Hands-on Activity Engineering a Sapling Guard Using Recycled Materials

Learning Objectives

After this activity, students should be able to:

• Understand and use the engineering design process.
• Have a basic knowledge of a region’s ecology as it pertains to fruiting trees and threats to fruiting trees.
• Develop a relevant and appropriate solution to reduce sapling mortality.
• Communicate findings and work collaboratively.

Educational Standards

Each TeachEngineering lesson or activity is correlated to one or more K-12 science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) educational standards.

All 100,000+ K-12 STEM standards covered in TeachEngineering are collected, maintained and packaged by the Achievement Standards Network (ASN), a project of D2L (www.achievementstandards.org).

In the ASN, standards are hierarchically structured: first by source; e.g., by state; within source by type; e.g., science or mathematics; within type by subtype, then by grade, etc.

NGSS: Next Generation Science Standards - Science

Materials List

Each group needs:

• 1 tablet / laptop / computer to conduct online research
• 1 research or lab notebook
• 1 Research and Design Worksheet per student

Project materials *Must use at least one of each material*

• plastic grocery bags, 10 per group*
• 2-liter plastic bottles, 2 per group*
• 20-ounce plastic bottles, 5 per group*
• straws, 10 per group*
• rubber bands, 5 per group*
• used plastic ink pen (ink cartridge removed) - 2 per group*

*Materials may be interchanged with more readily available recyclable materials in the event one/some of the above materials are unavailable, AS LONG AS ALL GROUPS BEGIN WITH THE SAME MATERIALS.

For the entire class to share (construction tools):

• scissors
• snips or diagonal cutters
• markers (for marking objects/cuts)
• hard ruler and fabric ruler
• duct tape or masking tape

*Any additional construction tool should be something commonly available around the world that is simple and does not require power or skill to use—no hot glue guns, heat guns, power saws, etc.

• sticky notes

For the teacher:

• a tablet/laptop/computer with projector to show videos to the class

Worksheets and Attachments

Pre-Req Knowledge

• Students should understand the basic requirements for plant growth—light, air, water, nutrients, temperature, and space.
• Students should be familiar with plastic waste and sustainable reuses of plastic.
• Students should be familiar with the steps of the engineering design process.

Introduction/Motivation

Hungry? In much of the world, the simple solution is to travel down the street to the local corner store or supermarket and buy food to eat. This is often a convenient, reliable, and easy experience. Hunger satisfied! However, in some places around the world, the experience is quite different. In fact, there are still places where families grow their own food to survive. This is called subsistence farming.

Subsistence farming is characterized by farmers growing just enough food to sustain their families. Any surplus of (extra) food from these farms is then sold or traded to improve their lives. As such, any damage to or loss of crops in subsistence farming communities can be catastrophic, leading to loss of livelihood, malnutrition, or worse, starvation. Unfortunately, many areas where subsistence farming persists are also more susceptible to the effects of climate change, such as droughts or flooding, and are more prone to lose crops to pests or animals such as deer and elephants. Thus, it is critical for these farms to take measures to prevent crop loss to protect the health and well-being of their families.

Today you will become engineers whose goal is to research, plan, design, build, test, and improve a mitigation structure/device for fruiting trees/plants in their early stages of growth (sapling) to prevent crop loss. Each group will be assigned a different region in the world to research the trees, environmental conditions, causes of crop or tree loss, and available reusable materials. You will then engineer a structure to improve the safety of the saplings while also maintaining the conditions necessary for plant growth. Additionally, all structures/devices for this project will be constructed from the six most common types of single-use plastic waste identified by the United Nations Environmental Program. By reclaiming plastic waste to use as construction material, cost is eliminated while also removing waste from the environment that significantly contributes to climate change. 

Procedure

Background

Trees are critical because they furnish us with two of life’s essentials: food and oxygen. They also help provide necessities such as shelter, medicine, and tools. Their value continues to increase today, with more benefits of trees being discovered as their role expands to satisfy the needs created by our modern lifestyles.

Trees contribute to their environment by providing oxygen, improving air quality, providing shade and cooling, conserving water, preserving soil, and supporting wildlife. During the process of photosynthesis, trees take in carbon dioxide and produce the oxygen we breathe. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, “One acre of forest absorbs six tons of carbon dioxide and puts out four tons of oxygen. This is enough to meet the annual needs of 18 people.” Trees, shrubs, and turf also filter air by removing dust and absorbing other pollutants such as carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide. After trees intercept unhealthy particles, rain washes them to the ground.

Trees control climate by moderating the effects of the sun, rain, and wind. Leaves absorb and filter the sun’s radiant energy, keeping things cool in summer. Trees also preserve warmth by providing a screen from harsh wind. In addition to influencing wind speed and direction, they shield us from rain, sleet, and hail. Trees also lower the air temperature and reduce the heat intensity of the greenhouse effect by maintaining low levels of carbon dioxide.

Both above and below ground, trees are essential to the ecosystems in which they reside. Far-reaching roots hold soil in place and fight erosion. Trees absorb and store rainwater, reducing runoff and sediment deposit after storms. This helps the groundwater supply recharge, prevents the transport of chemicals into streams, and prevents flooding. Fallen leaves make excellent compost that enriches soil.

Many animals, including elephants, koalas, and giraffes, eat leaves for nourishment. Flowers are eaten by monkeys, and nectar is a favorite of birds, bats, and many insects. Animals also eat much of the same fruit that we enjoy. This process helps disperse seeds over great distances. Of course, hundreds of living creatures call trees their home. Leaf-covered branches keep many animals, such as birds and squirrels, out of the reach of predators.

Trees have supported and sustained life throughout our existence. They have a wide variety of practical and commercial uses. Wood was the very first fuel, and it is still used for cooking and heating by about half the world’s population. Trees provide timber for building construction, furniture manufacture, tools, sporting equipment, and thousands of household items. Wood pulp is used to make paper.

We are all aware of apples, oranges, and the countless other fruits and nuts provided by trees, as well as the tasty syrup of North American sugar maples. But did you know the bark of some trees can be made into cork and is a source of chemicals and medicines? Quinine and aspirin are both made from bark extracts. The inner bark of some trees contains latex, the main ingredient of rubber.

Before the Activity

• Pair students together.
• Assign each pair an area/region to research.
• Regions to pick from include:
• Karnataka, India
• Ladakh, India
• Cairo, Egypt
• Chilumba, Malawi
• Oslo, Norway
• Santiago, Chile
• Quito, Ecuador
• Auckland, New Zealand
• Augsburg, Germany
• Athens, Greece
• Manila, Philippines
• Dublin, Ireland
• Nice, France
• Rabat, Morocco

(Feel free to include your own if you prefer, but try to expose students to international locations to expand their global knowledge.)

• Collect all materials necessary for the activity.

With the Students

Part 1: Research (45 minutes)

1. Read through the Introduction / Motivation section.
2. To build interest, show students the following videos:

• Pest problems in India (3:20 minutes): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRhSwhLWUf0
• Effects of climate change on ecosystems (3:04 minutes): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4H1N_yXBiA

3. Have students share what they saw/learned in the videos. Did they learn something new? Was anything surprising?
4. Provide one Research and Design Worksheet to each student, or students can use their personal lab notebooks.
5. Have students read the following in their groups or on their own:

• Basic requirements for plant growth—light, air, water, nutrients, correct temperature, and space: https://gardens.duke.edu/sites/default/files/What_do_plants_need-2.pdf
• Plastic waste and sustainable reuses: https://www.unep.org/interactives/beat-plastic-pollution
• Sustainable development goals: https://en.unesco.org/themes/education/sdgs/material

6. Give students time to research their assigned area/region. (Or assign as homework.)
7. Have students research the following for their assigned region:  

• Identify 3-5 trees or crops that people in the area rely on for food, shelter, livelihood, etc.
• Gather pictures of the 3-5 trees as saplings.
• Research various pests and/or environmental threats to these saplings.
• Research 2-4 examples of commercially available sapling protection, along with cost and disposal methods.
• Research reusable materials available in the assigned area.

8. Have students make a data sheet with the information they gathered.
9. Give students 10 minutes to either (a) share their data sheet with class in the form of a gallery walk or (b) to share their datasheet in small groups.

Part 2: Brainstorm and Design (15 minutes)

1. Based on their research, have each pair choose which tree or crop sapling they will be protecting.
2. In their Research and Design Worksheet or their personal lab notebooks, have students record the tree or crop they will design for, and the threat from which they will be protecting their tree or crop.
3. Give students 5 minutes to individually sketch a prototype for their chosen tree or crop sapling. They should label the parts and identify what materials will be used in the design.
4. Distribute the available construction materials to each pair.
5. Allow students to analyze materials and record data in their engineering/science notebooks. This data can include dimensions, weights, materials, etc.
6. Give groups 10 minutes to share their individual sketches with each other and then come up with a design they agree to build. They should sketch this group design in their Research and Design Worksheet or their personal lab notebooks. They should label the parts and identify what materials they will use in their design.
7. Verify that everyone has their design sketches recorded in the Research and Design Worksheet or lab notebooks prior to moving on.

Part 3: Build (30 minutes)

1. Show students the construction tools and go over safety considerations.
2. Give students 20 minutes for the building process.

• Remind students that any changes to their design should be annotated in their notebooks, along with reasoning for the changes.
• Students should also attempt to keep their efforts private and not share what they are doing with others.

Part 4: Test / Feedback (15 minutes)

1. Upon completion of the build, have students display their prototypes for a gallery walk.
2. Give students sticky notes and allow them 10 minutes to walk around and view each group’s prototype. Students should leave feedback on a sticky note for each group’s prototype. Feedback can include things that work, things that can be improved, suggested improvements, etc.
3. Students should also record at least one idea from another team’s prototype that they want to incorporate into their prototype.
4. Students should write down the changes they want to make to their prototype in the Research and Design Worksheet or their lab notebooks.

Part 5: Improve and Present (15 minutes)

1. Give students 15 minutes to incorporate the ideas into their prototype.
2. Have students write down their changes in their lab notebooks.
3. Have students refer to the Sapling Protection Rubric for final grading.
4. Have students display their prototypes in a mockup fashion to simulate actual use for final grading.

Part 6: Reflection (15 minutes)

1. Have students fill out the Sapling Protection Debrief Worksheet.

Vocabulary/Definitions

climate change: Long-term shifts in temperature and weather patterns due to both natural and human causes.

mitigation: The action of reducing the severity, seriousness, or painfulness of something.

prototype: A first, typical, or preliminary model of something from which other forms are developed or copied.

single-use plastic: Plastics that are designed to be used once and then discarded or recycled, such as food packaging or plastic bottles.

subsistence: The action or fact of maintaining and supporting oneself at a minimum level.

sustainability: Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations’ ability to meet their own needs. (United Nations)

Assessment

Pre-Activity Assessment

Evaluate students’ ability to research trees in their assigned locality. Ask them questions like “What similarities/differences did you notice between your assigned area and where you currently live?” Also, encourage them to look at the monetary value of cash crop fruits, such as by asking “How much are mangoes in Karnataka, India, versus in the United States?” Evaluate students’ research documentation in their engineering/science notebook (or looseleaf paper in a folder) or Research and Design Worksheet.

Activity Embedded (Formative) Assessment

Evaluate students’ project documentation in their engineering/science notebook (or looseleaf paper in a folder) or Research and Design Worksheet. Were changes/deviations documented? Are there prototype drawings with clarifying annotations? Does each group have a sticky note denoting the benchmarking phase? Also, uphold any standards you may have with engineering/science notebooks.

Post-Activity (Summative) Assessment

Does the final project have at least one of each provided material component incorporated? Can students justify/describe their benchmarking idea? Does the finished project have the fit, form, and function of their intended goal? Did both team members contribute in an equal/equitable fashion? Have students complete the Sapling Protection Debrief Worksheet and allow time for sharing thoughts with the class.

Investigating Questions

How can we protect sapling trees from environmental conditions in a sustainable manner with common, recyclable resources?

Safety Issues

• Ensure hand/skin safety when cutting plastic.
• Use eye protection when cutting with snips/diagonal cutters.

Activity Scaling

• How can students scale this up with regard to design for manufacturing, i.e., design for a standard, repeatable process with step-by-step instructions?
• Contact a local nursery, arborist, college, or government representative to speak to the class and provide feedback on projects.
• Watch the Story of Stuff and tie concepts from it to this project. How does reusing products disrupt the consumption cycle?
• Which SDGs does this project touch, and how? https://en.unesco.org/themes/education/sdgs/material

Additional Multimedia Support

• Pest problems in India: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRhSwhLWUf0
• Basic requirements for plant growth—light, air, water, nutrients, correct temperature and space: https://gardens.duke.edu/sites/default/files/What_do_plants_need-2.pdf
• Plastic waste and sustainable reuses: https://www.unep.org/interactives/beat-plastic-pollution
• Effects of climate change on ecosystems: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4H1N_yXBiA
• Sustainable development goals: https://en.unesco.org/themes/education/sdgs/material

References

Copyright

Contributors

Supporting Program

Acknowledgements

This curriculum was developed under National Science Foundation RET grant numbers 1855231/1855239.  Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.