Category Archives: Learning

We Make Our Own Recycled Paper

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Factors such as increasing environmental degradation, population growth, production and consumption activities, and deforestation in recent years have brought global climate change to the agenda of the whole world. In order to limit global climate change, the idea of sustainable development has been put forward. With sustainable development , it is aimed to use the current resources of the world by taking into account the needs of future generations and to ensure the sustainability of life on earth. One of the fields that will contribute to sustainable development is recycling. Recycling reduces the use of natural resources and saves energy. In this activity, it is aimed that students distinguish recyclable materials, realize the environmental and economic benefits of recycling, and develop critical thinking, analytical thinking and problem solving skills. The starting point of our activity is to raise awareness so that students throw their papers in the recycling bins instead of throwing them away at school . For this purpose, the students collected their own waste paper and recycled paper was made in the laboratory.

Duration: 120 minutes

Age: 13-14 years

Lesson Event

At the beginning of the lesson, the students were shown the recycling symbol via the smart board, and their attention was drawn to the subject by asking what this symbol means. Students have previously used this symbol in textbooks, internet, TV, newspaper, magazine, etc. they easily answered “recycle” as you might have seen it in the sources. Short-term brainstorming was done by asking the students on which products this symbol is used and why it is important.

A classroom discussion was held by asking the students about the environmental benefits of recycling. The discussion then continued about the economic benefits of recycling.

  • air pollution at the rate of 74-94%
  • water pollution at the rate of 35%
  • water use is 45%

They were reminded of the information that 1 ton of waste paper prevents 17 trees from being cut down.

At this stage, the students were asked how the paper recycling process could be simple. We focused on what stages the paper goes through during recycling. A classroom discussion was held about how we can make our own paper from used waste paper. Then, together with the students, we moved on to the paper making activity, which was prepared one day in advance.

Activity

Materials:

  • Wooden frame (an old photo frame)
  • A net with fine holes (insect screen)
  • Large basin
  • Blender
  • Sponge
  • Cloth (an old towel)

Preliminary Preparation of the Event:

One week before this lesson, students are given home-use tests, homework, etc. I told them to bring the photocopy papers to school. The day before the lesson, we cut the used papers into small pieces with the students and put them in a bucket full of water and wet them. This process allowed the papers to soak in water for a day and soften.

Making the Activity:

1. We stretched and glued the fine mesh wire inside the photo frame.

2. We shredded the pieces of paper we had soaked the day before with a blender and turned them into pulp.

3. We mixed the pulp by throwing it into a basin full of water.

4. We dipped the wire frame into the pulp bowl and let the pulp accumulate on the frame.

5. We took the frame out of the basin and kept it on an old towel.

6. We pressed a sponge on the frame so that it absorbed the excess water in the dough.

7. We let our paper dry for two days, then our recycled paper was ready.

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Result

The students were asked how the properties of recycled papers such as durability, flexibility, writing and drawing are like. At this stage, I asked the students to examine the paper. It was reminded that the recycling process of paper in paper recycling factories is similar to the experiment. Students are made to realize that waste paper is not garbage, but is a raw material for making new paper. Awareness is created by asking students how much waste paper is thrown into the paper collection boxes at school and how much is thrown into the trash cans.

THE WORLD IS OUR CANVAS

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To comprehend and apply STEM principles in making and utilizing wall paints. Students explore the history of paints and the type of paint used in their homes and the reason for using it. They measure the length, breadth and height of their classroom in group and home living room [individual] and determine the amount of paint they would require for 2 coats. They will decide upon the choice and colour for the walls and ceilings and share their scientific and aesthetic reasons for the same.

Structure of the Lesson

Introduction of the Lesson

Teacher asks students to study the class walls and share their knowledge on the type of wall
paint used and how it was manufactured.
Teacher shares the following links with students to understand the history of paints.
https://www.earthdate.org/colorful-history-of-paint
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Domenico-Ghirlandaio
https://lobopopart.com.br/en/the-history-of-painting/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OLaNtKoJFk&t=72s

Tasks designed for the students [Individual]

Teachers asks students to research on the wall paints used in their own home and share the following:

1. Type of paint used:

2. Gallons of paint used:

3. Cost of painting:

4. Properties of the paint used in their homes

5. Living Room dimensions in terms of length, breadth and height

Students present their findings to their peers through peer –peer interaction.
Teachers with students create a bar chart to know the various types of paints used by students in their home and the frequency. Students will analyze the findings.

Group Tasks for students

Students are divided into groups of 5 and they are asked to research on the varieties of paints available in the market and share the composition, utilities and process of making and present their findings through a table or presentation with pictures.
Resource: https://www.nerolac.com/blog/types-of-wall-paint-and-finishes
https://www.asianpaints.com/products/paints-and-textures/interior-walls/plain-finishes.html
https://www.ny-engineers.com/blog/types-of-paint-used-in-construction
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lykiE7UJ01o – A walk through the paint making process
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f39o4EVqx9U

Type of paintCompositionUtility [Where is it used]Cost of the paintAdvantage of the paintProcess of making
      
      

Students explore ways to paint a wall

Students will study how to paint a wall.

https://www.lceted.com/2020/02/the-standard-procedure-for-painting.html

https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/how-to-paint-a-room-10-steps

Class Assignment – House projects/Group

Students will now measure the length, breadth and height of their classroom in group/home living room [individual] and determine the amount of paint they would require for 2 coats. They present their mathematical evaluations to the peer groups and the teacher supports them to arrive at approximations.

Students will decide upon the choice of paint and the colour for the walls and ceilings and share their scientific and aesthetic reasons for the same.

Assessment

Teachers will design a rubric to evaluate their tasks. Students will solve the quiz on paints and write a 100 words reflection report on the experience.

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=SEPx0bXxCUqsmX6_ITy8gYu-kpThOBJFjqAvxW4oy9dUMTg2TkkwNUJWU0NBM1c1UU1HWFEzT1NXWi4u

As a teacher, the experience for me was overwhelming. The students were constantly engaged, they were curious to learn the wall paint used by their peers in their homes and the costing. They were critically evaluating the gallons of paints to be used for their classroom. They were contemplating the colour for classroom walls and the debating between the groups was interesting. some wanted images and some wanted plain walls. Finally, they have now connected the classroom concepts of area, perimeter, mathematical operations, pigments and dyes and much more to wall paints used all around them and appreciating the STEM principles.

We’ve changed the way it rains

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Learners involved: 1 class high school

Age from 14 to 15

Rising temperatures make the planet hotter and also knocked longstanding precipitation patterns off balance by altering how much water cycles between earth and the sky.

Learning Objectives:

Students will be able to:

  • Know the difference between wheather and clime
  • Analysis and comparing data visualizing
  • Elaborate a solution Nature Based (NBS)

Activities

The students start to work together observing whether of our country, Pomigliano D’Arco, a small town located 37m above sea level with a  warm and temperate climate.  Rains were particularly abundant and frequent in November and December by analyzing data collected by our meteorological station.  They observed that in the last 15 days of December 101.1mm of rain fell which is the same amount measured in the last year determining  (flooding) due to the inadequacy of collection systems. The excess flow rates discharged to the surface by the pressurized sewer can fill any depressions present on the ground, or flow-through preferential routes, creating a flow network that in urban areas affects roads, sidewalks, natural depressions and small streams. When rainfall is particularly intense, conditions of increased hydraulic risk are generated which impact people and infrastructures. The students understood that the reduction of permeable areas – reduction of vegetated areas – reduction of surface reservoirs is the problem.

Main results and conclusions

Highlights how the transition from agricultural land (natural cover) to a completely waterproofed surface (square, asphalted and/or cemented road, etc.) leads to a progressive reduction of the infiltration coefficient c. the. (represented by the amount of water that infiltrates in conjunction with meteoric precipitation) and an increase in the surface runoff d.s. (part of precipitation flowing to the surface).

Example of calculation

Asphalted surface – schoolyard c.i. = 15% d.s. = 55% (with peaks of up to 80%).

Agricultural land – adjacent cycle path c.i. = 50% r.a. = 10%

The increase in the size of surface runoffs is evident where the soil replaced by impermeable areas. It should be borne in mind that during particularly intense hourly rainfall (in the order of 70-80 mm / h) the urban drainage system can go into crisis, causing localized flooding that seriously impacts anthropogenic structures. The forecast implies that the amount of water that will fall in the coming years will be less and less, despite the damage from flooding, floods … have been growing in recent times.We can give an explanation to all this, saying that on days when it rains, the rain is very intense, which cannot be disposed of by the current sewage works.

The students use the NBS  methodology  elaborate a project on infrastructures, correlating nature and the urban environment. The idea is to create urban drainage channels able to drain excess rainwater along the edges of the roads (Figure ).

Learning math with robots

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Activity

In the last 2 years, students of IC21 lower secondary school in Bologna (age 13) attended their classes with several restrictions due to pandemic; cooperative learning helped to engage them after a longtime isolation experience.

In order to help students learning math curriculum contents, collaborative activities were designed with Lego WeDo2.0 © educational robots.

The contents selected from the math curriculum of the lower secondary school are:

  • measuring circumference
  • value of π (PI) with appropriate rounding
  • measuring the circle area
  • measuring speed in linear and circular motion

The activities were designed and implemented in collaboration with Drs Lorenza Prencipe, who has presented her dissertation in Mathematics Education at Bologna University on March 25, 2022. IC 21 school is accredited as a training venue for Bologna University students.

Resources

Resources used for the activities are: 

  • educational robots Lego WeDo2.0 ©
  • chromebooks with the Lego Education © app to program the robots
  • worksheets with driving questions to report observations, data and conclusions 
  • millimeter paper and other measurement tools (ruler, chronometer, goniometer)
  • instruction slides shared in Google Classroom
  • assessment rubrics regarding the learning outcomes and the collaboration skills

Students worked in groups of 3, distributing roles as building the robot, programming the robot motion and measuring data.

Students used two different models of robots for the linear motion (rover) and for the circular motion (satellite). The instruction provided in the Lego website was used to help students in building and programming the robot; the lesson plan was replaced by our own contents.

Students’ work

For the circumference measurement, students prepared the rover model with a pen and a reference mark on a wheel, and programmed its motion to draw a line as long as a wheel circumference. They measured both the line length C and the wheel diameter d in order to compare the rounded value of π with the ratio C : d.

diameter measurement
line drawing

For the circle area measurement, students prepared the satellite model with a pen and programmed it in order to draw a circle on the millimeter paper. They counted the cm2 included in the circle and compared this approximation to the area calculated by measuring the radius (distance from the center to the pen).

circle drawing
area calculation
circle area

For the linear motion activity, students prepared a unit line on paper sheets and programmed the rover model to run on the line with a chosen engine power (according to the programming app).  They measured time and distance in order to calculate the speed and made a distance-time plot.

reference line
time measurement

For the circular motion activity, students prepared an angle plot on a paper sheet and programmed the robot to move around its center. They measured the time needed to make a 360° angle and found different angular speeds depending on the programmed engine power.

For each activity, students used intructions and worksheets shared in Google Classroom. Here are some examples (in italian):

Assessment

For each student, we prepared rubrics for formative assessment, written and oral tests and peer assessment tools.

In the students worksheets the answers were analyzed, dividing items into comprehension, mathematical skills, and critical thinking about mistakes and approximations.

As a peer assessment tool, a rubric with 3 levels of performance was provided to groups: students of each group had to report their observations on the third one based on the role taken in the group (building, programming or measuring).

In further problem solving tests, students had to apply math contents connected to the activities, in order to evaluate their comprehension of the properties involved.

In oral tests, students had to explain the activities using their own description of the working phases, measured data and conclusions, in order to assess communication and reflection skills. Presentations prepared in this phase were also a useful trial for the finale exam.

This activity has given students the opportunity to explore math in active and collaborative situations, and to develop further skills besides mathematical reasoning: problem solving in a real-world context, critical thinking, and cooperation in team working.

students questionnaire 1
students questionnaire 2

STEM BOX

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https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yh79xYcysBDWyN94rSJ3wSUR86xG-g5c/view?usp=sharing

We carried out the ‘STEM BOX’ project with 15 teachers and students from 4 countries (Turkey, Italy, Romania, Greece). In order to help our hero Asela, we tried to find a solution to a different problem in each theme.

We started with ‘wind energy’. We have prepared windmills to quench thirst. We reinforced the theme of wind by preparing weather vane and wind chimes.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wcQkLtb4lrvrXukf1pJ2wEVf4E_deS1K/view?usp=sharing

Students learned how to make natural dyes for Asela, who is allergic to chemical dyes. They obtained natural dyes, dyed t-shirts and paintings from plants. Plants dyed with hapa zome, a fabric dyeing and patterning technique in Japan since ancient times. The pasta, colored with beet juice, cheered the children’s stomachs.

We obtain dyes from vegetables and fruits so that Asela can wear comfortably away from the harms of chemical products.

Creating color with fruits, vegetables and spices

  Necessary:

  • Fruits, vegetables, spices, herbs and other natural ingredients,
  • Glass jars
  • A plastic bowl and a stone or a blender
  • Cotton cloths
  • Pan

How was it?

  1. Choose some of the foods listed above that try to cover the chromatic range you need to dye.
  2. Whisk each ingredient you choose with a mortar or add a little water and mix it with a mixer. Sometimes it is necessary to cook the material in a little water (beetroot, spinach, yellow onion peel and red onion) or finely chop (purple cabbage) before this process.
  3. Strain the resulting mixture by squeezing it thoroughly with a cotton cloth and pour the water into a clean container. In some cases (fruits) should be cooked over low heat to thicken the water a bit.

One downside: Natural colours, once prepared, should be used during the day because they change over time and can be attacked by mold.

Creating colours using spices.

Since they are already in powder form in the market, it is sufficient to dilute them with a little water until you reach the consistency you want to paint. The colours obtained in this way can be used directly in this way, you can also use the following recipes if you wish.

Figure 2.

Create watercolours

Necessary:

  • 1 tablespoon / ¾ cup of white vinegar,
  • 2 tablespoons / 1 cup (up to the edge) baking powder,
  • 1 tablespoon / 1 cup (up to the edge) cornstarch,
  • ¼/2 tablespoons of glycerin (pharmacies) or honey,
  • Cup,
  • Tablespoon,
  • 2 plastic egg cups or freezer,
  • Coffee spoons,
  • Natural colours made with fruits, vegetables and spices

What are you doing?

Put the baking soda in a bowl and add the vinegar little by little. The acetic acid and sodium bicarbonate it contains chemically react with each other to produce carbon dioxide (gas bubbles) that tend to rise upwards and form foam. When the latter is dissolved, mix and pour in cornstarch and glycerin (or honey), stirring all the time. Finally, pour the mixture into the egg cups or ice tray, leaving some space. Add a different color to each of the blanks (between those made according to the previous recipe with fruit, vegetables and spices, or using food coloring). Mix each watercolor thoroughly with the help of a small palette.

The color should be very intense, if not, add more dye.

Wait for the color to harden (it will take several hours).

The colors are so ready: kids can dip wet brushes into them and start painting. They can be safely stored for days.

With an emphasis on recycling, they designed their own abacus with wooden sticks, straws and beads to use in their math work. Students who built cars with plastic bottles and balloons competed among themselves, learned and had fun.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LnvM_5FQly1qkaX0lHo60HomjphP9G2f/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VobbFpatWiz_9y5MCS7GwUKhjDzcEjhQ/view?usp=sharing

The transformation of plastic bottles into cars was amazing – YouTube

Touching on the waste of bread, the project explored how to experiment with stale bread in the kitchen with children and their families. The children, who made stale bread from embers, papara, tirit, fake trotters, pan omelette, toast, egg bread, stale bread from embers, spent time with their families in the kitchen.

In the ‘magnet’ theme; They tried to find the easiest way to collect the spilled needles on the ground. Children who learned about the magnet reinforced what they learned by doing the compass experiment and the ice rink.

Project teachers:

  • Giovanna Caruso
  • İpek Özek
  • Derya Acar
  • Pınar Özdemir
  • Neslihan Kulçak
  • Ergüzel Çiçek
  • Darin Ulakçı Altınkaynak
  • Buket Ünlü
  • Antonella De Marco
  • Gratiela Elena Antonescu
  • Maria Stavianoudaki
  • Melek Olgun
  • Milena Cadenelli
  • Münevver Tunç
  • Rabia Korkut
  • **Permission has been obtained from our parents to share photos.