Beneficial Bioplastics
Grades: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Type: Lesson Plans
Subjects: Science
Authors: EarthEcho International
Location: Earth, South America
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- In this lesson, students will learn about the history of plastics, the problems that plastic pollution causes, and how bioplastics can contribute to the solution.
- Students will understand the different kinds of plastics, identify single-use plastics, learn about hidden plastics, see an example of a bioplastics company located in Mexico, and participate in an experiment where they will create their own bioplastic.
- The resource includes a few short videos, worksheets, and presentation slides to help students understand the information.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- Students will love using their hands to create a bioplastic.
- The resource includes a few kid-friendly explanations for complicated topics, such as chemical changes.
Prerequisites
- Students should understand the states of matter enough to differentiate between a solid and a liquid.
Differentiation & Implementation
- The History of Plastics video explains that we should find alternative materials to fossil fuel-based plastics because we will eventually run out of fossil fuels. Teachers can expand on this idea by introducing students to climate change and the greenhouse effect, highlighting the importance of reducing all fossil fuel use to avoid serious impacts. The Introduction to Climate Change video can help illustrate this idea.
- Teachers can also expand on the environmental impacts of plastic. If class time is available, the Ocean Plastics Unit (3-5) is an extensive resource for learning about plastic pollution and its effect on wildlife.
- Students can also discuss reducing the use of plastic in general. Students can look at their list of single-use plastics and brainstorm ideas to avoid using them. Teachers can model this with the Making Bioplastics activity if they are not using the plastic bag. Teachers can script their thinking out loud, saying that they could use a plastic bag, but they have something else that doesn't need to get thrown away afterward.
Plastic pollution is a key environmental problem. Through this resource, students can learn about plastic, its numerous forms, its sorts (hard, soft, and bioplastic), and how to recognize them. As a means of reducing waste from the usage of plastic, this resource includes an activity to create bioplastic. We went over the lesson, and it is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
