NSES

The National Science Education Standards (NSES) (National Research Council, 1996) encouraged that "teachers of science plan an inquiry-based science program for their students." Further, the Science Teaching Standard suggested that teachers "select science content and adapt and design curricula to meet the interests, knowledge, understanding, abilities, and experiences of students."
Properly utilizing the Hands on Plastics™ : A Scientific Investigation Kit web site and corresponding sample kit can meet both of these recommendations. Not only are the activities contained in the curriculum inquiry-based, they also investigate a material that is common to all students' everyday lives: plastics. The kit is designed to help middle level science classes explore the world of plastics, and covers topics including chemical structures, physical and chemical properties, identification codes, different forms of plastics, and recycling.

By completing some of the activities showcased on this site with your class, a variety of Content Standard A criteria for Grades 5-8 can be met. These standards include helping students to develop the abilities necessary to perform scientific inquiry; understanding of scientific inquiry; and understanding of properties and changes of properties in matter.

By completing the Industrial Testing Activities available on this site, students can meet some of the Science and Technology (Content Standard E) requirements for grades 5-8, including developing abilities of technological design; understanding about science and technology; problem solving; and developing a product.

Further, NSES suggested in the Science in Personal and Societal Perspectives (Content Standard F), that as a result of activities in grades 5-8 all students should develop an understanding of populations, resources, and environments; risks and benefits; and science and technology in society. To help you fulfill some of these requirements, we have created an extensive links area that explores some of these issues. Through a variety of topic-based links, you and your students can learn about the environmental, economic, health, and safety benefits of plastics.

Finally, the History and Nature of Science (Content Standard G) for grades 5-8 proposes that students develop an understanding of the history and nature of science, along with the notion of science as a human endeavor. The resources necessary for helping your students grasp these concepts can be found in the Background Information for Teachers and Background Information for Students portions of this site.

Realizing the many demands placed on educators to meet a variety of criteria, we hope that this information makes your job easier. Please be sure to visit all sections of our site, to get a sense of the background and instructional materials that can make doing the recommended activities with your class fun and educational. We welcome your thoughts and comments, and hope that you will take a moment to register with our listserv, so that we can keep you apprised of new content such as additional activities, ideas from fellow educators, and innovations in the world of plastics as they become available.