Part 1: Introduction to and Applications of Lifecycle Analysis
Day 1
Use the BLOSSOMS Green Chemistry video and suggested activities within the video. After completing the video, ask students to brainstorm properties of glue to test homemade glue vs. a store-bought glue. Properties of glue could include, but are not limited to, viscosity, spreadability, and stickiness. Then students will begin their glue tests.
- Instructions to download or stream BLOSSOMS videos (PDF format, Word format)
- Teacher preparation for presenting this lesson can be found in the Video Teacher Guide segment at 10:47.
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Days 2-3
Start the lesson by having students complete their glue tests and record observations. Then students will complete the 12 Principles Match-Up activity. After completing the match-up activity, students will have scaffolded a better understanding of the 12 Principles. Have them go back and think about the two versions of glue they tested and analyze them based on the 12 Principles. For example, after doing the glue tests, students might realize that even though the homemade glue was greener in many respects, it might not have met principle 4 (designing safer chemicals) if it was not as effective as the store-bought glue. (Note: students will need to save their 12 Principles Match-Up materials for later in the project.)
This match-up activity will not take the entire second day. We suggest that during the remaining time, you are prepared to set up the student teams of 4 for the Green Chemistry Project. You can read more about setting up these teams here. Distribute today's homework articles and worksheets to students according to their newly formed teams.
- Teacher Instructions for 12 Principles Matchup (PDF format, Word format)
- Student Worksheet for 12 Principles Matchup (PDF format, Word format)
- Day 3 Homework Assignment (PDF format, Word format)
- Day 3 Homework Worksheet (PDF format, Word format)
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Day 4
Begin the lesson by having groups of students review their homework reading assignment, with the ultimate goal of sharing important insights with the entire class. Transition from this into a broader discussion of the definition of the word “sustainability.” The goal is that students will come to a mutual understanding and consensus on what it means for a product or process to be sustainable.
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Day 5
Engage students by prompting them to think about the ethical issues surrounding pollution. Use the 60 Minutes video clip on “Wisdom” the bird. (5 minutes) Ask students to create a list of questions as they watch the clip. Have them get into their teams to share their list of questions (for several minutes).
Next the students will be exposed to the Driving Question through an exploration discussion. Read more about the Driving Question here. In your role as the facilitator, it is important that you understand the process that leads to discovering the Driving Question. At this point in the lesson, students should be connecting information to see that they will actively be part of finding the solution to a sustainable community through the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry.
Since this is probably the first time students have seen a Driving Question, you can explain it to them. Have students think about the Wisdom video, the articles they have read about unsustainable practices, the BLOSSOMS video lesson and the Twelve Principles of Green Chemistry. Give students time to think about all of this before introducing the Driving Question. Overall, the Driving Question guides students through the end of the PBL unit. It is an anchored question that reminds them about the goal they need to get to.
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Day 6
Show the Lifecycle Analysis slideshow. The slideshow includes teacher notes and suggestions for transitions between slides. Please note that teachers should be careful explaining the difference between closed and open loop lifecycles, as students often confuse recycling a product with closing the loop. Recycling does not mean that the product has a closed loop lifecycle UNLESS it becomes the exact same thing again. Also, note that the optional Part 2 of the project includes a review of the lifecycles of polystyrene and Ecovative that are described in the slideshow. If you are not planning to do Part 2 at this time, it is suggested that you show students the TED talk by Eben Bayer, founder of Ecovative, that is found here. Have students use the Student Lifecycle Document below to stay on track during the Lifecycle slide show.
- Lifecycle Analysis slideshow (PDF format, PPT format)
- Student Lifecycle Worksheet Document (PDF format, Word format)
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Day 7
Review the driving question: How can we become a sustainable community through the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry? Have a brief discussion about what it means to become a sustainable community. Ask teams to come up with their own ideas, then share the following with the class:
In this project, your team will research the lifecycle of a commercial product. That product could be something that is regularly used in your school, in your home or in your community. Your team will also research possible alternative products that may be more sustainable than the one you've selected. Your team will present its findings to the class and also to concerned stakeholders, including school officials, parents and appropriate community members. This would be a good time to hand out the document “Lifecycle Analysis of an Artifact.” Spend some time answering their questions.
In the next part of the day’s lesson, you will introduce the Project Rubric. The students will be evaluated on their continual research, their journal practices, their teamwork and their final presentation. Hand out a copy of the Rubric to each team.
Today's homework assignment will be for each team member to bring in four suggestions of a commercial product used at home, in school or in the community that the team would like to research in this project.
- Student Handout: Lifecycle Analysis of a Product (PDF format, Word format)
- Lifecycle Analysis of a Product Handout: Teacher Notes (PDF format, Word format)
- Info on Rubrics for Teachers (PDF format, Word format)
- Green Chemistry Project Rubric (PDF format, Word format)
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Day 8
Today student teams will begin a brief discussion about the commercial products members have suggested to research for their project. It is hoped that the team can narrow down the number of products in order to make a final decision the next time they meet. A teacher may want to encourage each team to choose a unique product.
After this discussion, students will spend time developing new skills that will help them work more effectively and successfully in their teams as they prepare to begin their projects. We highly suggest you use team contracts, which you can read about. Have teams start their team contracts for the upcoming project. Remember, they’ll have to revisit their contracts throughout the project, so the first draft doesn’t need to be a perfect contract. As time goes on, they’ll recognize new needs for their contratcs as they learn more about their teammates. Be sure to check out other PBL Tools to see if there are any other tools you would like to use with your students.
Once students have completed the their contracts, introduce them to a tool that will be important to their success on the project. Each student will be expected to keep a daily Research Journal of the work they have done each day on the project. Keeping this journal will be an important part of the final assessment of their work on the team. See instructions for the Research Journal below.
- Team Contract Document (PDF format)
- Instructions for the Daily Research Journal (PDF format, Word format)
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Day 9
Teams will review the list of consumer products suggested by members and choose one product to focus on. They will then begin four days of researching that product and also researching possible alternative products that may be more sustainable than the one their team has selected. As they begin their research, it will be important for them to review the 12 Principles Match-Up document, as well as the Green Chemistry Rubric, before starting their actual research. Over the four research days, they will need to work closely with the Student Handout: Lifecycle Analysis of a Product and begin keeping their daily Research Journal. They will also need the Lifecycle Analysis Diagram for their final presentations.
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Days 10-12
Student teams continue researching their chosen commercial product and possible more sustainable alternative products. By Day 10, an alternative product should be chosen, and the Lifecyle Analysis of it begun. Throughout the research, team members work closely with the Student Handout: Lifecycle Analysis of a Product. The Team Contract should be updated and the Daily Research Journal kept.
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Days 13-15
Teams should be finalizing their presentations and handing in a draft version to their teacher. Teams will present their findings using a tri-fold poster or powerpoint format that can fulfill all categories of the rubric. Be sure to display the lifecycle diagrams of both products and include explanations for each stage of the lifecycle. Teams must also turn in a properly-formatted works cited page with their presentations.
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Days 16-18
Peer Evaluations: Teams will present their findings and evaluate others’ work. Teachers may choose to require formal presentations, in which each team presents their poster or power point presentation to the whole class, while their classmates fill out the peer evaluation forms. This technique will likely take two-three days, depending on the size of the class. Another technique that works well with poster presentatons is a poster session, in which students set up their posters around the classroom or a larger space. During a poster session, the teacher interviews indivivual teams, and each student is responsible for completing the peer evaluation forms by the end of class. Handling the presentations this way should only take one day.
Final Event: Typically the final presentation day of PBL work is a celebration. This Final Event is hosted usually during a longer period than one class, such as after school where parents, stakeholders, the community, and other school officials are present. This is where students get to showcase their work. If such an evening is not possible, then hold this public event during normal class times, but try to make sure that stakeholders are present during the class event. It’s imperative to have outside connections be part of the audience and watching students present. Or if stakeholders are not possible, invite administration, and other adults that are part of the school.
Read more about the Final Event here.
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