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Sustainable STEM Lesson 3: Life Cycle

Sustainable STEM Lesson 3: Life Cycle
Contributors
Annette Sebuyira
Retired K-12 Educator | Beyond Benign, Inc.
Beyond Benign
Beyond Benign, Inc.
cover image with picture of shark and leaf and mushrooms and megaphone and a hand holding a cellphone
Summary
In this lesson, students will take part in a very important task typical of any scientist or engineer: reviewing and revising their experimental procedure. Together, their changes will highlight the three criteria important for green chemistry technology, which allows for discussion of the sustainability of their mycelium cell phone case.

This project came about from a collaboration between Beyond Benign and Steelcase.
Keyword Tags
Steelcase
Sustainable STEM
Life Cycle
Mycelium
Engineers
Scientist
Design
Design Process
Green Chemistry
Technology
File (PDF, PPT, image, etc)
03-life_cycle.docx
03_sustainable_stem_life_cycle_cards.pdf
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.59877/BKIZ2463
Learning Goals/Student Objectives
Students will
-Understand the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry
-Define life cycle
-Apply their understanding of life cycle to identify the manufacturing process of both a renewable and a nonrenewable product
-Revise a lab procedure to increase efficiency and reduce waste.
Object Type
Laboratory experiment
Activities/Technology (e.g., in-class activities, online games, hands-on activities/manipulatives, outreach, virtual tools, etc.)
Lesson summaries
Assessments
Case studies
Journal articles
Audience
Middle School
Common pedagogies covered
Collaborative/cooperative learning
Context-based learning
Hands-on learning
Problem-based learning
Student-centered learning
Green Chemistry Principles
Waste Prevention
Less Hazardous Chemical Syntheses
Designing Safer Chemicals
Use of Renewable Feedstocks
Design for Degradation
Real-Time Pollution Prevention
Safer Chemistry for Accident Prevention
U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Quality Education
Gender Equality
Sustainable Cities and Communities
Partnerships for the Goals
Safety Precautions, Hazards, and Risk Assessment
Gloves, aprons and goggles required. Thoroughly wash your hands and work station before and after each lab.
Teacher Recommendations or Piloting Data (if available)
All of these lessons provide students with a look at how industry is incorporating sustainable design into their products. This curriculum will increase students’ awareness of sustainability and green chemistry through hands-on design challenges.
The full project will require a total of 10-15 days for completion, depending on speed of mycelium growth, which relies on classroom conditions. See lesson 4 for more details.
NGSS Standards, if applicable
MS-ETS1-1. Analyze a major global challenge to specify qualitative and quantitative criteria and constraints for solutions that account for societal needs and wants.

MS-ETS1-3. Evaluate a solution to a complex real-world problem based on prioritized criteria and trade-offs that account for a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics, as well as possible social, cultural, and environmental impacts.

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Submitted by

Annette Sebuyira
Published on
Moderation state
Published
Collection
Sustainable STEM Unit
Time required (if applicable)
One 45-60 minute class period
Related Learning Objects
Sustainable STEM Overview
Sustainable STEM Lesson 1: Beginning an Investigation by Gathering Evidence
Sustainable STEM Lesson 2: Using Engineering Design to Make a Prototype
Sustainable STEM Lesson 4: Making Mushroom Material
Sustainable STEM Lesson 5: Testing the Cell Phone Cases
Sustainable STEM Lesson 6: Presenting a Sustainable Solution
Sustainable STEM: Fabulous Fabrics
Sustainable STEM: Polymer Properties
Sustainable STEM: Surefire Sharklet Lab
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.