Integrated Plastic Pollution Curriculum

INTEGRATED K-12
PLASTIC POLLUTION
CURRICULUM
an interdisciplinary approach
to environmental education
through plastic pollution
CONTENTS
Page 4
About Algalita
Page 5
Algalita’s Work
Page 6
How to Use This Resource
Page 7
Standards and Evaluations
Page 8
Curriculum Overview
Page X
Other Algalita Programs
Page X
References
ABOUT ALGALITA
WHO ARE WE?
OUR WORK
Algalita is a nonprofit organization
Algalita is dedicated to preventing plastic
founded by Captain Charles Moore, the
pollution by inspiring communities to
man who discovered “The Great Pacific
engage and act on effective solutions.
Garbage Patch” in 1997.
K AT I E A L L E N
Executive Director
WE WORK WITH
YOUTH - to develop action campaigns
TEACHERS – to educate & engage students
BUSINESSES – to eliminate waste
CHARLES MOORE
Founder
INDUSTRY – to inspire change
GOVERNMENT – to spark policy
SCIENTISTS – to support research
ANIKA BALLENT
Education Director
STEPHANIE SHAO
Development Coordinator
OUR PARTNERS
Cabrillo Marine Aquarium
So. California Coastal Water Research Project
Grades of Green
Surfrider Foundation
Ocean Institute
G W E N L AT T I N
Chief Scientist
and others
We are global leaders in the
movement to end plastic
pollution.
We monitor and investigate
plastic accumulation in the
open ocean through global
expeditions.
We empower youth to become
change-makers of today while
preparing them to take on the
challenges of the future.
We inspire individuals and
communities to adopt plasticsmart habits.
We work with industry, policy
makers, businesses, and
entrepreneurs to design and
evaluate solutions.
SUPPLEMENTARY RESOURCES
Plastic Ocean | Charles Moore 2011
Plastic Pollution in the Worlds Oceans … | Eriksen et al. 2014
Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean | Jambeck et al. 2015
Reducing Plastic Debris in the Los Angeles and San Gabriel River Watersheds |
Midbust et al. 2014
The New Plastics Economy – Rethinking the Future of Plastics
The New Plastics Economy – Catalyzing Action
Circular Economy isn’t a magical fix for our environmental woes | The Guardian
2017 https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2017/jul/14/circulareconomy-not-magical-fix-environmental-woes-global-corporations
Integrative Environmental Medicine Ch. 1 – The Plastic Age… | Moore and Mosko
2017
Plastics the Environment and Human Health… | Thompson et al. 2009
Marine Litter Vital Graphics
The Upcycle | William McDonough and Michael Braungart 2013
The Failure of Environmental Education (and how we can fix it) | Blumstein and
Saylan 2007
http://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.0050120
***Also a book with same title available | Charles Saylan and Daniel Blumstein 2011
Stemming the Tide | Ocean Conservancy 2015
https://oceanconservancy.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/full-reportstemming-the.pdf
The Next Wave: Investment Strategies for Plastic Free Seas | Ocean Conservancy
2017 https://oceanconservancy.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/the-nextwave.pdf
Nudging toward a healthy natural environment | Akerloff & Kennedy 2013
THE STORY BEHIND
THIS RESOURCE
This curriculum is designed to be an experimental approach to environmental education. Primary
and secondary education has long used a subject-based approach, with little crossover between
subjects and a strong focus on student evaluation through written exams. So far, this method has
not proven effective in addressing the global environmental (or social, humanitarian, economic)
challenges that grow more concerning every year, exacerbated by population growth and the
global economic and political climate.
We are drawing from idea sources such as Cradle to Cradle, The Upcycle and the Failure of
Environmental Education to introduce a teaching resource designed around problem-driven
learning. We want to learn how an integrated approach to education may help students, and in
turn communities, to address environmental challenges. Our overarching goal is to spur individual
buy-in through a curriculum that builds on personal engagement in the community and that
translates to long-term engagement, behavior change and positive influence in the community.
This curriculum is designed to teach a broad range of subjects and personal skills using a single,
tangible environmental issue: plastic pollution. Having developed within the last six decades into a
declared UN global emergency in 2018, plastic pollution is now ubiquitous in our marine and fresh
waters, land and aquatic sediments, terrestrial habitats, atmosphere/air and even food sources,
worldwide. Quite visible in many ways and invisible in other ways, plastics are directly and
indirectly changing ecosystems, habitats and natural resources, and societies, too. Not only is
plastic pollution an urgent, observable, global problem, but its solution lies among many subject
realms, including design, engineering, policy, economics, social sciences, culture, human behavior,
industrial constructs, and more. The characteristics of this challenge, as outlined above, make it a
prime opportunity for teaching through an integrated approach.
HOW TO USE THIS RESOURCE
The curriculum is structured in three levels, with each level comprising three topics. For each of the
nine topics, three lesson plans are supplied. Listed as 1, 2 and 3, the lesson plans are designed to
accommodate beginners, intermediate and advanced learners respectively. In a K-12 system, we
would generally advise to use lesson 1 for K-4 students, lesson 2 for grades 5-8 and lesson 3 for
students in grades 9-12. However, as the educator, you are the best judge of your students
knowledge level and which activities may or may not be suitable. We hope that this curriculum
provides flexibility and sufficient challenge for your learners.
Each lesson plan includes an educator guide and in most cases a student worksheet. Some lessons
are facilitated by the teacher while others include instructions outlined in the student worksheet,
and in most cases, there is a combination. Extra materials are required in some cases, but we
designed the activities to allow for a low budget and opportunity for using available or repurposed
items. The overarching goal, learning objectives, anticipated duration, extra materials, teaching
objectives, preparation guidelines and associated standards are all included.
The activities follow a structure designed to maximize student engagement. This structure can be
described as a circular network or process of learning methods including imagination, exploration,
examination, investigation, experimentation, application, analysis, discussion, reflection, expansion
of ideas. Learning is a process that draws on all of these actions. We hope by purposefully building
the lessons around this process, will help students engage on a more fundamental level. The
different stages of each activity are therefore titled: IMAGINE, EXPLORE, EXAMINE, INVESTIGATE,
EXPERIMENT, APPLY, ANALYZE, DISCUSS, REFLECT & EXPAND.
As an organization we hope to provide you, the educator with additional support in implementing
this curriculum in your classroom and school wide. We hope to spark a transition towards more
effective environmental education, through you and your daily interaction with students. To do
this, we will be providing quarterly webinars to answer specific questions and to receive feedback
from you. We aim to update this curriculum every summer to keep up with scientific and social
developments related to the issue.
ALIGNMENT WITH
NATIONAL STANDARDS
As this curriculum was designed in the United States, we have included for each activity, the
current Federal education standards including Common Core and NGSS that align with the
activity and the level to which the standards are addressed.
EVALUATION METHODS
The evaluation system for this curriculum is two-fold.
1.
We want to be able to measure how the curriculum improves students’ short term
academic development. Have students demonstrated and/or developed: Critical thinking
skills, Deeper curiosity, Engagement in their work, Personal realization, Practical
understanding and use of abstract concepts
2. We want to be able to measure the effectiveness of the curriculum in it’s long-term impact
on students’ attitude towards community, environmental awareness and consideration, and
cultural aspects of dealing with the imminent environmental challenges. Have students
perceptibly changed their attitude towards: Human dependence on nature, The range of
solutions required to address environmental issues, Their role in addressing the issue of
plastic pollution, Are there perceptible changes in community engagement regarding
environmental/sustainability challenges?
HELP US HELP YOU
We want to hear about your experiences, challenges and successes with this resource. Please
use our educator feedback tool to help us evaluate our work so that we can best support you.
IMPLEMENTATION MODELS
Long term
Short term
LEARN
SYNTHETIC
SAND
PLASTIC
SOUP
INSIDE
PLASTIC
p 10
p 23
p 36
ENGAGE
DRIFTING
DEBRIS
LOST
TRASH
REUSE
REFUSE
P 52
P 67
P 88
ACT
RECYCLE
RESIN
POLYMER
POLITICS
P 105
P 115
POLLUTION
TECHSOLUTIONS
P 127
SYNTHETIC SAND
1
What’s the difference between natural and synthetic sand?
2
How much plastic is in a coastal sediment sample?
3
How can density be used to analyze sediment samples?
GOAL
To understand what is
sand, what are natural
components of sand and
what are unnatural
components of sand.
OBJECTIVES
1.
2.
3.
Learn about the
different components
of sand.
Be able to distinguish
between natural and
unnatural components
of sand.
Think critically about
why plastics are found
in sand and how it
may get there.
DURATION
60 minutes
MATERIALS
-
-
1 bucket of sand (5
quarts is probably
enough) – split into
different containers, 1
for every 3 teams
Shovels, 1 for every 3
teams
Pie trays, 1 per team
Magnifiers, 1 per team
Worksheet, 1 per
student
Colored pencils and
graphite pencils for
drawing and sketching
TEACHING OBJECTIVES
•
•
•
Engage students in exploring the complexity of natural coastal sediment.
Students will understand where the plastic pollution on coastal
environments originates from and how it arrives there.
Engage students in thoughtful discussion of the best methods to address
this issue (prevention as solution, cleanup as an engagement and
temporary management tool).
PREPARE
Familiarize yourself with:
• The student activity handout
• The listed vocabulary
• The types of plastic pollution
• Sand characteristics
Acquire materials and collect sand from a local beach, river bank or lake shore.
Determine if plastics are present. If supplement plastic samples are needed please
contact Algalita in advance.
PROCEDURE
Split students into teams or 2-3. Each team receives or collects a pie tray with
a scoop of sand. Students complete the activity. Educator leads discussion in
their teams with the questions below.
1. Compare how you used your senses to tell the difference between natural
components of the sand, like shells and seeds, and artificial components of the
sand, like plastic and glass? What sorts of clues did you use? Which senses
were the most helpful?
2. What was the most unique or unusual object that you encountered?
3. People going to the beach may litter, wind can blow lightweight pieces from
afar, and water washes debris downhill to the sea when it rains. Plastics floating
in the ocean can be washed ashore by waves and carried by currents from far
away. Where do you think the plastic in the sand you analyzed came from?
Imagine and describe to your team the pathway one piece of plastic took from
the person using it to the beach.
4. Do you think you found more plastic in the sand than is acceptable? Why?
5. Discuss with your team what you and your class can do differently in your
day to day life to reduce how much plastic is going into the ocean.
STANDARDS
STEM Workshop: Synthetic Sand
Page 14
GOAL
To understand what is
sand, what are natural
components of sand and
what are unnatural
components of sand.
IMAGINE
Where does the plastic on a beach come from? Draw the journey a plastic straw
may take from you to the beach.
OBJECTIVES
1.
2.
3.
Learn about the
different components
of sand.
Be able to distinguish
between natural and
unnatural components
of sand.
Think critically about
why plastics are found
in sand, how it may
get there and possible
solutions.
VOCABULARY
Sand – tiny rock grains
created by erosion
Plastic – a man made
material that is melted,
shaped and cooled. Most
plastics are made from
petroleum
Polymer – a long molecule
of many repeating sections
Synthetic – made by
connecting many pieces
Pollution – harmful or toxic
things in our environment
Resin pellet – a tiny bead of
plastic that is melted down
and molded into objects
Anthropogenic – manmade
STEM Workshop: Synthetic Sand
Page 15
HOW TO DRAW
A GREAT
SKETCH
You don’t have to be a
good artist, but you do
need to pay attention to
detail. Try these tips:
•
Fill the entire space by
drawing the magnified
version of the whole
object or a part of it.
•
Use different pencil
strokes, like dots or
shading to show
variations in texture
•
Label as many different
parts of the object as
you can. Labels are
used to tell other
people what is in your
drawing. Be as
descriptive as possible.
•
Include a scale which
shows how big the
object is. Use a ruler to
measure the item, then
draw a line that
matches the length you
measured and write the
length of the object
next to it.
EXAMINE
In this activity we’ll be looking at beach sand and what you find in it. There are a lot of
things that we find in beach sand, things that come from the animals and plants that live in
the ocean and on the shore. Shells are the hard material that invertebrates make protect
themselves. Plant pieces like seeds, sticks and leaves from land plants, like trees, and
water plants, like algae, often break off and get washed onto the shore with the waves.
We also find things in the sand that are not natural, but man-made. Anthropogenic items
you might find are pieces of plastic, metal, glass, paper, and fabric.
Pick out pieces in the sand that are interesting and sort the things you find into the four
categories below, using the magnifying glass to get a better look.
Pick one item from each category and draw a scientific sketch of how the item looks
under the microscope. Use the tips on the left of the page to make sure you’ve included all
the important parts of a sketch. Try to draw as much detail as you can, use up as much of
the bubble as you can, and label what you are drawing to be like a real scientist!
PIECE FROM A PLANT
(Ex: leaf, twig, seed, algae)
PIECE OF PLASTIC
(Ex: fragment, resin pellet, rope, foam)
STEM Workshop: Synthetic Sand
PIECE FROM AN ANIMAL
(Ex: shell, crab leg)
PIECE OF ANTHROPOGENIC
ITEM (e.g. metal, paper, fabric, glass)
Page 16
GOAL
To understand where
plastic accumulates on
shorelines, how it can be
used to understand the
coastal environments, and
how monitoring is
important for determining
trends.
TEACHING OBJECTIVES
•
•
•
Engage students in exploring the natural coastal environment.
Students will understand where the plastic pollution on coastal
environments originates from and how it arrives there.
Engage students in thoughtful discussion of the best methods to address
this issue (prevention as solution, cleanup as an engagement and
temporary management tool).
PREPARE
OBJECTIVES
1.
2.
Understand field
analysis methods and
importance of
accurate data
sampling.
Determine where
microplastics
accumulate in a sandy
shoreline environment.
DURATION
About 3 hours for activity,
not including
transportation to study
area.
MATERIALS
Per pair
- Tape measure or rope 5
m long
- Meter stick
- Paper/cloth bag for
each transect (~4-5)
- Clipboard
- Pencil/pen
- Compass (optional)
Per transect
- 2 cones or flags to mark
ends of each transect
Determine a suitable study area and a sampling array. Study area can be a
beach, riverbank, lake shore, etc. Based on scale and shape of beach, determine
a sampling array composed of 5 or 10 meter transects parallel to the shore (line
along which a 1 m swath of sand will be sampled for plastics, see field guide).
Transects should be evenly spaced across a section of or the entire beach,
spanning the distance from the water’s edge (wrackline) to the backshore.
ACTIVITY OVERVIEW
Students complete IMAGINE warm-up activity. Students form teams of 2-4.
Pairs or groups of 4 are ideal. At field site, students measure out the
predetermined array of transects using a tape measure or measured lengths of
rope. Use cones or flags to mark beginning and end of each transect. Working
in pairs, students collect all plastics visible in the surface sediment of a 1 meter
wide swath of each transect. Plastics are stored in a collection container (paper
bag) labeled with sample location.
In the classroom, or calm area, students analyze samples by categorizing the
plastics using the provided table. Ask students to transpose their data onto a
screen/board to compare all students data. Guide students through analysis of
data:
• Plot how the total plastic abundance changed across the sample array.
• Extrapolate the data to determine the average abundance of plastic on the
beach per square meter?
• What assumptions are made when extrapolating your data this way?
• What spatial trends in plastic abundance are revealed using this transect
sampling method? What might explain this?
• What can be inferred about how plastic is transported in a coastal zone?
Students can contribute their data to Algalita’s online citizen science database
for microplastics in sediments through www.trashtrackers.org. Students can
compare their findings with data taken worldwide.
STANDARDS
STEM Workshop: Synthetic Sand
Page 17
GOAL
To understand where
plastic accumulates on
shorelines, how it can be
used to understand the
coastal environments, and
how monitoring is
important for determining
trends.
OBJECTIVES
1.
2.
Understand field
analysis methods and
importance of
accurate data
sampling.
Determine where
microplastics
accumulate in a sandy
shoreline environment.
IMAGINE
The abundance of plastic on coastal beaches is constantly changing. Waves
deposit plastics but also wash them away. The dynamic nature of beaches makes
it challenging to understand plastic abundance. Like sand, the plastics are
constantly reworked by the waves, some may be newly deposited and others
may be moved up and down/back and forth along the beach for many years.
Other observations: Plastics are found primarily sitting on top of sand where
sand was recently or currently wet. Even the densest plastics are still less dense
than sand and so they “float” on top of it. In dry sand, plastics can be mixed into
deeper layers of sand.
Plastics are found primarily at the high tide mark on beaches, and on the highest
line reached by each wave. Also, they are found in restricted areas (along a jetty
or harbor wall).
Where does the plastic on a beach come from? Outline the journey a plastic
straw may take from the consumer to the beach.
VOCABULARY
Microplastic – any piece of
plastic less than 5 mm in
size
Macroplastic – any piece of
plastic debris larger than 5
mm in size
Primary Microplastic – a
manufactured microplastic,
e.g. a resin pellet or
microbead
Secondary Microplastic – a
piece of plastic that broke
down into a small (< 5mm)
piece from a larger object
What does a transects study allow you to measure? Why is it a helpful scientific
sampling technique? What assumptions are made when you use your transect
data?
Resin pellet – a plastic
nugget which will be
melted down to produce a
plastic object
Transect – a straight line or
narrow section through an
object or natural feature or
across the earth's surface,
along which observations
are made or measurements
taken.
Wrackline – a line of
material deposited along
the shoreline
STEM Workshop: Synthetic Sand
Page 18
STEM ACTIVITY : INSIDE PLASTIC
MATERIALS
Per pair
- Tape measure at least 5
m long
- Meter stick
- Paper/cloth bag for
each transect (~4-5)
- Clipboard
- Pencil/pen
- Compass (optional)
- Paper plate or pie tin
WHAT AM I
LOOKING FOR?
Macroplastics
e.g. Cigarette Butts, bottle
caps, large fragments,
bags, wrappers, bottles,
etc
Primary
Microplastics
Resin Pellets
Secondary
Microplastics
Fragments
grades 10-12
INVESTIGATE
As a class you’ll travel to your study area. The first thing to do is to inspect
your study area. Explore and investigate the following and jot down notes to
look back at later.
Are you investigating the entire beach, or a certain sub-area?
What is the sediment grain size? Fine sand, coarse sand, pebbles?
What direction does the beach face on average (use an online map or a
compass)?
Is the beach curved like a bay, or straight?
At what part of the tidal cycle are you sampling in? High or low?
Do you see a deposit of debris (wrackline) on the foreshore?
Follow this procedure to collect each sample. Your teacher will help you
determine how many samples you’ll take and where you’ll take them.
• Walk to the waters edge and find the most recently deposited wrackline.
Set up your first transect across the wrack line keeping your transect
straight even if the wrack line is curved.
• Set the 10 m rope on top of and as parallel to the wrack line as possible.
• Starting at one end, place the meter stick perpendicular to the rope to
mark a 1 meter wide swath.
• Take a measurement of your location coordinates (using decimal degree
format, to 5-7 decimal places, e.g. lat, long = 33.7470645, -118.1147850).
Alternatively measure your distance from the water’s edge.
• Label your collection container with your transect position, the length of
the transect and your team member names.
• Work your way from one end of the transect to the other, collecting any
plastics visible on the surface of the sand, even the really small ones!
• For any additional transects, repeat the collection procedure and labeling
your new sample container with the new position.
Analyze your plastic samples in a calm area (where it isn’t windy, best done
indoors).
• Empty the contents of one sample into a tray. Sort the plastics into these
categories and record their quantity in the table on the following page.
• After sorting, determine the ratio of microplastics to macroplastics by
counting the total number of pieces bigger than 5 mm using a ruler or a
sieve. Record the number of macroplastics and the number of
microplastics in your table.
• Count the total number of anthropogenic debris in your transect to get a
total count.
Add your results to our online monitoring dataset and help build a global
database of microplastics found in sediment. Use the dataset and data
visualizations to observe trends over time, compare watersheds, and
characterize the plastics found around the world.
To add your data, go to the website: www.trashtrackers.org. Enter your
team’s data in the google excel spreadsheet. Find your new data point on the
map (might take several days to refresh). Use the controls to compare your
data to the other data already on the map.
STEM Workshop: Synthetic Sand
Page 19
ANALYZE
Transect Data
DON’T FORGET to use
decimal degrees! >>>>
Transect 1
Transect 2
Transect 3
Transect 4
Latitude
Longitude
Transect length
RECORD the quantity,
or number, of each
plastic type you find.
Resin Pellets
Solid fragments
Foamy fragments
Film fragments
Whole items
TOTAL MACRO>5 mm
TOTAL MICRO≤5 mm
Rubber, glass, metal,
paper
Total macroplastics
Total microplastics
Total plastic Items
Total non-plastic
man-made items
What was the most common type of macroplastic on your beach? What about
the most common type of microplastic? Which was more abundant – micro- or
macro-plastic? Do you notice any patterns or outliers in the data?
Discuss with your group, what would you suggest to your city officials as the
best way to reduce the amount of debris on the beach?
STEM Workshop: Synthetic Sand
Page 20
Sampling array (distances can vary)
Collect all plastics visible on the
surface of the sand in the
shaded areas
10 meter transect
10 meter transect
1 m wide
10 meters apart
10 meter transect
10 meter transect
10 meters apart
1 m wide
10 meters apart
10 meter transect
10 meter transect
1 m wide
STEM Workshop: Synthetic Sand
Page 21
GOAL
To analyze a sediment
sample for microplastics
using a density floatation
method.
TEACHING OBJECTIVES
•
•
•
OBJECTIVES
1.
2.
3.
Students will
understand how
density can be used to
separate different
materials.
Students will learn
basic laboratory skills
and techniques used in
microplastics research.
Students will develop
critical thinking skills in
analyzing plastics.
DURATION
About 120 minutes
MATERIALS
Engage students in learning about the scientific methods used to study
plastics in benthic and sedimentary environments.
Help student understand that testing the effectiveness of your methods is
important in scientific research.
Encourage students to look into the scientific literature about plastics in
sediments around the world. Understanding what has already been done
by other scientists is important for advancing knowledge and doing
research that is valid and novel.
PREPARE
•
•
Familiarize yourself with the student activity handout and procedure.
Collect materials.
• Sand can be collected from a shoreline or purchased at a pet or
hardware store. If sand is collected at beach, clean it first by sifting it
through a kitchen sieve. Then pour the sifted sand into a bucket of
water, stir to let woody and plastic pieces float to the top and pour
off the water. Place in a tray in the sun to dry.
• 1 red Solo cup or equivalent should be sufficient for an entire class.
Cut 1 cm2 piece for each team.
• Magnetic stirrer and bar can be replaced with a metal spoon for
stirring.
STANDARDS
Introductory video
1 or 2 for class to share
- Digital balance
Per team
- Student workbook
- 100 mL sand
- 800 mL distilled water
- Table salt (120 g)
- Red solo cup piece (1
cm x 1 cm
- Scissors
- 3 1000mL beakers
- Magnetic stir plate and
bar
- Petri dish
- Funnel with diameter
roughly equal to or
larger than beaker
- Coffee filter
- Fine tip tweezers
STEM Workshop: Synthetic Sand
Page 22
PREPARE
GOAL
To analyze a sediment
sample for microplastics
using a density floatation
method.
OBJECTIVES
1.
2.
3.
Students will
understand how
density can be used to
separate different
materials.
Students will learn
basic laboratory skills
and techniques used in
microplastics research.
Students will develop
critical thinking skills in
analyzing plastics.
Calculate how much table salt (NaCl) should be added to water to make a
solution with a density as close to 1.15 g/cm3 as possible.
Density of pure water is 1.00 g/cm3 at 25 degrees C.
Density varies with temperature is calculated as: d = mass / volume
Weight percent of a solution: weight of solute/weight of solution x 100%
Find the % by weight in solution for NaCl at 25 degrees C that would make
the density of the solution closest to 1.15 g/cm3:
VOCABULARY
Microplastic – any piece of
plastic less than 5 mm in
size
Sediment – matter settles
to the bottom of a fluid
Weight percent: ______ %
Source: Salt Institute
Accuracy – how close a
measurement is to the
correct (true) value
How many grams of NaCl do you need to add to 100 mL of water at 25
degrees C to create a solution with a density of 1.15 g/cm3.
Buoyancy – the ability for
an object to float in water,
air or another type of fluid
Calculations:
Ex. 10 % by weight NaCl at 25 deg C
Density – mass per unit
𝑚
volume of a substance:
𝑉
STEM Workshop: XX
= weight NaCl / weight H2O x 100%
= X g NaCl / 100 g H2O x 100%
= 10 g NaCl / 100 g H2O x 100%
Page 23
MATERIALS
Per team
- Student workbook
- 100 mL Sand
- 800 mL distilled water
- Table salt
- Red solo cup piece (1
cm x 1 cm
- Scissors
- 3 1000mL beakers
- Magnetic stir plate and
bar
- Petri dish
- Funnel with diameter
roughly equal to or
larger than beaker
- Coffee filter
- Fine tip tweezers
INVESTIGATE
Your goal is to compare the extraction efficiency of two similar methods used to
separate plastics from sediment. If you can retrieve all pieces with your method,
it has an extraction efficiency of 100%.
Test 1 : Freshwater Floatation
a) Make sure you have all needed materials and read through the entire
procedure before starting.
b) Prepare the microplastics that you will spike your sample with: cut the 1 cm2
piece of plastic into 40 pieces. The pieces should be about 1 – 3 mm in size,
being careful not to lose them!
c) Place the 1000 mL beaker on the stir plate with the stir bar in it. Add 20
microplastic pieces and 50 g of sand into the beaker. Carefully pour in 400
mL of water. Turn on the stirrer and slowly turn up to a medium speed where
the vortex does not quite reach the bottom of the beaker and stirs smoothly.
Stir for 60 seconds.
d) Turn off the stirrer and let every thing settle. Carefully, without disturbing the
sediment, decant as much water as possible into the second beaker through
the mesh sieve.
e) Rinse the contents in the sieve into one corner and then into a Petridish.
Count the number of glitter particles recovered using the microscope. Record
the number of plastic particles in the table.
Test 2 : Saltwater Floatation
a) Create a salt water solution of 1.15 g/cm3. Place a new beaker with stir bar on
the magnetic stir plate. How much salt needs to be added to 400 mL of
water to make a solution with 1.15 g/cm3? Measure out the correct amount of
salt on a tared scale, and add the salt to the beaker. Add 400 mL of water.
Stir on medium speed until fully dissolved.
b) Add 50 g of dry sand and 20 microplastic particles. Continue stirring for 1
minute to make sure solution is well homogenized. Let settle for 2 minutes.
c) Carefully, without disturbing the sediment, decant as much water as possible
into the second beaker through the mesh sieve.
d) Rinse the contents in the sieve into one corner and then into a Petridish.
Count the number of plastic particles recovered using the microscope.
Record the number of plastic particles in the table.
Pieces Plastic
Recovered
Percentage of Particles Recovered
(recovered/initial) x 100 = ____ %
Test 1 :
Freshwater
Test 2:
Saltwater
STEM Workshop: Inside Plastic
Page 24
APPLY
Discuss with your group. How efficient was the fresh water at separating the
plastic particles from the sediment? How about the salt solution? Why do you
think there was a difference?
How would you improve the method to increase the amount of plastics
recovered?
Calculate how much more dense would your solution have to be to remove
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fragments? PET is the plastic most commonly
used to produce plastic water bottles.
APPLY
Imagine you are a scientist researching microplastics in the sediment of a lake or
the ocean floor. The plastics found in natural sediments range in size (they can
be much smaller than the particles you tested today), form (they can be
fragments, fibers, or films), and polymer type. Design a method for analyzing the
amount of plastics in your sediment. How would you collect the samples? How
would you analyze the sediments? How would you analyze the plastic particles
you find and identify them?
Do some research online to get ideas from scientists who have studied this:
Link to publications PDFs
STEM Workshop: Inside Plastic
Page 25
PLASTIC SOUP
1
How does plastic break down and move through the food
chain?
2
What is life in the neustonic zone like? Exploring the planktonplastic soup and the connection to the deep – Lanternfish.
3
Canaries of the sea. How are seabirds impacted by plastics and
what can they teach us about pollution?
Bonus : albatross boluses
GOAL
To explore 2 processes
that involve plastic in the
environment:
1.
Photodegradation
2. Plastic ingestion
TEACHING OBJECTIVES
•
•
•
OBJECTIVES
1.
2.
Simulate the process
by which plastics
disintegrate.
Simulate how plastics
are involved in marine
food webs.
DURATION
About 45 minutes
Demonstrate the concept of food webs/trophic levels and the flow of
energy and consumption
Assist students in comprehending that plastic particles in ecosystems can
affect animals at any trophic level, disrupt consumer relationships, and it
can cascade through the food web
Engage in class discussion of the core concepts of “plastic soup”
PREPARE
Familiarize yourself with:
• The student activity handout
• The listed vocabulary
PROCEDURE
STANDARDS
•
•
3-LS4-4 Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity
5-LS2-1 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
MATERIALS
-
Angel hair spaghetti
cooked without oil
Paper plates or reusable
plates (1 per team)
Tweezers (1 per team)
Bowls (1 per team)
Food items (lentils, rice,
seaweed?)
Utensils (straws,
spoons, chopsticks,
sieve)
STEM Workshop: Plastic Soup
Page 27
STEM ACTIVITY : INSIDE PLASTIC
grades 10-12
PROCEDURE
Activity 1. Spaghetti Simulation of Photodegradation
Each group receives a serving of spaghetti-pie on a plate and a butter knife.
Instruct students to write down the properties of the spaghetti, which would
simulate a newly formed plastic. Each spaghetti strand represents a polymer
strand. In a newly formed plastic, polymers are massed together and hold their
structure because of covalent bonding.
Instruct students to use the tweezers to cut the strands of spaghetti, one snip
per student taking turns in a round, for 10 seconds. Each snip of a spaghetti
strand represents a break in a polymer strand caused by sunlight (UV rays) and
the photodegradation process. After 10 seconds, students then examine the
spaghetti pie again to see how it holds it shape.
Students now have 30 seconds to snip the spaghetti, again taking turns to
make one snip at a time. Students then examine the spaghetti pie to see how
well it holds its shape.
In the final round, students have 3 minutes to snip the spaghetti, followed by
examining the spaghetti pie.
The spaghetti should start to fall apart and not hold its shape, becoming smaller
and smaller pieces, in the same way that plastic loses its structure and breaks
into small fragments called microplastics.
At end of activity, lead a class discussion.
Discuss some of the differences between the spaghetti simulation and actual
plastic photodegradation.
• Time scale differences, hundreds of years vs. minutes
• Sun vs. tweezers
• Chemical reaction vs. physical break in spaghetti
What did the simulation teach the students about photodegradation?
STEM Workshop: Plastic Soup
Page 28
STEM ACTIVITY : INSIDE PLASTIC
grades 10-12
Activity 2. Marine Animal Feeding Simulation
The second activity is a simulation of marine animals feeding, and the
challenges they face with plastic in their environment.
Students rotate through 4 stations, each a simulation of a different type of
animal. 3 minutes to “eat”, followed by 2 minutes to discuss challenges in
“eating” only non-plastics.
Stations 1: Pelagic feeders (turtles, diving birds) – bowl containing water, strips
of plastic bags, strips of clear spring roll sheets. Students pick out food using
sight and wooden tongs.
Station 2: Filter feeders (bivalves, crustaceans (krill), sponges, some fish and
whales) – bowl with water and cooked colored alphabet noodles, using a
comb, sieve and straw to collect food particles. Certain color or letters are
plastic, others are plankton and natural food.
Station 3: Surface feeders (birds, myctophids-lanternfish) – bowl with water
and floating items (corn, cinnamon stick, twig pieces, small plastic objects or
fragments if available) (uncooked), collect food with spoons or clothespins.
Station 4: Benthic feeders (fish, worms) – bowl with sesame seeds (edible
particulates), poppy seeds (sand) and flax seeds (plastic). Pick out sesame
seeds while blind folded.
STEM Workshop: Plastic Soup
Page 29
GOAL
To explore 2 processes
that involve plastic in the
environment:
1.
Photodegradation
2. Plastic ingestion
IMAGINE
What is an example of a marine animal that could be affected by plastic? How
would it be affected and how would the plastic alter it’s behavior?
OBJECTIVES
1.
2.
Simulate the process
by which plastics
disintegrate.
Simulate how plastics
are involved in marine
food webs.
Is plastic edible? Why or why not?
VOCABULARY
Microorganism – a
microscopic organism
Plankton – small aquatic
organisms that live in the
water column
What is an example of a sea animal at the bottom of the food chain? At the top?
Name, draw or describe them.
Ecosystem – a community
of organisms and their
habitat
Food web – network of
organism are connected by
the food they eat
Photodegradation – the
process by which
something is broken down
by sunlight
Here are 2 pictures, one is of a new piece of plastic, the other of an old piece.
Describe the similarities and differences.
NEW
STEM Workshop: Plastic Soup
BOTH
OLD
Page 30
Spaghetti Simulation of Plastic Photodegradation
Describe how well the spaghetti sticks together after each round. Did it hold it’s shape or fall apart? Can
you pick it up as one piece?
10 Second Round
30 Second Round
3 Minute Round
Marine Animal Plastic Ingestion Simulation
Describe the challenges you faced when feeding like each of these types of animals. Could you easily tell
the plastic and food apart? Did you accidentally eat plastic? What are some ways that this simulation is
different from real animals looking for edible food in our marine environment?
Surface Water Feeders
Benthic Feeders
Filter Feeders
Pelagic Feeders
STEM Workshop: Plastic Soup
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GOAL
Investigate interactions
between biotic and abiotic
components of the marine
neustonic and pelagic
zones.
OBJECTIVES
1.
2.
3.
To simulate the effects
of plastic pollution on
the stability of a food
web.
Simulate the global
phenomenon of
myctophid diurnal
migrations and
interactions with
microplastics.
Identify planktonic
species and various
forms of microplastics
through visual analysis
of water sample
photographs.
TEACHING OBJECTIVES
•
•
Challenge students to connect their learning from the simulation to the
actual situation occurring in the ocean, through abstract compare-contrast
thinking.
Build on food-web connectivity and energy transfer concepts by tying in the
disruptive microplastic which does not add energy to the system.
PREPARE
STANDARDS
•
•
•
•
•
MS-LS1-5 From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes
MS-LS2-1 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
MS-LS2-4 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
MS-LS2-5 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
MS-ESS3-3 Earth and Human Activity
DURATION
About 60 minutes
MATERIALS
-
-
Cones or field markers
Paper/cloth bags (2-3x
number of students)
Plastic items (empty
wrappers, containers)
and individual food
items
Pencil/pen
Printed Plastic Soup
cards (grayscale and
colored)
STEM Workshop: Plastic Soup
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STEM ACTIVITY : INSIDE PLASTIC
grades 10-12
PROCEDURE
Canaries of the Sea – Lanternfish Simulation
Myctophids (Lanternfish) are a pelagic fish species that make up about 65% of the deep-sea fish
biomass worldwide. (Hulley, P. Alexander (1998). Paxton, J.R.; Eschmeyer, W.N., eds. Encyclopedia of
Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 127–128. ISBN 0-12-547665-5.) They are thought to be one of
the most abundant fish in the open ocean. Lanternfish are small (2-30 cm) and migrate towards the
surface every night to feed on plankton. They have bioluminescence patterns on their sides and
underbellies that help them camouflage and hide from predators below. Lanternfish are known to
ingest microplastics during their night feeding. As a key species of the open ocean the impact of
plastic ingestion on their survival is critical. These animals are also thought to be a large factor in
transport of carbon from the ocean surface to the deep sea where it has potential to be sequestered.
Students simulate Lanternfish feeding patterns and the effect of plastic on survival probability
through the following game.
Set up: Demark two lines about 50-80 ft apart (opposite ends of a field). The length of each line
should accommodate space for all students in relay teams of 4. At the far end of the field, along the
line, place bags (paper or cloth) containing one item each, either food items or plastic (e.g. an apple,
crackers, etc, and chip wrappers, water bottles, etc.). Number of bags should be 2-3 times the number
of students. The ratio of bags containing plastic to food should be ~6 to 1 to represent surface water
plastic to plankton ratios in ocean accumulation zones.
Play: Round 1 - Students form groups of 4 and line up along the start line in relay form. Instruct
students that they have 1-2 minutes to run to the bags, grab a bag (first one the touch they have to
take) run back, open the bag and take out the item and tag the next person in line to go. Any plastic
items collected need to be carried by hand by the team members for the rest of the round, without a
bag as assistance. Any dropped plastic needs to be picked up before continuing. This process
represents the diurnal migration taken by myctophids from >200 m depth towards the surface to
feed on plankton. Myctophids ingest microplastic particles leading to decreased energy reserved,
reduced nutrition and other negative stressors associated with eating buoyant indigestible plastics.
Round 2 – Each team counts the number of plastic items and food items collected in the previous
round. The ratio of plastic to food items determines how many students continue for that group in the
next round. For example, group A collected 2 food pieces and 4 plastic pieces, so 2 members of that
group compete for that group in the next round. If a group collects more food than plastic, all group
members continue to the next round. Before next round return food/plastic to bags and place on the
line. The elimination of students represents the negative influence of plastic ingestion on survival and
reproduction rates in myctophids. Continue with additional rounds in the same manner.
Plastic Soup Photo-analysis
Students work in groups to identify various neustonic life forms common in the North Pacific, and
distinguish them from plastic fragments and particles. Starting with the grayscale images, students
guess whether each lettered object is a plastic fragment or a plankton. Students then receive the
colored/detailed images and the identification card to identify the plankton in the image(s). Each
group can work through one, or a collection of the images.
Key:
Image 1:
a.
Fragment
b.
Crustacean
c.
Fragment
d.
Shrimp
e.
Halobates
f.
Fish larvae
g.
Crustacean
h.
Crustacean
Image 2:
a.
Crustacean
b.
Crustacean
c.
Crustacean
d.
Shrimp
e.
Fragment
f.
Fish larvae
g.
Gastropod
h.
Gastropod
i.
Gastropod
j.
Fragment
k.
Crustacean
l.
Shrimp
m. Shrimp
n.
Fragment
STEM Workshop: Plastic Soup
Image 3:
a.
Fragment
b.
Fragment
c.
Crustacean
d.
Crustacean
e.
Fragment
f.
Halobates
g.
Gastropod
h.
Fragment
Image 4:
a.
Fragment
b.
Isopod
c.
Crustacean
d.
Fragment
e.
Crustacean larvae?
f.
Fish larvae
g.
Fragment
h.
Gastropod
Page 33
GOAL
Investigate interactions
between biotic and abiotic
components of the marine
neustonic and pelagic
zones.
IMAGINE
Most regions of the open oceans are characterized by relatively low nutrient levels and
therefore low biomass levels (fewer animals and plants). These areas, however, host
abundant phytoplankton and zooplankton communities. The phytoplankton use the
available nutrients and sunlight to grow. Zooplankton feed on they phytoplankton and the
zooplankton support larger organisms from small fish such as Myctophids to large
mammals such as whales. The food web of the pelagic (open) ocean relies fully on the
phytoplankton growing near the surface.
OBJECTIVES
1.
2.
3.
To simulate the effects
of plastic pollution on
the stability of a food
web.
Simulate the global
phenomenon of
myctophid diurnal
migrations and
interactions with
microplastics.
Identify planktonic
species and various
forms of microplastics
through visual analysis
of water sample
photographs.
VOCABULARY
Microorganism – a
microscopic organism
Plankton – small aquatic
organisms that live in the
water column
Draw or describe how the presence of microplastic in the surface water might impact a
pelagic marine food web?
A type of small pelagic fish, called Myctophids – or Lanternfish – are extremely abundant.
There are over 300 different species of Myctophids, and they are thought to comprise
about 65% of deep-sea fish biomass (Hulley, P. Alexander (1998). Paxton, J.R.; Eschmeyer,
W.N., eds. Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 127–128. ISBN 0-12547665-5). Myctophids migrate every night from deep waters to the surface to feed on
plankton. They are known to be an important part of the pelagic food web, but they also
ingest plastic mistaking it for food.
APPLY
Ecosystem – a community
of organisms and their
habitat
Food web – network of
organism are connected by
the food they eat
Trophic levels – a group of
organisms in an ecosystem
that are at the same level in
the energy cascade of a
food chain
Neustonic zone – thin
surface air-water interface
of a body of water
Image of myctophid and
plastic
Photodegradation – the
process by which
something is broken down
by sunlight
In groups you’ll simulate
Myctophid diurnal (daily)
migrations and feeding challenges
through an outdoor game followed
by an identification challenge
where you’ll try to distinguish
plastic and plankton in water
samples from the neustonic zone
of the North Pacific Ocean.
Your teacher will lead you through
the simulation game and activity.
During the simulation, keep the
Myctophids in mind and consider
how the simulation might be
similar or different from the real
situation.
Oxidation – the
incorporation of oxygen
molecules into plastic
STEM Workshop: Plastic Soup
Page 34
Use the outline of each lettered object to determine whether it is plankton or microplastic.
Image 1:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
Image 2:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
k.
l.
m.
n.
Image 3:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
STEM Workshop: Plastic Soup
Image 4:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
Page 35
Using the guide, identify each lettered object by plankton or plastic type:
Image 1:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
Image 2:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
k.
l.
m.
n.
Image 3:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
STEM Workshop: Plastic Soup
Image 4:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
Page 36
EXPLORE
Biological pump
The cycling of carbon
through the marine
ecosystem via organisms
tissue and shells. The
biological pump “pumps”
carbon from the
atmosphere to the deep
water and ocean floor.
Myctophids make up a large portion of the pelagic biomass, and by feeding on surface
plankton and swimming back down to depth where they excrete fecal pellets, they are
transferring carbon to the deep ocean. In the deep ocean, the carbon is effectively
sequestered, or captured, because the carbon will stay in the deep waters or sediment
for a long time before being transported back to the atmosphere.
This process links plastic pollution with another global environmental phenomenon –
climate change. If Myctophid populations are harmed by widespread plastic ingestion,
the biological pump may stop.
Based on your knowledge of climate change outline a worst-case scenario for a broken
biological pump caused by plastic pollution. To get started, continue the cause-andeffect flow chart.
Microplastic
in surface
water far
outnumbers
plankton
Myctophids
ingest
microplastic
and
populations
become
stressed
Myctophids
ingest
microplastic
and
populations
become
stressed
Myctophid
populations
crash
What measures would you put in place to prevent this scenario from taking place? How
can humans best intervene, without disrupting the ocean ecosystem?
STEM Workshop: Plastic Soup
Page 37
INSIDE PLASTIC
1
Sink or float? Where does plastic end up in the environment?
2
What are the polymers found in common plastic items?
How do you measure density? How do you measure density?
3
What do polymers look like at the molecular level?
GOAL
To understand what is
plastic and how different
plastics can have different
buoyancy.
TEACHING OBJECTIVES
Guide students in an exploration of different plastics and their physical
properties.
Challenge students to think out side the classroom about where plastic comes
from, how we use it and how its physical properties define its behavior in the
natural environment.
PREPARE
OBJECTIVES
1.
2.
3.
Determine the
buoyancy of different
plastic items in the
classroom.
Understand how litter
behaves in an aquatic
environment.
Think about how
different plastics will
affect different aquatic
organisms based on
where they are
transported.
DURATION
About 45 minutes
MATERIALS
Buoyancy Modelling Kit per
Student
- Bucket or large beaker
- Observation sheet with
tables
- Digital mass balance
- 10mL graduated
cylinder
Student handbook
USB (student handouts,
Powerpoint presentation)
Prepare the needed materials and bring some backup plastic items for students
to test
PROCEDURE
•
•
•
•
Students work in teams of 2-4 and find 5 different items in the classroom
that are made of a single type of plastic and can get wet. Examples are a
bottle cap, sandwich bag, plastic utensil, plastic ruler, food wrapper, etc.
Each team receives a bucket of fresh water.
Teams complete table with objects description and sink/float prediction
based on information in the density table.
Students submerge one object at a time in the water making sure to push
the item completely underwater and dislodge any bubbles before releasing
and observing. Students record observations in the table.
DISCUSS
What would happen to plastics that sink, if they are littered in the
environment? Where would they end up? What about the plastics that float?
Where would they end up?
Which animals are likely endangered by plastics with a resin code 1? How
about resin code 2? Why?
Which plastic items are more likely to affect marine birds? Why?
STANDARDS
•
5-PS1-3 Matter and its Interactions
STEM Workshop: Inside Plastic
Page 40
EXPLORE
GOAL
To understand what is
plastic and how different
plastics can have different
buoyancy.
List 5 classroom items that are made from plastic. Describe how you use clues
like touch, smell and color, to help you know they are plastic?
ITEM
CLUES THAT IT IS PLASTIC
1:
OBJECTIVES
1.
2.
3.
Determine the
buoyancy of different
plastic items in the
classroom.
Understand how litter
behaves in an aquatic
environment.
Think about how
different plastics will
affect different aquatic
organisms based on
where they are
transported.
VOCABULARY
Plastic – a synthetic or
natural material that can be
softened, shaped then
hardened
2:
3:
4:
5:
Create a Venn diagram showing the similarities and differences between two
plastic items that you see in your classroom.
ITEM 1
BOTH
ITEM 2
Synthetic – man-made
through a chemical process
Polymer – a molecule made
up of a long chain of a
repeating unit (a
monomer)
Buoyancy – the ability for
an object to float in water,
air or another type of fluid
Density – mass per unit
𝑚
volume of a substance:
𝑉
STEM Workshop: Inside Plastic
Page 41
TIPS
•
Use the density
tale to figure out
the density of
your item. Try to
find the resin
code printed on
the item or use
the common uses
table to find what
kind of plastic it
is.
•
Make sure your
items can get
wet. If you are
not sure, ask your
teacher.
•
Push the item all
the way
underneath the
water. If you just
drop it in, the
surface tension of
the water may
hold it afloat.
•
Brush off any air
bubbles that may
be trapped inside
the object or that
are stuck on its
surface.
•
Make sure there
aren’t any air
compartments in
the items that
cannot be filled
by water, that are
keeping it afloat.
Object
Resin
code
number
Prediction:
Will it sink or float? Fast
or slow?
E.g.
Straw
6, PS
It will sink slowly
STEM Workshop: Inside Plastic
Experiment: Write your
observations
Page 42
Density Table
Resin Code
Plastic Type
Density (g/mL) of the
polymer
Common uses
Polyethylene
terephthalate
1.38
Drink bottles, oily food
containers, thin clear
packaging boxes
High-density polyethylene
0.95
Grocery bags, sturdy
household containers, like
jugs and yogurt tubs
1.16-1.45
Clear food packaging,
shampoo bottles, piping
Low-density
polyethylene
0.93
Squeeze bottles, bread bags,
frozen food bags, plastic
furniture
Polypropylene
0.90
Bottle caps, straws, medicine
bottles
Polystyrene
0.02-1.07
Styrofoam, disposable
utensils and cups, CD cases
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
Substance
Density (g/mL)
Water
1.00
Seawater
1.03
STEM Workshop: Inside Plastic
Page 43
GOAL
Understand how to identify
different polymers using
the Andrady Floating
Method.
TEACHING OBJECTIVES
•
•
Lead students through an investigation of plastics in commonly used
consumer products.
Challenge students to conduct experimentation methodically and
carefully.
OBJECTIVES
1.
2.
Test multiple single
use plastic items to
determine their
polymer composition.
Understand density
and how it can be
used as an analysis
tool.
DURATION
About 45 minutes
MATERIALS
PREPARE
Prepare materials for each station. Chemicals can be distributed into beakers
by the teacher or students. It is recommended that the actetone be handled by
the teacher primarily. We suggest students are given a pipette containing a
couple mL of acetone and a beaker to hold the pipette when not in use.
Prepare plastics, cutting products into ~1 cm size pieces and removing the
portions containing resin code/recycling symbols.
Add-on: Collect plastic fragments from the beach, river bank or street for
students to identify using the Andrady Floatation Method.
Team materials
-
-
1x Workbook
1x Dichotomous Tree
for Andrady Floating
Method
1x tweezer or forceps
Gloves for each team
member
5x 200 mL beaker or
small jar
1x Petri dish to hold
plastics
1x pencil
Some paper towels
Go over safety precautions and procedures with students. Students and
teacher are advised to wear gloves, googles, and a lab coat if possible.
Chemical MSDS’s are found here:
Acetone: http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927062
Glycerol: http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927350
Isoproply alcohol: http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9924412
LESSON OVERVIEW
10 minutes
Show introductory video and answer student
questions.
5 minutes
Guide students through the procedure and group
students into teams of 2-4 depending on class size.
20 minutes
Students conduct experiment following the
workbook and answer discussion questions in teams.
10 minutes
Guide a class discussion using follow up questions.
Chemicals (100 mL per
team)
-
Water
Acetone
Isopropyl alcohol
Glycerol
Oil (Mazola corn oil if
possible)
Plastic suggestions (at
least one piece of each
item per team)
-
Straw, Soda lid, Water
bottle, Yogurt or butter
tub, Grocery bag,
Sandwich bag, Solo
cup, Utensil, Foam cup,
CD-ROM, Plastic
fragments from
beach/stream or street
STANDARDS
•
MS-PS1-3 Matter and its Interactions
STEM Workshop: Inside Plastic
Page 44
IMAGINE
GOAL
To understand how to
identify different polymers
using the Andrady Floating
Method.
OBJECTIVES
1.
2.
Test multiple single
use plastic items to
determine their
polymer composition.
Understand density
and how it can be
used as an analysis
tool.
VOCABULARY
Buoyancy – the ability for
an object to float in water,
air or another type of fluid
There are many different types of polymers that are used to make plastic
products. These are eight common types.
Polystyrene (PS) – Can be foamed or solid
Polypropylene (PP) – is the 2nd most produced plastic
Polyurethane (PU) – often used in construction and insulation
Polycarbonate (PC) – a plastic made using Bisphenol A (BPA), which in its
monomer form is a human hormone disruptor
Poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) – often used in piping and imitation leather, can
be rigid or flexible (phthalates added to make it flexible)
Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) – also known as polyester
Low density polyethylene (LDPE) – polymers are branched like trees
High density polyethylene (HDPE) – the polymer chains are unbranched
and line up close together like raw spaghetti
Jot down as many reasons as you can think of for why different products are
made of different types of plastics?
Density – mass per unit
volume of a substance:
𝑚/𝑉Dichotomous tree –
Synthetic Polymer – a manmade molecule made up of
a long chain of a repeating
unit (a monomer)
Acetone – a flammable
chemical often used in nail
polish remover, has a
strong smell
I
sopropyl alcohol – a
colorless, flammable
chemical often used as a
cleaning or disinfecting
agent, has a strong smell
Why would a recycling company need to know what kind of plastic an object is
made from?
Glycerol – a colorless,
viscous liquid, a byproduct
of making soap
Forceps – a tool used to
hold things, like tweezers
In this activity, you’ll be working with chemicals that can be harmful if not
handled correctly. Acetone, for example, is flammable. Review and write down
what you need to do to be responsible in this activity.
STEM Workshop: Inside Plastic
Page 45
STEM ACTIVITY : INSIDE PLASTIC
MATERIALS
grades 10-12
INVESTIGATE
Team materials
Read the entire procedure so that you can think ahead during the activity.
-
Prep for your experiment:
Gather your team materials. Using masking tape and a pencil, label the beakers with
“Water”, “Isopropyl”, “Glycerol” and “Oil”. Put about 100 mL of each chemical in the
appropriate labeled beaker and line them up on your table. Put the beaker containing a
dropper with acetone on your table. Collect one piece of each type of plastic. In the table
below fill in the first column with the product that each piece of plastic is from, e.g. Straw,
sandwich bag.
-
-
1x Workbook
1x Dichotomous Tree
for Andrady Floating
Method
1x tweezer or forceps
Gloves for each team
member
5x 200 mL beaker or
small jar
1x Petri dish to hold
plastics
1x pencil
Masking tape and a
permanent marker to
label beakers with
chemical name
Some paper towels
Chemicals (100 mL each)
-
Water
Acetone (in a pipette)
Isopropyl alcohol
Glycerol
Oil (Mazola corn oil if
possible)
Plastic suggestions (at
least one piece of each
item per team)
-
Conduct the Andrady Floating Method:
Start with one piece of plastic. Using the forceps, submerge the piece in the beaker
containing water and release it.
Observe whether it sinks or floats.
Using the dichotomous tree, determine which fluid you should test for bouyancy next.
Using the forceps, pull the piece out, dab it dry with a paper towel and then submerge it
in the next fluid.
Repeat this process for the piece of plastic until you have determined its polymer type.
If the tree says “Add Acetone”, place the piece in the Petri dish and, using the pipette,
drop 1-2 drops of acetone on the piece and observe what happens.
Repeat the Andrady Floating Method for each plastic piece.
If you still have time, and your teacher has prepared for it, test plastic fragments and resin
pellets found on your local beach using the Andrady Floating Method.
TIPS:
• Wear gloves and goggles to protect your skin and eyes.
• Make sure there are no bubbles on the plastic pieces that are keeping it afloat.
• Use caution and common sense when handling and working with any chemicals.
Straw, Soda lid, Water
bottle, Yogurt or butter
tub, Grocery bag,
Sandwich bag, Solo
cup, Utensil, Foam cup,
CD-ROM, Plastic
fragments from
beach/stream or street
What product is
the plastic piece
from?
(e.g. straw)
What type of
polymer is it?
What product is
the plastic piece
from?
(e.g. straw)
1.
7.
2.
8.
3.
9.
4.
10.
5.
11.
6.
12.
STEM Workshop: Inside Plastic
What type of
polymer is it?
Page 46
ANALYZE
Discuss these questions with
your team before writing
down any answers.
Were there any items that could not be identified using the Andrady Floating
Method? If yes, why?
Using the dichotomous tree for the
floatation method order these
substances from lowest density to
highest density: glycerol, oil, high
density polyethylene, low density
polyethylene, polyethylene
terephthalate, water, polystyrene,
polypropylene and isopropyl.
Lowest:
__________________
__________________
__________________
__________________
__________________
__________________
__________________
__________________
Highest:
__________________
Sometimes plastics are made with fillers, like calcium carbonate (what a lot of
shells are made of), that change the density of the item. They add fillers and
other chemicals to change the properties of the plastic. For example, calcium
carbonate added to plastic makes the plastic more shiny and smooth, as well
as opaque (not see through), and stronger. Because of the possible addition of
fillers in plastics, we can’t be sure that the plastics we are testing are actually
what the dichotomous tree helps us determine.
What are some problems that this would create for companies trying to
recycle plastics? Hint: Recycling companies use floatation to separate some of
their plastics.
Did you test any plastics found in the environment using this test?
Which was the most common type of plastic found? How could you explain
this?
STEM Workshop: Inside Plastic
Page 47
DICHOTOMOUS TREE FOR
ANDRADY FLOATING METHOD
PLACE IN
WATER
FLOATS
SINKS
PLACE IN
GLYCEROL
FOAM
LIKE
SOLID
ADD
ACETONE
PLACE IN
ISOPROPYL
Dissolves
or feels
sticky
FLOATS
No
effect
PLACE IN
OIL
PS foam
PU foam
FLOATS
SINKS
PP
LDPE
SINKS
FLOATS
SINKS
ADD
ACETONE
ADD
ACETONE
Dissolves
or feels
sticky
No
effect
Dissolves
or feels
sticky
No
effect
PS
Nylon
PVC
PET
(or PC)
HDPE
STEM Workshop: Inside Plastic
Page 48
MATERIALS
Density Modelling Kit per
Student
- Plastic pellets
- Graduated cylinder
- Purified water
- Weighing cups and
trays
- Digital mass balance
- Paper towels for drying
- Pencil, paper, calculator
EXPLORE
You’ve used liquids with known densities to determine the type of plastic based
on its buoyancy in those fluids. But how can we measure the actual density of a
plastic?
Density is defined as the mass per volume of an item, i.e. how much matter there
is in a given space.
To measure this, we can use a graduated cylinder, a mass balance, and water.
Its easiest to do this experiment using plastic that doesn’t float in water, e.g. PET.
We’ll use a water bottle. Cut a water bottle into roughly 1 cm pieces (don’t
include the cap or labels or any parts with glue).
1. Weigh your plastic using a mass balance: ______ grams
Now fill a medium sized graduated cylinder (500 mL or 1000 mL) with water ½
to ¾ full (use filtered or deionized water if possible).
2. Record your starting volume: _______ mL
* Remember to bring your eyes down to the level of the water to read the
volume and make sure use the bottom of the meniscus.
Add your plastics to the graduated cylinder. Push them down with a pencil or
other tool and stir to remove as many bubbles as possible.
3. Read the volume of the graduated cylinder again: ______ mL
The added plastic should have made the water level rise.
Because the density of water is: 1 g / cm3, and 1 cm3 = 1 mL, we can use the
difference in the water volume to measure the volume of the plastic.
Record the difference in the water volume measurements which equals the
volume of the plastic that you added.
4. Total plastic volume (mL) = Final measurement – initial measurement
= _______ mL - ______ mL = ______ mL
The density of the plastic is:
5. Total plastic mass (g) / total plastic volume (mL)
Density of PET = _______ g / _______ mL = _______ g/mL
= _______ g/cm3
STEM Workshop: Inside Plastic
Page 49
GOAL
To understand what plastic
really is, what it looks like
at the molecular level and
how it interacts with other
marine pollutants.
OBJECTIVES
1.
2.
3.
Model the chemical
structure of various
plastic monomers and
polymers.
Understand how
plastics breakdown,
Learn how plastics can
act as a transport
mechanism for toxins
into the food chain.
TEACHING OBJECTIVES
•
Guide students through exploration of chemical structures both individually
and by working together to overcome challenges.
PREPARE
Familiarize yourself with:
• General structural chemistry, bonds and molecules
• Bond angles
• Lewis structure vs Shorthand structure
• Plastic names and uses
LESSON OVERVIEW
STANDARDS
•
•
HS-PS2-6 Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions
HS-PS1-3 Matter and its Interactions
DURATION
About 45 minutes
MATERIALS
Molecular Modeling Kit per
Student
- 26 x bond stems
- 14 x Carbon spheres
(black)
- 14 x Hydrogen spheres
(white)
- 5 x Chlorine spheres
(yellow)
STEM Workshop: Inside Plastic
Page 50
IMAGINE
GOAL
To understand what plastic
really is, what it looks like
at the molecular level and
how it interacts with other
marine pollutants.
What is plastic made from and how is it produced? What element must all types
of plastic contain?
OBJECTIVES
1.
2.
3.
Model the chemical
structure of various
plastic monomers and
polymers.
Understand how
plastics breakdown.
Learn how plastics can
act as a transport
mechanism for toxins
into the food chain.
VOCABULARY
Synthetic polymer – any
human-made, moldable,
organic material
Which of the six most commonly produced plastics float in sea-water? In
freshwater?
Organic compound – any
compound that contains
carbon
Molecular mass – the mass
of a molecule, generally
measured in grams (g)
Petrochemical – chemical
products derived from
petroleum
Monomer – the repeat-unit
molecule which links in
large numbers to form a
polymer
What processes cause plastics to breakdown into smaller pieces?
Photo-degradation – the
degradation of a molecule
by the adsorption of
photons, e.g. from sunlight
Density – mass per unit
𝑚
volume of a substance:
𝑉
Hydrophobic – does not
mix with water, “waterfearing”
Pre-production pellet – a
plastic nugget which will
be melted down to
produce a plastic object
STEM Workshop: Inside Plastic
Page 51
MATERIALS
Molecular Modelling Kit
- 26 x bond stems
- 14 x Carbon spheres
(black)
- 14 x Hydrogen spheres
(white)
- 5 x Chlorine spheres
(yellow)
INVESTIGATE
a) Examine the structural formula handout.
b) Begin with high-density polyethlyene (HDPE).
c) Each person in the group will assemble one monomer using the molecular model kit.
Work together to make sure that you make identical models.
d) Once you each have correctly built monomers, assemble an HDPE polymer by
connecting all the monomers from your group.
TIPS
•
•
•
•
For example:
___ Single bond
=== Double bond
Three ways to show
structure of propene:
•
Each letter represents an element/atom.
A line represents a single bond, a double line represents a double bond.
If two lines come together at an angle with no letter, it means there is a carbon located
there.
In shorthand notation, which is used on the handout, hydrogens are often left out. Make
sure that each atom in the molecule has the right amount of bonds.
Element
C
H
O
Cl
# of bonds
4
1
2
1
You will need to experiment with the angles of the bonds to make your molecule.
Remember the model will be 3-D and the shorthand notation is 2-D.
a) As a class combine all the polymers to build an HDPE macromolecule. Reconstruct the
macromolecule model to make an LDPE macromolecule. Use the diagrams below:
HDPE
LDPE
ANALYZE
Discuss with your team two reasons why LDPE would degrade more quickly by photodegradation than HD-polyethylene once it is lost in the environment? (Think about the
structures of the macromolecules.)
STEM Workshop: Inside Plastic
Page 52
APPLY
In your team, construct one molecule of DDT, a pesticide widely produced and
used in the 40’s and 70’s which is now illegal in the US.
Persistent Organic
Pollutant - An organic
chemical that is generally
toxic and remains in the
environment for extended
periods of time because
of resistance to chemical,
biological, and photodegradation.
DDT and other persistent organic pollutants are toxic and remain for many
years after they enter marine environments because the decay into their
metabolites extremely slowly, similar to plastics. Also, both plastic and DDT
are hydrophobic so DDT can adsorb to the surface of microplastics and
increase the toxicity for animals that might ingest the plastic piece.
Look at the world map of DDT levels found on pre-production pellets.
Metabolite - A breakdown
product or a product of
metabolism (biological
process)
Adsorb - To stick or
adhere to the outside
surface of another particle
Image from:
International Pellet Watch
http://www.pelletwatch.org
Where are the highest levels of DDT and its metabolites (DDD and DDE) found?
Why might older plastic debris (such as a 10 year old bottle cap fragment) be more likely
to transport toxins into the marine food chain than just discarded plastic (such as a water
bottle just littered in the ocean)?
STEM Workshop: Inside Plastic
Page 53
RESIN
CODE
STRUCTURAL FORMULA
POLYMER
DENSITY (g/mL)
COMMON USES
High-density
polyethylene
1.38-1.39
Bottles and food
containers
Low-density
polyethylene
0.95-0.96
Sturdy household
containers
Polyvinyl
chloride (PVC)
1.16-1.45
Clear food
packaging,
shampoo bottles,
piping
Polypropylene
0.92-0.94
Squeeze bottles,
bags, clothing
Polystyrene
0.90-0.91
Bottle caps,
straws, medicine
bottles
PLASTIC TYPE
Monomer
Polymer
Polyethylene
terephthalate
SUBSTANCE
0.02-1.07
STRUCTURAL
FORMULA
Styrofoam,
disposable
utensils
DENSITY (g/mL)
COMMON USES
0.99
Insecticides,
bug spray
1.00
Drinking, irrigating,
recreation
1.03
Covers about 70% of
the Earth’s surface
DDT
Dichlorodiphenyltrichl
oro-ethane
Water
Seawater
STEM Workshop: Inside Plastic
Page 54
DRIFTING DEBRIS
3-5
What in the world are gyres?
6-8
Why do gyres form? How do gyres define plastic accumulation
zones?
9-12
Can you create a microplastics heat-map?
GOAL
To understand how plastic
moves throughout the
world’s oceans.
TEACHING OBJECTIVES
•
•
•
OBJECTIVES
1.
2.
3.
Students will be able
to map global
coordinates.
Students can explain
why we find plastic
though out our
oceans.
Students can explain
what is a gyre and why
we find accumulation
zones of plastic debris.
Convey to students that plastic is found everywhere throughout the ocean
Explore the concept of oceanic gyres which are a natural phenomenon
and their effect on the movement of plastic pollution
Engage students in the concepts of 2D mapping, coordinates and plotting
points
PREPARE
Familiarize yourself with the student activity and worksheet. Print a workbook
for each team of 2-4 students.
LESSON OVERVIEW
IMAGINE
How do scientists collect water samples from the ocean?
Where in our oceans do we find plastic?
DURATION
About 45 minutes
MATERIALS
-
Printed worksheet
Pencil/pen
Ruler
Gyres are large systems of circulating currents. You can imagine a current like a
stream of water but they are much larger and describe the average direction of
water in that part of the ocean.
Several currents moving through each ocean make up the gyre. The earth is
round and spins which causes the gyres in the Northern and Southern
hemispheres to move in opposite directions!
STANDARDS
•
•
•
•
3-LS4-4 Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity
5-ESS3-1 Earth and Human Activity
3-5-ETS1-1 Engineering Design
3-5-ETS1-2 Engineering Design
STEM Workshop: Tracking Trash
Page 56
STEM Workshop: Tracking Trash
Page 57
STEM ACTIVITY : INSIDE PLASTIC
VOCABULARY
Gyre – large system of
circulating ocean currents
Watersheds – an area of
land where all the water
that falls in it, drains to a
common outlet
grades 10-12
INVESTIGATE
Look at the five water samples collected from the worlds oceans. What do you see in the
samples?
A
B
C
D
Accumulation zone –
where plastics and other
floating debris is pushed by
winds and surface currents.
This is usually the near the
center of the gyre.
Coordinates – a set of
values that show an exact
position
Latitude – a coordinate
value that shows position
parallel to the Equator
(North or South), for
example 30 degrees North.
Longitude – a coordinate
value that shows position
parallel to the Prime
Meridian (East or West),
for example: 150 degrees
West.
E
What things can you identify in these samples?
How are they similar? How are they different?
SHARE
With your teammates, talk about:
1. What can happen if your trash or recycling does not go into the trash or recycling bin?
2. What causes plastic and other floating items to accumulate in the center of our oceans?
3. Why is plastic in our oceans harmful?
STEM Workshop: Tracking Trash
Page 58
Equator
Connect each sample to it’s gyre by using the coordinate information for where the sample was collected
by Algalita scientists. Using a ruler to draw two lines across the map, one for longitude (N-S) and one for
latitude (E-W). Draw a dot on the map where the two lines cross and that will be the spot where the
sample was collected. Label the dot with the sample name. Write the name of the ocean gyre where each
sample was found on the blank line.
Sample A:
Coordinates: 29° South and 99° West
______________________
Sample B:
Coordinates: 34° North and 156° West
______________________
Sample C:
Coordinates: 20° South and 63° East
______________________
Sample D:
Coordinates: 31° South and 20° West
______________________
Sample E:
Coordinates: 28° North and 50° West
______________________
STEM Workshop: Tracking Trash
The surface currents are
shown by the white lines.
Help finish the map by
drawing the rest of the
arrows on the currents
to show which way they
are going. Remember
the gyres in the north
rotate clockwise and
gyres in the south rotate
counter-clockwise!
Page 59
GOAL
To understand how plastic
moves throughout the
world’s oceans
OBJECTIVES
1.
2.
Learn how natural
forces drive ocean
currents
Understand the
importance of gyres
and accumulation
zones
DURATION
About 100 minutes
TEACHING OBJECTIVES
•
•
•
•
Explain
Explain
Explain
Explain
that plastic is found everywhere throughout the oceans
the different natural forces that affect water and air
gyres and why they are important
map coordinates
PREPARE
Familiarize yourself with the 2014 Algalita expedition blog:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=1z8LLfigdx09d7rhh_1Y0ixko9g&ll=34.18567785430496%2C-128.5041051750183&z=6
The BEFORE YOU START activity can be done at home prior to the in class
activity.
LESSON OVERVIEW
VIDEO IDEAS
• Modeling video from Maximenko
STANDARDS
MATERIALS
Per group of 4
- 1 pie tray
- 1 fidget spinner
- 3 large marbles
- masking tape
- 1 ruler
- 1 permanent marker
- ~2 cups water
- 1 bottle cap
- 1 paper towel roll
- 1 video recording device
(or dedicated observer)
•
•
•
MS-ESS3-3 Earth and Human Activity
MS-ESS2-6 Earth's Systems
MS-ETS1-1 Engineering Design
•
Forces?? –Coriolis, wind
STEM Workshop: Tracking Trash
Page 60
GOAL
To understand how
oceanic gyres form and
how they effect how the
plastic in our oceans
moves.
OBJECTIVES
1.
2.
Learn how natural
forces drive ocean
currents
Understand the
importance of gyres
and accumulation
zones
EXPLORE
Follow the crew of Algalita’s 2014 Expedition to the North Pacific Ocean and read about
their adventures. Learn about what it is like to sail to the middle of the ocean, the
challenges the sailors face, and the importance of monitoring pollution and understanding
your environment.
Go to the blog online and read about the crews adventures by clicking on the sailboat
icons. List the five most surprising things you learned from the crew and their stories.
1
2
VOCABULARY
Surface currents –
movement of wind over the
ocean
3
Gyre – large system of
circulating ocean currents
4
Coriolis effect – a weather
pattern that swirls
clockwise in the Southern
hemisphere and
counterclockwise in the
Northern hemisphere
Langmuir circulation – a
series of shallow, slow,
counter-rotating vortices
at the ocean’s surface
aligned with the wind
Convergence zone – an
area where two prevailing
flows meet and interact
5
Now, track a plastic water bottle from the land through the North and South Pacific
oceanic gyres ocean to find the accumulation zones in each gyre. Using the maps on the
next 2 pages, plot the coordinates in the table to follow the path of the bottle as it is
carried by ocean currents.
Ok, have you plotted the drifting path of the 2 water bottles?
What did you discover? Describe the path that the water bottles took with your team.
Did the bottles from the North and South Pacific travel in similar ways?
Accumulation zone –
generally this is the center
of the gyre where the
majority of ocean pollution
is found
Coordinates – a set of
values that show an exact
position
Latitude – a value that is
shown to be parallel to the
Equator or along a
horizontal line
At what degree of latitude did the bottle in the North Pacific end up? ____________
What about the bottle in the South Pacific? _____________ Why do you think they
ended up there (Hint: What is special about that part of the ocean?)?
Longitude – a value that is
shown to be parallel to the
Prime Meridian or on a
vertical line
STEM Workshop: Tracking Trash
Page 61
North Pacific Gyre Coordinates
9. 16°0’N, 170°0’W
17. 38°0’N, 140°0’W
2. 30°0’N, 120°0’W
10. 28°0’N, 174°0’W
18. 32°0’N, 142°0’W
3. 28°0’N, 116°0’W
11.
34°0’N, 164°0’W
19. 26°0’N, 148°0’W
4. 22°0’N, 118°0’W
12. 36°0’N, 166°0’W
20. 28°0’N, 154°0’W
5. 20°0’N, 130°0’W
13. 40°0’N, 162°0’W
21. 30°0’N, 158°0’W
6. 18°0’N, 140°0’W
14. 46°0’N, 156°0’W
22. 36°0’N, 144°0’W
7. 18°0’N, 156°0’W
15. 42°0’N, 154°0’W
23. 30°0’N, 140°0’W
8. 22°0’N, 162°0’W
16. 40°0’N, 148°0’W
24. 32°0’N, 146°0’W
1.
34°0’N, 118°0’W
TELL ME HOW
How do I map coordinates?
The first number corresponds
to the latitude, or the NorthSouth position. The second
number corresponds to the
longitude, or the East-West
position. Where the 2 lines
intersect is the position.
1
STEM Workshop: Tracking Trash
Page 62
South Pacific Gyre Coordinates
1.
36°0’S, 74°0’W
9. 20°0’S, 170°0’W
17. 18°0’S, 86°0’W
2. 28°0’S, 72°0’W
10. 26°0’S, 166°0’W
18. 22°0’S, 84°0’W
3. 18°0’S, 76°0’W
11.
30°0’S, 138°0’W
19. 24°0’S, 102°0’W
4. 06°0’S, 82°0’W
12. 38°0’S, 120°0’W
20. 28°0’S, 106°0’W
5. 10°0’S, 96°0’W
13. 42°0’S, 100°0’W
21. 34°0’S, 96°0’W
6. 04°0’S, 108°0’W
14. 38°0’S, 82°0’W
22. 28°0’S, 90°0’W
7. 08°0’S, 138°0’W
15. 28°0’S, 80°0’W
23. 26°0’S, 92°0’W
8. 16°0’S, 156°0’W
16. 24°0’S, 78°0’W
24. 28°0’S, 92°0’W
THINK
Which direction did the
bottle travel this time?
Clockwise or counter
clockwise?
Why do you think the
bottles in the North and
South Pacific moved the
way they did?
1
STEM Workshop: Tracking Trash
Page 63
STEM ACTIVITY : INSIDE PLASTIC
TELL ME HOW
How do scientists know
how the water in the ocean
moves?
One common method is to
release many buoys that
have attached GPS
positions from various
locations on the coast.
Scientist track the
movement of the buoys on
their computer, reading the
GPS coordinates and
mapping them on their
computer. Just like you are
doing by tracking the
water bottles!
grades 10-12
INVESTIGATE
The ocean currents are forced my many different natural phenomena.
To help you understand how the wind and the spinning of the earth make our oceans
move, build an ocean simulation with your team.
First, you’ll need:
• A pie tray, a fidget spinner, 3 large marbles, masking tape, a ruler, a marker,
Your goal is to make a the tray rotate and stay stable. Practice spinning your tray slowly.
Now that your ocean simulator is ready, you will test how something moving on a rotating
surface moves.
Now, you’ll need:
• Water, a bottle cap, a paper towel roll, a camera (or dedicated observer)
Pour water in the tray to make a 1 inch shallow ocean, and the edges of the tray represent
the continental boundaries of the ocean. The bottle cap will be your test floating plastic
piece and will help you observe how the water is moving. The straw will give you a
focused air stream by blowing through gently across the water.
TIPS
-
Remember that your
ocean simulator is flat,
where as the real ocean
is spherical. This will
make our observations
different to what we
would observe in the
ocean.
-
Your ocean simulator is
also much, much
smaller and less
complicated which will
also change our
observations.
-
Use your camera to
record and replay each
scenario. It will help you
contrast different
experiment scenarios
and compare retries.
Experiment with your ocean simulator to discover how floating items are forced by the
wind and the rotation of the earth. Use your phone to film each different scenario you
come up with from multiple angles (across the water, and above the tray as a birds-eye
view). Record your findings in this table:
Tray
spinning
(yes or no)?
Wind
direction
Starting
location of
the plastic
Camera
angle
Observations
No
Along the
edge of
tray
At opposite
side of wind
souce
Above
Try this set up and record what
you find
The ocean currents move in a circular pattern due to the forces acting on the water (wind,
earth’s rotation) and the shape of the ocean basins. With your team, summarize in a
poster what you determined using your simulator about ocean currents, the forces that
generate them, and their effect on objects moving with them. Coriolis force
STEM Workshop: Tracking Trash
Page 64
GOAL
To understand how plastic
moves throughout the
world’s oceans
TEACHING OBJECTIVES
•
Guide
PREPARE
Familiarize yourself with:
LESSON OVERVIEW
OBJECTIVES
1.
2.
Learn how natural
forces drive ocean
currents.
Understand the
importance of gyres
and accumulation
zones
STANDARDS
•
•
•
•
•
HS-LS2-7 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
HS-LS4-6 Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity
HS-ESS3-4 Earth and Human Activity
HS-ETS1-2 Engineering Design
HS-ETS1-3 Engineering Design
DURATION
About 45 minutes
MATERIALS
-
Pen and pencil
Coloring utensils
STEM Workshop: Tracking Trash
Page 65
IMAGINE
GOAL
To understand how plastic
moves throughout the
world’s oceans
OBJECTIVES
1.
2.
To calculate plastic particle concentration from a trawl sample, you need certain
information. Watch this video of a trawl being taken. Remember that the water in the
ocean is always moving, either slowly or quickly. Dynamic systems can be more
complicated to measure than stationary ones. As you watch, jot down what variables
need to be accounted for to calculate how much water you’ve sampled and how much
space you’ve covered.
Learn how natural
forces drive ocean
currents.
Understand the
importance of gyres
and accumulation
zones.
VOCABULARY
Surface currents movement of wind over the
ocean
Gyre – large system of
circulating ocean currents
Coriolis effect – a weather
pattern that swirls
clockwise in the Southern
hemisphere and counterclockwise in the Northern
hemisphere
Langmuir circulation – a
series of shallow, slow,
counter-rotating vortices
at the ocean’s surface
aligned with the wind
Convergence zone – an
area where two prevailing
flows meet and interact
Accumulation zone –
generally this is the center
of the gyre where the
majority of ocean pollution
is found
The parameters you need to be able to calculate plastic concentration in your sample
depend on what you are trying to measure:
Plastics/Area surface water (km2)
Parameters:
Width of the trawl
Speed of boat
Start and end time
Start and end coordinates
Assumptions: Plastics are found only at
surface
Compromises: the distance covered in
space may not accurately reflect the area
of surface water traveled through if the
water is also moving
Plastics/Volume water (m3)
Parameters:
Width of trawl
Depth that trawl reaches underwater
Speed of water traveling through the
trawl (collected with flow meter, units
cm/s)
Start and end time of trawl
Assumptions: trawl penetrates the water
the same depth during the duration of
the trawl.
Compromises: due to waves, the volume
of water sampled will not be accurately
reflected by the calculations.
Using the following measurements, calculate the plastic pieces/km2 and the plastic
pieces/m3 that were sampled:
Width of trawl: 1 m
Depth trawl reaches under water: 15 cm
Speed of boat: 2.5 knots (1.28 m/s)
Start time – End time: 3:30 UTC – 4:00 UTC (Coordinated Universal Time)
Start coordinates: N33° 43’ 40” W118° 09’ 10” – N33 ° 44’ 50” W118° 09’ 32”
Flow meter measurement: 25 cm/s (water is moving through the trawl at 25cm/second)
Plastic particles present: 250
Plastics/km2
Plastics/m3
Coordinates – a set of
values that show an exact
position
Latitude – a value that is
shown to be parallel to the
Equator or along a
horizontal line
Longitude – a value that is
shown to be parallel to the
Prime Meridian or on a
vertical line
Use more space if needed
STEM Workshop: Tracking Trash
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STEM ACTIVITPLASTIC
grades 10-12
INVESTIGATE
1.
2.
Use the data from the tables to map each Algalita expedition route. Connect the coordinates from each
route’s sampling transect, making sure to identify each with a unique symbol or color.
Using the key, fill in each grid square containing a transect point with the color that corresponds to the
plastic pollution density measured at the location. Assume that the collection coordinate represents the
surrounding area (the grid square). As the map fills in, you will begin to create a heat map showing density
of plastic pollution throughout the North Pacific Gyre. For grid squares containing multiple points, calculate
an average.
2007
2009 A
Latitude
Longitude
Microplastics / km2
37.20 N
133.87 W
34,058
37.18 N
134.15 W
100,691
Longitude
Microplastics / km2
25.11 N
128.11 W
27,051
23.87 N
128.35 W
7,092
Latitude
38.15 N
137.45W
215,622
23.57 N
130.37 W
11,929
38.69 N
141.77 W
36,140
24.60 N
146.39 W
2,299
38.69 N
142.03 W
19,455
23.57 N
160.42 W
13,147
37.87 N
143.82 W
271,370
29.30 N
162.05 W
118,539
36.68 N
144.84 W
473,809
30.11 N
162.63 W
82,689
32.55 N
146.96 W
83,137
31.31 N
163.99 W
300,468
31.56 N
152.61 W
35,093
34.37 N
169.18 W
28,976
29.45 N
153.52 W
25,545
35.06 N
171.63 W
72,792
2008
2009 B
2
Microplastics / km
Microplastics / km2
Latitude
Longitude
19.29 N
156.05 W
9,428
25.63 N
158.98 W
31,207
21.65 N
160.54 W
6,447
26.65 N
160.30 W
250,937
22.10 N
160.97 W
23,449
28.01 N
160.31 W
301,683
22.96 N
162.02 W
4,560
31.15 N
160.10 W
697,193
29.95 N
165.41 W
26,063
31.15 N
159.98 W
247,230
32.01 N
165.40 W
19,067
32.50 N
159.92 W
126,316
33.03 N
167.59 W
112,119
32.55 N
160.23 W
78,192
33.01 N
168.24 W
75,674
34.29 N
144.35 W
335,492
33.01 N
168.14 W
41,843
34.37 N
143.71 W
472,261
32.84 N
170.07 W
23,426
34.67 N
141.89 W
261,518
33.76 N
162.72 W
44,863
35.98 N
139.99 W
173,182
33.76 N
160.42 W
87,324
34.51 N
157.85 W
135,430
36.16 N
157.56 W
17,909
35.69 N
147.67 W
191,285
34.68 N
142.08 W
308,807
35.91 N
141.78 W
446,352
35.84 N
140.82 W
650,726
36.08 N
140.79 W
450,530
35.89 N
139.40 W
126,837
Latitude
STEM Workshop: Tracking Trash
Longitude
Page 67
PLASTIC CONCENTRATION HEAT MAP
Need scale and full border
ALGALITA EXPEDITION KEY
PLASTIC CONCENTRATION KEY
Expedition Year
Symbol
Microplastics / km2
Color
2007
Blue
0 - 10,000
Blue
2008
Yellow
10,000 - 50,000
Yellow
2009 A
Orange
50,000 - 100,000
Orange
2009 B
Red
100,000 - 250,000
Red
250,000-500,000
Purple
Over 500,000
Black
STEM Workshop: Tracking Trash
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ANALYZE
Many forces and factors come together to create the phenomenon of plastic accumulation zones. Ocean
currents, wind patterns, point-sources of pollution, like river mouths and coastal cities, all affect plastic
distribution in the ocean. The large oceans help create stable wind patterns in our atmosphere. Large high
pressure systems, characterized by clear skies and high atmospheric pressure, form over the oceans. They are
the ultimate force that defines the center of a gyre’s accumulation zone. They move slowly over time and force
the center of the accumulation zone to shift too. Compare the four images below which show atmospheric
pressure over the Eastern North Pacific Ocean for the years 1999, 2008, 2009 and 2014.
APPLY
Have you ever looked out over the water and thought someone should invent some technology to aid with the
plastic pollution issue? People all over the world are trying, but with a lot of trial and error. The ocean is a
challenging place to be, for both humans and technology, and the ocean is a lot bigger than we often imagine.
We need to be aware of how our technological innovations may come with unintended consequences, like
disrupting habitats or using huge amounts of non-renewable energy.
Compare and contrast 2 of the tech solutions in the list below. Discuss the pros and cons for each in terms of
implementation cost and unintended consequences. Also write about how you would improve these
innovations.
The Ocean Cleanup
The Garbage-Seascaper
Floating Parks
Marina Trash Skimmer
Seabin
SeaVax
Mr. Trash Wheel
STEM Workshop: Tracking Trash
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LOST TRASH
3-5
Why is litter still a problem? How can we influence human behavior?
6-8
How can we minimize our schools lunch waste?
9-12
Assess and critique the effectiveness and sustainability of your city’s
waste management system. How can it be improved?
GOAL
To explore the
relationships between
waste, litter, people and
our waste management
systems.
TEACHING OBJECTIVES
•
•
Assist students in understanding their responsibility for preventing litter.
Guide students through a discovery of litter; its sources, sinks, causes and
effects.
PREPARE
•
Print out debris category cards
PROCEDURE
OBJECTIVES
1.
2.
Conduct a school-yard
waste audit.
Create a plan to
address litter hotspots and habits.
As a class, spend 15 minutes picking up as many pieces of debris as you can on
and/or around the school campus. For each group of 4 or less, bring a
reusable or reused container like a bucket or bag to put the trash in. (Inform
your students of necessary safety procedures including to not pick up anything
sharp or otherwise hazardous.)
Back in the classroom, instruct each group to sort through the debris they
collected into 4 categories: Plastic, paper, metal, mixed, and to record the
number of items in each category on the group worksheet.
DURATION
About 2-3 hours
MATERIALS
-
Pencil/pen
Containers for picking
up trash
Assist students to sort correctly and answer questions. Many items are
complicated by having multiple materials constructed together.
Create a table on the board or screen to record the class total for each
category.
Students use the total data to draw a bar graph to summarize their results.
Guide students through the remaining discussion questions.
STANDARDS
STEM Workshop: Lost Trash
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MIXED
grades 10-12
METAL
PAPER
STEM ACTIVITY : INSIDE PLASTIC
GOAL
To explore the
relationships between
waste, litter, people and
our waste management
systems.
IMAGINE IT
How does tossed trash become lost trash? Think about the different ways a that
trash could become litter. With a partner, share a story (imaginary or not) about
the journey of a piece of trash that was lost and littered in the environment. Give
the main character of the story (the piece of trash) a name and personality!
Now, watch the video to hear another story: a story of a plastic bag.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLgh9h2ePYw
OBJECTIVES
1.
2.
Conduct a school-yard
waste audit.
Create a plan to
address litter hotspots and habits.
Have you noticed litter in and around your school? Describe, sketch, or share
with a partner the litter situation. How much litter is there, how often, when,
where and what kinds do you see?
VOCABULARY
Waste – unwanted
materials
Waste characterization –
sorting waste by type of
material and form
Waste stream – the flow
pathway of waste from
disposal to landfill,
incineration, recycling or
reuse
Waste audit – a study of
the amount and types of
waste that are created by a
certain group
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STEM ACTIVITY : INSIDE PLASTIC
grades 10-12
DATA SHEET
GROUP TOTALS
CLASS TOTALS
PAPER &
PLASTIC
PAPER
PAPER &
PLASTIC
PAPER
PLASTIC
ALL 3
PAPER &
METAL
PLASTIC
ALL 3
PLASTIC
& METAL
PAPER &
METAL
PLASTIC
& METAL
METAL
METAL
GRAPH YOUR RESULTS using the class totals to compare the amount of each litter type found on
the school campus. In the mixed column, use the class total for all items containing 2 or more kinds of
materials.
Total number of trash items
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Plastic
Paper
STEM Workshop: Lost Trash
Metal
Mixed
Page 74
STEM ACTIVITY : INSIDE PLASTIC
grades 10-12
ANALYZE IT
Think back to when you and your class collected the litter. Were there certain
areas where you found the most litter? Describe those areas.
For example, maybe there
is a lot of litter near
trashcans. That could
suggest that the trashcans
aren’t emptied often
enough, that there isn’t a
good sorting system for
recyclables, or that there
aren’t any lids on the bins
to keep the trash securely
inside.
Based on where the litter was found, what sources did the litter come from?
Are there activities, habits or problems that may have resulted in more litter
in those locations?
What makes that item “waste”? Some reasons might be:
• It’s function as a container is lost because it was opened.
• It’s dirty and contaminated.
• The owner was done using it.
• There isn’t the option to recycle it.
What was the most common item that your class found?
____________________
Explain why this common item is unwanted?
In my opinion….
Did you find any items in the waste audit that could have been repurposed or
recycled? What are they?
STEM Workshop: Lost Trash
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APPLY IT
You just completed a waste audit on trash that you collected around your
school campus and analyzed they data. Now let’s come up with a plan to stop
school litter in its tracks.
TIPS!
What is the best way to
persuade someone to
change their behavior?
Try the Golden Circle!
(Simon Sinek)
Why should they change,
how should they change,
what should they change?
WHY?
HOW?
WHAT?
The most important thing is to communicate with the other people who learn,
teach and work at your school about the issue. Persuading and helping people
to change their behavior is not easy to accomplish, but it can be effective,
especially when everyone works together.
As a class or in groups, decide how you want to share your message to
educate the others at the school and ask them to take action.
You can:
• design a poster,
• create a piece of statement art,
• distribute a brochure,
• start a petition or fundraiser
• organize a school assembly
• your idea…. ____________________________
List 3 facts about plastic pollution on your campus that you can include in
your message:
1.
When thinking about your
message, keep these items
in the back of your mind:
• Who needs to be
educated?
• About what?
• How will you get your
audiences attention?
• Can you reuse any of
the trash found in your
cleanup in the
message?
2.
3.
List 3 action items that will help reduce plastic pollution on campus.
1.
2.
3.
STEM Workshop: Lost Trash
Page 76
GOAL
To reduce lunch waste at
school and cultivate school
awareness of plastic smart
eating habits.
TEACHING OBJECTIVES
•
•
Assist students in understanding their personal lunch packaging habits and the
schools lunch packaging system.
Challenge students to think outside of the box when communicating alternative
ideas to the students and cafeteria.
PREPARE
OBJECTIVES
1.
2.
Conduct a lunch waste
audit
Make a PSA to
educate student body
on plastic smart
habits.
DURATION
About 3-4 hours
MATERIALS
-
This activity can be used as a stand alone, or conducted twice in a before/after
evaluation of the effectiveness of the students’ PSAs.
Familiarize yourself with:
• Print out waste category cards
• Decide when and where to conduct the lunch waste audit
• What day of the week will work best for the class, where is a big area to lay
out the tarps etc.
• Split your students into groups of 4 or less
Different amounts of trash are produced on different days of the week and different
parts of the year…
STANDARDS
•
•
MS-ESS3-3 Earth and Human Activity
MS-ESS3-4 Earth and Human Activity
Pencil/pen
Clipboards
Reusable gloves,
aprons, goggles
Tarps and trash signs
Pesola, luggage or
personal scale
2 5 gallon buckets
STEM Workshop: Lost Trash
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STEM ACTIVITY : INSIDE PLASTIC
grades 10-12
IMAGINEit
Instruct students to take 2 minutes to picture your schools lunch system.
Ask them to consider:
• Is there a cafeteria at your school? Do most people bring their lunch or eat in the
cafeteria?
• Is there a central eating place or does everyone spread out? Do people eat inside the
classrooms, outside, both, neither?
• How do your friends that bring lunch pack their lunches? Are there any common habits
or trends?
• How is food in the cafeteria packaged? Are there any cafeteria rules regarding waste,
utensils, hygiene, taking certain foods?
• Are there trashcans? Are there recycling bins, compost bins, or food share bins? Are
they clearly labeled?
EXPLOREit
Working with school staff, collect all bags of lunch waste from one day.
Instruct student to put on aprons, googles and gloves before starting the activity. Each
group should have one designated data recorder.
As a class, weigh each bag. Data recorders write the weight of each bag on the data sheet
and calculate the total weight of trash produced in one day at lunch.
Each group is assigned one (or 2) bag of trash. The number of bags analyzed will equal
the number of groups of students. Depending on the number of groups vs total bags, half
of the bags should be analyzed. Each group may have to analyze 2 bags of trash.
Tally the number of bags analyzed, and calculate the percent of bags analyzed. This
number will be used later to extrapolate the part of the trash you analyzed to calulate
totals…
Students analyze trash bags;
1. Spread out tarp and carefully dump out bag of trash
2. Make sure not to rip the bags as they will be used later in the study.
3. Start sorting the trash into garbage, compost, and recycling piles on each tarp
4. For any items containing liquid, open them, dump the liquid into a bucket, sort
packaging.
5. For packaged food items, open and separate accordingly. Students can also make a
pile of unopened food.
6. Help class create any additional categories for items with specific circumstances, e.g.
spork packets, sandwich baggies, trays, unopened food, juice packets, etc.
7. Once all the trash has been sorted, each team counts the items in each pile and
records them.
8. Compile all similar piles from each group, then weigh each category using the trash
bag. Record data.
9. Estimate the volume of liquid collected in the bucket and write it down in the data
sheet. Weigh the liquid, and subtract the weight of the empty bucket.
10. Clean up.
Back in the classroom, guide students through discussion questions and follow-up project,
creating a PSA.
STEM Workshop: Lost Trash
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APPLYit
Lead class to discuss what was surprising about the lunch waste audit data? Which
extra categories were needed to produce better data? For before/after: were there
any categories that were removed in the after audit? Why?
Guide students to visualize data as a class through a graphic, graph or chart. Can be
digital (Excel. Tableau, etc.), hand-drawn (poster) or 3-D (wall graph). If doing
before/after, consider creating an easily visible or sharable version.
Ask students to jot down two problematic items or categories observed in their lunch
waste (2 min).
TIPS
Students can consider
these questions to
determine the most
problematic item.
1.
What was the single
most abundant waste
item?
2. What is a problem
with a straightforward or easy to
implement solution?
3. What Is an issue with a
complex solution
where better
education is needed?
Students discuss with a partner to convince the other that their item/category is more
needed/important/urgent to address (3 minutes). After discussion, each student
summarizes the other persons argument (4 min). Ask students the come up to the
board and write the item or category down. Duplicate answers receive a check mark.
Ask students to form groups of up to 4 or 5 students who want to address the same
issue. Student groups take 5 minutes to jot down 1 or 2 ways that the problem-item
could be addressed. Suggest students to think about what behavior or system should
be changed in regards to the item.
Examples:
•
Work with cafeteria to offer sporks on request instead of mandatory
•
Educate students on packing waste free lunched
•
Establish a recycling stream on campus and create effective signage
Each group comes up to board to add their best idea for how to address a certain
item/category, next to the item.
Teams work through PSA development model worksheet and create PSA.
STEM Workshop: Lost Trash
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RECYCLE
RECYCLE
RECYCLE
RECYCLE
COMPOST
COMPOST
COMPOST
COMPOST
LANDFILL
LANDFILL
LANDFILL
LANDFILL
LIQUID
LIQUID
LIQUID
LIQUID
GOAL
To reduce lunch waste at
school and cultivate school
awareness of plastic smart
eating habits.
INVESTIGATE
Bag #
Bag
Weight
2.
Team
Count
Class
Total
Count
Class
Total
Weight
Landfill
OBJECTIVES
1.
Category
Conduct a lunch waste
audit
Make a PSA to
educate student body
on plastic smart
habits.
Recyclable
Compostable
Liquid
VOCABULARY
OTHER CATEGORIES
Waste – unwanted
materials
Waste characterization –
the process by which the
composition of different
waste streams is analyzed
Waste stream – the
complete flow of waste
from domestic or industrial
areas to final disposal
Waste audit – a process
that can be used to
determine the amount and
types of waste that are
created by your
organization
Public Service
Announcement - A
message in the public
interest that is spread
without charge to raise
awareness, change public
attitudes and behavior
towards an issue
Total =>
If you aren’t sure if something is recyclable or
compostable, find out!
-ask a teacher or volunteer
-use your city’s recycling instructions online,
-use this guidelines:
Paper – compost if soiled, recycle if clean
Metal – almost always recyclable
Plastic- recycle if hard/rigid and large than ~10 cm
Landfill if flexible or small
Mixed materials – depends on waste hauler
Foam – depends on waste hauler
PLA #7 – compost if collected by city
# bags analyzed:
Total weight of trash analyzed:
% bags analyzed:
Total weight of landfillable trash per day?
STEM Workshop: Lost Trash
Page 84
DESIGN
You've just completed a lunch waste audit and seen
how much garbage, recyclables and compost are
created in a single day at your school.
As a class or in small groups, create a PSA (public
service announcement) to educate your school how
to reduce the collective plastic and waste footprint.
How will you make sure any one who sees, hears or
watches your main message, will actually change
their behavior?
Record the message your group decided on:
MAIN MESSAGE:
Start with answering these questions.
Who are you trying to reach? Who’s the audience?
Be as specific as possible.
What do you know about this groups social media
preferences? Do they like to read, watch videos,
have very little time, prefer in depth info or brief
info?
AUDIENCE:
AUDIENCE PREFERENCES:
BEST FORM OF PSA:
Based on your previous answer, what would be the
most effect form of a PSA? A video, poster,
sculpture, assembly, other?
How will the setting, color, and sound help to
create the most persuasive mood for the audience?
SETTING:
COLORS:
SOUNDS:
MOOD:
How will you grab the audience’s attention?
HOOK:
STEM Workshop: Lost Trash
Page 85
APPLY
A PSA should be straight-forward to be
effective. It should include three parts:
Ask : what behavior or change do you want to
influence?
ASK:
Why: provide the most persuasive and
meaningful reason for your ask. People often
need a strong reason to change.
WHY:
**Use the most current, relevant and accurate
data and information for the best results.
How: explain clearly and simply how people can
participate.
HOW:
Sketch out the PSA script, storyboard or outline. Use a larger surface or digital device if possible.
Once the outline is established, assign roles or jobs for each group member and make the PSA.
Test your PSA on a sample audience to get some initial feedback.
Edit your PSA and start sharing it!
TEST
Plan a way to test changes in behavior. Did your PSA have a strong impact on lunch waste at your
school? Do another waste audit in a couple of weeks or months to quantify your results.
STEM Workshop: Lost Trash
Page 86
GOAL
Become an expert about
your city’s waste systems
and advocate for positive
plastic-smart and
sustainability changes to
the system.
TEACHING OBJECTIVES
•
•
Engage students in a deeper exploration of the waste processing system by helping
them to find a personal connection to it.
Assist students with thinking outside of the box when exploring alternative waste
management systems by asking provoking questions and sharing external resources
such as articles, forums, etc.
PREPARE
STANDARDS
OBJECTIVES
1.
2.
3.
Investigate the
complexities of your
city’s waste and
recycling programs
Create an
improvement plan for
your city’s waste
management system.
Address city/business
officials with
improvement
suggestions.
•
•
•
HS-LS2-2 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
HS-LS4-2 Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity
HS-LS4-5 Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity
DURATION
About 3-4 hours
MATERIALS
-
Pen or pencil
Poster/butcher paper
Markers
Computer
STEM Workshop: Lost Trash
Page 87
GOAL
Become an expert about
your city’s waste systems
and advocate for positive
plastic-smart and
sustainability changes to
the system.
IMAGINE
What would the most efficient waste management system or situation be for your
city/town?
Describe or draw 5 aspects of the system.
EXPLORE
For 15 minutes, research your city‘s waste/recycling/composting program. Jot down a
question you have but weren’t able to answer through your research.
OBJECTIVES
1.
2.
3.
Investigate the
complexities of your
city’s waste and
recycling programs
Create an
improvement plan for
your city’s waste
management system.
Address city/business
officials with
improvement
suggestions.
VOCABULARY
Waste – unwanted
materials
Waste characterization –
the process by which the
composition of different
waste streams is analyzed
Waste stream – the
complete flow of waste
from domestic or industrial
areas to final disposal.
Waste assessment – a
snapshot of what and how
much is being discarded, as
well as how it is being
disposed,
Share your question with your partner, and have your partner share their question. Spend
5 minutes trying to find the answer to your partner’s question, then take turns to share
what you learned.
Together, assemble a list of state and city ordinances and regulations pertaining to waste.
Color code the regulations to categorize the items by the type of waste they pertain to.
STEM Workshop: Lost Trash
Page 88
STEM ACTIVITY : INSIDE PLASTIC
grades 10-12
DESIGN
Waste is created and processed in many different parts of the city (world) and in different
systems. Depending on where you live, plastic waste is handled in different ways.
Managed waste
- landfill, home waste bins, recycling bins, recycling plants, sewage and waste water
treatment plants, industrial composting
Mismanaged waste
- River catchment systems (booms), litter and street sweeping, airborne plastics
(microfibres)
Potential resources to use:
internet, library, experts
(interview city officials,
businesses)
Group work:
In a visual display, outline your city’s waste flow. Include both managed and mismanaged
plastic waste, groups dealing with or creating waste (residential, commercial, waste
processing businesses, official regulators and informal collection), and relative amounts of
each flow (shown by arrow size or a number)
Think back to the IMAGINE activity and take turns to share what an ideal waste
management system would look like.
Look at the below diagram from the New Plastics Economy which outlines two waste
systems, our current linear (make, use, dispose) system, and an alternative circular system
based on better design and recycling, and alternative material flow pathways.
Create a visual outline or plan of action for your city on how to improve or redesign the
current system.
Start by analyzing your original visualization for gaps, unknowns, and dead ends in the
info you found about the city’s systems and regulations.
STEM Workshop: Lost Trash
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APPLY
Write a formal letter to your city council with your ideas on how to improve to your city’s
waste system.
First determine which city/business official(s) need to be addressed or would have
jurisdiction over your suggestion by researching the various positions and interests of
potential contacts.
To write an interesting an effective letter, keep your requests, ideas and explanations as
simple and clear as possible.
Use these questions as a guide:
1. Why is your suggestion/request important and urgent?
2. Are there any anticipated positive consequences?
3. What potential negative consequences of change have you thought of, and what are
possible ways to prevent them?
4. What are potential rebuttals that the city officials could argue, and what is your
counter argument?
5. What is the estimated cost of implementation for your suggestion change, and how
do you think that money would best be confirmed?
6. Who/which stakeholders would need to be involved or would be effected by the
suggested improvements?
After revising and editing your letter, send the letter.
EXPAND
Go further by continuing to refine your suggestions/requests/ideas. Address councils
during meetings, collaborate with local groups who can support your work, etc. Put your
words and ideas into action!
STEM Workshop: Lost Trash
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REFUSE REUSE
3-5
How do we redesign our habits to be plastic-smart?
6-8
In which ways can we influence the straw culture of local
restaurants?
9-12
Use a school-wide survey to gauge and transform school waste
habits
GOAL
Redesign daily habits to be
plastic-smart, at school and
at home.
OBJECTIVES
1.
2.
3.
Measure your weekly
plastic footprint.
Find creative
alternatives
Engage your entire
family in transitioning
to be plastic-smart.
TEACHING OBJECTIVES
•
•
•
Assist students in understanding the importance of being aware of the costs of using
plastics.
Challenge students to think creatively of alternatives to single use items by helping
them understand family limits (time, money) and by thinking first of what they
already have access to for reuse and repurposing.
Help the students stay true to their pledge of reducing their dependency on single
use plastics, by following up regularly, celebrating successes and offering support
and tips on perseverance.
PREPARE
STANDARDS
DURATION
In class: 1 hour, two weeks
in a row
At home: 20 minutes a day,
for a week
MATERIALS
-
Pencil/pen
STEM Workshop: Refuse Reuse
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STEM ACTIVITY : INSIDE PLASTIC
grades 10-12
PROCEDURE
Screen the ReSup video for your class.
Students estimate how many of each item on the grid they use themselves in a
week, and how many their family uses in a week.
Poll students by asking them to raise their hand for their individual estimate, and
tally the totals. As a class, calculate the class total and average (per student) for
each item.
Instruct students to take the grid home and watch the video with their family.
Students record with their family (or individually), how many of each plastic item
they use on a daily basis.
1. During the day, for 7 days, everyone participating keeps all of their
used disposable plastic items with them (use the grid to see what to
keep).
2. At the end of each day, combine everyone’s plastic in a pile, and sort
into the 4 categories.
3. Count the items in each category and record the number in the grid.
Record the number of people who collected trash that day at the top
of the grid.
After 7 days of recording, students bring their grid back to school.
In class, student tally their weekly average for each item. For each item and each
day, students divide the total by the number of family members participating,
then add those numbers for the week, to get 4 weekly averages.
As a class, calculate the weekly average. Compare the actual to the estimate.
Students then individually identify their Top Item of the Day for each of the 7
days.
For 5 items (bottles, plastic bags, straws, and 2 types of to-go containers),
students work in groups to come up with alternative products, habits, reuse
options and repurpose options. Ask them to come up with several different ideas,
(e.g. one for each group member).
Once the lists are complete, as a class, chart ideas for each item (one at a time).
Have students write down the top 1 or 2 alternatives that they think would work
best for them for each item.
Follow up with students, the next week and/or next month, to share experiences
and challenges with changing their habits and their families habits.
STEM Workshop: Refuse Reuse
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GOAL
Redesign daily habits to be
plastic-smart, at school and
at home.
IMAGINE
What do you think of when you hear the phrase “throw-away lifestyle”. Jot down
words, pictures, ideas, even songs, that come to mind.
OBJECTIVES
1.
2.
3.
Measure your weekly
plastic footprint.
Find creative
alternatives
Engage your entire
family in transitioning
to be plastic-smart.
When you throw a plastic object “away”, where does it go? Draw or write a story
about what happens to it.
STEM Workshop: Refuse Reuse
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STEM ACTIVITY : INSIDE PLASTIC
grades 10-12
Single Use Plastic Daily Log
Item
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Total
Item:
Item:
Item:
Item:
Item:
Item:
Item:
Item:
Amount:
Amount:
Amount:
Amount:
Amount:
Amount:
Amount:
Amount:
# family
members
participating
Plastic Bottles
Plastic Bags
(shopping,
bread, dry
cleaner, ziplock,
etc)
Plastic To-Go
Packaging
(clamshells,
cups,
ketchup/mustar
d packets, etc)
Plastic Drinking
Straws
Top Item of the
Day
(complete in
class)
STEM Workshop: Refuse Reuse
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STEM ACTIVITY : INSIDE PLASTIC
grades 10-12
Alternatives to Single Use Plastics
Item
Alternative
#1
Alternative
#2
Which
alternative
do you think
would be
best for your
family?
STEM Workshop: Refuse Reuse
Page 96
APPLYit
When you go to a restaurant, do you normally get your water or other
beverage with a straw in it? Do you use a straw just because it is there?
In this activity, create a note (like the one below) to leave on the table after
your family has finished eating out at a restaurant. The goal is to help make
the restaurant more aware of single use straws and other plastic foodware.
To get started, think about the message you want to get across to the
restaurant managers and wait staff. List some ideas below:
1.
2.
3.
An example:
STEM Workshop: Refuse Reuse
Sketch yours here:
Page 97
GOAL
Influence the restaurant
culture around single use
plastics.
OBJECTIVES
1.
2.
Conduct an assay of
plastic straw use in the
local city/town center
Practice written and
vocal communication
skills and evidence
based persuasion.
TEACHING OBJECTIVES
•
Guide students through a critical analysis of variations in straw use due to
the effect of business type, region, culture, education
PREPARE
Decide how to split your class up to look at the concentrated business section
of your city
• An example could be splitting them into 2 groups and have each group look
at one side of the street
• Another example could be assigning each student a couple businesses so
that all the businesses are looked at
STANDARDS
DURATION
About 3-5 hours
MATERIALS
-
Pencil/pen
Large paper or screen
to map out business
district
STEM Workshop: Refuse Reuse
Page 98
IMAGINE
GOAL
•
Rethink our
dependency on plastics
throughout our daily
lives
OBJECTIVES
•
•
Understand the
importance of reducing
single use plastics
Realize the impact of
straws on your
community
BUSINESS TYPES
•
•
•
•
•
Sit down restaurant
Fast food franchise
Independent fast food
Café
Bar
Talk with the person next you about what gives our society a “throw away
culture”?
Straws are a type of single use plastic that we often don’t need at all. What best
describes your use of straws.
a. I love using a straw and always use one.
b. I use a straw for health reasons.
c. I use straws when they are available but I don’t mind drinking without a
straw.
d. I like using straws but bring my own paper or reusable one.
e. I don’t like using a straw and will take it out of a drink if there is one in there.
f. I ask for “No straw please” and am upset when I get one.
EXPLORE
Conduct an analysis of straw use for the food related businesses that are
located in a central part of the local city/town.
As a class, find the area of town that has the most concentrated area of food
related businesses. Make a sketch of this area (hand-drawn or digital) which
includes boxes for each food related business, the business name and type, and
space for other information you’ll collect.
In groups, as decided by your teacher, contact each business to collect the
information below:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What is the approximate daily or weekly straw use at the business?
What is the average number of people visiting the business per day?
What is their straw policy? i.e. do they give it to you, self serve etc.
Have their customers ever brought up the issue of straws or plastic waste?
Do they offer alternatives or considered them? If so what kind?
Add the collected data to the map of downtown.
Use the data to determine:
1.
2.
3.
4.
What is the average weekly straw usage for each business type?
What is the average straw usage per day per person in the area?
About how many straws are used per week in the defined area?
Is there a type of business that uses more straws than others?
STEM Workshop: Refuse Reuse
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STEM ACTIVITY : INSIDE PLASTIC
grades 10-12
DESIGN
SOME IDEAS
Placard stating straws
available upon request
Offer reusable straws
With your group, list as many alternative products or procedures the
businesses could adopt to reduce their straw use? Be specific. What positive
and negative consequences would the alternative have for the business (in
terms of money, sustainability, efficiency, customer satisfaction, etc.)?
Alternative:
Alternative:
Positives
Negatives
Alternative:
Positives
Positives
Negatives
Alternative:
Negatives
Positives
Negatives
Pick one business to focus on. What would be the most beneficial alternative
system for the business? Outline a plastic-smart straw transition strategy for
the business, including the timeline, costs, marketing ideas, etc.
Best alternative:
Transition outline:
STEM Workshop: Refuse Reuse
Page 100
APPLY
Write a letter to the business for which you developed a straw policy
transition plan to share your idea.
TIPS
•
•
•
•
•
Write with a
professional and
friendly tone
Write clearly and
concisely
Use an active voice (I
would like to…., not, It
would be nice if…)
Be courteous
Keep your letter to one
page.
Use this outline to get started. In the sample letter below, bullet point
what you’ll include in each paragraph.
Sender’s Address
Your Name
Your Address
Your City, State, Zip Code
Date
Recipient’s Address
Name
Title
Company
Address
City, State, Zip Code
Salutation
Dear Mr./Ms. Last Name
Body Text
Introduction (introduce yourself, and your reason for writing)
•
•
•
Body (supporting info and details of your suggestion, your transition plan)
•
•
•
Consider offering to meet
in person to further discuss
your ideas
Closing (reiterate your request, thank your reader for their time)
•
•
•
Signature Block
Signature
Name
Organization Affiliation
STEM Workshop: Refuse Reuse
Page 101
GOAL
Rethink our dependency on
plastics throughout our
daily lives
TEACHING OBJECTIVES
•
•
Connect students with groups responsible for certain waste procedures on
campus (e.g. janitors and custodians, administrators, district supervisors, etc.
Guide students through survey development, administration and analysis by
providing feedback and additional resources.
Modified from Harvard PSR online resources??
OBJECTIVES
1.
2.
3.
Learn how your school
manages it’s everyday
materials
Implement a proper
survey and analyze the
data
Use survey results to
suggest effective
improvements in
waste production and
management habits of
student body, district
PREPARE
STANDARDS
DURATION
About 8 weeks
ACTIVITY TYPE
Class/teams/individual
MATERIALS
-
Pencil/pen
STEM Workshop: Refuse Reuse
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STEM ACTIVITY : INSIDE PLASTIC
GOAL
Rethink our dependency
on plastics throughout our
daily lives
OBJECTIVES
1.
2.
3.
Learn how your
school manages it’s
everyday materials
Implement a proper
survey and
understand how to
analyze the data
Use survey results to
suggest effective
improvements in
waste production and
management habits of
student body, district
grades 10-12
IMAGINE
Create a survey questionnaire for the people at your school (students,
teachers and staff) to answer the question: What is the plastic waste culture
at your school?
Get started by brainstorming as a group:
Material flow
areas in school:
Types of plastic
associated with
flow area:
E.g.
Cafeteria
Campus quad
Outdoor lunch
benches
Classrooms
Vending machines
STEM Workshop: Refuse Reuse
Groups of people
associated with
flow area:
Waste collection
systems
associated with
flow area:
(Use school website,
personal observation,
talk with custodian)
Page 103
STEM ACTIVITY : INSIDE PLASTIC
grades 10-12
DESIGN
Using the information outlined for one material flow area in the table, begin
designing the survey using the below guide.
The goal of the survey is to find out what behaviors people have to plastic
that they use at school, what opinions they have about trash and plastic
pollution. Changing behavior requires understanding behavior incentives.
What behavior exists now  Why?  What is the desired behavior?
Once you understand a person’s motivation for behaving a certain way, it is
possible to educate, persuade, influence them in an effective way.
Your survey should attempt to understand the behaviors and motivators of
the group in your material flow area.
Design the Survey
Make sure you survey a
random representative group
of people or your results
won’t be meaningful.
Define research
objective
If you miss parts of your
population (coverage error),
or if people can’t or won’t
answer a question
(nonresponse error), your
data will be inaccurate.
Define sample
frame (what group,
time frame, spatial
frame are you
investigating?)
Types of questions
How will the
survey be
administered
(computer, in
person, paper)
Open-ended
E.g. short answer
Closed-ended
E.g. choose an answer or
number that best describe
you or the situation
Closed ended questions that
measure something can have
3 different types
Nominal
Chose a unique answer
E.g. multiple choice options
Ordinal
Chose answer from a scale
E.g. rate on a scale from 1-10
Good for measuring attitude
*Include 5-7 options and a
middle option
*Avoid agree/disagree
What is your plan
to make sure to
get a random
representative
group of people to
answer your
survey?
Draft questions (What do you need to find out?)
Summarize what you need to find out here, then draft 10-15 questions (and answer choices if
applicable) on a separate paper or computer document.
Interval
Chose value from a scale
E.g. indicate value (number)
on a scale
Good for measuring amounts
STEM Workshop: Refuse Reuse
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STEM ACTIVITY : INSIDE
Tips for a good survey
TEST
1. Keep it short.
2. Start with easy questions.
3. Put sensitive and
demographic questions at
the end.
4. Include only relevant,
needed questions.
5. Avoid technical terms and
jargon.
6. Be specific in wording by
using clear, concise
phrases, and including
time and location
information if needed.
7. Avoid emotional language.
8. Make sure to include all
possible answers and
mutually exclusive answers
in closed ended questions.
9. Each question should only
ask or measure 1 thing.
10.Randomize similar
questions.
11. Find out who you are
surveying by asking
demographic questions.
12. Keep in mind question
order.
Evaluate Survey
grades 10-12
Once your 10 - 15 questions are drafted, its time to check them for reliability and validity.
A question has reliability if it means the same to everyone. A question has validity if it
measures what it is intended to.
Pair up with someone from a different group. Take turns surveying each other. By
answering the survey questions out loud and explaining their thinking process for each
question out loud they will help you determine if your questions were well understood and
were understood correctly.
Read the draft survey one question at a time to your partner. Ask them to answer the
question and explaining their thinking process out loud before and/or after they answer.
You can ask them things like “What made you respond that way?” or “What is going
through your mind?”
On the attached worksheet, jot down notes about:
• Did they understand the question as intended – if not, how did they understand it?
• Was there confusion about how to answer the questions and/or the question options?
• Did they have any unanticipated response? What was it?
• Where there any consequences from the language or cultural references used? What
were they?
• Any suggestions they have that will help improve the survey.
Back in your group, work together through each question to compare notes and edit your
survey questions as needed.
Administer Survey
Determining Sample
Size
In general, the sample size
(N) which is the number of
people you survey can be
used to estimate how
meaningful your results are,
using the equation 1/√N.
With N=10, the margin of
error is about 32% (you can’t
be sure your mean and
percentage values represent
the entire population you are
trying to characterize. But
with N=500, the margin of
error drops to about 5% and
you can be very sure that
your results represent the
entire population.
Before administering your survey, its important to make sure everyone uses the same
procedure. As a group decide, how you will ask someone to participate, what instructions
you’ll give the respondent, what incentive you’ll provide (if any), what mode the survey
will be taken in (digital, paper, interview), and promises that the information will stay
confidential. If your school requires a form to be signed for surveys, make sure to provide
that as well.
1. As a group, create a written plan that includes all of this information.
2. Determine who (in general) will be asked to complete the survey (refer to first table in
worksheet), and how many responses you need for your data to be meaningful. In
general the more the better!
Analyze Responses
Once you’ve collected enough responses, use a data collection tool (e.g. Excel
spreadsheet, Tableau etc.) to analyze the results.
For each question, begin by coding the results. Give numbers to each possible answer and
record those numbers in a spreadsheet. Calculate the appropriate statistics for each
question – mean, median, percentile, percentage.
For open ended questions consider calculating the frequency of each response.
For closed ended questions consider calculating the percentage or mean of a specific
answer.
Keep in mind your overarching research question during this process.
STEM Workshop: Refuse Reuse
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STEM ACTIVITY : INSIDE
grades 10-12
Survey Evaluation Notes
#
Question understood
as intended?
Confusion about
answers?
Unanticipated
responses?
Any
language/cultural
consequences?
Improvement
suggestions?
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
STEM Workshop: Refuse Reuse
Page 106
APPLY
You have created, evaluated and administered your survey questionnaire. You’ve also
analyzed the results! Now its time to do something with that information.
Create a short video or report that you can use to petition and/or address your school
body/board/district about issues related to waste production and management at
your school.
Report responses
Include:
• method of data collection
• dates and geography of collection
• description of target group
• description of sample methods
• characterization of respondents
• data results
• conclusions and call to action
Visualize results
What did you learn about the waste culture at your school?
Brainstorm improvements that can be made to the ways your school body manages
it’s materials. What needs to happen to implement those changes? How can your
audience be persuaded to change their behaviors? What are the motivating factors for
their current behavior and what will motivate them to change their behavior? What
could possible incentives be?
Main message:
Audience:
Call to action:
Supporting information:
How will your suggestion/call to action improve the waste situation?
In your group, create a report and/or video to share with your school
body/board/district!
STEM Workshop: Refuse Reuse
Page 107
RECYCLE RESIN
Recycling plastics is complicated! These activities will guide
students through a discovery of the different aspects of
plastics recycling from product design, to waste management
systems, to the economic system.
1
Design a product, recycle it, and redesign it with recycling in
mind – all with beeswax.
2
Use the physical properties of different products to sort
common single-use plastic items. Design a classroom recycling
plant!
3
Simulate the recycled plastic market as Materials Recovery
Facility managers and recycled plastic buyers.
GOAL
To understand why
recycling plastics is so
complex.
OBJECTIVES
1.
2.
Students design a toy
using beeswax.
Explore concepts of
cause and effect by
relating product
design to recycling
efficiency.
DURATION
TEACHING OBJECTIVES
•
•
Engage students in a basic recycling experiment.
Challenge students to problem solve based on critical thinking.
PREPARE
Familiarize yourself with the student activity and worksheet. Print a workbook
for each student.
Group students in teams of 4.
Collect materials for students to construct a sorting system
STANDARDS
About 1.5 hours
EVALUATION IDEAS
MATERIALS
Beeswax, metal spoons,
forks
BACKGROUND
STEM Workshop: Recycle Resin
Page 109
VOCABULARY
Plastic
Resin
Recycle
Design
IMAGINE
As a team, make a list of 3 things that are made of plastic and which include 2 or 3
different kinds of plastics in it. They can be toys, school items, containers, etc.
Remember, different colors don’t always mean different materials.
1.
2.
3.
DESIGN
Pick one of the items, and draw it in the ORIGINAL DESIGN bubble as accurately as
you can. Use a ruler to measure the object’s main dimensions. Label the dimensions
of the object in your picture.
How is the different
object
Remember,
constructed? How
colors does not
are the different
always
mean
materials
different
materials.
connected?
Are
they glued, molded,
snapped together?
Make a list of the different materials in the object in the table next to the ORIGINAL
DESIGN bubble.
The next step is to make a wax model of your object. Assign a color of wax to each
material. Think about how much wax of each color you’ll need, which will depend on
the size of your model. Try to make it between 5-10 cm (2-5 inches).
APPLY
DISCUSS
What was most challenging
about making your
product?
Collect the beeswax.
Make your model. Record construction time.
Cool your mini-models in a cool place to harden.
Be accurate when
using the different
colors of beeswax
to represent the
different materials.
TEST
What was challenging
about disassembling the
model?
Why should the redesigned
model be easier to recycle
than the original version?
What was challenging
about disassembling the
redesigned model? What
was easy?
Switch models with a teammate.
Disassemble the model separating each color beeswax into different piles to imitate
the recycling process.
Record how long it took to disassemble the model in the ORIGINAL DESIGN table
on the worksheet.
DESIGN
Redesign the object that you disassembled in a way that makes it easier to recycle,
but so that it is still functional. Use the recycled beeswax to reconstruct the model
with the new design. Fill out the table next to the RE-DESIGN bubble with your
redesign changes and construction time.
TEST
Trade objects again in your group. Time yourself how long it takes to disassemble
this object. Did it take longer or shorter than disassembling the first version? By how
much?
STEM Workshop: Recycle Resin
Page 110
ORIGINAL DESIGN
Name of object:
Material
Beeswax color
1
2
3
Time to Build:
Time to Recycle:
RE - DESIGN
Name of object:
Material
1
2
3
Time to Build:
Time to Recycle:
Beeswax color
GOAL
To understand the basics
of the recycling system and
the complexities of
recycling plastics
TEACHING OBJECTIVES
•
•
Engage students in designing and engineering a basic recycling plant for
commonly recycled materials.
Challenge students to problem solve based on experimentation.
PREPARE
OBJECTIVES
1.
2.
Expand knowledge of
the materials recovery
and sorting facilities
by designing one for
your classroom.
Develop problem
solving and critical
thinking skills related
to designing and
testing mechanisms to
sort materials by
material type.
DURATION
About 5 hours – adjust
time as needed
MATERIALS
-
-
-
Printed worksheet
Pencil/pen
Construction materials
and tools, e.g.
cardboard, paper towel
rolls, containers, foil,
rope, staples, wood,
fabric, hammers, nails,
tape, tables, chairs etc
Items to help sort, e.g.
buckets & water, arc
magnet, bike wheel, fan
Used items to sort;
water bottles, caps
separated, sandwich
baggies, straws,
beverage cups, foam
containers, chip bags
(12 or more of each)
Collect items or ask students to bring in:
Materials to construct a sorting system
Items to sort (categories listed in procedure)
BACKGROUND
why are some products/plastics recyclable and some aren’t (How2Recycle), product
complexity– talk about additives/why plastics get downcycled
PROCEDURE
After students complete the IMAGINEit activity, facilitate a class activity to design and
build a recycling plant in the classroom using materials around the classroom, or from
home. The goal is to develop a simple sorting process that will separate 6 different
common plastic items: 1. plastic water bottles (#1), 2. bottle caps (#2), 3. sandwich
baggies (#4), 4. straws (#5), 5. beverage cups (#6), 5. foam containers (#6), 6. chip
bags (mixed).
Begin with showing the following video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CFE5tD1CCI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y68tBxVrnXg (???)
Divide students into 6 groups. Each group creates a list of properties of one of the 6
items on poster paper. Prompt them to think about the differences from the other items
to get started. They can consider weight, density (do the float or sink?), shape, possible
behavior in wind and in water, type of material (is it magnetic, is it rigid or flexible, is it
transparent?, is it all one kind of material or made of mixed material?).
Put up posters around class and ask students to walk to each poster to read and make
any suggested edits (in a second color).
Guide a class discussion to summarize posters. Divide class into same 6 groups and
provide a poster to each group (different from original item). Ask students to
brainstorm 3 different possible ways to separate their item from the other 5 using easily
obtained materials. Students should sketch on the poster what each sorting mechanism
will look like, and list different materials they’ll need to build their sorting mechanisms.
Ask students to bring in items for the next session.
In the next session, students experiment with construction items to devise a way to
separate their item from the other 5 in the group. Provide access to construction
materials and several of each of the 6 items.
Consider allowing students to move to other teams based on ideas they have for
different items. Once each group succeeds test them all in a row as a class!
Facilitate a discussion about challenges that were faced and how certain items could be
made so that they would be easier to separate.
STANDARDS
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GOAL
To understand the basics
of the recycling system and
the complexities of
recycling plastics
IMAGINE
Draw a picture of your city’s recycling system. Include arrows to show how materials that
you put in your recycling or trash bin end up at the MRF or recycling center.
OBJECTIVES
1.
2.
Expand knowledge of
the materials recovery
and sorting facilities
by designing one for
your classroom.
Develop problem
solving and critical
thinking skills related
to designing and
testing mechanisms to
sort materials by type.
VOCABULARY
Materials recovery facility
(MRF) – a facility that
collects and sorts waste
materials for further
processing through
recycling, landfilling,
incineration or reuse
Recycle – to break down or
restructure a product to
return the material to a
new product
The trash that you throw away at home or at school has to go somewhere! There is no
“away”. In most cities in the United States and in many other countries, trash is collected
by trucks who bring the materials to a place called a MRF. The MRF sorts all the trash on a
huge system of conveyor belts with machines and people working together. Watch the
video to see how a MRF works.
How do you sort your waste at home? Do you have just one bin for trash, two bins (trash
and recycling), three bins (trash, recycling and compost) or more? Below, draw, color
and label each kind of bin that you have at home that your city employees will collect on a
regular basis.
Draw lines from the different items to the bins to show how the items are managed in
your city/town. If you aren’t sure, guess and use a dotted line.
STEM Workshop: Recycle Resin
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ITEM POSTER
ITEM CHARACTERISTICS
For example, shape, weight, density, color/transparency, rigidity/flexibility, magnetism
Sorting Mechanism #1
Sorting Mechanism #2
STEM Workshop: Recycle Resin
Sorting Mechanism #3
Page 114
GOAL
TEACHING OBJECTIVES
PREPARE
OBJECTIVES
STANDARDS
DURATION
MATERIALS
STEM Workshop: Recycle Resin
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GOAL
IMAGINE
OBJECTIVES
VOCABULARY
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DESIGN
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POLYMER POLITICS
1
Persuasion, power and campaigning, for a plastic-smart snack time.
2
Prepare for and conduct a debate about a component of the plastic
pollution situation.
3
Outline the school’s current plastic waste situation and governing
system and envision a transition plan.
GOAL
Develop basic civics skills
of communication and
power literacy by running
an campaign based on
snacks and their plastic
packaging.
OBJECTIVES
1.
2.
3.
Explore how power
and confidence look
and feel like.
Practice
communicating clearly
and confidently.
Create a campaign
poster and participate
in a voting process.
DURATION
About 2 hours
MATERIALS
-
Pencil/Pen
Colored pencils/pens
Poster paper (1 per
group of 4)
STANDARDS
TEACHING OBJECTIVES
•
•
Establish the connection between government and the environment
Understand how the voting system works and the consequences that can
occur
PREPARE
Set up voting system. Can be digital, paper, or raise of hands, but should be
anonymous.
PROCEDURE
Students work through IMAGINEit activities. Allow students 3 minutes to think
about what power looks, feels and sounds like to them.
Screen TEDed video (https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-to-understand-powereric-liu) and ask students to jot down, on the worksheet, ideas and words that
stand out to them.
Make space for students to stand and mingle. Ask students to stand in a way
that makes them feel strong and confident. Discuss how body language
impacts other’s perceptions of oneself and ones own perception of self
(standing up straight, chest out and hands on the hips can change ones
mindset from negative to positive). Student pretend to be someone they each
think is a confident person (it could be a politician, actor, a personal rolemodel). Ask them to go around the room and introduce themselves to the
other people in the room, as their pretend character, to practice their positive
body language.
Minority will and majority rule activity.
Ask students to come up with various snack types and record them on the
board. Once 5-8 types are listed, students form groups and are assigned (or
pick) a snack type. Its okay for group sizes to vary and for a majority of
students to be working on one snack type.
Students create a campaign poster for their snack type about why it is better
in terms of plastic smart packaging. Minority groups should try to convince
individuals in majority group to change preference, by using argumentation
based on smart packaging. The posters should be designed to persuade and
educate. Allow students to discuss, research different packaging types and the
pros and cons. Groups share posters and reasoning with class and class can
ask questions.
At end of sharing period, students take anonymous vote on ballots to choose
which snack will be allowed/offered the rest of the week, based on how
environmentally friendly (plastic-smart) the packaging is. Reveal vote. Ask
students how many students were persuaded to vote differently than they
originally did. Were any minority groups able to gain supporters? How?
Students complete REFLECT section of worksheet.
STEM Workshop: Polymer Politics
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IMAGINE
Think to your self: what does power look, feel and sound like to you?
Solutions to global challenges, like plastic pollution, are often stumped politics.
Governmental systems like democracies are slow to change, but as politics
become more and more local, people get more power over change.
Understanding the game of politics is all about understanding power.
Watch this TEDed video about power and jot down words and ideas that stand
out to you.
Think about powerful people in the world. How do they hold themselves? Having
confidence is a big part of looking, and being, powerful. Even though you may
not feel confident, you can trick your mind into being confident by how you hold
yourself. Stand up straight but relaxed, and smile. Put your hands on your hips.
Do you feel more confident already? Even try holding a fist in the air like a
superhero would!
REFLECT
Being able to persuade people to change their minds is an important and
challenging part of politics. When is comes to the environment, there are many
different powerful groups often wanting opposing outcomes. Reflect on the
process and outcomes of the snack campaign. Were you able to persuade any
students to vote for your snack? What did your group achieve and what
challenges did you face in the snack campaign?
Achievements
Challenges
STEM Workshop: Polymer Politics
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GOAL
Practice communication
and develop flexible
ideology through a debate
on a relevant plastic
pollution topic.
OBJECTIVES
1.
2.
3.
Prepare for debate
through research and
conversation with
peers.
Prepare for debate
and challenge personal
ideas and beliefs by
listening and asking
questions to a peer
with an opposing
viewpoint.
Practice open debate
through a fish-bowl
format discussion.
TEACHING OBJECTIVES
•
•
Challenge students to develop strong argumentation but to also criticize
their own ideas and beliefs. Ask student to be open to new concepts. Use
techniques such as “Yes, and…” and acknowledgement followed by
counterargument or probing question.
Give students space to change their opinions, ask questions, explore new
ideas and experiment with communication. Encourage students to speak
for both sides of the argument and challenge students to debate from
reasoning rather than belief.
PREPARE
Collect resources for students to begin research (optional).
STANDARDS
DURATION
About 2 hours
MATERIALS
-
Pencil/Pen
Printed worksheet
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STEM ACTIVITY : INSIDE PLASTIC
grades 10-12
PROCEDURE
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Instruct students to complete IMAGINEit activity to determine their general
perspective on environmental issues, eco-centric or anthropocentric. More answers in
Column A designates an Anthropocentric perspective and more answers in Column B
designates an Ecocentric perspective.
Students pair with a peer of the same perspective and spend 30-60 minutes
preparing facts and arguments on a discussion topic (Example topics listed below).
Students pair with a peer of the opposite perspective to share facts and discussion
points. At this point ask students to “wear the other’s shoes” by listening carefully,
asking clarifying questions and interviewing the other person on their opinions and
reasoning.
Students pair with a peer of the same perspective again to share what they learned by
talking with the person of a different perspective and to do follow-up research on the
points brought up that were foreign, unknown, confusing, etc. Allow students to
switch sides during an argument, and to speak for both perspectives.
Students conduct a fishbowl type debate. A small group of 4 students (two from each
perspective) sit in the middle or front of the room. Instructor begins the conversation
by asking the leading question and giving each student 1 minute to argue their
reasoning. The discussion flows organically with students tapping on other students
to answer a question or continue the debate. Students not in debate circle may raise
their hands to be called into the debate circle. Students not in debate circle take notes
and listen to be prepared to enter the debate.
Ideas to introduce before debate:
Be aware of motive attribution asymmetry – a bias whereby two groups with opposing
view points perceive their own group to be driven by positivity (love) and outsiders to be
driven by negativity (hate) (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25331879). It occurs in
political rivalries (e.g. conservatives vs. liberals), religious rivalries and even psychology
rivalries (e.g. anthropocentric vs. ecocentric).
Practice flexible ideology – constantly challenge your own beliefs and ideas. Be critical not
only of new ideas presented by others but of your own reasoning. Be the one to “blur the
lines” by moving beyond stereotypes and the status quo. Do this by asking probing
questions of opposing views, trying to see the similarities between opposing views and
looking for common goals and how two opposing sides might need or benefit from
collaboration.
Watch or screen in class for more info:
https://www.ted.com/talks/arthur_brooks_a_conservative_s_plea_let_s_work_together?r
eferrer=playlist-talks_to_restore_your_faith_in
Debate topics:
• Who is at fault for plastic pollution: consumers (product buyers) or producers (product
manufacturers)?
• Who should cover the cost of cleaning up and preventing plastic litter: tax payers or
businesses?
• Should all single use plastics be banned from further production?
• Should corporations selling plastic products be limited to certain plastic types to make
recycling simpler?
• Should students at this school be required to pack plastic-free lunches?
• Should plastic water bottles be sold at school?
• Should product manufacturers and designers be responsible for recycling/repurposing
their product at the end of its consumer life.
STEM Workshop: Polymer Politics
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IMAGINE
Take this brief quiz to determine your perspective on environmental ethics:
Column A
Column B
What is more important to protect?
Human survival
Ecosystem survival
Are humans the central element on
planet earth?
Yes
No
Nature is here for the use of humans.
Agree
Disagree
Betterment of human society is more
important than preservation of Earths
ecosystem.
Agree
Disagree
Humans will be able to survive a
changing planet with ingenuity and
technology.
Yes
No
Total your answers in each column.
Did you have more answers in Column A or B? __________________
Your instructor will tell you which column corresponds with an anthropocentric
perspective and with an ecocentric perspective.
APPLY
1.
Practice flexible
ideology – constantly
challenge your own
beliefs and ideas. Be
critical not only of new
ideas presented by
others but of your own
reasoning. Be the one to
“blur the lines” by
moving beyond
stereotypes and the
status quo. Do this by
asking probing
questions of opposing
views, trying to see the
similarities between
opposing views and
looking for common
goals and how two
opposing sides might
need or benefit from
collaboration.
2.
3.
4.
Prepare for a class debate by collecting supporting facts and points of argumentation
to support your viewpoint. List them in the table provided.
Following your initial research and planning, you’ll pair with a peer of an opposing
perspective. Share ideas and take notes. Practice listening and ask clarifying questions
to learn more.
Meet with a different peer with the same perspective as you. Share what you
discussed and learned from your conversations with the opposing side. Use that
information to adjust your own arguments, do more research, find additional
supporting information and critique your own thinking.
Your instructor will lead the class in a debate. Use your prepared notes and take notes
during the debate, so that you are ready when you get called in.
REFLECT
What challenges did you face during the debate? What was easy and what do you need
to practice more? Describe how you and/or your peers challenged your own beliefs or
ideas.
STEM Workshop: Polymer Politics
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STEM ACTIVITY : INSIDE PLASTIC
grades 10-12
Debate Notes
Debate topic:
Supporting facts and discussion points:
Opposing perspective facts and discussion
points:
Rebuttal points:
Debate notes:
STEM Workshop: Polymer Politics
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GOAL
Develop a plan for your
school or district on how to
become more plastic-smart
by focusing on one
problem item.
TEACHING OBJECTIVES
•
•
Challenge students to investigate the current system via personal
interaction with school administration. Much of the needed information will
likely not be available online.
Challenge students to imagine the best possible scenarios when outlining
their alternative situation/system. Ask probing questions to help them think
beyond what they’ve already heard of, seen or read.
OBJECTIVES
1.
2.
3.
4.
Outline the current
system and power
structure at play
regarding the plastic
item.
Imagine and define an
improved alternative
system.
Design an action plan
for transitioning from
the current the
alternative system.
Write an imaginative
narrative of the
transition.
DURATION
14-6 hours
PREPARE
•
•
This activity builds strongly on the Lost Trash 3 activity. Students can use
their research and work from Lost Trash 3 to create a more effective
argument/story/plan for governing bodies of the district and city regarding
waste production and management.
Secure access to internet and contacts to school administration personnel
who students can interview and interact otherwise with.
PROCEDURE
Students form groups of 2-4. Students watch this video
(https://www.ted.com/talks/eric_liu_why_ordinary_people_need_to_underst
and_power) then work through the workbook following the instructions and
prompts to fill in the tables and write a narrative.
STANDARDS
MATERIALS
-
Pencil/Pen
-
Activity inspired and
informed by Eric Lui
TED talk “Why ordinary
people need to
understand power”
(https://www.ted.com/
talks/eric_liu_why_ordi
nary_people_need_to_
understand_power)
REFERENCES
STEM Workshop: Polymer Politics
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GOAL
Develop a plan for your
school or district on how to
become more plastic-smart
by focusing on one
problem item.
IMAGINEit
Our societies – and schools - are generally structured by a governing body. Creating a
change in the social system therefore usually requires involvement in politics - or civics. In
democratic governments, people hold the power. But a person only has power by
exercising it, by being involved. Through this activity, you’ll start learning about the
systems of power that govern our society and how you can take part and change those
systems and structures.
As a class, you’ll watch the video of Eric Lui’s TED talk “Why ordinary people need to
understand power.”
OBJECTIVES
1.
2.
3.
4.
Outline the current
system and power
structure at play
regarding the plastic
item.
Imagine and define an
improved alternative
system.
Design an action plan
for transitioning from
the current the
alternative system.
Write an imaginative
narrative of the
transition.
EXPLOREit
Use the following chart to outline the parts of the governing structures of your school
district and city that control waste production and management. (Use your work from
Lost Trash 3). Start by identifying a common plastic waste item produced through your
school (spork packets, foam trays, vending machine beverage bottles, water cups). Write
that item in the space at the top of Table 1.
In Table 2, you’ll outline the forces of power that are at play in keeping the status quo that
you outlined in Table 1. These are important to understand, as these are what you’ll try to
influence or act on to change the status quo, by either getting that force to work for you
or to neutralize its effect in your situation.
IMAGINEit
In Table 3, you’ll describe what the ideal (plastic-smart) situation would be regarding that
item or the function it serves. Explain how that situation would look at your school in
terms of the school body, the waste management teams and the governing bodies
involved.
In a report, write a narrative that describes the entire transition using all the information
and ideas you’ve gathered so far. Write it as the success story of how a group of students
championed their cause for a more sustainable and plastic-smart school, school district
and/or city. Report all the different skills that were employed (research and planning,
communication - negotiation, persuasion, framing issues, how groups were engaged to
participate, how obstacles were overcome, how advocacy was employed, how conflicts
were navigated etc.), what values where upheld and reintroduced in which groups and
how that was accomplished, which systems supported and which systems challenged the
process (media, economic, political), which social demographics and organizations were
involved and how, which systems were built on, rerouted or deconstructed?
APPLYit
The more descriptive detail you include the more clear and powerful your intention will
be. Share your narrative with the groups you’ve identified to be integral to the situation
(e.g. your school and district leaders, your city officials, your social groups, business
leaders). Simply writing your story is the first step to allowing it to become a reality. But
sharing it and acting it out will lead to an improved future.
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STEM ACTIVITY : INSIDE PLASTIC
grades 10-12
Table 1. The Status Quo
ITEM:
Outline the system by which the item is provided by the school. Do research online and by talking
with school administration, representatives, custodians etc.
What company
supplies the item?
Who at the
school/district is in
charge of purchasing
the item for the
school?
Why is that item
purchased by the
school?
Are there any
regulations forcing the
school to purchase the
item?
Who at the school
buys or uses the item?
What function does
the item fulfill?
Which regulatory
bodies are involved?
How is the item
distributed at the
school?
Who pays for the
product? The school
or students?
Describe how this waste item is managed as fully as possible. Do research online and by
communicating with school administration, representatives, custodians etc. to supplement your prior
knowledge and assumptions.
Is the item recyclable
or not?
Does the school have
a recycling system?
How likely is it that the
item is actually
recycled/repurposed?
What can you learn
about the US/global
market for the type of
plastic that the item is
made of?
If yes: do students know to, and actually recycle
the item?
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STEM ACTIVITY : INSIDE PLASTIC
grades 10-12
Table 2. The Forces of Power
outline the forces of
power that are keeping
the status quo of the
waste situation for your
chosen item
How or why is each force
effective at controlling
the current waste
production and
management situation
that you described in
Table 1?
How could this force be
influenced positively or
negatively ? What
actions would be
needed?
Money (How is the
marketplace controlling
the situation?)
People (Who is ultimately
controlling the situation?)
Ideas (What well
established and accepted
ideas are controlling the
situation?)
Information & Misinformation (What know
facts, misconceptions or
false news is controlling
the situation?)
Threat of force (Are
there any consequences
or penalties for groups
that don’t abide by the
rules which are thereby
controlling the situation?)
Force of norms (Are
there any social trends,
habits, tendencies or
biases that are
controlling the situation
directly or indirectly?)
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STEM ACTIVITY : INSIDE PLASTIC
grades 10-12
Table 3. Future Vision and Action Plan
ALTERNATIVE ITEM OR REPLACEMENT SYSTEM:
Outline the alternative situation by which the item is provided by the school.
How would the
alternative system look
like to the student body
and school officials?
What would be
purchased by the school?
Would anything need to
be disposed of?
How would regulations
be different?
What would be the
same?
What costs would be
incurred?
How would the waste
management system be
affected?
Which regulatory bodies
are involved?
What would be different?
Explain why your alternative is an improvement from the current situation and any ways that it might be worse.
Outline a plan of action for your school/district/city governing body that clearly explains how the transition
from the current situation to your improved, alternative situation would be accomplished.
What is the ultimate
objective of the
transition?
What’s the broad
strategy?
What obstacles / opposing groups are expected and
what plans are there to overcome them? (look back at
the Forces of Power table)
What tactics would be
employed to achieve the
transition? (E.g. concrete
steps to take)
What environment will
the transition take place
in? (What groups will be
involved?)
What groups are or can be persuade to work with and
support you? (look back at the Forces of Power table)
STEM Workshop: Polymer Politics
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POLLUTION
TECH-SOLUTIONS
1
How can a cereal and milk model be used to simulate ocean
plastic extraction complexities? Followed up with a construction
challenge, explore basic circular design concepts.
2
What are the existing technologies used to combat plastic
pollution? Do they have unintended consequences and how can
they be improved?
3
Explore alternative product economics and business models and
design an improved system to replace a common plastic item.
GOAL
Experience design and
implementation challenges
of technological innovation
aimed towards reducing
plastic waste and
extracting it from the
oceans.
TEACHING OBJECTIVES
•
Guide students through abstract though experiments using hands-on
models and scaling concepts.
PREPARE
STANDARDS
OBJECTIVES
1.
2.
3.
Simulate plastic
dispersal and break
down using a cereal
and milk model.
Experiment with
plastic extraction
methods using the
cereal and milk model.
Learn circular
economy and
thoughtful design
concepts through
design challenge.
DURATION
About 120 minutes (60 min
for each activity)
MATERIALS
Activity 1
- Pencil/Pen
- Coffee filters (1/pair)
- Tweezers, chopsticks or
hemostats (1/pair)
- Small kitchen strainer
(1/pair)
- Cereal (1/4 cup / pair)
- Milk (1 cup / pair)
- Bowls (1/pair)
Activity 2
- Sheet of paper
- Length of string
- Paper towel roll
- Staples
- Paperclips
- Glue and/or gluestick
- Pen
- Pencil and eraser
- Ruler
- Additional construction
materials optional, e.g.
hard to recycle items
(containers, packaging,
toys, etc)
- (1 of each per group of
3-4)
STEM Workshop: Pollution Tech Solutions
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STEM ACTIVITY : INSIDE PLASTIC
grades 10-12
PROCEDURE
Activity 1. Cereal and Milk Model
1.
Distribute bowl with milk, and the cereal in a separate container to each pair
of students.
2. Guide students through 3 phases of the model. For each phase students
record their description of the model using the senses of sight, taste, smell
and touch. Using those notes, students discuss predictions about the ocean –
plastic situation. Use probing questions such as, “What does the cereal-milk
model teach you about how plastics break down in the ocean?” “What
problems can you predict researchers and companies have when they try to
extract (remove) microplastics from the ocean?” “What did you learn about
extraction methods from trying to remove the cereal from the milk using the
different tools?”
3. After each phase of the model is completed, students work different groups
to discuss the model’s similarities and differences to the ocean/plastic
situation. After group discussions, facilitate a class share and discussion.
Phase 1. Control phase. Milk is free of plastic contamination (cereal). Students
describe milk writing notes in Column 1 of table.
Phase 2. Addition phase. Cereal is added to milk (ocean contains plastic
particles). Students stir milk, moving it around watching it break up into smaller
particles. Students describe the model writing notes in Column 2 of the table.
Phase 3. Photodegradation phase. Students let model sit for 10-20 minutes,
stirring briefly every 5 minutes or so. This stage simulates long term changes to
plastics in an ocean environment including photo and oxidative degradation
(cereal becomes soggy and loses its structure), fragmentation (cereal
fragments), and chemical leaching, non-visible sugars and flavors released into
milk). Students return to model, continue stirring cereal, and again observing the
model, writing notes in Column 3 of the table.
Phase 4. Extraction phase. Students experiment with three extraction tools
(clean-up methods) to test challenges and effectiveness of each method.
The tweezers represent targeted removal (generally of large plastics such as
ghost nets). The kitchen strainer represents a large net (used in studies and for
regional removal methods like river mouths). The coffee filter represents a fine
mesh collection system (could remove smaller particles but not chemicals or
extremely small particles, and takes much more time to remove). Students
compare methods writing notes in Column 4. Students also record notes on final
model.
STEM Workshop: Pollution Tech-Solutions
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STEM ACTIVITY : INSIDE PLASTIC
grades 10-12
PROCEDURE
Activity 2. Circular Design Challenge
Group students into teams of 2-4 and name groups or ask students to come up
with a team name. Provide each group with a box of construction supplies (listed
under materials). Students are instructed to build a “product” with a specific
function (allow 10-15 minutes). Students sketch their product, name it, and list the
materials used and amount of each material.
Each group passes their product and worksheet to the next team in a rotation
format. Students are instructed to disassemble the product and build a new but
different product using all of the materials that were used in the first product.
Any materials from the first product that were not used should be listed, and any
new materials used should be listed. Allow 10-15 minutes for disassembly and
reconstruction. Students again sketch and name their product.
Repeat the previous step 2 more times. Again students must use all materials
passed to their table. Any materials not use must be listed. At the end of the last
round, collect the worksheets and tally the amount of materials not used by
giving one point for each separate piece. The team with the fewest points wins
the round.
Repeat the entire activity but with a different premise. Instruct students that this
time, each material piece not used in the reconstruction is a negative point for
the whole class (simulating the environmental cost of wasteful design). The aim is
to incentivize smart design, where products are easily disassembled and
materials used are easily reused. (Or -1 point for whole class (environmental
cost), and -1 point for team (business cost).
Have students analyze their experience in the two rounds by asking students to
move to one or the other side of the classroom. Ask students to share with each
other why they decided what they did.
Did it get easier or harder to reconstruct a product from the 1st to the 4th
iteration? Ask for both rounds.
2. Did the function of the products improve or decline from the 1st to the 4th
iteration? Ask for both rounds.
1.
Ask students to write down how their design thinking and process changed from
the 1st to the 2nd round.
STEM Workshop: Pollution Tech-Solutions
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STEM ACTIVITY : INSIDE PLASTIC
grades 10-12
ACTIVITY 1. CEREAL & MILK MODEL
Phase 1. Control
Phase 2.
Contamination
Phase 3.
Dispersal and
Break down
Phase 4.
Extraction
Describe milk
without cereal
Add cereal and
describe
Wait 10 minutes then
describe
Remove cereal with
3 different tools.
Describe end result.
Sight
Smell
Taste
Touch
Predictions
about Ocean
Plastic
EXTRACTION METHOD COMPARISON
Tweezers
Strainer
Coffee Filter
Pros
Cons
Other
notes
STEM Workshop: Pollution Tech-Solutions
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STEM ACTIVITY : INSIDE PLASTIC
ACTIVITY 2. CIRCULAR DESIGN CHALLENGE
grades 10-12
ROUND 1
GROUP 1
Name:
GROUP 2
Name:
GROUP 3
Name:
GROUP 4
Name:
Product Name
Product Name
Product Name
Product Name
Sketch
Sketch
Sketch
Sketch
Function
Function
Function
Function
Materials Used:
Materials from previous
group not used:
Materials from previous
group not used:
Materials from previous
group not used:
New Materials Used:
New Materials Used:
New Materials Used:
STEM Workshop: Pollution Tech-Solutions
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STEM ACTIVITY : INSIDE PLASTIC
ACTIVITY 2. CIRCULAR DESIGN CHALLENGE
grades 10-12
ROUND 2
GROUP 1
Name:
GROUP 2
Name:
GROUP 3
Name:
GROUP 4
Name:
Product Name
Product Name
Product Name
Product Name
Sketch
Sketch
Sketch
Sketch
Function
Function
Function
Function
Materials Used:
Materials from previous
group not used:
Materials from previous
group not used:
Materials from previous
group not used:
New Materials Used:
New Materials Used:
New Materials Used:
STEM Workshop: Pollution Tech-Solutions
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GOAL
Develop analytical,
evaluation, and
comparative skills by
critiquing and improving
both preventative and endof-the-pipe technological
interventions to plastic
pollution.
TEACHING OBJECTIVES
Challenge students to conduct research in an explorative manner, looking
beyond the easy to find information, to more obscure and indirect sources and
using them to deduce and make educated estimates
PREPARE
STANDARDS
OBJECTIVES
1.
2.
Analyze and evaluate
an existing
technological
intervention.
Design improvements
or alternatives for the
existing intervention
using creative and
abstract thinking.
DURATION
MATERIALS
STEM Workshop: Pollution Tech Solutions
Page 137
STEM ACTIVITY : INSIDE PLASTIC
grades 10-12
PROCEDURE
CASE STUDIES
Preventative Examples
1.
2.
3.
4.
Biodegradable PLA
plastics
Leash the cap
attempts by
Arrowhead
Plant based plastics
Streets weeping
programs
End-of-Pipe Examples
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The Ocean Cleanup
Seabin Project
Baltimore Waterwheel
Pyrolysis companies
Waste 2 Energy
programs
Students individually complete IMAGINE exercise.
Students work in groups of 2-4 and choose a case study to research and present
on.
Instruct students to use news articles, reports, critiques, company outreach and
websites, etc. to develop a poster about a technological innovation, either
preventative or end-of-pipe.
Posters should include at least:
• The main function or claimed function of the technology.
• A description of how the technology works including materials, labor and
energy costs (estimated).
• A summary of its recorded impact (how well has the technology reduced or
addressed plastic waste?)
• An analysis of any recorded negative impacts (externalities and unintended
consequences). Can be long-term, ecological, social, systemic.
• An overall evaluation of the sustainability and effectiveness of the technology
(using the provided matrix).
Once posters are completed students conduct a poster sharing session, where
groups move to different posters, and members from each group take turns
presenting their poster.
Students form new groups of 2-4 based on the technology they want to develop
improvements or alternatives for. Each group creates a new poster to attach to
bottom (or display next to) original poster. The new poster should outline:
• The details of the improvement / alternative.
• How the new technology serves the same function or has the same end result
as the original.
• What negative consequences of the original are addressed by the redesign or
alternative.
• What unintended consequences might the redesign/alternative have?
• Why is the redesign / alternative better than the original in terms of
sustainability and effectiveness?
Students conduct a second poster share session, focusing on the
redesign/alternative, and using the original to provide context.
As a class, students order originals and redesigns based on what has the most
promising potential for positive impact on a global scale. Facilitate a student
discussion in Fish Bowl format (https://teaching.berkeley.edu/active-learningstrategies) to argue whether preventative or end-of-pipe technologies should
receive more funding, support and which is a more effective intervention. Fish
bowl discussions are set up with a small group of students representing different
groups sitting in a center circle. The rest of the students sit in their groups or
normal seats. Students in the center circle begin discussion and can tap in
students from the outside group to come in to add supporting information and
new ideas.
STEM Workshop: Pollution Tech-Solutions
Page 138
GOAL
Develop analytical,
evaluation, and
comparative skills by
critiquing and improving
both preventative and endof-the-pipe technological
interventions to plastic
pollution.
IMAGINE
Designing, engineering and building technological innovations are key
ingredients in reducing the amount of plastic waste produced, littered and lost to
the environment. It is important to clean the environment, but equally or even
more important to prevent more waste from being produced in the first place.
Many solutions have already been devised and implemented but with varying
success and effectiveness. New ideas are great but we need to be able to
evaluate them to be sure they are really doing more good than harm.
Choose a technological item that you use regularly (e.g. phone, car, game).
OBJECTIVES
1.
2.
Analyze and evaluate
an existing
technological
intervention.
Design improvements
or alternatives for the
existing intervention
using creative and
abstract thinking.
______________________
How does it positively impact your
life?
How does it positively impact the
environment and other people
(directly and indirectly)?
When designing a product to fill a need, want or function, it is easy to get carried
away and forget about the unintended (or unknown and untested)
consequences the product has. These are often negative and felt by or paid for
by the environment or other people. These outside impacts are called
externalities.
How does it negatively impact your
life?
How does it negatively impact the
environment and other people
(directly and indirectly)?
STEM Workshop: Pollution Tech-Solutions
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STEM ACTIVITY : INSIDE PLASTIC
grades 10-12
TECHNOLOGY COMPARISON MATRIX
INPUTS (Costs)
Materials
(Common or rare?)
Energy
(Renewable or
non-renewable?)
(Few or many?)
Labor
(High or low?)
Time
(Long or short
time to implement
or be effective?)
Overall Cost
(Fair or unfair?)
(Long or short
durability?)
high--------------low
OUTPUTS (Consequences)
Material
Beneficial waste?
Ecological
Benefits?
Social
People benefited?
Political
Benefits?
Economic
Profits?
Unrecyclable
waste?
Harms?
People negatively
impacted?
Challenges?
Losses?
EFFECTIVENESS (Input – Output)
Impact on plastic pollution situation vs. ….
Size/amount of material
Effective ----------------- Ineffective
Ecological disruption
Effective ----------------- Ineffective
People impacted
Effective ----------------- Ineffective
Time spent
Effective ----------------- Ineffective
Energy required
Effective ----------------- Ineffective
Policy impacted
Effective ----------------- Ineffective
SUSTAINABILITY (mark each loop as beneficial or harmful)
Positive feedback loops
Negative feedback loops
STEM Workshop: Pollution Tech-Solutions
Other sustainability
notes
Page 140
GOAL
To understand the
economic challenges to
changing our plastic
production and recycling
systems.
OBJECTIVES
1.
2.
TEACHING OBJECTIVES
•
•
Assist students in understand the complex connections that make up the
plastics economy.
Challenge students to think of the plastics economy in a holistic manner.
PREPARE
STANDARDS
Conduct a
cost/benefit analysis
of plastic recycling
improvements.
Explore the impacts of
including an
environmental cost for
plastic production.
DURATION
About 3 hours – adjust
time as needed
MATERIALS
-
Printed worksheet
Pencil/pen
STEM Workshop: Recycle Resin
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GOAL
To understand the
economic challenges to
changing our plastic
production and recycling
systems.
IMAGINE
Watch the video for an overview of the linear and circular economy designs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1E_irYHyrGU. As you watch, jot down key
concepts and ideas/terms to look up and read more about.
OBJECTIVES
1.
2.
Conduct a
cost/benefit analysis
of plastic recycling
improvements.
Explore the impacts of
including an
environmental cost for
plastic production.
Read a case study that catches your interest from the following list. Jot down
ideas or questions that pop up in your mind as you go.
(https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-economy/building-blocks)
Think about a plastic product that you use. The challenge is to design an
alternative business model for the product.
Write down the product (or service) that you will redesign:
STEM Workshop: Recycle Resin
Page 142
DESIGN
To start developing ideas for a circular design for the product or service, explore the
topics on this page https://www.circulardesignguide.com/methods.
Make a chart that outlines your understanding of the parts of the plastics economy
relating to that product. What materials, resources, jobs, expenses, outputs, effects are
part of the system? Make your chart as complete as possible, without using external
references, then use external resources to refine your diagram.
Start sketching your chart here and use a large surface once you have an outline.
Now, use the Business model canvas to formulate ideas on a new business design for your
product or service. Use sticky notes, stacked or numbered to allow for multiple ideas and
concepts.
https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/assets/design/Business_Model_Canvas_Final.
pdf ?
STEM Workshop: Recycle Resin
Page 143
LEARNENGAGEACT
PREVENTING PLASTIC POLLUTION
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