Chemistry of Everyday Things

Introduction

The U.S. toy industry is worth over $22 billion dollars a year. The average person uses 32 batteries a year, so where do they go when they die? ¹ American families purchase over 5 billion batteries, which is around 150,000 tons of battery waste annually. The average child receives 69 electronic toys a year, most being electronic toys. ² How do you begin to make the students understand the impact they have in tossing their dead and broken electronic toys or devices? Items like cellular phones, batteries, televisions, broken computers, and even video game systems should not be tossed in the trash because they still contain dangerous chemicals and heavy metals that can end up in the landfill. Children are disconnected from the world outside their doors.

In 2010, our state science test indicatedthe students are struggling with retention of the science concepts, with an 8 ^th grade proficiency of only 28%, and 39% proficiency in 11 ^th grade. My students seem to struggle with comprehending some abstract science concepts and recognizing there is a relationship between evidence and explanation. Similarly, they don't seem to understand that background knowledge and accepted theories help them determine the design of the current experiments and interpretation of the data. The area in which they are most lacking is physical science. How do you build a foundation of what physical science is and how it can be applied to their world? My students reside in a city and are geographically limited to unspoiled areas of nature. They lack the experiences of wooded untouched areas. Thus, they have very little experience with the effects or impact that pollution has on the ground water or the soil. They do not seem to grasp that recycling is more than separating plastic, paper, aluminum, and glass.

The science literacy of our students may well determine the path they choose to follow in the future. Thus, by allowing my students to participate in science-based decisions, we can hope to diminish the harmful impact of pollution of our air and water in our community.

The Tire Fire of 1997 in Washington, Pennsylvania, evacuated our students during the school day when burning pieces of flaming tire residue rained down from the sky as the middle school students during were getting on the buses at the end of their day. Our school and the several hundred families were evacuated for three months and could not return per orders from the EPA due to hazardous air quality, soil contamination, and water compromised. Governor Tom Ridge declared a Proclamation of Extreme Emergency. ³

My first-hand witness of this environmental disaster made me realize how much of an impact hazardous waste can affect a whole community. My unit is a reflection of how improper recycling, such as the used tires, can affect a whole community.