SIP 1001

FACULTY OF EDUCATION

INTEGRATING STEM IN SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS EDUCATION

ASSIGNMENT 3:
CONDUCTING STEM PROJECT

NO NAME STUDENT ID

1 HANIS NATASHA BT AMAR HASYIDAN 22003462

2 AINA SOFEA BT AHMAD FITRI 22003463

3 CHRISTY MOORIE CLAIRE 22003346

4 MUHAMMAD HARITH BIN MOHD OMAR 22003527

5 MUHAMMAD HAKEEM BIN SUHAIMI 22003396

LECTURER NAME: Dr Hidayah Binti Mohd Fadzil.

PROJECT TITLE: TRASH BOAT COLLECTOR WITH ARDUINO)
Targeted Students: ( Form 4 & Form 5)

1) Rationale:

Nowadays, water pollution increases rapidly due to the increase in the human population
globally. The majority of irresponsible people who are lack in awareness will easily pollute
our environment by throwing rubbish, plastic bottle and waste into the sea which give a lot of
bad impacts on marine life. As a result, they will be more and more animals, especially
endangered species such as turtles, sharks, dolphins and blue whales which will lead to
extinction. Not only that, but the cleanliness of water is also affected which is worrying
because this could invite a huge catastrophe in the future such as unwanted sickness. By
referring to the chapter on Environmental Sustainability from chapter 10 of Biology Form 5
KSSM, this project will surely be suitable to be conducted in the classroom as it involves
students to be able to create a functional trash collector boat that can help to clean our
polluted water.

Figure 1
( Erin Elizabeth | Feb 26, 2016 )

The development of trash boat collectors is going to give a huge benefit worldwide in
cleaning the sea or lake surface from trash such as plastics, polystyrene, bottles and any
other floating rubbish as shown in figure 1. The invention of the trash boat collector makes
our work much easier and it does not bring any harm to marine life as it will only be
applicable to the sea surface.
 ( Student Learning outcomes )

By the end of this project, students will be aware that it is not easy to clean up rivers or seas
that have been polluted. They should realise that it is better for them to prevent pollution
before it becomes worse, as the saying goes, "Prevention is better than cure." Besides that,
students should have a better understanding of the topic on Environmental Sustainability
from chapter 10 of Biology Form 5 KSSM, as they are required to do some research and find
some information about this project for their presentation. For example, the causes of
pollution, as well as some suggestions for reducing the amount of plastic in our daily lives.
They also need to get other information related to physics as they need to design the boat
and make sure it is floated by understanding how density works, and at the same time, they
need to ensure that the material used to make the boat is balanced with buoyancy force. The
concepts of air resistance and fluid friction might be foreign topics that they can learn about
while conducting this project.

Content Standard:
10.2 Preservation, Conservation and Restoration of Ecosystem
10.3 Practices in Environmental Sustainability

Learning Standard:
10.2.1 Define the terms:
i. preservation of the ecosystem.
ii. conservation of the ecosystem.
iii. restoration of the ecosystem.

10.2.2 Justify the necessity of

i. preservation of the ecosystem.
ii. conservation of the ecosystem.
iii restoration of the ecosystem.

10.3.1 Generate ideas related to practises that contribute to environmental Sustainability.

 Learning Outcomes:

1. Students should be able to explain the terms of preservation, conservation and

restoration of ecosystems and justify their necessities.
2. Students should understand how thrown rubbish could affect the water and aquatic
ecosystem significantly.
3. Students should generate ideas of a boat that could restore the cleanliness of our
river and sea which will contribute to environmental sustainability.
4. Students should be able to explain the use of STEM components and the
engineering design process to build the trash collector boat.
5. Students should design a boat that can float, move and collect all the rubbish on the
water surfaces effectively.
6. Students should distinguish the most suitable materials for the boat’s body parts.
7. Students should be able to explore, evaluate, improve and overcome challenges
that they face in building a trash collector boat.
8. Students should be able to understand, explain and apply Archimedes’ Principles
involved in the production of the boat.

Prerequisite Knowledge:

I. According to Archimedes' Principle, the weight of the fluid that the body displaces is equal
to the upward buoyant force that is applied to a body submerged in a fluid, whether fully or
partially.

Ii. The idea of submarines and submersibles is brought up by the fact that students must
partially immerse the boat in the water in order for it to successfully gather trash.

Iii. The food chain demonstrates the relationships between creatures based on the foods
they consume.

iv. Students must use an electric circuit to propel the boat utilising parts such as a DC motor,
batteries and switch

V. Students also need to use simple coding for Arduino so that the Arduino can present the
trash at a certain distance that have been set up while the buzzer in the breadboard will
make a sound as a detector
(STEM INTEGRATION IN TRASH COLLECTOR BOAT PROJECT)

Science Component:

The Trash Collector Boat project incorporates a number of STEM components. The first
component is science. In this science component, students need to understand the main
reason this project is being conducted, which is to expose them to the pollution occurring in
our surroundings. Students need to have the knowledge that excess rubbish in the
water will affect the food chain as primary consumers will die from eating them.
Besides that, the students need to refer to some physics concepts such as Archimedes'
principle, fluid friction, and electricity as they need to maintain the buoyancy of the boat and
connect the wires or the circuit in order to make the propeller spin. The buoyant force is also
involved through Archimedes’ Principle because students need to find a way to make the
trash collector boat partially submerged in the water. Hereby, the boat can successfully
collect the floating rubbish on the water surfaces. The formula used is

Fb=ρgV
Fb= buoyant force

ρ = fluid density

g =acceleration due to gravity

v = fluid volume

Technology component:

The technology component involved in this Trash Collector Boat is to create a prototype that
will function to collect floating trash while using an Arduino and buzzer to detect the
presence of trash at a certain distance and, at the same time, make a sound as a detector.
The position of the collector, the number of propellers needed and also the shape of the boat
are to be considered thoroughly. Next, students have to know the right skills of soldering as
they have to connect the wires of the electric circuit for the DC motor to function properly.
Application of the ballast tanks such as in submarines to the trash collector boat prototype is
also included in this project. This is to help control the buoyancy of the boat so that it can
submerge partially or completely
Engineering Component

The engineering component that might be seen in this project is the process of designing the
boat. The collector's position, the propeller's position, and the boat's aerodynamic shape.
Students need to brainstorm ideas after doing research and come up with a plan for the
boat’s design that can effectively collect the floating rubbish on the river and sea surfaces.
The engineering design process occurs when students are posed to a problem, conduct
research, imagine, plan, create, test and evaluate, redesign and communicate throughout
the project being conducted The engineering design process in this project is determined
when students need to modify their boat and ensure it is functional to start or effectively
collect floating rubbish.

MATHEMATICS Component

Last but not least, the mathematics component that can be applied here is the way students
plot graphs and the gradient based on the distance versus time graph. By this means, they
are able to distinguish between a linear and nonlinear graph. Other than that, they also need
to calculate the speed of the boat on a fixed area of the water surface to know its efficiency.
Then, they will have to calculate the most suitable length for the propeller to ensure that it
can move the boat and overcome the water resistance effectively
 SCENARIO TASK

Due to the water contamination, many marine life species perish and go extinct. Plastic
bottles and polystyrene were among the floating garbage that contaminated the ocean.
Students must construct a model of a trash collector boat as part of the Friends of the Earth
Club in order to assist our nation in eradicating river and ocean pollution. The floating trash
will be gathered by the boat and carried to a certain location, such as a dumping facility for
additional processing, where it will be transferred and brought to the surface. The purpose of
this project is to build a prototype trash collection boat and educate the students about the
rapid problem of water pollution. They need to convince the teacher about the efficiency and
usefulness of having this boat. The standard of this task is that students must do a
presentation explaining the details of the prototype of the trash collector boat such as shape,
design, components and functionality. They are required to do a simple explanation of how
the boat works to collect the floating trash and how STEM components are deeply
connected to this project. Students must undergo the try and error process in order to create
the most functional and suitable boat. Any design is acceptable as long as their boat can
collect the rubbish. The students are given a few chances to try their boat before the final
test is held in front of the teacher and other students.
Materials& Apparatus

Materials: Apparatus:

Compact foam Solder

UHU glue for expanded polystyrene Cutter
Ice cream sticks Hot glue gun
Breadboard Arduino

Thread

Batteries
Wires
Switch
Battery holder
D.C. motor
Double sided tape
Lead solder
Hot glue
Board Guidelines for Teachers and Students
Engineering Design Process:
1. Problem

The garbage that is dumped into the river and sea contributes to water pollution.
Numerous marine species have suffered as a result of the pollution. One of the
animals that suffers the most is the turtle, because they mistake plastic bags for
jellyfish, which is what they eat. Turtles will soon be extinct if no action is taken by
the community, the government, or any local authority. In addition, water
contamination will severely decrease our nation's water resources. Restoration will
become more difficult as the garbage keeps streaming in nonstop. We will have
problems in the future because we don't have enough clean water for our homes and
we don't know about it.
As a result, a trash collection boat project is an excellent way to raise awareness
about water pollution. The teacher will show the kids photos and movies to help them
understand these tough issues. Students can also go on a site tour so they can see
and feel for themselves how pollution has made its way deep into our ecosystem.
The teacher will then put the students into groups and give them the task of making
a trash collection boat prototype to help solve the problem of water pollution. Criteria
and limits should be laid out, such as a presentation on how the boat and its parts
work, a time limit for making the boat, and the materials that students can use for the
boat's body.

Throughout the introduction to the topic, students must pay close attention to the
work assigned by the teacher and figure out what the problem is that is being talked
about. They must assess the situation, such as the common types of trash thrown
away. At the same time, they will have to think about the STEM parts of this project if
they want to do research afterwards. They need to ask questions to learn more
about the problem and how the project is being done. This will help them avoid
problems or misunderstandings in the future.
 2) Research

Students must find and gather as much information as they can on the causes of
water pollution and how to correctly produce a boat that can move to collect trash on
water surfaces. For example, they can learn through online videos or blogs via
platforms such as YouTube and Chrome. Asking experienced boat builders or people
who know a lot about toy boats for information and ideas about this project can also
be very helpful. Next, students should do research on the internet and in libraries
about the ideas and STEM parts that go into making a boat. This is important
because they will need to explain it in detail during the evaluation. This includes
Archimedes' Principle, which talks about how things float, how electric circuits work,
and the idea that submersibles and submarines have ballast tanks. Students should
have discussions with group members and share each other’s understanding of how
the trash collector boat can make the river or sea free from any floating trash.

To guide the students in doing their research, the teacher should provide links or
articles where students can gain the right information and knowledge regarding this
project. The teacher should also listen in on the students' conversations to make
sure that nothing gets misunderstood and that the students don't get off track from
the point of the trash collector boat task. The students should be given a list of
important things to think about, such as the design of the boat, how to solder, how to
install the D.C. motor circuit, and what the boat is made of. They should also be
given detailed explanations of difficult ideas, such as Archimedes' Principle and the
food chain.
3)Imagine

Students should generate ideas based on the facts and expertise gleaned through
their investigation. They must now understand the critical features of developing a
boat and how it can properly gather trash. They can imagine, for example, a boat
equipped with a crane to collect rubbish or a boat equipped with a net to gather
waste. The boat's designs should consider functionality, size, and material suitability.
The boat must effectively overcome water resistance and be robust enough to
transport the trash to a rendezvous point. The size and shape of the design should
contribute to the boat's ability to float. For example, in order to go ahead, the boat
needs to have a propeller, a location to store trash, and openings for water to pass
through so that the boat does not sink. Other creative and original adjustments to the
existing boat design, or even coming up with their own design, should be
encouraged so that each group of students has a different prototype at the end.
Students should use physics ideas like Archimedes' Principle and mathematical
calculations to help them think of possible solutions.

At this point, the teacher must listen to the students' descriptions of their boat design
concepts. The teacher must then give feedback on how the students explained their
ideas and make any suggestions that might help the students choose the most
realistic approach. For example, criticism of the design of the boat that students felt
would not float properly could be beneficial since it would allow them to come up with
a better idea before moving on to building the prototype. Apart from that, it's up to the
teacher to fix any mistakes the students make.
 4) Plan

Students will have to select the best design from the different choices that they
have previously imagined. They must sketch the blueprint for their boat's design
while considering functionality, distinctiveness, benefits, and, most significantly, the
capacity to persuade the teacher and other students. They should think about
creating the prototype with reusable materials that are inexpensive and easy to
obtain, such as water bottles, ice cream sticks, Styrofoam, and threads. To gain a
consensus and create a solid prototype, all team members in the group must work
together and fulfil their roles completely during the design process.

The teacher is expected to observe the teamwork and involvement of each

member in each group during the students' planning because that component will
be graded. The plans should be reviewed and authorized by the teacher first to
ensure that the prototype subsequently serves the intended purpose and meets all
criteria and limits. If the students do not already have a feasible design, the
teacher should provide a functional prototype to which they can add their own
improvisations and adjustments. An example of a functional prototype:

(Trash boat collector)

As shown in the diagram above, the boat has a specific space for the rubbish to be
collected, and it is secured using threads that allow water to flow and prevent the
boat from sinking. Here, students have the opportunity to use their own ideas, such
as different materials that can submerge in the water, by completely change the
position and design of the trash collector.
 The goal of this project is to clean the rubbish that is floating on the river and sea
surfaces. By having the bottles as ballast tanks, we are able to provide space in
between the water surface and the floor of the boat’s deck for the rubbish to enter
and be carried away as the bottles cause the boat to submerge partially.
This working prototype is very suitable to be introduced by the teacher as it allows
the students to do a lot of modifications and improvisations which will train them to
think more creatively and critically.

5) Create

Each group starts making the ptototype according to the blueprint. Students should
appoint a leader to delegate the task and make sure everyone have the chance to
give out opinion and ideas. Students should record videos and taking picture of the
process to put in their presentation to evaluate. Students should test the prototype
based on their functionality and efficiency to collect rubbish on the water surface.
Students should be able to detect the reason why the prototype is ineffective and
action should be taken to address them. Most of the time, it is because of the circuit
of the motor and boat unable to move in a straight direction. The weak part of the
prototype should be redesign based on the weakness identified and retest. Repeat
this procedure until effective prototype is produced.

Teachers should monitor the students and give advice or suggestion on where
students could improve their prototype. Such as type of propeller, materials of the
boat, amount of motor and battery. Teachers also should give encouragement to
students who are failed to produce a functioning prototype. Students should be given
enough time to redesign and modify their boat so that there are no students who are
unable to present their prototype during evaluation. The teacher must ensure that the
students' project has the correct objective, which is to practice actions that promote
environmental sustainability. Consequently, the instructor should advise the students
to make use of reusable, environmentally friendly materials.
 6) test and evaluate

The trash collector boats from each group should be tested by the teacher during an
evaluation session once the allotted time for prototyping has passed. A criteria for
assessment must be used by the teacher to evaluate the presentations and
prototypes made by the students on this particular day. With the aid of films, images,
and slides, the presentation will be made in front of the entire class. The students will
then test their prototype in an aquarium with floating trash that must be collected by
the boat. The teacher should comment on the pupils' strengths and weaknesses so
that they can analyse their missed opportunities and receive credit for their efforts.

Category 5 4 3 2 1
(excellent) (satisfactory) (good) (average) (inadequate)
Functionality Able to Able to move Able to move Able to move Unable to
move smoothly and but can only but did not move
smoothly collect most collect half or pickup any of
and collect of the rubbish less of the the rubbish
all the rubbish
rubbish
Design Able to float Able to float Able to float Able to float Unable to
by using by using new most of the less than 5 float
reusable materials time minutes completely
materials
STEM Apply all Apply three Apply two Apply one Does not
component four components components component of apply any
components of STEM of STEM STEM component of
of STEM STEM
Innovation A A completely Use the Use the No innovation
completely new design suggested suggested
new design with current design but design but with
that is technology to with unsuccessful
effective on collect the functional modification
picking up rubbish modification and
rubbish with and improvisation
the help of a improvisation
new
technology
Appearance Very neat Very neat and Neat and Sturdy despite Fragile and
and sturdy sturdy with sturdy messy looking messy
with attractive looking
attractive design
design and
perfect
position of
components
Presentation Thoroughly Throughly Explain the Missing one of Missing more
explain the explain the issue, STEM the component than one of
issue, issue, STEM components, required in the the
STEM components, problem presentation components
components problem solving and with simple required in
, problem solving and steps of visual aids. the
solving and steps of making the presentation
steps of making the boat but with no visual
making the boat with vague visual aids and
boat with visual aids aids. poorly
informative but lack of executed
and confident and explaination.
interesting fluency
visual aids
With the use of slides that feature videos and images of the creation process,
students exhibit their prototypes to the class. The topic, problem-solving techniques,
ideas, material choices, and selected design should all be covered in the
presentation. They must also describe how the parts make the boat operate properly.
Then, they should go into detail about each step that was taken to construct the
prototype and test the boat's functionality by using it in the aquarium that the teacher
has given. Each participant must participate in the presentation and must be assured
and well-prepared because that aspect will count against their grade.
 7. Redesign
Students will have the opportunity to alter and modify their prototypes after the
assessment in order to raise their grade. After evaluating their own prototype in
comparison to those of the other groups, they might come up with fresh suggestions
to make it work even better. Before the assessment, students may not have realised
that there are some STEM components that may be used to the trash collection
boat. The engineering design process includes ongoing redesigning. Therefore, in
order to produce the finest results, students should constantly be provided the
opportunity to change and enhance their works.

After the evaluation, the teacher is supposed to offer the students more time
to refine their trash collector boat prototypes. Advice should be provided, for
instance, if the pupils want to use a new technology they have recently learned and
discovered. This should be strongly encouraged because it will aid pupils in
analysing their flaws and making necessary corrections as they go.
8. Communicate
Each group of students is obliged to present their learning in front of the entire class.
They begin by doing research, then brainstorm, plan, create, and finally revise the
project based on the teacher's feedback. They ought to explain in detail how they
arrived at the chosen answer and chose the prototype's appearance. Students might
discuss the challenges they faced when designing and redesigning the prototype,
such as the boat's inability to manoeuvre, float, or properly gather trash. After that,
students must draw a conclusion and list the benefits they have received from
carrying out the garbage collection.

However, following the evaluation process, the teacher should see how the student
have improved their prototypes. Following the improvisation, their final grades should
be announced along with a detailed explanation of the areas in which they
underperformed. Students will thus be aware of their inadequacies despite having
already undergone an evaluation.
REFLECTION

The trash collector boat initiative has ultimately been successful in educating our
children about the water pollution that is affecting our river and sea. This is due to
the several steps that students must go through in order to complete this project, all
of which serve to improve their awareness and knowledge of the relevant subject.
For instance, they need to examine water pollution to understand its causes and
potential solutions, such as using a trash collector boat.

Students will learn to integrate STEM components in doing tasks after conducting
this project because they have to combine many concept from different subject such
as Archimedes principle from physic and water pollution from biology. As a result, a
group of kids with high order thinking abilities will be produced, which is crucial for
the future advancement of our nation. Additionally, this project can teach kids how to
function in a society where they must consult others and come to a decision before
acting.

Since kids will learn to stop themselves from littering and try to produce something
out of reusable materials most of the time, raising awareness of water pollution in our
children should help us lessen the impact in the long run. When a result, issues like
unwelcome illness and a lack of access to clean water may be avoided in the future
as our younger generation begins to protect the environment through conservation
and restoration. They will incorporate practises into their daily lives that support
environmental sustainability.
RESOURCES AND MATERIALS
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hips/
Evans, M. (2020, July 7). What Is Environmental Sustainability?. The Balance
Small Business.
https://www.thebalancesmb.com/what-is-sustainability-3157876
Nathanson, J. A. (2021, August 30). water pollution. Encyclopedia Britannica.
https://www.britannica.com/science/water-pollution
Tucker, E. (2019, November 8). The Ocean Cleanups Latest Invention
Collects 110,000 Pounds of Trash From Rivers Each Day. Architecture
+ Design.
https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/ocean-cleanups-collects-110000pou
nds-trash-rivers-each-day
Shepard, D. (2018, March 13). Food Chains and How They Are Affected by Water
Pollution. Sciencing.
https://sciencing.com/food-chains-affected-water-pollution-7712.html