The Universe in Your School

The Universe in Your School

You don’t always have to go to someplace different to see new things, sometimes you just need to see the place you are with new eyes. Your school, any school, embodies the existence and operation of almost everything we expect and hope students will learn before graduation. It provides food and shelter as well as instruction, it obeys the rules of physics and adheres to the traditions of your local culture and distant governing bodies. It is dependent upon natural resources for its existence and operations, and it returns to nature the residue of materials it has used, sometimes in a substantially different form.

The steps of the initial investigations are fairly prescriptive but students are expected to reflect on their work and begin generating their own questions as soon as they get comfortable with the procedures. The exercises also expose students to the scientific and engineering practices and to some of the cross-cutting concepts identified in the Next Generation Science Standards. In addition, students are expected to engage in the reading, researching and writing activities that are part of belonging to a scientific community.

The activities outlined in this hand-out are intended to spark your thinking of your school as a place to learn about matter, energy, flows, cycles, life, the environment, governance, economics, and culture. They require that students have some background information in a topic and/or skill before they do the exercise. Feel free to modify and adapt them to your own students and to your school.

Making a Floor Plan

Learning Goal: Students draw a floor plan of their classroom using scale in an age appropriate way. Students use rulers or tape measures and one other tool of their choice correctly to gather information about the room. Students reflect on their practice and generate questions about their work. This lesson is intended to provide a starting point for inquiry lessons centered around the school building.

Next Generation Science Standards

Scientific and Engineering Practices: Asking questions, Developing and using models, Using mathematics and computational thinking, Obtaining, evaluating and using information

Cross-Cutting Concepts: Patterns (repeating elements, similarities and differences in the materials used in the room); Scale, Proportion and Quantity (representing the relative size of areas and objects); Systems and System Models (creating a plan)

Common Core Math Standards

Number and Quantity - Quantity: reason quantitatively and use units to solve problems

Modeling

Geometry -Geometric Measurement and Dimension - visualize relationships between two-dimensional and three-dimensional objects

English Language Arts Standards

Speaking and Listening - Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas: present findings

Language – Vocabulary Acquisition: acquire and use academic and domain specific language

MO Environmental Literacy Standards (Draft)

Environments and Resources – Built Environment

Background

Plans are geometric 2-dimensional drawings of 3-dimensional places or objects. They are used to discover or understand the relationship among elements of a place or object or to provide directions for making something.They are usually done to scale so that elements in the drawing have the same size relative to each other that they have or would have in the real world. Typical scales are 1:48 (1/4” on the paper represents 1’ in the real world) or 1:50 (1 cm on paper represents 50 cm in the real world). Plans only include characteristics of the place or object that are important to the persons using the plans. For example, for buildings, there may be separate plans for each part of a building, like electrical wires, pipes or heating vents, that only that specialist will be interested in.

Three kinds of plan views are described below

floor plan / plan view / orthographic view – this is (usually) looking at the place/object from above, with top removed
elevation – this is a side view of the place/object, with the outside showing
section – this is a view of the interior through a particular cutting plane, alongitudinal section is parallel to the long axis, and a cross section is perpendicular to the long axis

Finding Simple Machines

Learning Goal: Students explore their school purposefully looking for examples of simple machines that are used to make work. They apply their knowledge of simple machines to understand how they work within a particular context. Students then reflect on the design of a simple machine (in context) and how to make it better. Students consider the constraints that might prevent improving designs of machines.

Next Generation Science Standards

Scientific and Engineering Practices:Constructing Explanations (how force/torque changes), Designing Solutions (how to improve design, plus thinking about constraints)

Cross-Cutting Concepts:Cause and Effect (applied force and result); Scale, Proportion and Quantity (thinking about input relative to output forces), Structure and Function (how structure affects function)

Common Core Math Standards

Functions: qualitative or quantitative understanding of force multipliers

English Language Arts Standards

Speaking and Listening - Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas: present findings

Language – Vocabulary Acquisition: acquire and use academic and domain specific language

MO Environmental Literacy Standards (Draft)

Environments and Resources – Built Environments

Background

There are six classical simple machines: the lever, wheel and axle, pulley, inclined plane, wedge and screw. Machines act to change the Mechanical Advantage (MA), or the force, distance or direction an object moves while keeping the amount of work constant. A simple machine can be combined with other simple machines to create more complex machines.

Under ideal situations – no friction, wear or flex

Lever MA = distance from a to fulcrum / distance from fulcrum to b

Wheel & Axle MA = radius wheel / radius axle

PulleyMA = number of sections of rope (in the block and tackle)

Inclined Plane MA = length / height

Wedge MA = length / width (non-reciprocal or self locking tendency makes them very good for fasteners)

ScrewMA = 2r / length (non-reciprocal or self locking property makes them very good for fasteners)

Material Lives

Learning Goal: Students will learn about the life path of one object that belongs the school and gain a greater understanding of physical and chemical properties of matter and the environmental and social systems that support their extraction, manufacture, use and disposal. They will also learn to model the life path and use the model to identify ways to change the path to make the object “better” in some measurable way (less polluting, cheaper, higher quality, etc.). Students will then develop well-supported and relevant arguments for at least two different audiences for making a change.

Next Generation Science Standards

Scientific and Engineering Practices:Asking Questions – where does it come from, where is it going, Developing and Using Models – the diagram, Constructing Explanations – how something is made, Designing Solutions – how to make something better, Engaging in Argument from Evidence – how to make things better

Cross-Cutting Concepts:Cause and Effect – how a thing is made; Systems and System Models – the diagram

Common Core Math Standards

Statistics and Probability: graph or plot illustrating the relationship between how and object is made, used or disposed of and an undesirable consequence

English Language Arts Standards

Writing – Text Type and Purposes: different presentations (diagram, 250 word argument, ppt or video) depending on audience, Production and Distribution of Writing – non-fiction technology writing, Research to Build and Present Knowledge – background research for diagram, Range of Writing – research, reflection, revision

Speaking and Listening - Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas: present findings

Language – Conventions of Standard English, Vocabulary Acquisition - acquire and use academic and domain specific language

MO Environmental Literacy Standards (Draft)

Environmental Principles – Systems Thinking, Commons, Equity

Systems and Processes of Nature – Matter and Energy

Systems and Processes of Society – Economics

Environments and Resources – Industrial Environments, Critical Resources

Environmental Problems – Waste, Pollution, Resource Depletion, System Impacts, Human Impacts

Investigating and Understanding Environmental Problems – Modeling, Researching, Evaluating and Understanding

Models

Solving Environmental Problems - Choosing, Planning and Implementing Solutions

Environmental Dispositions and Competencies - Persuasiveness

Making a Floor Plan

Use the measuring tools provided to draw a basic floor plan to scale that shows walls, doors and windows. Add the scale to your drawing.

Use your skills (observing, mathematical, reasoning), and at least on additional tool (other than a ruler or tape measure) to add or change four things on this plan to make it more complete, accurate or informative

What is one question your plan could answer about the room?

What is a “why” question you have about this room based on your observations?

What would you add if you had more time or could do this plan over again?

20 minutes – work in pairs to gather measurements – plan and answers must be your own

Finding Simple Machines

Explore at least three different areas in the building and find at least 4 different kinds of simple machines. Name the object or part of the object that is a simple machine. Name what kind of simple machine it is. Explain the change in force or torque. Name the job with which it helps.

20 Minutes – Work in Pairs – at least one machine must be different from your partner’s

Object (be specific) / Kind of Machine / Change in Force or Torque / Job

When you are done, pick one of the machines you described and suggest a way to modify it to make the job it does easier to complete. Support your modification with information on how simple machines work. Then suggest a constraint (money, space, other) that might make it difficult to make the modification.

Both the modification and constraint must be different from your partner’s

Modification – Make a drawing to explain your modification. Add a descriptive Caption.

Constraint – List one or more things that might make it difficult to make the modification.

Material Lives

Matter is conserved. Except for special cases, it can be neither created nor destroyed. That means that every material thing in your life is made up of matter that came from somewhere and will go somewhere when you are done with it. This includes the food and water you consume, the clothes you wear, place where you live, even your own body. The matter itself may undergo many changes in the course of becoming the thing in your life and once it leaves your life. Some of these changes are dictated by the physical properties of matter and some are significantly affected by social (economic, political, geographic) processes and personal decisions. The exercise below is to help you understand some of the factors, physical, social, and personal, that affect the material life of your school.

Part 1 (2 weeks)

Select an object that belongs to your school. It can be part of the building (windows, stones, bricks, wires, pipes, toilets, sinks, doors, hinges, etc.), a piece of equipment (tables, chairs, computers, a football, etc.) supplies (cleaning solutions, paper, markers, tater tots etc.). Use library and internet resources, school records and interviews to develop written answers to these questions. Gather quantitative information for at least five of the questions. Be sure to include your source(s) for each answer. These materials will provide the background information for the remaining assignments.

How is it made, including the machines and human labor that is required.
What is it made of, including the proportions of minerals and/or elements of which it is made
Where do the materials it is made of come from
What kinds of waste or pollution are associated with its extraction or manufacture
Who is involved in the making of this item, from its extraction from nature through its delivery to your school
How long will this item be used before it is discarded
What will happen to it when it is discarded
How much did it or does it cost your school to buy, use and discard
Who in your school or district made or makes the decisions about purchasing this object
One additional question relevant to the life of this item that you come up with

Part 2 (2 weeks, done as you are doing Part 1 – you should go back and forth between the list and your diagram)

Using this information, prepare a one-page diagram that shows the life path (past, present, future) of the object (and its components). Your diagram should include at least three main sections: extraction & manufacture (past), how it is used in the school (present), and what will happen to it when it is no longer needed. Connect your images with arrows that show the direction of flow of stuff. Label your images with a short descriptive name. Use short captions to explain parts of your diagram that cannot be easily shown with an image. In at least three places, show quantities that are involved (weight, area, energy consumed, cost, hours of labor, etc.)

Part 3 (1 week)

Looking at your diagram find one thing about the life pathof the object that you think could be changed to reduce costs, improve quality or reliability, reduce pollution or in some other way “make things better”. Construct a graph showing a quantitative relationship between how the object is made, used or disposed of and the negative consequence you want to address. Using your diagram, identify where in the life path you would have to intervene to make this change (there may be more than one place!). Identify who would be responsible for the decision to change (legislator, manufacturer, school, teacher, student, etc.). Write a 250 word persuasive argument to influence the person responsible for the change, use images from your diagram

Part 4 (1 week)

Prepare a 3 minute, 3 slide powerpoint of your argument suitable for an audience of fellow students. OR Prepare a 1 minute video commercial making the case for change to an audience for a relative’s favorite tv show.

Resourcesto get you started

Books*

The Secret Life of Stuff by Julie Hill

Stuff: The Secret Lives of Everyday Things by Alan Durning

Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things by Michael Braungart and William McDonaugh

Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature by Janine M. Benyus

TV Shows

How its Made –

How Do They Do It –

How Stuff Works -

Holmes on Homes (wiki with episode list) -

Internet

Wikipedia – This is usuall a thorough and reliable source of background information about non-controversial subjects. However, Wikipedia entries are not stable, so they cannot be cited. Go to the documents cited within the Wikipedia entry to find stable or original sources of information.

*Some of these books are manifestos, declarations of the views of the author or authors about how people or society should change. While they may contain useful factual information about a topic, the proposed solutions may rely on selective use of information or rhetorical devices to make a case. Stay alert!