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Score: 8
Awarded the NGSS Design Badge
Science Discipline: Physical Science, Engineering
Length: Unit
Year Reviewed: 2023
Students explore the impact of trash on the global environment as an anchoring problem. Sensemaking is motivated by relevant and personal student questions like, "Why do some things get thrown away?" and “How can we help solve the trash problem?” Students further develop their foundational understanding of the properties of matter in this unit by exploring different objects that can be found in the trash and sorting those objects by their properties. Learning builds on students’ prior experiences with a variety of materials and supports students’ growing interest in the idea that some materials can be recycled, and others cannot.
Students plan and carry out investigations to collect data that they can analyze and use to design solutions for the trash problem. In doing so, students figure out: (1) different kinds of matter exist, (2) matter can be described and classified by its observable properties, and (3) different properties are suited to different purposes. This anchoring problem is localized and relevant to students because throwing things away is part of daily life and can affect their local environment. Understanding the properties of objects and how they are suited to different purposes can help students make choices to reuse, repurpose, and recycle, throw away less trash and reduce their impact on the local environment.
NGSS Design Badge
Awarded: Dec 11, 2023
Awarded To: Carolina Biological: Trash
The NGSS Design badge is awarded only to the version of this lesson that was reviewed. If any modifications are made to this lesson for your use, the revised version cannot be promoted as having earned the badge.
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