choose matter?  If so, to what and to whom? If not, why not?”