Activity A—
The Law of Conservation of Matter
In order to understand the hazardous waste problem the children must first comprehend that matter cannot be created or destroyed, only changed in form. Some simple experiments can be done to graphically illustrate this concept. I would suggest that these activities be done during one class period (perhaps simultaneously) to ensure total mastery.
-
1. Ice to water—allow an ice cube to change its form from a solid to a
-
2. Tearing paper—tear a large piece of construction into several strips.
-
3. Sugar into water—place sugar into water and stir until all particles have been seemingly absorbed.
-
4. Burning a candle—allow a candle to burn down considerably.
Point out in each case that the matter has not been destroyed but only changed in form. It may be necessary to explain that air has weight and occupies space (i.e. the burning candle experiment). If needed this concept can also be shown. All that is needed is two balloons, a ruler and a spool. Place an unblown balloon on each end of the ruler which is balancing on the spool. It should balance. Now blow up one balloon and place it on the ruler. The resulting dip illustrates that the balloon filled with air has more weight. Thus air is matter because it occupies space.
Activity B—
Effects of Water on Life
A major point of this unit is the effect hazardous wastes have on life and the implications for health in the future. To illustrate how our drinking water is directly related to our health do the following experiment:
Buy five inexpensive fish from a pet store. Fill five bowls with water from different sources. For example, a bowl of school tap water, a bowl of water from the reservoir, a bowl of water from the Housatonic River, a bowl of water from a nearby stream and a bowl of water from a home tap. Place a fish in each bowl. Feed the fish the same amount of food each day. Make a chart to record how long each fish survives, their growth and activity level. The purpose is to see how water with varying chemical consistencies affects life.
Activity C—
Role Playing
Bring a sticky substance, such as fly paper or two-way tape, to your classroom. Tell your students that they must dispose of the sticky substance
in the classroom
. Divide the students into three groups—four children to represent industry, four children to represent the government and the rest to represent a citizens group. Each group is to form an opinion as to where the sticky substance should be disposed of. The group representing industry owns the substance and is planning to deposit community. The citizens group will react to the decision of industry as they see fit. Ultimately, the government group will decide the fate of the sticky substance and make up some rules to follow in future cases.
In this role playing activity the children should try to emulate the actions of the group they represent to the best of their ability based on the information disseminated in the unit. The teachers role is to monitor the groups to see that they are functioning in this manner.
When the role playing activity is done, and it might take 3 to 5 class periods to organize, discuss and perform, a classroom discussion should take place. Feelings about how groups function, what motivates them, how the children felt during the activity and questions about the final decision should be discussed. Analogies to real-life situations in dealing with the hazardous waste question can be made. Hopefully, this activity will leave the students with an awareness of the problems we are faced with now and the problems they will be faced with in the future.
Activity D—
Bulletin Board
Since the hazardous waste problem is a current one, it is highly likely that much printed information will appear in newspapers and magazines on this subject during the course of your unit. Have your students be aware of these articles by clipping them and posting them to a board in your classroom. You can get even more sophisticated by dividing your bulletin board up into three sections—industry, government and citizenry. After going over each article with the students, have them decide under which category the clipping should be posted. In other words, decide who owns the problem described in the particular article. It should prove interesting after a period of time to see which group is written about most often. A discussion can take place as to why one group gets more press than the others and whether the press is positive or negative.
Pertinent Vocabulary
-
1. carcinogen—a substance or agent producing or inciting cancer.
-
2. corrosive—having the power to wear away gradually through chemical reactions.
-
3. ground water—water that lies buried from a few feet to a half mile or more beneath the land’s surface in stretches of permeable rock, sand and gravel known as aquifers.
-
4. ignitable—having the ability to catch fire or emit toxic gases or fumes.
-
5. Iandfill—an area where wastes have been placed for permanent disposal.
-
6. Ieachate—liquid that has percolated through hazardous wastes and contains components from the waste.
-
7. PCB’s—mixtures of many chemical compounds; widely used as a pesticide extender; found in the fatty tissues of humans.
-
8. reactive—unstable chemical that can explode if exposed to heat, shock, air or water.
-
9. toxic—poisonous, potentially harmful to human health.