Lesson Objectives (50 minute class period)

Using items usually found in trash or recycling bins, students will design and build an invention that will pick up trash: a Trash Grabber
Students w

Materials

Recycled: plastic, egg cartons, string, boxes, paper, toilet paper tubes, plastic bags, straws, lids, foam, foil, plastic ware, milk cartons (Students can start collecting these things at lunch the week before or bring some from home)
scissors, tape, glue, stapler, paperclips, clothes pins, rubber bands, etc.

Lesson Plan (30 minutes)

Video: #plasticspollution
YouTube: "Waterkeeper Investigations: Microplastics in the Great Lakes" (10:27)
Plan and Design Time: (approximately 20 minutes)
You have been tasked with helping clean up plastic from the Great Lakes. Construct  a Trash Grabber prototype for either in water clean-up or on land pick-up or both from the recycled materials and office supplies found in the room.

Assessment (20 minutes)

1. Decide water, land or both?
2. How does your trash grabber work? What kinds of trash will it pick up?
3. Advantages?
4. Disadvantages?
5. Could this be used in the real world? why or why not? Would you need different materials to make it?
6. Find two students to share your Trash Grabber, ask them for one advantage and one disadvantage to your Trash Grabber
7. What changes would you make to your Trash Grabber

Homework

Record everything that you throw away for one full day.  Make a tally chart
Type of trash                                                How many?
plastic
paper
Metal
Glass
Other (describe)
Figure out percentages: add up all total tally marks for every category for the TOTAL TRASH and then total tally marks in each row
THEN DIVIDE: TALLY MARKS PER ROW  / TOTALLY TALLY MARKS OF ALL TRASH=PERCENTAGE
(add your all of your percentages together to make sure you get 100 percent)
Construct a pie chart based on your findings.