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Plastics are Everywhere!

Lesson Plan

Plastics are Everywhere!

Grade Levels

6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade

Course, Subject

Career Retention & Advancement
  • Big Ideas
    Career retention and advancement is dependent upon student’s interpersonal skills, work habits, attitudes and effective time management skills.
  • Concepts
    Use and importance of conflict resolution skills.
  • Competencies
    Define and demonstrate conflict resolution skills including constructive criticism, group dynamics, managing/leadership, mediation, negotiation and problem solving. Given a problem solving scenario, utilize four or more of the conflict resolution skills to solve the problem.

Rationale

The purpose of this lesson is for students to discover how plastics are made, recycled and explore various careers associated with the plastics industry. They also learn how to work cooperatively with another person to develop and create an end product.

Vocabulary

Cooperation - working together to a common end

Teamwork - skills necessary to complete a task together

Contribution - the degree to which a team member provides input for activity and feedback to peers.

Conflict Resolution - the process that team members use to productively solve problems that arise in the completion of a task.

Perspective - someone else's point of view

 

*Vocabulary associated with 13.3.8C

Objectives

Students will:

 

1.  recognize the extensive existence of plastics in every aspect of their lives and be able to identify what processes were used to make them demonstrating their knowledge by accurately completing a Plastics Products survey with 75 % accuracy.

 

2.  review why it is important to recycle plastics, the processes for doing so, and the difficulties associated with doing so (completing the Plastics Recycling Worksheet with 75% or higher accuracy.)

 

3.  describe the importance of interpersonal skills are in the plastics industry and explore a career associated with the production of plastics as well as a career associated with the recycling of plastics and develop a Career Connections Poster receiving a 75% or higher on the associated product/process rubrics.

Lesson Essential Question(s)

How are plastics made and recylced and what jobs are associated with the production and recycling of plastics?  How well can you work in a team to develop and produce a specified product?

Duration

This series of lessons will take between 4 and 5, 45-minute periods.

Materials

Resources

 

 Type of Resource and Title   

 
Ordering Information

1. Handout - Plastics Are Everywhere Survey

See Below

2. Video - degrees that work.: Plastics

http://www.pct.edu/degreesthatwork/plastics.htm

3.  Website -  “How To Recycle Different Kinds of Plastics”

http://environment.about.com/od/earthtalkcolumns/a/recycleplastics.htm 

4.  Worksheet - Plastics Recycling

See Below

5.  Website - 7 Misconceptions about Plastic and Plastic Recycling

http://www.ecologycenter.org/ptf/misconceptions.html

6. Teacher Resource - Sample Career Connections Posters

Teacher Generated

7. Rubrics - Career Connections Poster Rubric and Cooperation Rubric

See Below

8. Website - Careers In Plastics…Find the Work You Love

http://www.careersinplastics.ca/pages/careers_profiles/index.shtml

9. Website - O-Net

http://online.onetcenter.org/

 
NOTE: Click on the links below to download the required documents:

Equipment

 

Equipment/Supplies

Ordering Information
1. Computer and Projector

Any Supplier

2. Paper/Markers/Scissors/etc.

Any Supplier

3. Laptop Computer

Any Supplier

Suggested Instructional Strategies

WHERETO

W   =

At the beginning of this set of lessons, students are provided an overview of the upcoming lessons.  Bell Ringers at various points serve to answer why the lessons are important and students receive task sheets and specific rubrics that outline how they are evaluated. The rubrics are reviewed by students before the activities begin.

H   =

Several interactive videos serve to heighten student interest in plastics.  Research activities and hands-on activities also allow students to explore plastics and associated careers in a variety of different ways.

E   =

Students get to see first hand, how plastics are made through the video “degrees that work – plastics.”  They also have a chance to relate their own interests and skills to a specific plastics career of their choice.

R   =

Each series of activities builds upon the last and daily review and reflection serve as transition between the three topic areas.

E   =

Students express their understanding of plastics, how they are formed and how they are recycled through a variety of surveys and worksheets.  They express their understanding of critical factors associated with plastics careers through the completion of a Career Connections Poster that becomes a part of their career portfolio.

T   =

All surveys and worksheets can be individualized to meet the requirements of student IEP’s.  The Poster Assignment can also be modified when necessary. Modifications may include word banks, dictation, reduced requirements, etc.

O   =

All activities include a student driven activity that allows students to work together or individually to discover information about plastics, plastics recycling and plastics careers.

Instructional Procedures

SUGGESTED LEARNING SEQUENCE (separate learning sequence for each performance standard)

Strategy

Outline

Resources/Materials

Related Skills

Performance Standard 1

Students will recognize the extensive existence of plastics in every aspect of their lives and be able to identify what processes were used to make them demonstrating their knowledge by accurately completing a Plastics Products survey with 75 % accuracy.

 

 

Bell Ringer

Students will work in pairs to try to identify 10 items they use everyday that include plastic parts and identify 10 items they use everyday that don’t include plastic parts.

Resource #1

3.2.8.A4,

Video

Students will watch “degrees that work plastics” and discuss the various processes used to develop different types of plastics.  Teacher will list the different processes used to produce plastics and students will brainstorm plastic products that fit in to each category.

Resource #2

3.2.8.A4,

Application

After students have discussed processes and listed examples they will work in paired groups to identify the processes they think were used to develop the 10 items they use everyday that have plastic parts.

Resource #1

3.2.8.A4,

Performance Standard 2

Students will review why it is important to recycle plastics, the processes for doing so, and the difficulties associated with doing so (completing the Plastics Recycling Worksheet with 75% or higher accuracy.)

 

 

Bell Ringer:

Students will answer the following question.   “Why is it important to recycle plastic?”

 

 

 

3.4.8.B1

Research Activity

Students will complete Plastic Recycling Worksheet identifying different types of plastics, how they were formed, how they are recycled and what they become when they are recycled using the following websites: http://environment.about.com/od/earthtalkcolumns/a/recycleplastics.htm

Students will end research activity by reading and discussing “7 Misconceptions about Plastic and Plastic Recycling.

http://www.ecologycenter.org/ptf/misconceptions.html

 

Resource #3

Resource #4

Resource #5

 

3.4.8.B1

Performance Standard 3

Students will understand how important interpersonal skills are in the plastics industry and explore a career associated with the production of plastics as well as career associated with the recycling of plastics and develop a Career Connections Poster receiving a 75% or higher on the associated product/process rubrics.

 

 

 

Introduction

Teacher will share a sample Career Connections Poster and ask students to generate a list

Resource #6

13.1.8.G, 13.2.8.D

13.3.8.C

Performance Based-Task

Teacher will introduce the rubric for the Career Connections Poster and students will use the rubric to “score” the sample poster.  Next Students will visit “Careers in Plastics…Find the Work You Love” at http://www.careersinplastics.ca/pages/careers_profiles/index.shtml.  Students will pair up and choose a plastics career that they believe fits with their interests and abilities to research for their poster.

Students will then be provided with materials and laptop computers to research and develop a “Career Connections” Poster.  A digital copy of the poster will be included in each student’s individual career portfolio.  Students will utilize the above website and O-Net, http://online.onetcenter.org/,  to find related jobs and necessary information.  

Resource #7

Resource #8

Resource #9

13.1.8.G, 13.2.8.D

13.3.8.C

Formative Assessment

Formative assessment occurs via regular "checking for understanding."  The teacher monitors the beginning of all task-completion and identifies students who may need additional support for concept aquisition.

Related Materials & Resources

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

 Website - Hands-ON Plastics!, ACS,  http://www.americanchemistry.com/s_plastics/sec_content.asp?CID=1123&DID=4277

 Website:  SAS, Materials & Resources, https://www.pdesas.org/module/content/search/

Website:  SAS, Curriculum Framework, https://www.pdesas.org/module/sas/curriculumframework/

Author

Alice Justice

Date Published

October 18, 2010
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