MS. REBECCA NEWBURN
  • Home
  • Science 6
    • 6th Grade Interactive Science Notebook
    • 6th Grade Units >
      • U1: Thermal Energy >
        • U1: Tiny House Project
        • U1: Support Thermal Energy
        • U1: Science at Home
      • U2: Weather >
        • U2: Air Masses Booklet Project
        • U2: Summative Weather Task
        • Water Catchment Project
      • U3: Climate Crisis >
        • U4: Climate Action Plan >
          • U4: Drawdown Movement Building
        • U3: Dissect a Disaster
        • Face Place Story Prezi
      • U4: Planting Seeds >
        • Seed Booklet
        • Seed PSAs & Tutorials
        • Plant Breeding Project >
          • Popcorn Breeding
          • Beefy Resilient Grex Bean
          • Evolutionary Wheat Breeding
    • Stewardship Opportunities
    • Claim-Evidence-Reason
    • 6th Grade Science Grading Policy
    • Accommodated Curriculum >
      • ISN Accommodations
      • Accommodated Labs
  • Science 7
    • 7th Grade Interactive Science Notebook
    • 7th Grade Units >
      • U1: Photosynthesis >
        • U1: Photsynthesis ELL
        • Unit 1: Photosynthesis Task
        • Soil PSA
      • U2: Ecosystems >
        • U2: Species Recovery Plan
        • U2: Bumper Sticker
        • U2: Infographics
        • U2: Prezi
      • U3: Geology >
        • U3: ELL Support
        • U3: Summative Task
      • U4: Water! >
        • U4: Water ELL & Support
        • Water-Wise Home Project
        • U4 Task: Water Purificiation
      • U5: Product Chemistry >
        • ELL Support U5: Product Chemistry
        • Unnatural Life Cycle
        • Local Currency Project
      • 7th Grade Science Grading Policy
    • Stewardship Opportunities
    • Claim-Evidence-Reason
    • Accommodated Curriculum
  • NSTA
  • Tech Support
  • U1: Plastic Solutions
    • Zero Waste Challenge
    • U1: Support for Plastic Solutions
    • Infographics
    • Plastic Solutions Project
  • Contact
  • Math 7
    • Tin Man Project
    • Test Retake Policy
    • Math 7 Assignments
    • Accommodated Curriculum >
      • Math 7 Accommodated Assignments
      • Math 7 Accommodated Projects
    • Math 7 Extensions Assignments >
      • Ch. 5 Extensions
      • Ch. 6 Extension
      • Ch. 7 Extension Assignments
      • Puzzle Investigations & Problems of the Month
    • Power Builder Resources
    • Math Songs
  • Sci Fri Songs
  • Science Fair Project
  • Algebra
    • Test Retake Policy
    • Math Boot Camp - Week 1
    • Math Boot Camp - Week 2
    • Problem of the Month
Picture

​Engineering for Good
Unit 1: Plastic Solutions 

Picture

Table of Contents (ToC)

  • Interactive Science Notebook front resources Table of Contents (ToC)
  • Unit 1: Table of Contents (ToC).
If you are ABSENT, look at the ToC to see if pages have been added. Also, look at the daily PowerPoint lesson below to help you. You are responsible for keeping your notebook up to date. Left-hand pages are ones that are student-thinking and this must be your own work. Right-hand pages are group or teacher-directed and can be photocopied using the class photocopier. 

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.
​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 

Highlight these Science Word Roots:
  • Bio
  • Eco
  • Mono
  • Micro
  • Macro
  • Non
  • Photo
  • Poly
  • Sys
  • Tele
  • Toxi
Picture
Design from KQED Public Radio.
Problem
Solution
Criteria
Design
Constraints
Brainstorm
Develop
Test
Iterate
Innovate
Feedback
​Self-evaluate

Plastic Solutions Videos

Student videos

Make It Real! Science at Home - Plastic Solutions

Learn More
A Plastic Ocean - Netflix
​

Youth Activism
Dream Team - Young Voices on Climate Change

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

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 
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • Science 6
    • 6th Grade Interactive Science Notebook
    • 6th Grade Units >
      • U1: Thermal Energy >
        • U1: Tiny House Project
        • U1: Support Thermal Energy
        • U1: Science at Home
      • U2: Weather >
        • U2: Air Masses Booklet Project
        • U2: Summative Weather Task
        • Water Catchment Project
      • U3: Climate Crisis >
        • U4: Climate Action Plan >
          • U4: Drawdown Movement Building
        • U3: Dissect a Disaster
        • Face Place Story Prezi
      • U4: Planting Seeds >
        • Seed Booklet
        • Seed PSAs & Tutorials
        • Plant Breeding Project >
          • Popcorn Breeding
          • Beefy Resilient Grex Bean
          • Evolutionary Wheat Breeding
    • Stewardship Opportunities
    • Claim-Evidence-Reason
    • 6th Grade Science Grading Policy
    • Accommodated Curriculum >
      • ISN Accommodations
      • Accommodated Labs
  • Science 7
    • 7th Grade Interactive Science Notebook
    • 7th Grade Units >
      • U1: Photosynthesis >
        • U1: Photsynthesis ELL
        • Unit 1: Photosynthesis Task
        • Soil PSA
      • U2: Ecosystems >
        • U2: Species Recovery Plan
        • U2: Bumper Sticker
        • U2: Infographics
        • U2: Prezi
      • U3: Geology >
        • U3: ELL Support
        • U3: Summative Task
      • U4: Water! >
        • U4: Water ELL & Support
        • Water-Wise Home Project
        • U4 Task: Water Purificiation
      • U5: Product Chemistry >
        • ELL Support U5: Product Chemistry
        • Unnatural Life Cycle
        • Local Currency Project
      • 7th Grade Science Grading Policy
    • Stewardship Opportunities
    • Claim-Evidence-Reason
    • Accommodated Curriculum
  • NSTA
  • Tech Support
  • U1: Plastic Solutions
    • Zero Waste Challenge
    • U1: Support for Plastic Solutions
    • Infographics
    • Plastic Solutions Project
  • Contact
  • Math 7
    • Tin Man Project
    • Test Retake Policy
    • Math 7 Assignments
    • Accommodated Curriculum >
      • Math 7 Accommodated Assignments
      • Math 7 Accommodated Projects
    • Math 7 Extensions Assignments >
      • Ch. 5 Extensions
      • Ch. 6 Extension
      • Ch. 7 Extension Assignments
      • Puzzle Investigations & Problems of the Month
    • Power Builder Resources
    • Math Songs
  • Sci Fri Songs
  • Science Fair Project
  • Algebra
    • Test Retake Policy
    • Math Boot Camp - Week 1
    • Math Boot Camp - Week 2
    • Problem of the Month