“What’s
happening under the dirt?”
“Why
do we have to add water to the dirt?”
Or,
better yet…
“WHEN
can we dig up the trash?”
These are all good questions that will encourage your students to seek
answers.
Today’s connection activity will answer one of those questions, but
will also motivate your students to pose more questions to be answered as the Decomp Project continues.
The following activity is a demonstration on the breakdown of material
that occurs during decomposition. While this is not a complete example of the decomposition process, the
activity will serve to illustrate one very important fact.--The plastic in our
world affects many aspects of our lives.
IGNITE THEIR CURIOSITY WITH
WATER
Grade
Range: K – 3
Time to complete: 20-30
minutes
VA
STANDARDS of LEARNING: SCIENCE K.1, 1.1, 1.3, 2.1, 3.1, 3.10
The purpose of this activity is to provide a visual example of how
paper breaks down when it is exposed to water.
ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION: Students will place several types of paper into a
water bath (one set placed directly into the water and the other set protected
in a sealed plastic bag) and shake the contents of the water bath. They will
compare the results of the paper that is directly placed in the water with the
paper that is contained in plastic. They will then make predications about some
of the items that are buried in the decomp tub.
MATERIALS:
3 Pint-sized plastic containers
with lids1 cup measuring cup
3 cups water
2 4” x 4” squares of toilet
paper
2 4” by 4” squares of bargain
brand notebook paper
2 4” x 4” squares of bargain
brand paper towels3 zippered sandwich bags
2 cups dry soil
Small strainer
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Prior to the activity, prepare the materials by placing one of each
type of paper into a sandwich bag and sealing it.
2. Conduct a discussion about paper and what paper is made from (wood
pulp or recycled paper).
3. Pour 1 cup of water into a plastic container.
4. Place a plain piece toilet paper into the water and put the lid onto
the container.
5. Shake the container vigorously for 30-45 seconds. Note any changes
in the paper.
7. Repeat steps 3-5, substituting the toilet paper in the sealed
plastic bag into the water. Hint: The paper in the sealed plastic bag should
remain dry and unchanged.
8. Continue steps 3-5, substituting the remaining paper that is
pictured above.
Ask: Why did the
paper in the plastic bags stay in one piece? Why did some of the plain paper
(not sealed in plastic) take longer to break into smaller pieces?
9. Take the pulp that was strained in step 6, add it to the dirt, and mix
well. Take the plastic bags with the paper sealed inside and ‘stir’ them into
the dirt. Discuss why stirring the sealed bags doesn’t work as well.
Explain that when water is added to the decomp tub, some of the items might
change. It will take longer than it did today, but there will be changes by the
end of the year.
Ask: What items in
our decomp tub do you think will change by the end of the school year? What
items in the decomp tub do you think will not change? Why?
EXTEND
THE LEARNING; EXTEND THE DISCOVERY; EXTEND THE FUN:
Now that your students are beginning to comprehend the process of
decomposition, plant more seeds of curiosity.
Ask the students what happens when the plastic trash bags that every
home, every school, every store, every restaurant, every—well, you get the
idea, EVERYONE uses gets taken away by the trash trucks. More activities based
on this very important question will be added to the Decomp Project later in the year.
For now, however, the pulp that was created (and possibly more paper
pulp from your classroom recycle box) can be used to create their OWN paper.
Your students will have fun while they are adding to their awareness of their
impact on the environment.
The video below is a fantastic demonstration
of the paper making process.
