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Sustainable STEM Lesson 1: Beginning an Investigation by Gathering Evidence

Sustainable STEM Lesson 1: Beginning an Investigation by Gathering Evidence
Contributors
Beyond Benign
Beyond Benign, Inc.
Annette Sebuyira
Retired K-12 Educator | Beyond Benign, Inc.
cover image with picture of shark and leaf and mushrooms and megaphone and a hand holding a cellphone
Summary
This lesson introduces the global problem of plastics and sets the stage for designing a biodegradable cell phone case made from renewable materials. Students will consider their own impact on the environment through their personal choices while exploring the scale of effect that one product can have.

This project came about from a collaboration between Beyond Benign and Steelcase.

Keywords
Sustainability
Nonrenewable resources
Steelcase
Recycling
Bio-based plastics

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Moderation state
Published
Object Type
Laboratory experiment
Activities/Technology (e.g., in-class activities, online games, hands-on activities/manipulatives, outreach, virtual tools, etc.)
Lesson summaries
Assessments
Case studies
Audience
Middle School
Published on
Green Chemistry Principles
Waste Prevention
Less Hazardous Chemical Syntheses
Designing Safer Chemicals
Use of Renewable Feedstocks
Design for Degradation
U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
No Poverty
Good Health and Well-Being
Quality Education
Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
Sustainable Cities and Communities
Responsible Consumption and Production
Partnerships for the Goals
NGSS Standards, if applicable
MS-PS1-3. Gather and make sense of information to describe that synthetic materials come from natural resources and impact society.
Learning Goals/Student Objectives
Students will…
-Complete an ecosystem graphic organizer based on evidence from readings
-Perform calculations to determine the approximate mass of cell phone cases that are disposed of each year
-Work collaboratively to define problems associated with cell phone case use and disposal
Common pedagogies covered
Collaborative/cooperative learning
Game-based learning
Hands-on learning
Problem-based learning
Student-centered learning
Time required (if applicable)
One or two 45-60 minute class periods

Submitted by

Annette Sebuyira
Safety Precautions, Hazards, and Risk Assessment
Wash hands and clean work area before and after each activity. Aprons and goggles are a must.
Teacher Recommendations or Piloting Data (if available)
The full project will require a total of 10-15 days for completion, depending on speed of mycelium growth, which relies on classroom conditions. See lesson 4 for more details.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.59877/LGAR7667
Related Learning Objects
Sustainable STEM Overview
Sustainable STEM Lesson 2: Using Engineering Design to Make a Prototype
Sustainable STEM Lesson 3: Life Cycle
Sustainable STEM Lesson 4: Making Mushroom Material
Sustainable STEM Lesson 5: Testing the Cell Phone Cases
Sustainable STEM Lesson 6: Presenting a Sustainable Solution
Sustainable STEM: Fabulous Fabrics
Sustainable STEM: Polymer Properties
Sustainable STEM: Surefire Sharklet Lab

File (PDF, PPT, image, etc)

File (PDF, PPT, image, etc)
beginning_an_investigation_by_gathering_evidence.docx
Link to external
National Geographic:Planet or Plastic?
A whopping 91% of Plastic isn't recycled
Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made (peer-reviewed article)
Infographic: Global Cell Phone Statistics
22 Facts About Plastic Pollution (And 10 Things We Can Do About It)
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.