Jennifer Nguyen

What Can Math Do For Pollution?

Engage
To engage students at the beginning of a lesson, insert a
video, image, quote, or another inspirational hook in this box.
The Goal: Reveal Pre-existing ideas, Beliefs, Preconceptions.
Pose questions that students will begin to answer in “Explore”

Think about the plastic and waste you acquire in your day to
day life. Now think about how much in a week. Now in a year.
How about your lifetime? How big is your carbon footprint?
What does math have to do with it?

After thinking about those questions, do you think math can

help solve this issue? Write your thoughts in your warm-up
journal.

Our driving question for this lesson is: How can we use math,
specifically geometry, to help lessen the pollution and waste in
the world?

Explore
Curate a collection of resources (articles, videos, infographics,
text excerpts, etc.) for students to explore the topic.
The Goal: Students may be gathering data, sharing ideas,
looking for patterns, making conjectures, and developing
further questions and problem-solving considerations with the
use of the information/activity provided

Jot down any information you find is interesting or useful from

the sources below. Use this information to expand on your
thoughts of the previous questions and add to your journal.

● View this video about pollution:

https://youtu.be/OqHp03RRTDs
● Reusing and Reducing Basics:
https://www.epa.gov/recycle/reducing-and-reusing-basics

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Jennifer Nguyen

● Pollution Infographic:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HKPcgADcCs1lLfm-
ZkJb3lADx0xfZB4W/view?usp=sharing
● Ways Math Can Save the World:
https://granthaminstitute.com/2016/05/31/seven-ways-
maths-can-save-the-world/
● Reusable Pouch Math Dimensions Example:
https://sarkirsten.com/blog/2018/12/4/pouch-pattern-
calculator-math-explained

Explain
Use this section to allow students to explain their thinking and
move towards demonstrating mastery of the lesson’s objective.
The Goal: Provide an opportunity for students to compare
ideas, construct explanations, justify in terms of observations
and/or data collected in a collaborative large group
environment.
Think about these two following questions after you researched
about pollution.
● What will happen when the world is overpopulated and
polluted?
● Will you make a difference in this world? How?

Let’s relate math to this issue. What are some ways you can
incorporate math, specifically geometry, to help solve this
issue?
● Look back at our schemas involving geometric shapes,
formulas and find ways we can relate it to possible
solutions.
● Partner up and share ideas and be prepared to share
one idea to the class!

Apply/Elaborate
Use this section for students to apply information from the
previous sections to new circumstances or elaborate on a
particular aspect at a deeper level usually coming in the form
of “What if” questions.
The Goal: Allowing students the opportunity to discuss how
their thinking has changed or been solidified.
Let’s combine our previous knowledge of geometric concepts of
density, area, and volume of various shapes to think about how
we can create a reusable object to carry or hold things.
● Standards:
○ G.G-MG.A.2: Apply concepts of density based on
area and volume in modeling situations utilizing
real-world context.
○ G.G-MG.A.3: Apply geometric methods to solve
design problems utilizing real-world context.

Applying Knowledge to Project:

● While thinking of an object to create, also think about

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Jennifer Nguyen

what can be held inside, what can it carry? What is the

object replacing?
● Incorporate thoughts such as the pricing, is it cost-
effective? How long will it last? How will we dispose of
it?
● Using resources such as Canva, PowerPoint, Word, Paint,
GeoGebra, FlockDraw, and more, we will illustrate and
outline a digital prototype of an object that will reduce
plastic and waste using our existing schemas of
geometric techniques.

Reflect/Evaluate
Include an opportunity for face-to-face or digital reflection to
guide students along their learning progression, evaluating
progress and setting new goals for continued exploration.
The Goal: Refine initial answer to the “driving question” and
reflect on ideas, goals, and beliefs concerning their progress.
Let’s look back at the beginning of the class about your
thoughts on math and pollution. Has your thought process
changed? If so, how and if not, why?

Do you think math could have an effect on the world’s climate?

Showcase your prototypes to the class using our geometric

standards and elaborate on how this will help reduce waste
and pollution in the world. Reiterate your thoughts on our
driving question and how you reached that conclusion..

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