Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

15 minutes

Tune in: How long should a pipe last?

20 minutes

Find out: How long can pipes last?

20 minutes

Take action: Use the rubric to determine the suitability of materials

5 minutes

Reflection

Tune in: How long should a pipe last?

Step 1. Introduce the lesson by sharing the thought starter:

How long does a pipe need to last to be ‘long-lasting’?

You can then discuss the following with the class:

Why are durability and longevity important considerations for pipe design?

Suggest to students:

Digging up and replacing old pipes is not an easy (or cheap) task. Often pipes are buried underground or even travel through the foundations of a building so replacing a pipe can take a lot of time and effort
New pipes require the use of resources to make, and energy to transport and replace
Not having to replace pipes too regularly is better for the people the pipes belong to, better for the environment, and more cost-effective.

How does this relate to sustainability?

Suggest to students:

If we use a Venn Diagram - Sustainability, we can see that sustainability is only achieved when the environmental, economic and social factors are balanced.
An important part of this balance is durability and longevity because it means we are replacing pipes less often. Constantly replacing pipes takes important non-renewable resources from the environment, is costly, and impacts the lives of those using the pipes.

So, how long should a pipe be expected to last for it to count as sustainable? 10 years? Forever? Is this even possible? What might affect the life of a pipe?

Suggest to students:

Some factors that affect the life of a pipe include corrosion of the inside and outside of the pipe and also abrasion or cracking.

Find out: How long can a pipe last?

Step 1. Place students into small groups (you will need at least 5 groups). Explain that each group will be working as designers to assess how suitable a particular pipe material is in terms of longevity. The following materials will be assessed; ensure each material has a group assigned to it.

Pipe materials:

metal
leather (like the Romans used!)
wood
clay (like what cups and plates are made from)
heavy-duty fabric

Step 2. Each group will research the following questions for their assigned material (questions also available on the Student Worksheet):

how often would a pipe made of this material need to be serviced?
how long would a pipe made of this material last before it needs to be replaced entirely?
how chemically resistant are pipes made of this material?
how physically resistant are pipes made of this material (i.e., would they break if driven over or crushed?)

Note: Explain to students that it may not always be easy to find an exact answer to each question about their material; in these cases, it is a good idea to apply your existing knowledge of that material and to make some educated guesses, ensuring that justifications are included for these guesses.

Extension: There might be some other things students want to know or test about these materials. Students should be encouraged to negotiate and agree upon their questions.

Step 3. Ask students to imagine they have a client that is insistent upon using this material as the material for future pipe designs: What would you have to do to this material to make it more durable?

For example, you could coat the wood with a lacquer to stop it from rotting or increase the thickness of a ceramic pipe.

Independently, students investigate these solutions and report on them using the Student Worksheet. Many of these solutions will already exist in the real world! But some will require creative thinking.

Remember, we're not looking for the most efficient or cost-effective solutions; instead, we're looking at what material would last the longest.

Step 4. Now, have students look at how durable and safe plastic pipes are by using these links (also available on the Student Worksheet):

Students work in their groups to answer the following questions again, this time assessing the suitability of plastic as a pipe material (questions available on the Student Worksheet):

how often would a pipe that is made from this material need to be serviced?
how long would a pipe made of this material last before it needs to be replaced entirely?
how chemically resistant are pipes made of this material?
how physically resistant are pipes made of this material (i.e., would they break if driven over or crushed?)

Take action: Use the rubric to determine the suitability of materials

Step 1. In their groups, students will now evaluate the durability of the two materials they researched using a rubric. The two materials they will assess will be plastic and the material researched in the first task (e.g. wood, leather, metal, ceramics, or heavy-duty fabric).

Note: Where students have completed this lesson they can use the rubric they created. Otherwise, students can use this rubric.

Students might disagree with their evaluations of their teammates; explain that this is common in designing and assessing materials, and the solution is likely to be conducting more research. Allow students time to conduct more research where necessary.

Step 2. Ask students to imagine there was only a single design consideration: the durability of the pipe.

Students can now prepare a short piece of writing (2 to 3 paragraphs) that compares the two materials they assessed and recommends the material they believe would produce a pipe that would last the longest with minimal service. Students can work together to discuss the ideas for their written pieces; however, students can prepare their own written pieces in their own words.

Note: you could adjust the writing expectations based on time and ability.

Reflection

As a class, share your results. Discuss your answers to the following question:

which pipe material currently seems the most durable, according to the rubric?

Notice how many other materials must have a lot of work done to make them last longer, whereas plastic is quite chemically resistant, strong, and long-lasting (service life of 100+ years) and require little servicing, just as they are.

Differentiation

Some opportunities for differentiation are included throughout this lesson.

What Makes the Most Durable Pipe?

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Summary

Learning intentions:

Students will...

Success criteria:

Students can...

Lesson guides and printables

Lesson Details

Skills

Curriculum Mapping

Resources Required

UN Sustainable Development Goals

Additional Info

Related Professional Learning

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