So, how can we teach arts and sciences together and what does it look like? What are some things students will learn and do? And, is it going to be just another PowerPoint or poster presentation? Last year, my grade 8 science students redesigned objects that prevent students from getting sick (for example, face masks and kleenex packaging) to learn about the transmission of the common cold. In this case, I was teaching science and design together. In the process, my students also gained empathy for their user (ie. other students). I outline below what we did. A checklist is also available for download at the end of the post.

Learning through a product redesign

After teaching the properties of life and the differences between bacteria and viruses, we talk about disease prevention and treatment. There are lots of interesting questions to discuss in class: Why don’t all bugs need drugs? How does one contract HIV? Why don’t we have vaccine for the common cold? And, why do we need to get a new flu vaccine every year?

On top of discussing some of the questions above, I also have my students redesign an object that helps to prevent illness. Some students redesign a face mask. Others redesign herbal remedies. And, others redesign waterless wash (ie. Purell). However, the challenge is not just to redesign the object, but it is also to redesign it in a way that students will be more likely to use. That means my students must interview the students they are designing for. They must understand why students don’t currently use the object being redesigned. My students must develop empathy for their user (ie. student empathy). And, after all the interviews, students need to build a working prototype.

For example, if a student wants to redesign a face mask, then changing the colour from the standard pale blue to red will not count as a redesign. First, the student needs to research why students currently are not wearing face masks. This could be for a variety of reasons: it’s ugly, it’s inconvenient to carry around, it’s awkward to wear. Then, the student needs to redesign the face mask so that it addresses the reason why they’re not being worn as much. If the reason is because face masks are inconvenient to carry, then how can we change the face mask so that they are more convenient? If the reason is because face masks are awkward to wear, then how can we redesign them so that they are easier to wear? A redesign is not just changing something for the sake of change. The student needs to develop student empathy – to understand their obstacles and apprehensions – and design with that in mind.

The Results

• One student made a pen/pencil that also had Purell on the other end (where the eraser head should be). This student found that other students did not use Purell because it was inconvenient to carry around. Plus, students also tend to pack less to school. Thus, this student made a 2-in-1 object: a pen with a healthy benefit.
• Another student found that students enjoyed juice concentrates that mix with water. Thus, this student sought to redesign herbal therapy in a juice concentrate mix that students would use.

Wrap Up

Science education is changing to being more interdisciplinary. It’s easy to blend math and science together (like in STEM), but not all learners are into STEM, math, or science. By merging science education with arts, it allows students to explore a new range of problems in a scientific way. And, sometimes, it also helps to develop some other interdisciplinary skills too like student empathy. That’s pretty good thing too. If you want a quick step-by-step guide to our product redesign project, please click the link below and download the guide.

Until next time, keep it REAL.

Resources

Handout(s): 18 – Face Mask Redesign Project Guide

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One way we can make an engaging KMT activity or lesson is to actually make something useful and link it to KMT. We propose making gift card cell phone holders and wine bottle planters. Last year, I made both objects with students in two separate makerspace workshops I led. And, they loved it. We also had parents make gift card cell phone stands at an open house. And, they loved it too. Both gift card cell phone stands and wine bottle planters are useful. Both link to KMT. And, as a bonus, both also link to the idea of sustainability (ie. taking something we normally throw out and reusing it in a useful way). We outline how to make both objects and how it links to KMT. You can also download a template and instructions on how to make the gift card cell phone stands so that you can make some in your classroom too.

KMT and Used Gift cards

What can we do with a used gift card? Make a cell phone stand for it! Students enjoy this activity because it’s simple and quick to do and it produces something useful. Also, if you get a variety of cards, students can make unique stand for themselves.

From a science teacher’s point of view, this activity demonstrates the concept of adding energy to melt an object and removing energy to solidify it again. By applying heat to the gift card, the heat allows the plastic to become more fluid and malleable – so that we can bend it into shape. Then, after removing the heat and allowing it to cool, the card becomes more rigid and holds it’s shape. A video on how to make this cell phone stand is found below:

Although the video shows the use of a butane lighter, our students used regular tea candles and got the same effect (it tool a little longer, but it works).

KMT and Wine Bottles

What happens when extremely extremely hot glass is placed in ice water (or, vice versa – boiling water is poured into extremely cold glass)? Easy, the glass cracks. The uneven expansion or contraction of glass while the glass is cooled or heated up causes the glass to crack. In this KMT activity, we don’t just crack glass – we look to apply this concept to cutting wine bottles in a precise manner.

The craft is fairly simple. The video below shows 3 ways in which bottles can be cut. I will outline how we did it in our class.

First, we start by scoring the bottle with a glass cutting knife. We use a wine bottle cutting tool. Then, we pour boiling water evenly and quickly around the score line. Finally, we submerge the bottle (at least covering the score line) in ice water. The temperature shock will not just shatter the glass, it will actually shatter along the score line. If not, repeat pouring boiling water and submerging the line until it does.

The interesting thing about cutting bottles is not the fact that an even line can be cut on the bottle. Actually, I find the bottles that don’t cut so evenly to be far more interesting. One student of mine – who got really good at cutting bottles evenly – noticed that the boiling water should be poured quickly over the score line so that thermal expansion can occur evenly. If not, the bottle will crack unevenly. And, this happens a lot, which just shows how interesting and complicated thermal expansion can be.

Wrap up

We can illustrate abstract concepts – like KMT (Kinetic molecular theory) – in more concrete ways. And, those ways don’t need fancy, expensive equipment either. By using simple things students may normally throw out and turning them into things of value and usefulness, we can make an engaging KMT activity and show how KMT can be applied in the real world. Click on the link to get a copy of our gift card instructions and template for this KMT activity.

Until next time, keep it REAL.

Resources

Handout(s): 17 – Gift Card Phone Stand Template

Our resources are free. We aren’t collecting emails for our resources. However, it would help us out if you liked us on our Facebook page and subscribed to our Youtube Channel. Thanks!