Curated OER
Fish Tanks: Volume and Surface Area
Given a very realistic challenge, your young geometers design residential fish tanks in rectangular and triangular prism shapes. They compute the volume of water each will hold. They also determine the size of plastic covers for each...
National Wildlife Federation
Plastic in the Sea
How much plastic do people use? Class members identify how plastic is involved in their daily lives by looking at food packaging either at a grocery store or at home. Learners view statistics for the amount of plastics found on a beach...
Curated OER
Package Design
Twelfth graders utilize the computer and various software programs in order to design a 3 dimensional package which they submit a cost estimate sheet of production in their oral presentation.
Curated OER
The Energy Trail
Students examine the relationship between the products they use and energy use. Using the internet, they identify the role that manufacturing plays in using energy and the emissions that change the climate. They discover the steps to...
Curated OER
Healthy Snacks. Healthy Packaging
Fourth graders research how to select the most cost-effective snacks. In this consumer practices lesson plan, 4th graders compare packaging labels and come to conclusions on how cost effective the product is. Students discuss their...
Curated OER
Paper Packaging Design
Young scholars create packages with a maximum capacity. In this geometry instructional activity ,students estimate using whole numbers, decimals and fractions. They calculate length, weight and mass of packaging.
Curated OER
Modular Packaging
Students. in groups of two or three, design a box that contain a product. They must utilize design skills, spatial relationships, measurement skills and problem solving in order to design the most economically advantageous packaging.
Curated OER
Packaging: What a Waste!
Students examine the environmental and economic impacts of excess packaging. They investigate the price and relative amount of processing and packaging of different food products in a local grocery store, analyze graphs, and complete a...
Curated OER
Paper Packaging Design
Learners discuss the relationship between technology and manufacturing. They then use their ideas to construct a model of a paper board carton package. Next they view a PowerPoint presentation to learn about the history of packaging...
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Shipping For Survival
Students explore package engineering and investigate design. In this shipping lesson students are given a flower and are to come up with a packaging that will allow the flower to get to its destination as fresh as possible.
Curated OER
Design Packing to Safely Mail Raw Spaghetti
Young scholars investigate and determine a way to mail raw spaghetti. In small groups, they package their raw spaghetti using various packing materials, mail the package through the postal system, and evaluate their packing design after...
Curated OER
Generic vs. Brand Name
Students compare and contrast generic and brand name products and the costs of producing each. They explore the "Bargain Basement" section of the ING website, participate in a soda taste test, and tally the results of the taste test on a...
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Ship the Chip
Here is a tasty challenge, especially for middle school engineers: design a container that meets mass and volume criteria, and will safely transport a tortilla or potato chip through the mail without damaging it! Mostly, this is a crisp...
Baylor College
Serving Sizes
Are serving sizes for different foods always appropriate for what you need? In this hands-on activity, learners work in groups to estimate what one serving size of various foods are, and then evaluate their hypotheses by measuring...
Curated OER
NECESSARY WRAPPERS?
Students bring in a packaged item to unwrap. They weigh the pile of packaging and pile of product and determine which weighs more. They identify the source of raw materials for packaging and discuss ways to reduce packaging and overall...
Curated OER
Product Line
Students research products imported from Europe and use a map to show the routes the products might have followed to reach this country. They take a field trip to a store that carries imported products and take note of how many come from...
Curated OER
How Do Our Attitudes Affect Waste?
Learners conduct a survey of society's typical purchasing practices to determine the influence of packaging on consumer choices and to determine if consumers consider waste disposal and recycling when making purchasing decisions.
SF Environment
Waste-Less Lunch
Is it possible to have a waste-less lunch? Can your class become leaders in conservation? Discuss the importance of reducing waste during lunch time with a fun lesson that can be extended to everyday practices. First the class examines...
Smithsonian Institution
Be a Food Detective
What are packaged food products really made of? This lesson will prompt your learners to consider and investigate the source of ingredients in their food. They begin by breaking into groups and analyzing food labels by identifying...
Curated OER
# 02 The Aspirin Shelf-Life Scenario
Students work for a company that produces acetylaslicylic acid, aspirin. They have been assigned the task of determining if different packaging materials and/or environmental storage procedures can increase the shelf-life of the product.
Curated OER
M&M Graphing
Fourth graders name colors of M&Ms and record answers. They estimate number of M&Ms of each color found in a typical package of M&Ms on piece of paper.They record information on sheet of paper and create a spreadsheet. paper.
Curated OER
Are You Thirsty?
In this measurement worksheet, students read a table of products sold in a vending machine and their metric capacities. Students solve 6 word problems where they convert milliliters to liters and liters to milliliters. ...
Beyond Benign
Puzzler
Are some packaging materials superior to others? Using sustainability as a guide, scholars analyze different packing materials to describe their life cycles. They create puzzles to communicate their findings.
Teach Engineering
Design Inspired by Nature
Let nature guide your engineering designs. By taking apart a flower, pupils learn about reverse engineering. They use the results to brainstorm designs for new products or ideas. This is the seventh installment of a nine-part Life...