Field Activity

This field activity was my overall favorite because I really enjoyed making the bioplastic and tried so many different ways to create something until I found a YouTube video that was probably AI generated about creating a bag using bioplastics. Once I found the idea it was fairly simple to create everything. For the bioplastics used 2 tablespoons of water, 1 tablespoon of gelatin, 1 teaspoon glycerin, and 1/2 teaspoon of white vinegar. To bring the design to life I used scissors, parchment paper, a ruler, and an iron. 

1. The subject and concepts of this activity are science, engineering/design, and sustainability education. 

2. By the end of the lesson students will be able to: 

   1. Describe how bioplastics are formed and identify at least two differences between bioplastics and conventional plastics.

   2. Explain how reusable bioplastic bags can reduce plastic waste and propose one real-world application for sustainable materials.

   3. Follow a multi-step procedure to create a bioplastic sheet and construct a reusable bag that meets at least 2 out of three of the following criteria (flexible, holds weight, reusable).

   4. Collaborate in a team to design and construct a reusable bag, demonstrating effective communication and shared problem-solving as observed through group roles and reflection.

   5. Evaluate their final product using a rubric and suggest one modification to improve durability or usability.

3. The use of technology for this activity will be minimal in the beginning to show students a YouTube video about what Bioplastics are and how they can support the environment. Before students begin the design process they will create a digital design plan. They will then create a comparison chart of bioplastic vs plastic, and record a short video on the sustainability of their bag. 

4. The group of students I planned this lesson for are middle school and older. Students are familiar with creating comparison charts and recording short videos. The are also familiar with google slides and will be able to create the digital design plan using software they had previously used before. 

5. For formative assessments I will observe students creating their bioplastics mixture and check for their ability to follow steps correctly, participate in their group, and understand the material properties by asking questions such as what does the glycerin do for this project. For the summative assessment I will assess the product that is created, their understanding of why bioplastics are more sustainable for the environment using exit tickets, and the students short video reflection on the sustainability of their product. 

6. You can see my product in the pictures above. I am very proud of my product and can't wait to test it with students. 

https://www.scopesdf.org/scopesdf_lesson/plastic-free-power-build-your-own-biobag/ 

Reflection: 

This lesson was a fun one to create. When I first learned of bioplastics the task seemed very daunting but after learning how to make the bioplastics it was simple and I couldn’t wait to try it with students.

This summer I helped develop the curriculum for an invention and fabrication summer camp for students and I felt that this was the perfect opportunity to test it with students. This lesson gave me the opportunity to allow students to think outside the box with materials they could use for their inventions that were sustainable. The process of creating the bioplastic with students was one that was tougher than I had anticipated. When I had created the bioplastic bag at home the process was simple and straight forward but after testing it with students I realized that I needed to go back to the drawing board.

Initially I had made it so that I would only be evaluating based on the final product but realized after consulting AI that I needed to evaluate at several different times during the lesson. So instead of just evaluating the product that was created I needed to evaluate the students understanding of how bioplastics are made and what the different materials did for the overall product.

Overall students were very engaged in this lesson but there are things I will make adjustments for next time. The first adjust I would make is using a loom or bigger baking sheets so that students have ample material to create their biobags. The students enjoyed being able to create their own bioplastics but in the end there wasn’t enough material so they could make a descent size bag it was more like a micro bag. One of the things that we experienced was some groups had different consistencies to their mixtures so some groups mixtures took longer to dry than others and that pushed back the amount of time we would have to spend on this activity. With this in mind I would create more checkpoints during the mixing process to ensure that all the groups had more similar mixtures.

The assessment protocol also helped me gauge how much the students were actually leaning about the materials and the sustainability of the product. The next time I teach this lesson I would like to include a day where students are testing the bags that they created against the other groups. Some of the things I would like them to test for is flexibility, durability, and strength.