The "Do Nothing" Machine - Activity

GradesK-8Visual and Performing Arts, Engineering

What it is

This activity explores upcycling, environmental stewardship, and how human beings are connected to their surrounding environment.
Students will complete a project where they create an artistic object that reduces waste, and they will engage in a classroom discussion about the objects they just created.

Positives

This activity could be very engaging for students who are artistically inclined.
This activity displays a connection between the visual arts, engineering, and environmental science.

Additional Prerequisites

It may be beneficial if students know about landfills and their environmental impact.
It may be helpful if students have read some of the books attached to this resource.

Differentiation

At the beginning of class, teachers can ask their students about upcycling in order to assess prior knowledge.
This activity can fit within a larger unit on global waste management practices and how they're related to greenhouse gas emissions.
This activity can enhance a classroom discussion on how government regulation can alter manufacturing practices and help promote sustainability.
This activity can support a classroom discussion on various strategies for reducing waste on a personal level.

There is no specific climate science in this resource to review, but it does seem like a useful hands-on engineering project.

Hosted on celfeducation.org

Add your location for local examples, questions, and action ideas.

Standards alignment · VA:Cr2.2.IIa + 7 more

National Core Arts Standards

VA:Cr2.2.IIaDemonstrate awareness of ethical implications of making and distributing creative work.
VA:Cr1.1.3aElaborate on an imaginative idea.

Arts

A.A.Cr.1.eExplore studio skills, techniques, materials, tools, and elements and principles of art and design.
A.A.Cr.3.eCreate works of art that introduce students to media, care of tools, and basic craftsmanship skills.
A.A.Cr.7.mInvestigate and expand knowledge of studio skills, techniques, materials, tools, and elements and principles of art and design.

Science

K-2-ETS1-1.Ask questions, make observations, and gather information about a situation people want to change to define a simple problem that can be solved through the development of a new or improved object or tool.
3-5-ETS1-1.Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.
MS-ETS1-2.Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.