Planet Plot

Objective: Students will visit another "planet". Here they will learn that water, once polluted
and not conserved, can be lost and that conservation and preservation are important factors in
living on the planet.

Materials: Ziplock bags, bag of renewable and non-renewable resources (see suggested list),
planet plop "Resources" (see list) - brought from home by students, data collection sheet (1
per person), newsprint or other large sheet of paper, masking tape, plastic cups (2 per group),
plastic spoons (2 per group), class data sheet, timers (1 for each Government Inspector)

Background: Water is a natural resource that we all share. It is also a valuable resource that
most people take for granted. The quantity of water on Earth is a constant; however, the
quality is ever-changing. Most water pollution is caused by humans. Water is a resource that
should never be wasted and maintaining this resource is a responsibility of all humans.

Procedure:
Divide class into groups of 3-4 students. Each group will have the following roles:
Surveyor: student that picks up the Data Collection Sheet and collects resources.
Data Collector: fills in the name of each student's role and records data from the collected
resources
Economic Developer: leads the discussion on what the group members should "do" or
"make" with their resources. Also outlines the plan for the 2nd and 3rd trips to Planet Plop.

In addition to group members, there needs to be:
Government Inspectors: Students that oversee each trip to Planet Plop. Their role is to
monitor behavior on the planet. They are permitted to give fines for improper behavior (such as
pushing, yelling, theft, and talking back to the government). They may fine 1 piece of any
resource, up to an entire trip's resources. One inspector will also have to stay on Earth to
guard the collected resources.

Materials Manager/Head of Government: Teacher

The Materials Manager displays the bag of Renewable and Non- Renewable Resources.
Instruct the students to compare and contrast the objects. Hold a class discussion. If the
students do not come up with the terms non-renewable and renewable resources, introduce
and then define these terms. Explain that this activity is going to be about these terms.

Discuss water as a renewable and non-renewable resource. Allow students to brainstorm their
ideas about the topic. After the discussion, indicate the class is going to do an activity in
which resources are going to be obtained from another planet, Planet Plop. The new planet is
rich in resources, but no one knows what resources will be found prior to the first trip.

Have the surveyor for each group pick up a Data Collection Sheet for their group and have the
Data Collector fill in a name for each role. Have a government inspector check to see that
each sheet is filled out correctly.

Explain that this activity depicts life on Earth in the year 2094. Most of the Earth's resources
have been depleted and nearly all the water is polluted. A new planet has been discovered
that has lots of resources and is completely pollution free. At this point, dump all the Planet
Plop Resources on the 9' square newsprint section of the floor.

Rules for all the trips
No running.
Do not eat any of the resources.
Do not break any of the resources.
Government Inspectors cannot levy fines without checking with the Head of Government.

For Trip #1:
Have the Surveyors come to the front of the room. Give each of them a plastic cup and a
plastic spoon. Indicate that their task is to travel from the designated starting place at the
front of the room to Planet Plop. On the signal "Go" they "launch" and take one step each time
they count out "1001". Upon landing on the planet surface, they collect resources with the
spoon, one piece at a time, and place the resources in their cups. A government inspector will
monitor, levy fines, and time the duration of the collecting experience (20 seconds). The
Surveyors can travel at their own speed back to Earth. Data Collectors record resources that
were collected on the Data Collection Sheet. Have each group discuss what they would like
their Surveyor to collect on the 2nd trip.

For Trip #2:
The Surveyor can collect any way he/she wants, but must use the spoon to pick up resources
and must put the resources in the cup. Time for this trip is 20 seconds. The Surveyor returns
to the group and the Data Collector records the data. The Government Inspectors levy any
fines as needed. Share the class data sheet and record each group's record of resources. Have
the Economic Developer in each group lead a discussion on what the group member should
"do" or "make" with their resources. Outline a plan for the next 2 trips to determine how best
to use the resources. Include in the discussion aspects of renewable and non-renewable
resources.

For Trip #3:
The students will have 15 seconds. Each Surveyor can take along the Economic Developer to
assist in gathering the resources. Resources must fit in the cup and must be picked up with
the spoon (The Economic Developer can have his/her own cup and spoon). After gathering
resources, both return to Earth and data is recorded. Fines are levied if necessary.

For Trip #4:
Trip #4 is the last trip the government is going to allow to Planet Plop. This time, anyone can
go to collect. The only restrictions are that the resources must fit in the group's cups and the
fine for any personal injures will be a loss of ALL resources. The unknown resource
(spaghetti) has been identified as a new resource that has special properties. It has water as
the largest part of its chemical makeup. When the resource is exposed to Krypton gas, the
water is released as pure water. When returned to the air, it recrystallizes and recharges by
absorbing water from air. It can be used indefinitely. 20 seconds will be allowed for this trip.
Everyone returns to Earth and the data is recorded. Do not eat any of the resources.

Discuss the activity at this point. List group totals on the Class Data Sheet. Compare the totals
by items. The following are discussion questions:
Why did you collect what you did?
What challenges did you experience?
What about the role of the government?
How evenly were the resources distributed?
What does Planet Plop look like now?
Would you be able to live on Planet Plop now?
Why didn't anyone think to protect Planet Plop?
Are the damages on Planet Plop your fault or the government's fault?
Which resources are most valuable? Why?
Can you restore Planet Plop to its original condition?

As a class, pool all the resources and cooperatively plan how best to use them. If the students
decide to eat the resources, allow them to eat only those that are still wrapped.

Have the students write and illustrate a report about what they learned from this activity.
Hopefully, a conclusion will be that the future of our planet depends on human behavior.

Extensions:
Go to USGS Eros Data Center web site: www.edc.usgs.gov/imagegallery. Click on the Earth As
Art 1 Image Collection and Earth As Art 2 Image Collection to view our planet's natural
resources from outer space.

Plan a field trip to the closest wind-energy plant. Have your students explore the giant wind
turbines and meet with the experts to discuss ways that they can help save resources in their
own homes.

Vocabulary Glossary:
Non-renewable Resource: A resource that is in limited supply and cannot be replaced again.
Renewable Resource: A resource or substance, such as a forest, that can be replenished
through natural or artificial means.

Activity adapted from: The Comprehensive Water Education Book