Try This!

Discuss your trash-project findings.
Glimpse other parts of the world (extension activity).

Discuss Your Findings

Your students may think they’ve finished being scientists once they’ve entered results into the Kids Network database. But raw data tell only part of the story, so Kids Network also affords your class an opportunity to interpret their results.

There are any number of issues to consider, and the following questions are just a start.

• Were you surprised by how much trash the class generated? Was it more or less than expected?
• How average was the average? Did everyone have roughly the same amount of trash?
• What was your largest category of trash? Your smallest? Do those findings say anything about how you spend your day?
• If your parents had done the same project when they were in school, how might their trash have been different?
• Were there any unusual circumstances that might have affected your trash for the day. (If liver was the lunch entree, for example, there might be more leftover food than usual. A math test might mean people used more scratch paper.)
• What would a future archaeologist looking at your trash learn about life in the early 21st century?

Once the class has discussed the implications of their trash-collection research, we invite them to draft a Conclusions Statement that explains the key points of your data, explains any anomaly, tells readers why what you learned is important, and suggests avenues for future research or action. You can find samples from other Kids Network participants in the Conclusions 1 forum.

We suggest including an e-mail address (at school, not a student’s home) so that other teachers and classes can respond to your findings.

After you’ve drafted, edited, and proofread your Conclusions Statement, please post it in the Conclusions 1 forum.

Glimpses of the World (extension activity)

Webcams let your pupils explore the world with just a few clicks. They also provide you with an opportunity to teach students about the complexities of understanding other places. If possible, it might be interesting to have the class look at a Webcam that depicts your community.

• How accurate is the image?
• What parts of your community don’t appear?
• If your students could establish a Webcam for your community, where would they aim it? Why?

ConnecTV offers links to more than a thousand Webcams.

You can learn more about Webcams from our TRAVELER magazine.