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grade level: K-2
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curriculum standards:
14
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posted on: October 20, 2000![]()
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This lesson provides you with the resources that you will need to teach this lesson. We have also provided a link for your students to follow this lesson online. The link below contains only the information your students need:
Key Economic Concepts:
Take a look at how inventions, such as plastic, have changed our lives and how they are changing the future of living in space. Students explore the concept of invention and innovation by studying the use of plastics. Various uses of plastics are discussed and students are asked to list new innovations and then create a new use for plastic.
Students will:
Prior to the lesson, allow the children to access the images found at www.mountaindewbottles.com/1.2.3/1.2.3.html [1] . Ask them to consider the following questions:
At the beginning of the lesson, ask the children to give their answers to the questions listed above. State it wasn't for some time after the plastic used to make soda bottles was invented that it was actually used to make bottles [Polyethylene was invented in the 1930s but plastic soda bottles did not become widely available until the 1970s.] Why was this so? [Even though plastic was available, someone had to develop the innovative idea of using plastic to make bottles. A process for making plastic into soda bottles had to be developed. Manufacturers had to invest in the equipment needed to make plastic soda bottles. Customers had to be convinced to buy plastic soda bottles. In other words, entrepreneurship was needed in order to bring about the production and use of plastic bottles.]
Ask the children to name other products that are now made using plastic. [For example, plastic bags, plastic toys, plastic containers.]
Explain that the class is now going to have a glimpse at how plastics might be used in the future. Explain that they are going to look at a special sort of space home that astronauts might use when visiting the moon or, one day, even Mars. Plastics have been used to make the space home. It is called the Transhab capsule.
Access a drawing of the capsule at:
www.spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/mars/marsbases/ndxpage1.html
[2]
and examine the images together.
This page shows a cutaway of the inside of the capsule: www.spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/mars/lunarbases/html/s89_20084.html [3] . Further down the page is a photo showing a test inflation of the Transhab capsule in a swimming pool. Divide the class into pair or small group and then ask them to access the photos found at: www.spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/mars/lunarbases/ndxpage1.html [4] . Ask the following questions:
Expect a wide variety of responses to these questions. Allow the children time to share and discuss their answers. Explain to the students that entrepreneurs create new innovations all of the time. In small groups, have students list at least 10 innovations which did not exist 10 years ago.
Ask the children to create a new product using plastic. Ask them to draw a picture of their idea. Allow them to share their ideas with the rest of the class.
Links Used:
1. ^ ^ "www.mountaindewbottles.com/1.2.3/1.2.3.html" - (www.mountaindewbottles.com)
2. ^ ^ "www.spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/mars/marsbases/ndxpage1.html" - (www.spaceflight.nasa.gov)
3. ^ ^ "www.spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/mars/lunarbases/html/s89_20084.html" - (www.spaceflight.nasa.gov)
4. ^ "www.spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/mars/lunarbases/ndxpage1.html" - (www.spaceflight.nasa.gov)
5. ^ "http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/mars/lunarbases/ndxpage1.html" - (spaceflight.nasa.gov)
6. ^ ^ "www.americanchemistry.com/s_plastics/index.asp" - (www.americanchemistry.com)
7. ^ ^ "www.nationalgeographic.com/resources/ngo/education/plastics/index.html" - (www.nationalgeographic.com)
8. ^ ^ "www.pslc.ws/mactest/index.htm" - (www.pslc.ws)
9. ^ ^ "www.invent.org/hall_of_fame/1_1_search.asp" - (www.invent.org)
10. ^ ^ "http://web.mit.edu/afs/athena.mit.edu/org/i/invent/" - (web.mit.edu)
11. ^ ^ "www.invent.org/index.asp" - (www.invent.org)
12. ^ "www.inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aa980304.htm" - (www.inventors.about.com)
13. ^ ^ "www.noogenesis.com/inventing/pencil/pencil_page.html" - (www.noogenesis.com)
14. ^ "http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aa980304.htm" - (inventors.about.com)
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