What are the raw materials needed to make a soccer ball? How about a pencil, or a pair of jeans? This is what the students at Robson Community School learned during the Lifecycle of Stuff lesson. The Gr. 5 students in Mrs. Posnikoff’s class started the lesson by trying to guess what product their groups raw materials made. For example, the raw materials for a soccer ball are cotton, fossil fuels and rubber (latex). Once their product was determined, the groups were challenged to place their product cards in the correct chapters or stages of the lifecycle. These chapters are Extraction, Production, Distribution, Consumption, and Disposal. Every product that we use daily goes through these stages, with transportation linking them all. There are impacts on our environment that happen in all of these stages as well, as the students learn. The goal of these lessons around the lifecycle of a product, is for the students to share their products information in a presentation, either a slideshow, poster, or skit/song. At the end, the students will have a deep understanding of what raw materials are needed and the impacts associated for the six products – A battery, aluminum can, glass bottle, pencil, soccer ball, and jeans. We can’t wait to see the groups presentations!!
