You have been using the design process in this portfolio to find ways to monitor and minimize a human impact on the environment. by doing the activities, you have been using the 21st Century Skill of investigating and analyzing environmental issues and making accurate conclusions about effective solutions.

Question

Maya's Data
Maya designed two methods to study how to monitor and minimize the amount of plastic waste she makes. she is counting the number of each type she uses. she is also weighing how much plastic she uses. she had to make some changes to her research designs because they did not meet the criteria and contains of the project. in her design plan, she added a note to record each type of plastic waste she made.
Maya made a table to record the number of the plastic items she threw away or recycled over two days. she can use the table to compare the data. she can see that she used more plastic water bottles than yogurt containers.
Maya then use the table to record information from her second method. she recorded the weight per item in the chart. she found the total weight of each item and divided it by the total weight of all the items to get the percent each item made in total. she rounded some of her numbers off to make sure her total added up 100 percent. Maya used a pie chart to help her visualize the weight of the plastic items she threw away or recycled. this helped her see which item made up the greatest amount of her plastic waste.
Maya was able to observe the biggest amount of her plastic waste that comes from plastic water bottles. she will compare these results to the data she collected after she stopped using plastic water bottles. Maya can predict from this pie chart that she will reduce the amount of plastic waste she makes by more than half by not using plastic water bottles.
Now it's your turn. analyze and interpret the data from your project. work with your learning coach to decide the best way to graph your data so that you can compare your two research methods. you will use your data to compare your two methods and decide how they can be used to create a new design method.
now it is your turn. take a look at the data you collected by using each of your design methods. compare your designs. use your comparisons to develop and present a new and even better design.
present your new design in a creative way. be sure to include your reasoning for the changes and combinations you've made. write it as a 6th grader

Answer 1

My New Design for Monitoring and Minimizing Plastic Waste

Introduction

After looking at the data I collected while trying to monitor and minimize my plastic waste, I was able to identify some important patterns. I used two methods: counting the number of plastic items I used and weighing them to see how much plastic I was throwing away or recycling. I learned a lot about which types of plastic I waste the most and how I can reduce that waste.

Comparison of My Two Methods

1. Counting the Number of Items:

   • This method was really useful because it showed me exactly how many plastic items I was using. I noticed that I threw away more plastic water bottles than yogurt containers. It helped me realize that I should focus on reducing my use of water bottles!

2. Weighing the Plastic:

   • Weighing the items helped me understand how much weight each type of plastic contributed to my waste. After making a pie chart to visualize it, I could see the percentage of waste from each type of plastic. This visual helped me determine that plastic water bottles made up a significant portion of my total waste, more than any other type.

New Design Method

Now that I have analyzed my previous methods, I have come up with an even better design to monitor and minimize my plastic waste! Here’s what I plan to do:

1. Combination of Counting and Weighing:

   • I will continue counting each type of plastic item I use, like cups, straws, and containers, but I will also measure the weight of each item. This way, I can have both numerical and weight data to compare.

2. Adding a Tracking Chart:

   • I will create a new tracking chart where I can log both the number of items and their weight. It will have columns for Date, Type of Plastic, Number of Items, Weight per Item, and Total Weight. This will help me see trends over time.

3. Weekly Reviews:

   • Every week, I will review my data and see how I did. I will make a new pie chart each week to see if the percentage of waste changes as I try to reduce my use of plastic bottles.

4. Set Goals:

   • I will set goals for myself, such as reducing the number of plastic water bottles I use by 50% over the next month. I will use the data from my charts to evaluate if I meet my goals or if I need to try harder.

Conclusion

With this new design, I believe I will be able to monitor my plastic waste more effectively and find better ways to reduce it. By combining counting and weighing, keeping better organized records, and regularly reviewing my progress, I will get a clearer picture of my plastic use and how to minimize it. I’m excited to start this new plan and hopefully see a big difference in my plastic waste over time!