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Chemistry
and Society Project
Subject
Area
This activity
is designed primarily for the Grade 11 advanced Chemistry curriculum
as part of Core Unit 7: Industry and Society in which the preparation
of a formal report is a required activity.
Learning
Outcomes
Teaching,
learning and evaluation will focus on the student's ability to:
- Research
the contribution of a Canadian company;
- Critically
analyze the impact of chemical industry on our lives and economy,
and contrast the value with the social and environmental cost;
- Discern
the difference between corporate-based agenda and the needs
of society;
- Evaluate
a product in terms of its environmental impact and social value;
- Present
information to a larger group.
Classroom
Development
- Students,
working in groups of four, should complete a research proposal
at the beginning of the research period. The project proposal
should outline the areas of research, each group member's responsibilities,
and the format of the presentation. The proposal should be referred
to at the end of the project when each student does an evaluation
of their group.
- Presentations
should be 10 min and may include a video, skit or demonstration.
Inform students that reading of a written report will be given
a failing mark regardless of the quality. Also, use a stopwatch,
or a timer with an alarm, and allow exactly 10 min for the presentation.
The severity of these two points is to make students aware of
the difficulties involved with working within various constraints
that they will encounter in the workplace.
Background
Information
Most students
will write letters or call 1-800 numbers to start their research.
Students should keep a record of all phone calls and include copies
of all letters which they send. Some will run into dead ends and
may discover "secret recipes" which the companies will
not disclose. A good strategy is to encourage students to start
with two topics or two products, send out requests for information
and consider the product which gives them the most success.
Encourage
students to consult consumer advocacy magazines to help them target
companies and products which have already caught the eye of the
environmental community.
Timing
About 20
min are required to outline the project and expectations. An activity
such as "The Impact of Chemistry and Technology on Society"
may be completed before this activity to provide background. One
or two work periods should be allotted, though senior students
should be expected to do at least part of this work on their own
time. Students should be given at least six weeks to complete
this project, with a proposal due during the first two weeks.
This is a good activity for the last week of May.
Cross-disciplinary
Links
Media -
Many students may prepare videos. The videos may range from a
tour of a production plant to a commercial or demonstration of
the product.
Visual Arts
- Presentations may include the production of posters.
English
- Writing letters and a report are necessary elements of the projects.
Business
- The importance of the industry to our economy, human resources,
and the organization of a large company may be explored.
Student
Activity
Chemistry
and Society Project
This assignment
involves the study of a company in Canada that produces a common
household chemical or product. Working in groups of four, you
will obtain background information on the company and product
by contacting the company.
The project
will have two sections:
- A formal
report on your findings;
- A short
presentation to the class.
Possible
chemicals and products for this project:
- baking
soda hydrogen peroxide vinegar soap
- toothpaste
household bleach cosmetics fertilizer
- shampoo
stainless steel hair products spermicide
- detergent
pain killers condoms antacid tablets
- drain
cleaners paint oven cleaners window cleaners
Formal
Report
The formal
report must be typed (double spaced).
The report
should include most or all of the following:
- Information
about the company-location, size, human resources, history and
development, economic importance, other products made, research
and development, public relations;
- Information
about the product, including: chemical name and formula, raw
materials, use, societal importance, development;
- An explanation
of the production process for this product: chemical processes,
energy requirements, waste products;
- Environmental
concerns related to the production, use or disposal of this
product, corporate ethical policy, measures taken to deal with
waste, energy, packaging, recycling, transportation, necessity
of product, environmentally friendly substitutes or alternative
for the product;
- Resources
used in the researching of this report. This may include the
results of phone calls, and letters. Include a copy of all letters
which you sent and briefly comment on which ones led to success.
Keep a log of all phone calls made, including wrong numbers,
and calls to operator assistance.
Class Presentations
You will
be given a 10 min opportunity to make an interesting and exciting
presentation based on your research. You may include: samples
of products, demonstrations of production or uses of the product,
posters, videos, skits, slides. Sometimes reference to events
which occurred as part of your research will also be of interest
to your peers.
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