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Plastic Wrap
Task with Student Directions
Contributed by: Kentucky Department of Education (KDE)

PERFORMANCE TASK STUDENT DIRECTIONS/RESPONSE SHEET

TASK: S/SS1 - Plastic Wrapped
Grade 4

STUDENT NAME:  _______________________________________________

SCHOOL NAME:  _______________________________________________

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS:

Your job in this activity is to compare the quality and price of different kinds of plastic kitchen wrap. Not all plastic wrap is the same. Your group will rank four kinds of wrap from best to worst.

You have four different brands of plastic wrap (all the same width), and a bowl at your station. The bowl is only to help you to test the wrap. First, study the packages to discover the prices, and the number of feet of wrap on each roll when it was new. (Some of the wrap may be gone from the packages you have). Then calculate the cost per foot. Enter these facts on your Data Sheet in Table I.

Next, starting with the box of wrap marked A, do the following tests. After each test, write your observations on the Data Sheet in Table II. All you have to enter is "yes" if the result is good, and "no" if it is not so good.

  1. Remove a piece about as long as it is wide. Observe how easy it is to pull out, and to tear off.
  2. Decide if the sample you tore off is easy to keep from clinging to itself and from getting tangled.
  3. Put the sample over the bowl, and press it around the sides. Does it cling well to the bowl?
  4. Push on the plastic when it is on the bowl. Does it hold a lot of weight without letting go?
  5. Use a pencil point, or pen, and push on the plastic on the bowl. Is it hard to puncture?
  6. Take the plastic off the bowl and try to tear it. Is it hard to tear?
Repeat all of these tests with the plastic in the boxes marked B, C, and D and record your observations on your Data Sheets. You can use extra samples of the materials if you want to repeat some of the tests.

Finally, in Table III on the Data Sheet, rank the plastic from 1 to 4, with 1 being best. Enter the ranks in the last chart on your Data Sheet.


INDIVIDUAL WORK:

When you finish, tell the person in charge, or your teacher. Then open your response form and answer the questions by yourself. Do not complete the response form as a group. Use your Data Sheet to help you as you work.

TASK: S/SS1 - Plastic Wrapped
Grade 4

STUDENT NAME:  _______________________________________________

SCHOOL NAME:  _______________________________________________

DATA SHEET

EACH MEMBER OF THE GROUP MUST COMPLETE ONE COPY OF THIS DATA SHEET.

First, complete this chart below by studying each package.

TABLE 1 - COST PER UNIT OF WRAP
Package
A
B
C
D
Package Cost        
Feet Per Roll        
Cost Per Foot        

You will do a series of test on each kind of plastic. As you do your tests, fill in the chart below. In each case, enter either "yes", or "no".

TABLE II - PLASTIC WRAP QUALITIES
Brand Easy To Remove Tangle Free Clings to Bowl Holds Weight Hard To Puncture Hard To Tear
A
           
B
           
C
           
D
           

Finally, by looking at the results in your data chart, decide on the order of the plastic products from best to worst. Enter the group decisions by ranking them from 1, which is best, to 4, which is worst.

TABLE III - RANK ORDER OF PLASTIC WRAP
1 (best)
2
3
4 (worst)
       

 

RESPONSE FORM:

Using your Data Sheet and all of the observations you made while you were testing the four kinds of plastic wrap to complete the answers for questions 1-4.

  1. If you were being careful not to spend much money, but you wanted plastic wrap, which brand would be best for you to buy? (Check one.)

    A._______ B._______ C._______ D._______

    Explain why you checked the one you did.

    ____________________________________________________________________

    ____________________________________________________________________

  2. If you were not worried about money, but you wanted the best plastic wrap in the store, which one would you buy?

    A._______ B._______ C._______ D._______

    Explain why you checked the one you did.

    ____________________________________________________________________

    ____________________________________________________________________

  3. Using information you have entered in Tables I and II, explain why you think there are differences in the price of plastic wrap.

    ____________________________________________________________________

    ____________________________________________________________________

    ____________________________________________________________________

    ____________________________________________________________________

  4. Look at the cost of each package, the number of feet of plastic wrap in each pacakge, and at the way you ranked them. Considering everything, make a recommendation for which brand is the best one to buy, even if you could afford the most expensive one, and explain how you decided.

    ____________________________________________________________________

    ____________________________________________________________________

    ____________________________________________________________________

 

Kentucky Department of Education
Performance Events 1992-93

 


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