Life Cycle Assessment Project: Gr9 Social Studies (Enriched)

In groups of two or three, you will evaluate the impacts associated with all stages in a products life cycle. You will contrast the life cycle of a product in the present day to the same system in the industrial revolution. This assignment has THREE parts: see below You can choose any product that can trace its origins to the Industrial Revolution; check with me for topics. Potential products include wool, cotton, meat (food), milk, railroad components, crops (potatoes, oats, wheat, turnips, etc.), dye, iron, or power (coal, steam).

PART ONE: Life Cycle Assessment Goal and Scoping Report (24 marks) a) Historical Origins Identify your system and provide an overview of its life cycle during the Industrial Revolution. Mention key people, places and events (1page). Unlike step a) the research for steps b) c) and d) will be on the present day process. b) Inventory Analysis identify key inputs for your system for each stage in the Life Cycle Assessment model. You will use the categories of: 1) materials acquisition, 2) manufacturing, 3) assembly, 4) transportation, 5) use, 6) disposal (1page). Inputs Ideas -What resources, transportation, energy and technologies are used? c) Impact Assessment identify key environmental and social impacts (outputs) for each stage in the LCA model. Use the same categories as above (1page). Outputs Ideas - What emissions to air, water, and land occur in each stage? Which social conditions would each stage have effected (such as working conditions, protests, etc.)? d) Improvement Assessment evaluate your system. Include the answers to three questions: How has your system changed since the Revolution? What has stayed the same (what are the continuities)? What are your suggestions for mitigation of the negative impacts of your system today? (1page).

Please see the attached rubric for marking scheme.

Cradle-to-Grave Life Cycle Assessment Project: Gr9 Social Studies (Enriched) p.2

PART TWO: Life Cycle Assessment Diagram (14 marks) Diagrams to be used in presentation, due March 15 2013 Create a diagram which shows the general life cycle of your system. You will present this diagram to the class so it must be detailed, easily understood, and interesting. Your diagram must include/use: a) A step-by-step illustration/design of your general life cycle, with stages of the life cycle, as well as the inputs and outputs identified in your report (6pts) b) A brief history of your system during the Industrial Revolution (3pts) (USE THE FINDINGS FROM YOUR REPORT FOR THE ABOVE STEPS) c) Multiple colours, labelled well, includes appropriate pictures and words (3pts) d) Assignment completed on Bristol board (1pt) e) Large enough letters/pictures to be viewed by the back of the class (1pt)

PART THREE: Presentation of Findings (12 marks) Presentations will be held on March 15 2013 (last day before March Break) You will present your findings to the class in a group presentation. You will be evaluated by me and by other groups in class; therefore, you will be expected to evaluate other groups also while they are doing their presentations. We will be presenting in round-robin format. For your group presentations: a) b) c) d) e) Each group member should speak an equal amount (3pts) There should be effective use of your diagram in the presentation (2pts) Each presentation should be between 5-10 minutes (2pts) You must include the class in your presentation: questions? (2pts) Presenters must be easily understood, speak comfortably, make eye contact (3pts)

TOTAL PROJECT MARKS: 50 / 50

RUBRIC FOR LCA WRITTEN REPORT - SS9 ASSIGNMENT

UNSATISFACTORY (1) SPELLING, GRAMMAR, LENGTH PROFESSIONAL PRESENTATION OF MATERIAL
-10 or more errors AND does not meet page min. -Report is barely legible, with two or more of: no headings, no title, no page numbers, no bibliography

SATISFACTORY

(2)

GOOD

(3)

EXCELLENT

(4)

-6 to 9 errors OR does not meet page minimum -Report is difficult to understand or lacks one of: title, headings, bibliography, page numbers

-3 to 5 errors, meets or exceeds page minimum -Report is easy to follow, with title, headings, bibliography and page numbers

-Less than 2 errors, meets or exceeds page minimum -Report is easily understood, easy to follow, with original title, headings for each section, bibliography, page numbers

HISTORICAL ORIGINS

-Students have not identified their system in the beginning of the report - Students have barely attempted to describe the history of their system (5 sentences or less)

-Students have identified their system but it is difficult to find in the report -Students provide a brief history of their system (10 sentences)

INVENTORY ANALYSIS

-Students are missing one or more stages and/or are missing inputs for one or more stages -Students show no variety in the types of inputs described

-Students have identified all stages of the system and have included at least one input for each stage -Students show little variety within each stage or across stages

IMPACT ASSESSMENT

IMPROVEMENT ASSESSMENT

-Students are missing one or more stages and/or are missing one or more inputs for one or more stages -Students have identified one or fewer of either social or environmental outputs -One or more of the questions has been left almost completely unanswered -Little to no assessment using the information from the rest of the report.

-students have identified all stages and included at least one output for each stage -students have identified at least two social / two environmental outputs

-Students have clearly identified their system in the beginning of their report -Students have provided an accurate description of the history of their system (15 sentences) -Students have identified all stages of the system and have included almost two inputs for each stage -Students show a variety of inputs across the stages used in their report -students show either originality, creativity or empathy and almost two outputs for each stage -environmental and social outputs can be identified across the stages -Assessment answers both questions very thoughtfully using the information provided from the other sections of the report -Connection between conclusion and report

-Students clearly identify system and connect it to the present day system - Students provided a very detailed description of history of system (20 sentences) -Students have identified all stages of their system and included at least two inputs for each stage. -Students show capacity for critical thinking in the variety of inputs identified -Students show empathy, originality and creativity in section; with two or more outputs per stage -Environmental AND social impacts are provided for each stage -Highly creative assessment, including multiple answers to each question posed in the project outline -Clear and valid connection with conclusion and report

-Section uses information from the rest of the report but neglects one of two questions -Does not show clear connection between answers and the rest of the report

Total Marks:

/24

Comments on back of rubric