Engineering for Good
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Table of Contents (ToC)
- Interactive Science Notebook front resources Table of Contents (ToC)
- Unit 1: Table of Contents (ToC).
Task
You are an inventor and are devising a solution to the plastic pollution problem. You will create a model drawing of your idea to attract potential investors in the government or private sector.
Big Aha!
How can we engineer for good to help solve the plastic pollution problem?
Teachers' Resources - See below.
Focus Questions
- What are the steps an inventor or engineer takes during the design process?
- What are the Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs)?
- How do scientists determine the type of model (conceptual or physical) to use to explain an idea?
- What are plastics?
- What are the benefits and concerns around plastic products?
- How do engineers revise designs to improve them?
Enduring Understanding
- Plastic is a synthetic material, which means that it is not naturally occurring.
- The raw ingredients used to make plastics are fossil fuels.
- Fossil fuels were created by decaying plants and animals being exposed to heat and pressure over 300 millions of years - long before dinosaurs roamed the Earth.
- Some common fossil fuels are coal, oil, natural gas and petroleum.
- Fossil fuels are a nonrenewable resource, which means that once they are consumed they cannot be replaced.
- Fossil fuels are not biodegradable. This means that the plastic is not broken down into smaller pieces of materials that are usable by organisms. Pretty much every piece of plastic that has been made is still on the planet.
- Plastic is not truly recyclable. A recyclable material (ex. glass and metal) can be reformed infinitely into high quality materials with the same properties as the original material. Plastic is downcyclable, which means it can only be reformed once and then after that the material is trash.
Vocabulary
English Language Learners you only need to know words with the asterisk (*). Here is the ELL Support for Spanish and Portuguese.
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Biomagnification
Benefit* Biodegradable (Biodegrade)* Bond BPA Chemical (Chemist, Chemistry)* Climate change* Compostable (Compost)* Compounds Concentrate Contaminant (Contaminate) Debris Downcycle Decompose* |
Ecosystem*
Elements Fossil fuels* Greenhouse gas Gyres Hormones Insulation (Insulate) Immune system Impact* Landfill* Lifecycle* Microbeads Microplastics Monomer |
Nonrenewable*
Sustainable* Synthetic* Toxic (toxins)* Package (Packaging)* Plastic* Pollution* Polymer Properties* Recycle* Renewable* Upcycle Zero waste* |
Science Root Words |
Engineering Vocabulary |
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Highlight these Science Word Roots:
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Design from KQED Public Radio.
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Problem
Solution Criteria Design Constraints Brainstorm Develop Test Iterate Innovate Feedback Self-evaluate |
Plastic Solutions Videos
Make It Real! Science at Home - Plastic Solutions
Lessons
Lesson 0 - Setup Notebook & Phenomenon
Day 1 (Aug. 22/23) - 6.1.0 - 1 Welcome to science; procedures; materials; about me, birthday chart, I notice/ I wonder
Day 2 (Aug. 23/24) - 6.1.0 - 2 Decorate Interactive Science Notebook (ISN) Cover
Day 3 (Aug. 27/28)- 6.1.0 - 3 Introduce Interactive Science Notebook - ISN Rubric, Number first 10 pages, provide table of contents (TOC), glue in pages 1-3
Day 4 (Aug. 28/29) - 6.1.0 - 4 Introduce Interactive Science Notebook - glue in pages 4-10; seed saving in garden (lettuce & tomatoes)
Day 5 (Aug. 29/30) - 6.1.0 - 5 Unit ToC, Unit Cover Page & Big Aha!
Day 6 (Aug. 30/31 - Assembly Schedule) - 6.1.0 - 6 Phenomenon: Plastic Water Bottles & Students: Take this Pre-Unit Survey: Plastic Solutions in class.
Lesson 1 - Natural Resources
Day 7 (Sept. 4/5) - 6.1.1 - 1 Where Does it Go? and Natural Resources: Renewable or Nonrenewable? Comic
Lesson 2 - The Engineering Design Process
Day 8 (Sept. 5/6) - 6.1.1 - 2 Life Cycle of a Water Bottle, - Identify if different objects are recyclable, trash or compostable. Watch What Really Happens to Plastic You Throw Away - Revise model
Lesson 3 - Plastic: The Popular Pollutant
Day 9 (Sept. 7 - short period) - 6.1.3 - 3 Sorting Stations Quiz & Engineering a Taco Party
Day 10 (Sept. 10) What do the arrows mean? and Is my stuff sustainable?
Day 11 (Sept. 11/12) 6.1.3 - 1 Reading Plastics: The Popular Pollutant (Read "What are plastics?" and "History and Uses"); Discuss strategies for interacting with text and model (Talk to Text Rubric)
Day 12 (Sept. 12/13 - SUB ) - 6.1.3 - 2 Reading: Plastics: The Popular Pollutants (Groups read together)
Lesson 4 - Engineering Design Process Applied
Day 13 (Sept. 15) - 6.1.4 - 1 - Criteria and Constraints
Day 14 (Sept. 17) 6.1.4 - 2 - Define Problem, Evaluate Ideas & Design Prototype
Day 15 (Sept. 18/20 - no school Wednesday) 6.1.4 -3 Final Drawing
Day 16 (Sept. 21) .6.1.4- 4 Big Aha!
Day 17 (Sept. 24) - 6.1.4-5 End of Unit CER
Day 18 (Sept. 25/26) - 6.1.4 - 6 End of Unit CER (Continued) & Unit 2 Title Page
Day 1 (Aug. 22/23) - 6.1.0 - 1 Welcome to science; procedures; materials; about me, birthday chart, I notice/ I wonder
Day 2 (Aug. 23/24) - 6.1.0 - 2 Decorate Interactive Science Notebook (ISN) Cover
Day 3 (Aug. 27/28)- 6.1.0 - 3 Introduce Interactive Science Notebook - ISN Rubric, Number first 10 pages, provide table of contents (TOC), glue in pages 1-3
Day 4 (Aug. 28/29) - 6.1.0 - 4 Introduce Interactive Science Notebook - glue in pages 4-10; seed saving in garden (lettuce & tomatoes)
Day 5 (Aug. 29/30) - 6.1.0 - 5 Unit ToC, Unit Cover Page & Big Aha!
Day 6 (Aug. 30/31 - Assembly Schedule) - 6.1.0 - 6 Phenomenon: Plastic Water Bottles & Students: Take this Pre-Unit Survey: Plastic Solutions in class.
Lesson 1 - Natural Resources
Day 7 (Sept. 4/5) - 6.1.1 - 1 Where Does it Go? and Natural Resources: Renewable or Nonrenewable? Comic
Lesson 2 - The Engineering Design Process
Day 8 (Sept. 5/6) - 6.1.1 - 2 Life Cycle of a Water Bottle, - Identify if different objects are recyclable, trash or compostable. Watch What Really Happens to Plastic You Throw Away - Revise model
Lesson 3 - Plastic: The Popular Pollutant
Day 9 (Sept. 7 - short period) - 6.1.3 - 3 Sorting Stations Quiz & Engineering a Taco Party
Day 10 (Sept. 10) What do the arrows mean? and Is my stuff sustainable?
Day 11 (Sept. 11/12) 6.1.3 - 1 Reading Plastics: The Popular Pollutant (Read "What are plastics?" and "History and Uses"); Discuss strategies for interacting with text and model (Talk to Text Rubric)
Day 12 (Sept. 12/13 - SUB ) - 6.1.3 - 2 Reading: Plastics: The Popular Pollutants (Groups read together)
Lesson 4 - Engineering Design Process Applied
Day 13 (Sept. 15) - 6.1.4 - 1 - Criteria and Constraints
Day 14 (Sept. 17) 6.1.4 - 2 - Define Problem, Evaluate Ideas & Design Prototype
Day 15 (Sept. 18/20 - no school Wednesday) 6.1.4 -3 Final Drawing
Day 16 (Sept. 21) .6.1.4- 4 Big Aha!
Day 17 (Sept. 24) - 6.1.4-5 End of Unit CER
Day 18 (Sept. 25/26) - 6.1.4 - 6 End of Unit CER (Continued) & Unit 2 Title Page
Teachers' Resources
This unit was created by KQED public media. This unit is now available at PBS Learning for free Some of the materials in this unit were adapted to work for use in Interactive Science Notebook. Here is a link the unit overview with changes I made. You are welcome to make comments on this document. I created the Zero Waste Challenge to empower the students as part of the unit. We are doing it in October as part of a national October Zero Waste Challenge movement we're starting; however, if October has passed do it whenever it works for you and your students.
Some other helpful resources:
Marine Debris Monitoring Toolkit - a citizen science opportunity for middle & high school students - created by NOAA
Debris Science Investigation - get a free sample from the North Pacific Gyre and activities for investigating the gyres - created by Algalita
Life Cycle of a Water Bottle - scroll down to see the life cycle of a water bottle explained; this is a background piece for teachers for the modeling
Some other helpful resources:
Marine Debris Monitoring Toolkit - a citizen science opportunity for middle & high school students - created by NOAA
Debris Science Investigation - get a free sample from the North Pacific Gyre and activities for investigating the gyres - created by Algalita
Life Cycle of a Water Bottle - scroll down to see the life cycle of a water bottle explained; this is a background piece for teachers for the modeling
