Introduction to HOP 2 Middle School Science Lesson Plan

Hands on Plastics™: A Scientific Investigation Kit, Second Edition
Sponsored by
National Middle Level Science Teachers’ Association
and the
American Chemistry Council

Purpose and Objectives
National Science Education Standard
Contents of the HOP 2 Kit
Suggested timeline
Safety
HOP2 Contributors
The Learning Cycle: A Model of Learning

Purpose and Objectives:

The American Chemistry Council (ACC) and the National Middle Level Science Teachers’ Association (NMLSTA) have produced a new kit called HOP 2. It contains six recycled plastic resins, a labeled recycled plastic lumber sample, Learning Cycle lesson plans, and background information on a CD ROM. This kit is intended for middle level students to learn about plastics while in the classroom and at home. It is estimated that the entire use of the kit will take approximately twelve class periods. The Learning Cycle can be completed in six periods without using the optional activity or the five extensions. The module is designed with teacher notes preceding the student activity sheets for all parts of the Learning Cycle. Teachers are given permission to reproduce any of this material for classroom use.

The teacher’s appendix in this kit contains background information on plastics and polymers. It is not intended that students learn this material. However, students may become interested in this technology and want more information quickly. It takes time to dig into the literature of the chemical industry to answer some very basic questions posed by middle level students. This background information gives a teacher quick access to plastic information.

National Science Education Standards:

The National Science Education Standards (NSES) (National Research Council, 1996)
Encourages that “teachers of science plan an inquiry-based science program for their students.” Further, this document suggests that teachers “select science content and adapt and design curricula to meet the interests, knowledge, understanding, abilities, and experiences of students.”

HOP 2 addresses the following National Science Education Standards for Grades 5-8.

Content Standard A: Science as Inquiry
- Abilities to do scientific inquiry
- Understandings about scientific inquiry
Content Standard B: Physical Science
- Properties and changes of properties in matter
Content Standard E: Science and Technology
- Understandings about science and technology
Content Standard F: Science in Personal and Social Perspectives
- Risks and benefits
- Science and technology in society
Content Standard G: History and Nature of Science
- Science as a human endeavor
- Nature of science
- History of science
Assessment Standard A: Assessments are consistent with the decisions they are designed to inform.
- Assessments are deliberately designed
- Assessments have explicitly stated purposes
- Assessment procedures are internally consistent
Assessment Standard B: Achievement and opportunity to learn science must be assessed.
Assessment Standard C: Assessments tasks are authentic
Assessment Standard D: Assessment practices must be fair

Contents of the HOP 2 Kit:

Six labeled recycled plastic pellet resins
One labeled product of recycled plastic lumber
One preform for a plastic bottle
One CD containing HOP 2, HOP First Edition activities, and Industrial Testing activities

Suggested timeline:

Day One: HOP Stop Deli (optional)
Day Two: Can You Classify Plastic Containers?
Day Three: Can You Find the Floaters and Sinkers?
Day Four: Why Do They Float and Sink?
Day Five: How Do You Calculate the Density of a Bowling Ball? (optional)
Day Six: How Can You Identify the Kind of Plastic in Your Groups’ Containers from
Activity Two?
Day Seven: Can You Use Your Procedure to Identify the Plastics?
Days Eight through Twelve: Extensions

Special Thanks to Equistar
A special thanks goes to Amy Weiskittel and Lyondell/Equistar for bringing all the participants together and making available the facilities and resource staff to answer our questions. Portions of this publication were reproduced with permission of Lyondell/Equistar, Cincinnati, Ohio.

SAFETY
The Hands On Plastics™ kits contain information about demonstration experiments, which are potentially dangerous. This information is directed at qualified teachers. Experiments suggested in this kit should only be performed with appropriate supervision.

NMLSTA Contributors for the original HOP Kit:

Mary Harris, St. Louis, Missouri, Chairperson
Denis Fitzgerald, Roscommon, Michigan
Susan Knorr, Quincy, Illinois
Dr. Harold H. Harris, St. Louis, Missouri
Faimon Roberts, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Dr. Melanie Stewart, Brookfield, Wisconsin
Dwight Sieggreen, Northville, Michigan

NMLSTA Contributors for the HOP 2 Kit:

Mary Harris, John Burroughs School, St. Louis, Missouri, Chairperson
Joan W. Hall, Science Consultant, Cincinnati, Ohio
Dr. Harold H. Harris, University of Missouri-St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
Rebecca H. Knipp, Sunman-Dearborn Community Schools, West Harrison, Indiana

NMLSTA Reviewers for the HOP 2 Kit:

Wayne Goates, Eisenhower Middle School, Goddard, Kansas
Dr. Melanie Stewart, The School District of Elmbrook, Brookfield, Wisconsin
Sandra Van Natta, Miami University of Ohio, Middletown, Ohio

ACC gratefully acknowledges the contributions of the Akron Public Schools for development of early HOP curriculum materials.

The Learning Cycle: A Model of Learning

Engage
Its purpose is to initiate the learning task by making connections between past and present learning experiences and mentally engaging students in the concept process or skills to be explored.

Explore
The purpose is to provide a common base of experience within which students identify and develop current concepts, processes or skills. Students use active learning to manipulate materials or explore the environment.

Explain
The purpose is to provide opportunities for learners to develop explanations of concepts that they have been exploring. Students use active learning to manipulate material or explore the environment.

Elaborate
Students develop deeper and broader conceptual understanding and practice applying newly acquired skills and behavior.

Evaluate
This is the time to assess the students’ understanding and abilities and provide teachers with a tool for evaluation. Students are provided with opportunities for self-assessment throughout the Learning Cycle.

Printed with permission from Carol Collins: K-12 Science Consultant for the Hamilton County Education Service Center (HCESC), Cincinnati, Ohio. Adapted from BSCS and Trowbridge & Bybee, 1990.

A special thanks to Amy Weiskittel, Chemist at Lyondell/Equistar and site coordinator for the Explore and Experiment program