Socio-Science: Role Play Activity
To the right is the word document version of the student role play activity. To download the word document version for the activity hover over and click the word document icon.
Sunscreen- Bad For The Environment
Read the following passage, and answer questions based on this information. This information will help you in the following activity.
Whenever it is hot and sunny, we use sunscreen in order to protect us from the sun’s rays. In these sunscreens nanoparticles are used to block these rays . These small products, titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are the main nanoparticles used in these sunscreens.
However, these nanoparticles have been revealed to have serious consequences to the environment. The nanoparticles are building up in the ocean and are now causing damage to the coral reefs in the water . These particles have been seen to cause rapid coral bleaching, killing them.
These coral reefs play an important part in our ocean’s ecosystem and without them, the damage to the environment can be incredibly bad. However, there are more environmentally safer sunscreens that exist out there.
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Questions:
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What is sunscreen used for?
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What are some key nanoparticles in these sunscreens?
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What are some consequences of using these sunscreens?
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Research some methods of identifying or knowing which sunscreens are environmentally friendly.
References:
Role Play Activity
You are all residents in a fictional beach town. The main source of business and income in the town is the beach tourism industry. This is helped by being close to the Great Barrier Reef, and it brings a lot of tourists each year. With the news of certain ingredients in sunscreen being harmful to the coral reefs, your city council is having a meeting to discuss the situation.
For this activity you will be randomly assigned one of several roles. You need to consider what position these roles will be take in relation to the issue of sunscreen use and do research to support your role. Any facts or statements you say should be supported by some evidence that you have the reference (source of it) for.
You are expected to in your role to contribute to the discussion once or twice at the very least.
The scenario:
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You will take on the role of residents in a fictional beach town, that has a popular beach tourism industry near the Great Barrier Reef. With the news of these sunscreen products being harmful to the coral reefs, your city council is having a meeting to discuss the situation.
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You will randomly be given one of the following stakeholder positions before you start researching for the role play activity.
Stakeholder positions:
Environmentalist: Someone who supports the environment. Wants the sunscreen to remove the chemicals harming the reef, or people to use less sunscreen.
Scientist: A researcher who has been looking into sunscreen’s effect on the great barrier reef.
Local doctor: Someone that reminds people about the positive effects of sunscreen and is there to talk about the healthy aspects of sunscreen use.
Business owners: Heavily dependent on the tourism industry.
Concerned parents: This can work both ways, some can be worried about the state of the environment over this, while others are worried about their own children.
Divers: Want to protect the coral reefs. Can help point out first hand experiences (these must be supported by a reference).
Lifeguards: must spend a lot of time out in the sun and can be affected heavily if there is no sunscreen.
Some links below to help you get started:
http://www.haereticus-lab.org/
https://www.theguardian.com/science/small-world/2014/mar/13/nanotechnology-sunscreen-skin-cancer
Marking Criteria (Out of 100 points)
C1: (30 points) will focus on your contribution in the role play. If you contributed the bare minimum (2 contributions to the role play) (15 points). If both of your contributions were very good and backed up by evidence (24 points). Very good frequent contributions (30 points).
C2: (20 points) should focus on serious consideration of how your stakeholder position would contribute and react in this debate.
C3: (30 points) Participation in role play. How you conducted yourself in the roleplay. If doing online version, if you, don’t troll people and responded meaningfully to their post (20 points). If it is a real-life class discussion, did you treat your fellow classmates in the discussion with respect and paid attention to what they were saying?
C4: (10 points) Proof of research (notes taken), facts found online. This may be on a piece of paper or on cue cards.
C5: (10 points) Presence of a reference list. (An easy ten points to make, for a crucial thing they need to incorporate). Create a list of all your references including websites you visited.