The Lessons

Background
Objectives: 

• Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about: the materials used to make plastics, how plastics are made, the changes that plastics undergo as they are used and discarded, and why the manufacture, use, and disposal of plastic can be problematic.

Students will:

• Collect, organize, and synthesize information about plastics as synthetic (man-made) materials that are derived from natural resources.
• Explore changes that plastics go through as they are made, used, and discarded.
• Download the Plastic Properties & Use Table
• Access the resources: Plastics 101 video and UMCES Plastic Watch Infographic

Directions
Step 1- Review the resources provided: the Plastics 101 video and the UMCES Plastic Watch infographic

Step 2- Fill out the Plastic Properties & Use Table using the resources

Discussion
Discuss what you put in the tables and the answers to the following questions:

• What are plastics?
• How are plastics made?
• How and why are plastics used?
• What happens to plastics over time?
•  What are some of the positive and negative consequences for the manufacture, use, and disposal of plastic?

Background
Objectives: 

• Gather and make sense of information to describe that everyday items that are made from plastic are synthetic materials made from natural resources and impact society 
• Investigate alternatives to plastic that may be used to manufacture everyday items. 
• Investigate how types of plastic polymers degrade over time 

Students Will:

• Make their own bio-plastic that can be molded into usable items. 
• Consider and discuss the impact that bioplastics could have on society and the environment. 

Note*: there are two different recipes to make the bioplastic- these recipes are both very different from each other and will result in different bioplastics

Step 2- Heat the mixture in a microwave for 20-25 seconds, then let it cool for a few minutes. While it is still warm, form the bioplastic mixture into a ball and then mold it into usable items (e.g. cups, spoons, etc.).

Step 3- Allow the bioplastics to dry completely (several hours).

Background
Objectives: 

• Define and describe the processes of degradation. 
• Use an understanding of biodegradability to make predictions about the effects that independent variables (such as water, soil, material type) will have on the dependent variables (mass and other observable features) for a variety of waste items.  
• Develop a plan for collecting, recording, and analyzing data.
• Use the data collected in investigations as evidence to support claims about the effects of independent variables (such as water, soil, material type) on the dependent variables (mass and other observable features) for a variety of waste items. 
• Synthesize evidence from investigations and apply understanding of biodegradability to draw conclusions about the degradation of different waste materials.  

Students will: 

• Investigate the degradability (including biodegradability) of a variety of waste materials over time
• Access the following resources and materials: clear plastic bins or trays with lids, water collected from a natural source (e.g. local stream), soil, scale or balance, surface with access to sunlight (e.g. windowsill), variety of objects to represent waste (e.g. notebook paper, paper towels, glass or plastic bottle, apple core, fishing line, food wrappers, bioplastics you made)

Directions

Step 1-  Describe degradation and the importance of biodegradation verbally or in writing

Step 2- Select waste items to use in your investigation and make predictions about how they will degrade in given conditions over time. 

• Specifically describe how your items will degrade with respect to their mass and what variables may cause these items to degrade (e.g. material type, sunlight, water, etc). 

Step 3-  Plan out an experiment that will generate data to provide evidence to support predictions from Step 2. You should consider: 

• Why we will be looking at mass as a dependent variable in this investigation. 
• What other dependent variables (e.g. color or structure) could be used. 
• What predictions you have for the independent variables you described in Step 2 and the impacts of those variables on your dependent variable(s).

Step 4- Set up your experiment by placing your waste object(s) in a plastic bin or tray and expose them to your independent variables (e.g. water, sunlight, soil).

Step 4- Collect data over several weeks or months if possible,  recording the dependent variable at regular intervals (e.g. weekly).

Step 5-  Describe the results of the investigations and the effects observed. 

Step 6-  Make claims about the effects of the independent variable (such as water, soil, material type) on the dependent variables (mass and other observable features) of the waste items observed. 

Step 7-  Make broader conclusions about the degradation of different types of waste.

Discussion

Use the results of the investigation to discuss answers to the following questions:

• How would you describe the results of your investigation?
• What claims can you make about the effects of independent variables (such as water, soil, material type) on the dependent variables (mass and other observable features) you observed?
• What conclusions can you draw about the degradation of different types of waste? 

Directions
Step 1- Review the UMCES Plastic Watch Community Survey and brainstorm about what your survey could look like and what kind of information about plastic use you could collect from your own community of choice.

Step 2- Make your own survey of 10 questions or less. You can either do this on paper, using a computer program such as Word,  or you could make it using an online program such as Survey Monkey or Google Forms. 

Step 3- Digitally distribute your survey to your community of choice! Ideas for this are emailing your survey, interviewing each participant on a phone or video call, sending paper copies of your survey along with self addressed stamped envelopes so they can return their answer for free, or posting the link to your survey in a community sharing space (listserv, social media page, virtual meeting). 

Discussion
Answer and discuss the following questions:

• What are some factors that you think might influence the preferences that people have and the choices they make when it comes to plastic use?
• What do you wonder about the choices that people in your community make regarding plastic use?