Introduction to Project

Each team will design, build and test a sorting mechanism to attach to a standardized conveyor system to sort recyclables.  As natural resources become scarcer and difficult to extract, an efficient method of sorting recyclables and economically reprocessing them will become necessary. The United States is the world's leading producer of waste. Recycling some of that waste reduces the landfill space required, the amount of natural resources exploited, and the energy used to maintain our standard of living.

Distribution of Project Packets

Explain to the students that everything they will need for the project is either in the project packet that you will be distributing or described in the packet.  Distribute these to the students and go over the materials with them.  This is a very large packet of information as this is a very detailed project.  All of the information needed to teach this project is included in the packet. 

After the teams have finished their ratings/discussions, bring the class back together to discuss what each team has discovered and/or learned. If possible, ask each team to lead a different portion of the discussion. Have each team turn in their team worksheet at the end of the class.