SHADE ADSORPTION SPHERES

Overview

Students begin with a short video on harmful algal blooms, a class discussion, and an optional sketch of causes and effects. In a two-part inquiry lab, they test how graphene coating thickness affects heat conduction along polyethylene strips under a heat lamp, then compare graphene-coated and uncoated plastic beads for filtering food dye from water, judging clarity with Secchi disks or turbidity tubes. Discussion and notes on conductivity, adsorption, and surface area explain the results. Teams then design and test a shade ball prototype coated with activated charcoal or carbon black paint to limit temperature change and algae growth, and present evidence as a pitch, flyer, video, or review. Engagement takes 20 minutes to 1 hour, exploration labs 25-35 minutes, explanation 30-45 minutes, elaboration Days 1-6, and evaluation 2 class periods.

Lesson Objectives

• Design, build, and evaluate the findings resulting from constructing a shade ball that uses a coated material of their choice to help mitigate temperature changes and algae growth. Students can choose how to share what they learned—through a pitch, flyer, video, or review—and use evidence from the experiment to support those ideas.