Assess students' ability to sort common classroom items—clean paper, soiled paper, rigid plastic, soft plastic, and food scraps—into recycling, compost, or trash, and to give a simple age‑appropriate explanation for each choice using clear criteria (material type, cleanliness/contamination, and local bin rules). Include picture‑card sorting tasks and short real‑item activities where children select the correct bin and state a one‑sentence reason that demonstrates applied reasoning and appropriate vocabulary for Pre‑K–Grade 2.