Project Save the Oceans: Make a Device That Cleans Our Oceans

DESIGN CHALLENGES

You’re going to make something amazing and you’re going to start on it today. It’s going to be something that has never existed before in the history of humanity.

You know how you typically turn in an assignment to your teacher and then you get it back and, well, that’s pretty much it. This is different. Working with your design team, you’re going to create something people will see!

THE LAUNCH PROCESS

 

Look all around you. Seriously. Glance around your classroom. You are surrounded by things that people created. Not only did they create these things but they also designed them. The fancy term for this is design thinking. It’s the term professionals use. You’re going to use the LAUNCH Process. It’s a modified version of the design thinking cycle that artists and engineers use in the real world. Here’s how it works:

 

Look, Listen, and Learn Ask a Ton of Questions Understand the Problem or Process Navigate the Ideas Create a Prototype

 

Highlight What’s Working and Fix What’s Faling

 

Ready to Launch!

 

LOOK, LISTEN, AND LEARN

 

THE BIG QUESTION: Where do you think your trash goes after it is discarded? (Individual)

 

1. THE BIG QUESTION: What different ideas did your partner have about where trash ultimately ends up? (Partner)

 

2. THE BIG QUESTION: Why does this matter? (Partner)

 

LOOK AT THE CHALLENGE

 

Watch the video and listen closely to the challenge.

 

The numbers are staggering: There are 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic debris in the ocean. Of that mass, 269,000 tons float on the surface, while some four billion plastic microfibers per square kilometer litter the deep sea. How can we begin to solve this problem without harming the marine life in the process? You are an engineer who also happens to have a love for marine biology. You’re ready to take on the challenge of this massive problem. To move forward with this project, you have decided to build a prototype of a machine or device that can help solve the ocean trash problems.

 

Be sure to think about all the scenarios needed to fulfill this mission:

 

• Are you going to focus on the surface trash or the trash that is found deep within our oceans?

 

• How is your solution going to impact marine life in a noninvasive way?

 

• How can you scale vour solution to have the greatest impact around the globe?

 

Good luck. The entire planet is counting on you!

 

Required Materials:

 

• STEM Notebook

 

• 3×5 card

 

INVESTIGATE THE CHALLENGE

 

After watching the video, jot down some observations. This could be anything you notice about this project. It could be ideas of what you’d want to create, details that stuck out to you, etc.

 

OBSERVATIONS ABOUT VIDEO QUESTIONS ABOUT VIDEO

 

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INQUIRY

 

Create a list of inquiry questions connected to the topic.

 

LEARN MORE ABOUT YOUR ITEMS

 

Meet with your Launch Teams. Take some time to explore the list of items. You don’t need to write anything here. What are some of the possibilities that you see? What are some things that might come in handy?

 

Small Group: Now that you have a clear picture of the challenge come up with 5 questions or potential solutions to solve the ocean trash problems?

 

1.

 

2.

 

3.

 

4.

 

5.

 

MEET WITH OTHER LAUNCH TEAMS

 

As a team, go round-robin and share your questions. Individually add any additional questions or potential solutions that your team learned from other teams. Jot down your new ideas below.

 

UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEM OR PROCESS

 

SMALL GROUP

 

Research with graphic organizer

 

What role do humans play on the Earth’s oceans? What is the impact of trash? What inventions already exist to fix this problem?

 

HUMANS AND EARTH OCEANS IMPACT OF TRASH PRE-EXISTING INVENTIONS

 

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© KeslerScience.com

 

NAVIGATE THE IDEAS

 

Launch Team: Brainstorm

 

STRENGTHS

 

WEAKNESS

 

1. Discuss the sustainability and scalability of your solution.

 

2. What is your final idea in preparation of building the prototype?

 

CREATE A PROTOTYPE

 

MEET WITH YOUR LAUNCH TEAMS

 

Create it! Start building the model of your Ocean Trash machine, showing how it would work.

 

Write any notes of observations you see.

 

A paper boat made out of toilet paper  Description automatically generated

 

HIGHLIGHT WHAT’S WORKING AND FIX WHAT’S FAILING

 

MEET WITH YOUR LAUNCH TEAMS

 

Will your ocean trash device be functional? What problems are you still unable to solve?

 

Jot down what’s working and not working:

 

Stages

 

What’s Working

 

What Needs to be

 

Improved

 

LAUNCH IT!

 

MEET WITH YOUR LAUNCH TEAMS

 

LAUNCH IT!

 

Now that you have finished with the ocean trash machine model, you will launch the design to your classmates and audience.

 

Option 1: Write a blog post about your design and solution. Use images and text to describe your device.

 

Option 2: Create a brochure/invitation with pictures showing how the ocean trash machine looks and functions. What are the key features?

 

Option 3: Create a video explaining the ocean trash device and how it functions. Post to a public video sharing site (YouTube,

 

etc.)

 

Option 4: Create an advertisement for the ocean trash machine.

 

ELABORATE WHAT YOU LEARNED

 

DUAL: SELF-REFLECTION QUESTIONS

 

1. What did you learn from this evperience? Would you want to do this

 

again?

 

2. How well did you work with your group?

 

3. What were some creative risks that you took?

 

4. Why is it important to brainstorm with others?

 

5. What negative affect do humans have on the Earth’s oceans?

 

@ KeslerScience.com

 

6. What impact does trash play on the ocean ecosystems?

 

7. What is the responsibility of humans with regards to trash and the

 

Earth’s oceans?

 

1. Why is ocean trash a big deal? How does it impact the marine ecosystem? How might it impact humanity?

 

2. Why will your invention work? What drawbacks do you see in it? What problems are you still unable to solve?

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