Document-based

Case

Studies

ISU Summer Academy June-July 2014

Summer Academy Teachers, We would like to acknowledge all the efforts, hard work, commitment and innovation that went into creating the following Document Based Case Studies (DBCS). Three weeks is not a lot of time to put together a DBCS. Especially with the added constraints of working full time in a professional learning workshop, commuting to ISU, taking care of family needs and fitting in some time for sleep. However the end results are an excellent addition to our growing library of DBCS, all of which are available for your use. These documents are works in progress. They can be used either in their original format or they can be tweaked to suit the needs of your students and curricula. Please share them with your school colleagues. Please use them in your classrooms.

A huge THANK YOU to Maureen Griffin, Eric Hall and Craig Walter for taking the initiative to learn about DBCS and then transforming and formatting their knowledge to meet the needs of the ISU STEM Summer Institute participants. These documents will hopefully bring to your students a wealth of opportunities to think critically and become more knowledgeable about the challenges facing human society. We hope your experiences preparing the documents have been professionally satisfying.

Wishing you all the very best. Stay in touch and please let us know about implementation in the classroom.

Sincerely, Adah & Stacy

Adah Leshem and Stacy Renfro STEM Summer Institute Iowa State University

The material is presented in this collection of Document Based Case Studies is supported by: EPSCoR: NSF Award ESP - 1101284

Table of Contents

Choosing Shoes: A “Green” Shoe Study Dane Warming, Waukee CSD Stacy Rivera, Ankeny CSD

Illuminate Your Carbon Footprint Barry Brill, Woodward-Granger Schools John Newman, Fort Dodge Schools

Not All Plastic is Created Equal Sarah Bowser, North Polk Schools Linda Urbas, Melcher-Dallas Schools

Calling all Cells & Cartons: Green is Missing! A Document-based Case Study in Making Sustainable Decisions Penny Jones, Van Buren Schools Karen Niblock, Nevada CSD

What’s a Green Cell Phone? A Document-based Case Study on Biorenewables Matt Weiss, Roland-Story CSD Rachel Gannon, St. Edmond Middle School

Life Cycle Analysis: Plastic vs Aluminum Sejla Mehovic, Des Moines CSD Michael Wintermote, Des Moines CSD

Choosing Shoes

A Green Shoe Study

Dane Warming Waukee Community Schools

Stacey Rivera Ankeny Community Schools

Summer 2014

INTRODUCTION This activity has been designed to engage you in thinking and analyzing a realistic situation. Your beliefs and life experiences are very important, however for this task your analysis needs to be based solely on the facts presented in the following documents.

You are responsible for reading and analyzing each of the attached documents. Record the strengths and weaknesses of the documents on the Document Analysis sheet provided. Once you have read and filled out the chart for each of the documents you will summarize your recommendation in a short letter to your fellow student council members and your classmates. Again, you must use evidence from the documents to support your recommendation.

SCENARIO You are a student council member who has been asked to provide input on the shoes that will be worn as part of a new school uniform. Two companies have approached the school with their products, TOMS and Birkenstocks. Both companies have products that meet the needs required for the school uniform, at the same cost to the school.

As an active member of the Environmental Club, who has been studying cycles in nature, you have been asked by Principal Hall to look into both products and decide on the shoe that has the least amount of impact on the environment as part of the school’s “Go Green” initiative.

You will be looking at and analyzing documents collected by Principal Hall to aid in the decision-making process.

QUESTION-PRODUCT Which shoe has the smallest impact on the environment? Write a brief letter to Principal Hall stating your choice the evidence that you found to support your decision.

Document 1

Document 2

Document 3

Document 4

Document 5

Choosing Shoes Document Analysis______

Description of Document: When was it written? Why was it written? Who was it written for? Who was it written by? Reasons to Suspect Bias (if any): Reasons to Suspect it is Reliable: Aspects of the document that support buying the TOMS. Aspects of the document that support buying the Birkenstocks. Final Assessment of Quality of Evidence (circle one):

Unbelievable Iffy at Best Likely True Very Believable

Major Points that apply to solving the problem:

Choosing Shoes Project Rubric

Mastery Proficient Emerging

Use of evidence to

support

3+ pieces of evidence;

elaborate detail

2-3 pieces of evidence:

moderate detail

0-1 pieces of evidence;

minor/no detail

Determine bias of

evidence

Decisions made without

bias. (0)

Decisions made with

minor bias. (1)

Decisions made with

moderate to severe bias. (2-

3)

Relevance of source in

determining logical choice

3+ relevant resources,

detailed explanation of

relevance

2-3 some explanation of logical choice,

lacks detail

Unable to formulate

logical choice with relevant sources. 0-1

relevant sources used

INTRODUCTION

Your science teacher recently had your class use and online carbon calculator to

estimate your families carbon footprint. You realized that your carbon impact on the

environment is rather high and now it is time for you think about how you can fix it. You about to

compete in an activity that will measure your scientific skills in critical thinking, analytical

reasoning, problem solving, and written communication. You will work in a small group as you

complete this task, but it is your individual responsibility to complete a final product.

This performance task contains a series of documents that contain a wide variety of

information sources. Your job is to use your scientific skills to analyze and evaluate the provided

information and organize your ideas on the question sheets provided. After you have conducted

your research, you will have to make well informed decision and compose a letter that details

your choice and rational for your conclusion.

Although your personal views and experiences are important, for this activity, you should

stick to thinking like a scientists and make your decisions based on the facts presented. You

should base your written conclusion on the evidence provided in the documents and make

references to the evidence that supports your decision.

SCENARIO

After calculating their family's carbon footprint Tommy’s parents realized that they need

to do something to lower their impact on the environment and support better ways of utilizing

energy. They already power much of their home by the use of a windmill, but they are still

depending too much on fossil fuels to supplement their power usage. As Tommy’s family is on a

limited budget, their decision is also affected by economic factors. Tommy’s family discussed

multiple ways that they could take steps to lower their carbon footprint number. They have told

Tommy that they have decided to limit his usage of computer, T.V., and gaming time. Since

these products can use larger amounts of energy, Tommy’s parents will be cutting the current

usage of these entertainment devices down to one hour a week. Outraged at such a drastic

change and the fact that this decision will greatly impact the activities that you and Tommy

enjoy, you volunteer your assistance in order to help Tommy present a different option to his

parents. Tommy has decided that changing the lighting in his home would help his family save

energy. After some research he chooses three options: stick with incandescent (traditional

lighting), compact fluorescent lamp (CFL), or light emitting diode (LED).

To help him shed some light on his situation, Tommy has asked for your feedback.

Since your knowledge of alternative lighting is limited he has put together some resource

documents for you to look at while comparing the advantages and disadvantages of each type

of light source. After you have conducted your research you will write a letter to Tommy’s

parents convincing them that they should switch to your choice of lighting in order to conserve

fossil fuels economically.

Document A

Document B

Document C

Cost Comparison between LEDs, CFLs, and Incandescent light bulbs

LED CFL Incandescent

Bulb projected lifespan 50,000 hours 10,000 hours 1,200 hours

Cost per/bulb $35.95 $3.95 $1.25

KWh of electricity used over 50,000 hours

500 700 3000

Total cost for 50,000 hours

$85.75 $89.75 $352.50

Total cost for 25 bulbs $2143.75 $2243.75 $8812.50

Savings to household by switching from incandescents

$6668.75 $6568.75 $0

- source EarthEasy.com

- date 2010

Document D

Document E

● CFLs or Chronic Fatigue Lights contain harmful amounts of mercury

which end up in landfills and poison our environment.

● Over 1 billion CFLs are thrown into landfills worldwide.

● CFLs give of harmful Electromagnetic Radiation, ultraviolet

radiation, and radio frequency radiation which make thousands of

people sick every year.

● CFLs use more energy and increase your carbon footprint “cradle

to grave” compared to regular light bulbs.

● The Canadian and U.S. governments has put restrictions on the use

of incandescent bulbs.

● A ban on CFLs would mean we have no alternative lighting source.

● The lighting of homes only accounts for .8% of electricity in

Canada.

● New Zealand has reduced the restrictions on incandescent bulbs

due to the safety concerns of CFLs.

● CFLs are the most dangerous technology since the cellular

telephone.

Source CoalAlliance.com 2011

Document Analysis Prompt

Description of Document:

Why was it written?

Who was it written by? When why is written?

Reasons to Suspect Bias (if any):

Reasons to Suspect it is Reliable:

Support for: Information against:

Incandescent

CFL

LED

Relevance of information

Low High

0 1 2 3

Final Assessment of Quality of Evidence (circle one):

Unbelievable Iffy at Best Likely True Very Believable

Major Points that apply to solving the problem:

Not All Plastic is Created Equal

A Document Based Case Study

Sarah Bowser, North Polk Middle School

Linda Urbas, Melcher-Dallas Junior High/High School

Summer 2014

INTRODUCTION You are about to begin an activity that is designed to utilize your skills in critical thinking, problem solving, and

communication. In addition to these ‘think like a scientist skills’, you will also use your content knowledge about biorenewables to make decisions about energy sustainability.

You will be preparing a recommendation to present to the school board to a hypothetical, yet realistic situation. This activity consists of a series of documents that includes a large range of informational resources. While your personal values and experiences are important, you should base your response on the evidence provided in these documents ONLY.

SCENARIO At a recent school board meeting a member of the school’s Green Team proposed a switch from the trad itional

polyethylene milk bottles to a new bioplastic, PLA (polylactic acid). Forrest Tree, the Founder and President of Green Team, proposed the switch in order to offset the school’s carbon footprint from the excessive copies of homework teachers assign to students. The school board tabled this proposal due to lack of knowledge about bioplastics. However, being environmentally proactive, they would like a recommendation from the student council whose members have learned a great deal about biorenewables in their science classes.

Minutes excerpted from the meeting where Forrest shared his data with the student council. Student Council Meeting Minutes, September 4, 2014 The advisor: Mrs. Jones - a newbie to teaching, she is an organizational leader Student council president: Giga Byte - a tech savvy extrovert who excels in LaCrosse and Science Student council secretary: Rachel Carson - an average student with an above average interest in saving the planet Student council treasurer: Penny Pincher - a Groupon groupie by heart, she knows a penny saved is a penny earned Green Team Member: Forrest Tree - an environmentalist by birth, his parents once chained themselves to trees to stop the construction of the local Megaopolis Mall. Mrs. Jones: “Today we will be analyzing the strengths and limitations of using polylactic acid (PLA) milk bottles. To begin we will be hearing from Forrest Tree who recently presented his information to the school board.” Forrest Tree: “First of all, this is a no brainer. PLA milk cartons will reduce the carbon footprint for sure. They are less harmful to the environment because they are made of plant-based plastics called bioplastics. The polyethylene bottles that our school has used over the last decade are made from crude oil, which undergo chemical reactions producing pollutants that contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. As a bonus PLA milk bottles are biodegradable which cuts the cost of storing or disposing of discarded plastic.” Rachel Carson: “Did you say that PLA bottles are biodegradable?” Forrest Tree: “Yes, most bioplastic bottles degrade within a year, unlike the polyethylene bottles which can take hundreds or thousands of years to break down. Oh, and like any plastic it can be recycled.” Penny Pincher: “I’m concerned with the cost of this change. Do you know how expensive they are? I mean we are already told to use less and that taxes are going to go up...I don’t want to be responsible for people paying more taxes.” Forrest Tree: “Who cares about cost? I am sure that it is not much more than we are paying right now and it is a good thing. It is worth the extra money. My parents are always happy to buy something more expensive if it’s green.” Rachel Carson: “So back to the biodegradable thing...do you have more information on this? Like, sources for this data? I think that we could add these to our compost bins in the school garden.” Forrest Tree: “I have my sources for information with me, which I can leave with you to review. If you all don’t have any more questions for me, I need to go and take some food to my parents who are protesting the development of the Nuclear Power Plant at Beautiful View Park. ” Mrs. Jones: “Giga, you have been very quiet during this time, do you have any final questions for Forrest?” Giga: “Not at this time, but I think we need to analyze the documents Forrest brought before making our recommendation.”

QUESTION-PRODUCT The school board wants to understand the strengths and limitations of using PLA (polylactic acid) in place of the

polyethylene bottles for the school’s milk supply. Your role as a student council member is to make a decision using the documents that Forrest left behind to make your recommendation as far as which type of bottle the school should use. Remember you need to take into consideration environmental impacts as well as cost. Each document should be carefully analyzed using the included prompts. Your media presentation with your recommendation will be presented to the school board at their next meeting.

Your media presentation should be complete, clearly state your recommendation, address the strengths and limitations of using PLA (polylactic acid) milk bottles, and contain evidence from the provided sources to support your decision. Cite your specific information from the documents in your response to the school board. Do not base your decision on personal values or experiences.

Document A

We Live in a Plastic World

What Are Bioplastics?

Bioplastics are similar to regular plastics. However, the carbon in bioplastics comes from plants, a renewable resource. Bioplastics break down faster and more easily than regular plastics. No toxins are included in making bioplastics, and no toxins are released when the product breaks down. Also bioplastics reduce the amount of regularly used plastic that is entering landfills.

Considerations and Complications of Bioplastics

To many, bioplastics sound like the perfect solution to the environmental problems caused by the use of regular plastic. However, one of the biggest problems with this approach is the use of crops. Is it appropriate to use a food source for something like a disposable cup or bottle? How could using a food source affect the cost of food?

PLA costs only 20% more than regular plastic to manufacture and it biodegrades. However, as more bioplastic enters the world, recycling efforts may be affected. Bioplastic is chemically different but looks the same as regular plastic. Therefore, a person could toss a bioplastic bottle into the recycling bin. Processing bioplastic with regular plastic could make the recycled plastics unusable. The production and decomposition of bioplastic may release methane, a gas that contributes to global climate change.

Modified from We Live in a Plastic World. Reading Passage. Discovery Education. Web. 15 July, 2014. <http://www.discoveryeducation.com/>.

Document B

THE BIGGEST PRODUCER OF POLYLACTIC ACID PRODUCTS

Home > Product & Applications > Bottles

CHOOSING A BOTTLE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

This isn't just about another plastic bottle. Unlike regular bottles made from pollution producing petroleum resources, bottles made from Ingeo plastic are the solution to reducing your carbon footprint. Ingeo is made from plants, not oil, making these containers produce 60% less greenhouse gases & use 50% less non-renewable energy than traditional plastics like PET & PS (1).

PERFORMANCE

with eco-friendly benefits

• Excellent gloss, transparency & clarity

• Exceptional flavor & aroma barrier properties

(1) Jones, Jimmy. Interview by Ima Flower. Daily News Telegraph. August 2008. Web. 25 May 2009.

Modified from http://www.natureworksllc.com/Product-and-Applications/Bottles

Document C

Modified from http://www.purac.com/EN/Bioplastics.aspx

Document D

Dear School board President,

My daughter came home from school yesterday talking about how

the school is going to switch their milk containers to a new fangled

‘bioplastic’. First of all, I don’t know much about bioplastics, but I do

know about farming and making a living. As I understand bioplastics,

they are made from corn, which is a food commodity. I know that there

are a lot of hungry people in the world, so corn should be used to feed

them or the animals we eat, I know I don’t want to eat forks.

Second, we have to use a lot of fossil fuels to grow the corn,

harvest the corn, and transform the corn, so it doesn’t seem to be an

advantage. Third, it doesn’t seem to be an economic advantage on a

large scale to make plastic from plants. Isn’t our money better spent

curing cancer rather than on changing a system we know that works.

We know how to make plastic from petroleum, why mess with that?

Sincerely,

Farmer Hoggett

Pioneer Farms

Document E

Modified from

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_SBb3TrA9coM/TMAl7cO4mLI/AAAAAAAAB1M/oEmrXPHMcI4/table_thumb%5B4%5D.gif?imgmax=800 and

http://www.greenerpackage.com/compost_biodegrade/pla-bottled_beverages_couple_compact_-site_compost_unit

Plastic Milk Bottle Performance Task Guiding Questions

Document Description (What type of document is it?)

Who was it written by?

Which viewpoint does the document support? Cite specific evidence (advantages/disadvantages)

-using bioplastics (corn plastic) -using polyethylene (petroleum plastic)

How reliable is it? (circle one)

-reliable source/author

-questionable source/author

-unreliable source/author

Plastic Milk Bottle Performance Task Guiding Questions

Document Description (What type of document is it?)

Who was it written by?

Which viewpoint does the document support? Cite specific evidence (advantages/disadvantages)

-using bioplastics (corn plastic) -using polyethylene (petroleum plastic)

How reliable is it? (circle one)

-reliable source/author

-questionable source/author

-unreliable source/author

Teaching Notes for:

Not All Plastic is Created Equal

Author(s):

Sarah Bowser

and Linda Urbas

Intended Audience

Check all that apply…

6th grade general audience

Check all that apply…

general science

earth science

biotechnology

environmental science

Implementation

Considerations and Pre-

Required Knowledge

Before beginning the task, the students should be familiar with …

- what biorenewables and bioplastics are/are made, as well as how traditional plastics are made

- their own carbon footprint and the role it plays in the carbon cycle

- how the carbon cycle functions on a basic level, i.e., that it is a cyclical cycle rather than linear

- that humans have an impact on the environment and humans contribute to the carbon cycle

- understand that certain materials can be recycled and what materials they can recycle at

school/home

- text can include bias

The task will prepare students for…

- making decisions that reflect energy sustainability

- using evidence to support their conclusion

Time Required

It will take approximately a week to analyze the documents and create the media presentation

recommendations.

Teaching Methods &

Classroom Procedures

What will the students be doing?

Students will be reading through the documents provided to make a decision between using

polyethylene or polylactic acid (PLA) plastic milk bottles for school meals. Their end product will

be a media presentation recommendation of their choice to present to the school board.

What will the teacher be doing?

The teacher will be monitoring discussions. He or she will also be available to answer questions and

scaffold discussions when necessary.

How will this performance task look when being implemented?

The students will be in small groups sharing the documents and completing the document analysis.

Students will spend time discussing the ideas and deciding what format the media presentation will

be presented in, as well as what their final recommendation is. The included rubric can be used as an

evaluation and/or assessment tool depending on the teacher and student needs.

Lesson Extension

Activities

How might this performance task be modified for accelerated students? Struggling learners?

Accelerated students may be given additional documents to analyze or instructed to find their own

documents to analyze.

Struggling learners may have documents read to them, less documents to analyze, and/or be

instructed to do only part of the document analysis.

Not All Plastic is Created Equal Document Based Case Study Rubric

Mastering

3

Developing

2

Emerging

1

Decision:

* The decision is reliable and

supported by 3 or more pieces of

evidence from the documents

provided.

* Bias is addressed in 2 or more

ways in the reliable decision.

Content:

* The presentation includes 3 or

more strengths and limitations of

using polylactic acid vs.

petroleum based milk bottles.

* The presentation is

· well organized

· clearly states the

recommendation

· has 3 or less grammar and

convention errors

Decision:

* The decision is reliable and

supported by 2 pieces of evidence

from the documents provided.

* Bias is addressed in at least one

way in the reliable decision.

Content:

* The presentation includes 2

strengths and limitations of using

polylactic acid vs. petroleum based

milk bottles.

* The presentation is

· confusing in 1-2 areas

· clearly states the

recommendation

· has 5 or less grammar and

convention errors

Decision:

* A decision is made that is

supported by evidence from the

documents provided.

* No bias is addressed.

Content:

* The presentation includes 1

strength and limitation of using

polylactic acid vs. petroleum

based milk bottles.

* The presentation is

· confusing in 3-4 areas

· states a recommendation

· has 6 or more grammar and

convention errors

A DOCUMENT-BASED CASE STUDY

IN MAKING SUSTAINABLE DECISIONS

BY PENNY JONES, VAN BUREN

KAREN NIBLOCK, NEVADA

JULY 17, 2014

INTRODUCTION You are about to begin an activity that is designed to measure your skills in critical thinking, reasoning, problem solving and written communication. In addition to these “think-like-a-scientist” skills, your knowledge about recycling will help you make a decision. You will be preparing a written response to a hypothetical, but realistic situation. This activity contains a series of documents that includes a range of information sources. While your personal values and experiences are important, you should base your response on the evidence provided in these documents.

STORY Characters Dropsey- a scatterbrained 6th grade student, disorganized and carrying way too much stuff Pickety- an organized conscientious 6th grade student who is always striving to improve the organization (cleanliness) of their environment- in other words, a neat freak. Sol- a bright, forward thinking 6th grade student whose ideas are shaping the next generation.

Setting Begins by the lockers, down the hall and into the classroom. Dropsey scatters things as he/she goes (Candy wrapped, markers, pencils, old papers, old cell phone). Pickety follows picking up all the items behind them in a frustrated, frenzied manner. Sol- observes from the front of the classroom, slightly amused.

Dialogue: Pickety (frustrated): Dropsey, do you know what you are doing? Dropsey (clueless): No, what are you talking about? Pickety: You are a mess. Dropsey: What’s your problem, Pickety? Pickety: I’m tired of picking up after you. Dropsey: But I don’t need that stuff anymore. It doesn’t work. Pickety (snotty): That’s what trashcans are for. Sol: Wait a minute. Why are you using a trashcan for those? Pickety (More attitude): Duh… Where else would you put it? Your locker? Dropsey: That’s what I do. Put it in my locker, then I don’t need to worry about it in class. Pickety: Don’t I know it? Every time you open your locker, stuff falls everywhere. Sol: You really don’t get it Picket. Dropsy: (Laugh) Sol: Don’t say anything Dropsy. You’re no better. Picket and Dropsy (together): What do you mean? Sol: You can RECYCLE all of that stuff. Picket: Just paper, nothing else. Sol: No there are places that will take all of the stuff you have. Maybe we should quit arguing and research something new that the 6th grade can do. Dropsy: I heard about milk cartons being recycled. Picket: But cellphones are harder on the environment. Sol: So let’s research them both and figure out which one we want to add to our school-recycling program. Mrs. Jones/Ms. Niblock handed out sheets that explain Your Task. Let’s read it as a class and figure it out.

Your Task After you have considered the documents that follow, you should decide which recycling plan should be added to your school. After completing Sol’s Document Analysis Tool, you will need to draft a 1-page proposal that you can present to the class detailing your decision and evidence used to make it. You should cite specific documents/information in your proposal. Remember you rely

only on the documents/information included in this packet.

Document 1

January 2, 2012 News Leah Blunt

WHY SHOULD I RECYCLE CARTONS? Recycling your cartons is a great way to keep unnecessary waste out of landfills, but your green contribution doesn’t stop there. The paper in cartons comes from a renewable resource that is responsibly replenished – trees! This means you are conserving energy by choosing a sustainable product package in the first place. On top of that, cartons require fewer natural resources to transport due to their efficient product to packaging ratio. On average, a product sold in a shelf stable carton is 94 percent product and 6 percent packaging. This means fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions are reduced since they can be shipped using fewer trucks. Also, once they have been recycled, the high quality of the materials used in cartons makes them very desirable for remanufacturing into new products. All three materials used to make cartons can be repurposed.

COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT CARTONS Cartons are not recyclable.

False! Cartons are indeed recyclable. Made from mostly paper, cartons are in high demand to be made into new products. Manufacturers of cartons have joined forces as the Carton Council to increase access to carton recycling across the U.S. So far, carton recycling has increased from 18 percent of households in 2008 to 50 percent in 2013. How did this happen? The Carton Council worked with all the key players in the recycling world from the recycling facilities to mills to make sure that cartons could be handled properly at recycling facilities and recycled into new products.

HOW DOES IT WORK? So, what happens to that carton once you empty it out of your recycling bin? Typically, its journey begins at a materials recovery facility where it gets separated from other waste and types of recyclables. From there, the cartons get shipped to paper mills where they are mixed with water in a giant blender called a hydra-pulper. This process separates the paper from the plastic and aluminum. Once this is complete the paper fiber is ready to be transformed into other products such as tissues, office paper and even building materials depending on the area of the country and the mill. The plastic and aluminum are collected from the hydra-pulping process as well. The plastic, when re-purposed separately, is often used for shipping crates and building materials. However, in North America it is left in a combined state with the aluminum creating a material called a poly/al mix. The poly/al mix has a limited secondary use market, but some mills have been able to use it to generate energy for their facilities.

Originally found at http://www.earth911.com/news/recycling-mystery-milk-and-juice-cartons/

Document 2

Items Recycled from Cell Phones

ABS-PC

Ceramics

Copper

Silicon

Epoxy

Other Plastics

Iron

PPS

Flame Retardant

Nickel

Zinc

Silver

Aluminum, Tin, Lead, Gold

Document 3

Cell Phone Waste

75% of cell phone users don’t throw away.

Less than 20% of unwanted cell phones are recycled.

Cell phones and chargers contain toxic materials, such as lead, mercury and cadmium

which can end up in drinking water and food sources

Benefits of recycling cell Phones

Cell phone have many recyclable materials, such as gold, silver, plastics, platinum.

Chargers contain copper.

Recycling reduces greenhouse emissions.

1 million cell phones = taking 1,368 cars off the road for a year.

If everyone recycled their cell phone, it would power 194,000 US homes for a year.

Gold, Copper, and Platinum are rare finite minerals

How cell phone-recycling works

They can take the working parts of broken phones and make new phones.

They can melt down and extract the important resources such as found in chart in

Diagram 2.

1 ton of cell phones can yield .6 lbs. of gold, .3 lbs. of platinum and palladium and 200

lbs. of copper plus plastics and glass.

*Originally found on US Cellular website.

Cell Phone Recycling

FAQ

By Matt Kennedy*

Document 4

2013 Comparison of Milk Cartons and Cell Phones that either are recycled or discarded

2013 Cell Phones Recycled or Discarded (2) Milk Cartons Recycled or Discarded (1)

1. Information found on Carton Council Website.

2. Information found on A T & T Website.

0

20,000,000

40,000,000

60,000,000

80,000,000

100,000,000

120,000,000

140,000,000

160,000,000

Recycled

Discarded

Cell Phones

0

1,000,000,000

2,000,000,000

3,000,000,000

4,000,000,000

5,000,000,000

6,000,000,000

7,000,000,000

Recycled

Discarded

Milk Cartons

Document 5

Picket- OMG, our teacher wants to recycle

our old cell phones.

Dropsey-No way! Nobody’s getting my

phone.

Picket- IK- just think bout our texts, picks

Dropsey- Let’s just tell her we don’t have

one!

Pickety- Nah! Just tell her the rents won’t

let u.

Teaching Notes for: Author(s):Karen Niblock, Penny Jones

Intended Audience

Check all that apply…

X 6th grade X general audience

X 7th grade advanced audience

Check all that apply…

X general science biology

X earth science chemistry

physics/phys sci X biotechnology

X environmental science

Implementation Considerations and Pre-Required Knowledge

Before beginning the task, the students should be familiar with … Basic Chemistry, Non-renewable resource depletion, Recycling, Carbon Cycle, Carbon Footprints, What are Green Practices, Document Analysis, Chart/Graph Interpretation. The task will prepare students for… Lessons on Biorenewables. Labs in making bioplastics and bio glass. Understanding and applying analysis skills to Document Based Case Studies.

Time Required

5 Class periods. 1. Introduction and Groupings (Movie “Story of Stuff” and Skit) 2. Document Analysis-Students will analyze five documents for decision-making. 3. Finish Document Analysis (Scaffolding Proposal) 4. Write proposal to present to the class. 5. Present proposal to class.

Teaching Methods & Classroom Procedures

What will the students be doing? Collaboratively reading and analyzing documents. Preparing and Presenting a Proposal What will the teacher be doing? Grouping students (differentiation groups) Moving between groups Listening to conversations Redirecting student collaboration How will this performance task look when being implemented? Students working in collaborative differentiated groups. Peer discussions, analyzing and applying information to the case study. Preparing a proposal using sound decision-making. Presenting their proposal using proper presentation and decision-making skills.

Lesson Extension Activities

How might this performance task be modified for accelerated students? Struggling learners? Accelerated students could be asked to find an alternative document to replace one of the five documents. They could prepare a model and presentation for the school board. Struggling learners would have help in reading the material and analyzing the data. They would be paired with students who could help them with the content and structure of the case studies.

Related Background Information and Other Resources

Worldsavvy lessons for students to work through Storyofstuff.org

Research Proposal: Proposal for Recycling- Rubric

Teacher Name: Mrs. Jones/ Ms. Niblock

Student Name: ________________________________________

CATEGORY Mastery (9-10) Proficient (7-8) Developing (5-6) Emerging(Below 5)

Organization Information is very

organized with well-

constructed paragraphs

and subheadings. No

errors in typing and

grammar.

Information is organized

with well-constructed

paragraphs. Few errors

in typing and/or

grammar.

Information is

organized, but

paragraphs are not well

constructed. Some

errors in typing and/or

grammar.

The information

appears to be

disorganized.

Substantial errors in

typing and grammar

Introduction Well-reasoned argument

for choice made in

proposal.

Complete argument is

made for choice in

proposal.

Imbalanced argument

is made for choice in

proposal.

Lacks argument or

choice to support

decision.

Evidence Three distinct paragraphs

with clear, convincing

evidence to support

choice made with

references to documents

Three paragraphs with

evidence to support

choice with references

to documents.

Two paragraphs lacking

evidence to support

choice with some or

little references to

documents.

One to two paragraphs

lacks evidence and

coherency to support

choice with no

reference to

documents.

Conclusion Clear reference to

introduction, clear

human impact statement

and concluding remarks.

Reference to

introduction, mentions

an impact statement

and includes concluding

remarks.

Some reference to

introduction and

human impact. Lacks

clear concluding

remarks.

Minimal reference to

introduction and

human impact. Lacks

concluding remarks.

Presentation Clear, strong voice.

Makes eye contact. Able

to defend their decision.

Uses visuals to make their

decision clearer. All

participants are involved

and speak.

Voice can be heard.

Some eye contact. Able

to defend their decision.

All participants are

involved. Uses some

visuals to make

decisions clearer.

Somewhat difficult to

hear. Minimal eye

contact. Unsure in

answering questions

about decisions. Uses

minimal visuals.

Some participants are

more active.

Hard to hear. No eye

contact. Unable to

defend decision. Lacks

visuals. One or two

people dominate.

Date Created: Jul 17, 2014 11:08 am (CDT)

What's A Green Cell Phone?

A Document-based Case Study on Biorenewables

Matt Weiss, Roland-Story Middle School and Rachael Gannon, St. Edmond Middle School Summer 2014

INTRODUCTION You are about to begin an activity that is designed to measure your skills in critical thinking, reasoning, problem solving and written communication. In addition to these “think-like-a-scientist” skills, you will need to contribute to your group’s work, demonstrate effective presentation skills, and stay organized. You will be preparing a written response to a hypothetical, but realistic situation. This activity contains a series of documents that includes a range of informational resources. While your personal values and experiences are important, you should base your response on the evidence provided in these documents only.

SCENARIO You are a 6th grader at Ames Middle School, and have wanted a phone for quite awhile now. You ask your mother and father if they will pay half the cost of a new cell phone. You know your parents are very eco-friendly, and will want you to buy a phone that is environmentally conscious. You: Mom all my friends at school have really cool cell phones. When can I get one? Mom: I suppose it’s about time that you can have your own cell phone. My main concern is that you keep your grades up. Dad: Yes dear I agree. You are very busy and we need to know what you and your best friend Kimmy B. are up to. My colleagues and I at Green Peace were discussing this issue just the other night. We know that many cell phones are not environmentally friendly, and we were trying to decide which phones have the lowest carbon footprint. You: Which phones did you and your friends think were the best? Dad: Well, all of us at the meeting agreed that we should do some more research on our own before we discuss it at the next meeting. Maybe you can help us decide? The next day at school you and your friend Kimmy B. are visiting in Mr. Hall’s biorenewables class. Kimmy B: Look. I just got a new Iphone 5s! Jealous much? You: Whatevs Kimmy. My parents are going to buy me an even better phone. I am going to do some research and find out which phone is most eco-friendly.

QUESTION-PRODUCT Your parents have asked you to research cell phones that they have heard are eco-friendly. You have narrowed the search down to two models: IPhone 5s and the Samsung Galaxy Exhilarate. Each option has pros and cons, and it is up to you to figure out which one is the least harmful to the environment. Use the documents included in this packet to make your decision. When you have gathered your research, email or Facebook message your parents to explain the phone that is best for you. Make sure to cite specific information from the documents.

Document A

Cell phones are rated on a scale of 2 (most eco-friendly) to 5 (least ecofriendly),based on their use of recycled materials.

Source: modified from greenpeace.org

Exhilirate /Exhilirate

/Exhilirate Exhilirate

Document B

Source: mailinmobile.com blog

Document C

Source: techiefeast.com

Document D

facebook Home Profile Friends

Inbox (1) Settings Log out

Kimmy B: Plantin Stuff 5 minutes ago

Wall Info Photos +

Write a message to Kimmy B......

Hey Friends!

Just wanted to let everyone know i'm doing science research

with my new Iphone 5s! The camera is awesome!!!

If everyone had a cell phone like this, we could have the best

science project ever.

Posted by kimmyB 8/24/14

The Iphone 5s has one of the best environmental ratings. It

uses few toxic chemicals compared with other phones,

according to ifixit.com's research. I also bought a really cool

eco-friendly case to go with it!

Posted by kimmyB 8/22/14

Just upgraded to an Iphone 5s #ImSoFancy

Posted by kimmyB 8/19/14

Source: modified using a template of Facebook.com

Document E

Popularity of Cell Phone Brands in 2013

Source: http://tetheredworld.wordpress.com/key-findings/tracking-data-by-country/

Samsung Exhilirate /Samsung

Exhilirate

5s

Samsung Galaxy

Exhilirate

Iphone 5s

Teaching Notes for: Cell Phone Dilemma

Author(s):Rachael Gannon and Matt Weiss

Intended Audience:

X 5th

grade

X 6th

grade

X 7th

grade

X 8th

grade

X Earth Science

X General Science

X Environmental Science

Implementation Considerations and

Pre-Required Knowledge

Before beginning the task, the students should be familiar with …

-What it means to be eco-friendly

-Vocabulary terms: Carbon, Carbon Footprint, Recycling, Biorenewables, Bioplastics

-Familiarity with data analysis of charts, graphs, and tables

The task will prepare students for…

-Becoming socially conscious members of society

-Construct arguments that are supported by evidence

-Determining the accuracy of a variety of sources

Time Required

3 – 4 (45 minute) class periods in the middle of a biorenewables unit

Teaching Methods & Classroom

Procedures

What will the students be doing?

Working in groups of 2-4 students to analyze different data sources in order to make an

informed argument about which cell phone is more eco-friendly.

What will the teacher be doing?

The teacher will provide relevant information prior to the start of the DBCS. They

will also monitor the students and ask

How will this performance task look when being implemented?

Students will complete task prompts for each of the documents given. After each

prompt is completed, the groups will write down their opinions on the analysis prompts

sheet provided. Each group will send a facebook post or email to the teacher arguing

for a particular brand of cell phone.

Lesson Extension Activities

How might this performance task be modified for accelerated students? Struggling

learners?

Accelerated students could seek one or more relevant data sources to analyze and

include in their facebook message or email.

Struggling learners will be provided with teacher notes that have highlighted key data

points. They will have more support from the teacher during the activity.

Related Background Information and

Other Resources

www.plt.org

Project Learning Tree

www.eia.gov

U.S Energy Information Administration

Document Analysis Prompts

Document A Document B

Document C Document D

Strengths Weaknesses Strengths Weaknesses

Strengths Weaknesses Strengths Weaknesses

DBCS Scoring Guidelines

Underdeveloped 0 – 2 Satisfactory 3 – 4 Exceptional 5 - 6

Compare and

contrast data

from a variety of

sources

Student made one or

less connections

between the

documents

Student is able to

compare two or

more data sources

Student is able to

compare at least

four data sources

Constructed an

argument based

on data

Student cited less than

two pieces of relevant

data from the sources

given. The data did

not support their

argument.

Student cited more

than two pieces of

relevant data from

the sources given.

The data partially

supported their

argument.

Student cited more

than four pieces of

relevant data from

the sources given.

The data supported

their argument.

Authentic task The Facebook post or

email is unfocused and

displays no evidence

from the documents

given.

The Facebook post

or email is

reasonably focused

and mostly based

on evidence from

the documents

given.

The Facebook post

or email is focused

and integrates

examples with

explanations or

analysis.

Life Cycle Analysis:

Plastic vs Aluminum

Authors:

Sejla Mehovic & Michael Wintermote

Des Moines Public Schools

INTRODUCTION You are about to begin an activity that is designed to assess your critical thinking skills, problem solving and written communication. This activity will serve as the summative (final) assessment for the environment unit. This activity contains a series of documents that will help you make a logical choice about a real-life situation. You should evaluate the qualities of each document and decide what (if any) information is contains will help you determine the validity of the experiment. Your written proposal should be strictly based on the evidence provided in the documents.

SCENARIO You are serving as a representative for your schools’ student council. Your school has decided to go eco-friendly but can only choose a vending machine that user either plastic or aluminum but not both.

QUESTION-PRODUCT You will be given a task of deciding which type of vending machine will be put in your school. Your choices are a vending machine whose products are in strictly plastic bottles, or a vending machine whose products are strictly in aluminum cans. You will then submit a written proposal to your school principal outlining your decision and why.

The Inquirer DAILY NEWS

POSTED: July 23, 2012

Which is greener: Plastic bottles or aluminum cans?

Sandy Bauers

Hot enough out there? Bet you're thirsty. Once you choose what you want to drink, there's another big decision: What are you going to drink it from? The container — is a major part of your beverage footprint. Would that be your "drink print?"

I issued a challenge to two industries. "This is your moment," I said. "Tell me why your containers are more sustainable than the others."

So weight is where plastic bottles win out, said Dennis Sabourin, executive director of the National Association for PET Container Resources — PET (plastic resin polyethylene terephthalate). Check out the shapes, too. Many bottles are being made with shorter necks, because when shipping, you can get more bottles in a smaller space. If no additives are used, PET bottles can be recycled back into PET bottles, otherwise, they get "down cycled" into carpeting, clothing, and other fibers.

Steve Gardner, spokesman for the Aluminum Association said like plastic, aluminum cans are lightweight, so they have a smaller transportation footprint and because they stack tightly, there's less wasted space when they're shipped. Cans are endlessly recyclable, can into can into can. Plus, making a can from an old can instead of the raw material uses five percent of the energy and generates five percent of the emissions.

Both beverage manufacturers touted their products' recycling rates, as if it had to do with the product instead of user attitude. In the case of aluminum, there's something to that claim of superiority for recycling: As a commodity, aluminum brings a significantly higher price, so much of the cost of a recycling program is actually paid for by the cans. So perhaps not surprisingly, a lot of aluminum is recycled. Today's typical can contains 68 percent recycled content. You could also say aluminum helps reduce litter: It's valuable enough that someone inevitably picks it up. But the lining of aluminum cans contains bisphenol A.

Not to throw my hands up, but I really don't want to be a container cop here. Clearly, there's no one best choice for every person or every situation. But selection can reflect your personal concerns. Want to encourage more recycling? Go for the can that will help fund it. Distrust bisphenol A? Go for the bottle.

Whatever the container, the overriding message is to recycle it. Every industry has reams of data showing how much smaller its footprint is with greater recycling.

"GreenSpace" appears every other week, alternating with Art Carey's "Well Being" column. Contact staff writer Sandy Bauers at 215-854-5147, sbauers@phillynews.com, or @sbauers on Twitter. Visit her blog at www.philly.com/greenspace

DOCUMENT 1

Bottled Water and Energy Fact Sheet

Published: February 2007

The growing consumption of bottled water raises questions about the product’s economic and environmental costs. Among the most significant concerns are the resources required to produce the plastic bottles and to deliver filled bottles to consumers, including both energy and water.

The Pacific Institute estimates that in 2006:

Producing the bottles for American consumption required the equivalent of more than 17 million barrels of oil, not including the energy for transportation

Bottling water produced more than 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide It took 3 liters of water to produce 1 liter of bottled water

Total U.S. Consumption of Bottled Water in 2006: According to the Beverage Marketing Corporation, Americans bought a total of 31.2 billion liters of water in 2006, sold in bottles ranging from the 8-ounce aquapods popular in school lunches to the multi-gallon bottles found in family refrigerators and office water coolers. Most of this water was sold in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, requiring nearly 900,000 tons of the plastic. PET is produced from fossil fuels – typically natural gas and petroleum.

Energy Required to make PET Plastic: According to the plastics manufacturing industry, it takes around 3.4 megajoules of energy to make a typical one-liter plastic bottle, cap, and packaging. Making enough plastic to bottle 31.2 billion liters of water required more than 106 billion megajoules of energy. Because a barrel of oil contains around 6 thousand megajoules, the Pacific Institute estimates that the equivalent of more than 17 million barrels of oil were needed to produce these plastic bottles.

Transporting and Recycling Bottled Water: More energy is needed to fill the bottles with water at the factory, move it by truck, train, ship, or air freight to the user, cool it in grocery stores or home refrigerators, and recover, recycle, or throw away the empty bottles. The Pacific Institute estimates that the total amount of energy embedded in our use of bottled water can be as high as the equivalent of filling a plastic bottle one quarter full with oil.

Beverage Marketing Corporation estimate for 2006. Plastics Europe. http://lca.plasticseurope.org/petb5.htmI. Bousted. 2005. Eco-profiles of the European Plastics Industry: Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), (Bottle grade)

DOCUMENT 2

New Study Gives "Green" Light to PET Bottles over Glass or Aluminum

Better Environmental Footprint

New York, NY (April 6, 2010)-- A newly released life-cycle inventory of single-serving soda containers concludes that PET plastic bottles offer a better environmental footprint than aluminum cans or glass bottles by using less energy, generating less solid waste, and creating significantly fewer greenhouse gases. The cradle-to-grave study, conducted by Franklin Associates for the PET Resin Association (PETRA), compared total energy, solid waste and greenhouse gas emissions per 100,000 ounces of soft drinks packaged in typical 20-oz PET bottles, 8-oz glass bottles, or 12-oz aluminum cans. The PET bottles showed appreciably lower numbers across the board. Most notable were the lower greenhouse gas emissions for the PET bottles, which registered 59% less than aluminum and 77% less than glass. Franklin calculated the greenhouse gas emissions for the PET bottles at 1,125 pounds of carbon dioxide equivalents, compared to 2,766 lbs for aluminum and 4,949 lbs for glass.

The report is available on the PETRA website at http://www.petresin.org/news.asp.

PETRA (PET Resin Association) is the trade association of North American producers of PET resin, the polyester polymer used for packaging food and beverages, pharmaceuticals and a wide range of consumer products. PETRA is dedicated to promoting the

benefits and value of PET resin, providing accurate technical and scientific information about PET, and serving as the industry's resource clearinghouse.

© Copyright 2014 PET Resin Association PETRA * 355 Lexington Ave., 15th Floor; New York, NY 10017

DOCUMENT 3

How much energy does it take (on average) to produce 1 kilogram of the following materials?

Wood (from standing timber): 3-7MJ (830 to 1,950 watt-hours).

Steel (from recycled steel): 6-15MJ (1,665 to 4,170 watt-hours).

Aluminum (from 100 % recycled aluminum): 11.35-17MJ (3,150 to 4,750 watt-hours)

Iron (from iron ore): 20-25MJ (5,550 to 6,950 watt-hours)

Glass (from sand, etcetera): 18-35MJ (5,000 to 9,700 watt-hours)

Steel (from iron): 20-50MJ (5,550 to 13,900 watt-hours)

Paper (from standing timber): 25-50MJ (6,950 to 13,900 watt-hours)

Plastics (from crude oil): 62-108MJ (17,200 to 31,950 watt-hours)

Copper (from sulfide ore): 60-125MJ (16,600 to 34,700 watt-hours)

Aluminum (from a typical mix of 80% virgin and 20% recycled aluminum): 219 MJ (60,800 watt-hours)

Silicon (from silica): 230-235MJ (63,900 to 65,300 watt-hours)

Nickel (from ore concentrate): 230-270MJ (63,900 to 75,000 watt-hours)

Aluminum (from bauxite): 227-342MJ (63,000 to 95,000 watt-hours)

Titanium (from ore concentrate): 900-940MJ (250,000 to 261,000 watt-hours)

Electronic Grade Silicon (CVD process): 7,590-7,755MJ (2,108,700 to 2,154,900 watt-hours).

DOCUMENT 4

Teaching Notes for: Sustainability of Plastic vs Aluminum

Author(s): SejlaM & MikeW

Intended Audience

Check all that apply…

X 7th grade

X 8th grade

X general audience

Check all that apply…

X general science biology

earth science chemistry

physics/phys sci biotechnology

X environmental science

Implementation

Considerations and Pre-

Required Knowledge

Before beginning the task, the students should be familiar with…

How the carbon cycle works and how energy moves through an ecosystem.

The task will prepare students…

This will prepare student for real world issues using critical thinking skills.

Time Required

One week

Teaching Methods &

Classroom Procedures

What will the students be doing?

Looking at a case study composed of several different documents. They will decide on the validity of

the data contained in the documents. Students will then write a proposal to a principal for deciding on

which type of product their school will use in a vending machine, plastic or aluminum.

What will the teacher be doing?

Teacher will be supervising the class, making sure the students are on task, and answering any

questions. Teacher will also guide students to use their critical thinking skills to assess the validity of

the documents.

How will this performance task look when being implemented?

Students will be assigned groups, and given the criteria for the final product. Teacher will guide the

students towards the final product as necessary.

Lesson Extension

Activities

How might this performance task be modified for accelerated students? Struggling learners?

Accelerated students will search the interned for appropriate documents.

Struggling learners they will be given shortened documents containing just the necessary data for

making their decisions. Alternatively they will be in a group that will be guided by the teacher

Related Background

Information and Other

Resources

Have a good understanding of the carbon cycle and how energy flows through the environment.

Students should be able identify what constitutes as a valid source and what is a biased source.

Guided Questions DOCUMENT 1: 1. What is the source of this document? 2. When was this document published and who is the author? 3. How is this document relevant to this case study? 4. What are/is the main idea(s) of this document? DOCUMENT 2: 1. What is the source of this document? 2. When was this document published and who is the author? 3. How is this document relevant to this case study? 4. What are/is the main idea(s) of this document? DOCUMENT 3: 1. What is the source of this document? 2. When was this document published and who is the author? 3. What information could you obtain from this data table that supports the case study? 4. How is this document relevant to this case study? 5. What are/is the main idea(s) of this document? DOCUMENT 4: 1. What is the source of this document? 2. When was this document published and who is the author? 3. How is this document relevant to this case study? 4. What are/is the main idea(s) of this document?

Check List _____ Did you analyze all four documents presented to you? _____ Did you answer all questions regarding each document? _____ Did you make a decision between plastic or aluminum based on the evidence provided to you through this case study? _____ Did you create your proposal? _____ Is your team ready to present your proposal?