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Role Play Teaching Resource

Print outs of all necessary documents are below.

Continue down the page if you wish to use the website version

If preferred the student worksheet word document can be download to the right. Click onto the student activity document link to download.

Activity 3 Student Worksheet

Activity 3 Teacher Resource

To the left is the teacher resource, containing general background information and suggested solutions

The students will be invited to perform a role play about the issue of sunscreen made using nanotechnology. This activity will scaffold student’s engagement in this activity and the content in the play. A worksheet has been developed to provide scaffolding and support.

Learning objectives

 

Students will be able to:

  • Work together in a team to construct this play.

  • Think creatively while using relevant information about the topic.

  • Gather relevant and correct information for the role play scenario.

  • Communicate information to each other effectively.

  • Evaluate if the claims about the sunscreen and the environment are legitimate.

  • Learn more about how nanotechnology affects sunscreens and the coral reefs. 

Victorian Curriculum

VCE.jpg

Criteria for assessment (100 points):

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  • C1: (30 points) will focus on student contribution in the role play. If they contributed the bare minimum (2 contributions to the role play) (15 points). If both of their 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 stakeholder position would contribute and react in this debate. 

  • C3: (30 points) Participation in role play. How student conducted themselves in the roleplay. If doing online version, if don’t troll people and responded meaningfully to their post (20 points) If it is a real-life class discussion, did student treat 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). Inclusion of list of all references including websites visited.

This worksheet below should be completed before the roleplay activity to ensure every student has some background information on this issue. This reading and questions sheet should take them about 10-15 minutes to do. The student version of this worksheet is included on the student page. This version is for the teachers understanding.

Sunscreen- Bad For The Environment?

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Read the following passage, and answer questions based on this information.

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We use sunscreen in order to help protect us from the sun’s rays and the dangers they could bring. Nanoparticles are used to help block these rays (Monterio-Riveria, N et. al 2011, p.264) The main nanoparticles used in sunscreens are titanium dioxide and zinc oxide.

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A major danger from UV rays produced from the sun include skin cancer

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. (Downs, CA et.al, 2015, p.265)

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These coral reefs play an important part in our ocean’s ecosystem and without them, the damage to the environment can be incredibly bad. Animals that depend on these reefs like the clown fish, are threatened by these nanoparticles. However, there are more environmentally safer sunscreens that exist out there.

Questions

  1. What is sunscreen used for?

  2. What are some key nanoparticles in these sunscreens?

  3. What are some consequences of using these sunscreens?

  4. Research some methods of identifying or knowing which sunscreens are environmentally friendly.

Sample answers

  1. Sunscreen is mainly used to block UV rays from getting through the skin. UV rays can cause skin cancer.

  2. Nanoparticles like zinc oxide and titanium oxide have been identified to help reduce the amount of UV that penetrates the skin, reducing the chances of skin cancer.

  3. Several ingredients in sunscreens have been identified to damage to coral reefs over time.

  4. There are several lists online that lists the ingredients of sunscreen that have been identified to harm the environment. One example is the HEL (Haereticus environmental lab) list. Being aware of what ingredients of sunscreen cause damage to coral reefs is a great start.

References:

1.            Downs, C.A., Kramarsky-Winter, E., Segal, R. et al, 2016, ‘Toxicopathological Effects of the Sunscreen UV Filter, Oxybenzone (Benzophenone-3), on Coral Planulae and Cultured Primary Cells and Its Environmental Contamination in Hawaii and the U.S. Virgin Islands,’ Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, vol. 70, no.2, p. 265, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-015-0227-7

2.            N. A. Monteiro-Riviere, K. Wiench, R. Landsiedel, S. Schulte, A. O. Inman, J. E. Riviere 2011 ‘Safety Evaluation of Sunscreen Formulations Containing Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles in UVB Sunburned Skin: An In Vitro and In Vivo Study’, Toxicological Sciences, Vol. 123, no. 1, accessed on the 22/09/18, pp. 264–280, https://doi.org/10.1093/toxsci/kfr148  

The Situation

 

Thanks to recent studies, it has been shown that sunscreen has dangerous components, like zinc and titanium oxide (Corinaldesi, C et al. 2018, pp. 1279) on the nanoscale level that are hurting coral reefs. This is seen with the coral bleaching caused by these chemicals. This endangers the Great Barrier Reef and other aquatic environments. The main ingredients causing the most damage seem to be nano TiO2 (titanium oxide) and nano ZnO UV filters (Johnson, E 2018, p.43).

The Scenario

 

(This can be done via an online blog or in a class discussion):

  • The class 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. 

  • You can choose between the following two methods of doing this role play activity.

  • If the role play activity is an online blog, students should be given two or three nights where they can do this research outside of school time.

  • If the role play activity is an in class meeting, students after doing a worksheet below should be given the rest of the class time to research for their role, so the discussion can happen at the start of the next class. 

  • Students will randomly be given one of the roles below, these roles can be repeated, and most likely 2-3 students will be in each role. It is recommended that students receive these stakeholder positions before they start researching for the role play activity.

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Stakeholder positions:

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Environmentalist: Someone who supports the environment. Wants the sunscreen to remove the chemicals harming the reef, or people to use less sunscreen.

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Scientist: A researcher who has been looking into sunscreen’s effect on the Great Barrier Reef.

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Local doctor: Someone there reminding people about the positive effects of sunscreen and is there to talk about the health aspects of sunscreen use.

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Business owners: Heavily dependent on the tourism industry.

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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.

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Divers: Want to protect the coral reefs. Can help point out first hand experiences (these must be supported by a reference).

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Lifeguards: must spend a lot of time out in the sun and can be affected heavily if there is no sunscreen.

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Other roles (can be anything as long as it’s realistic).

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Note: Any facts they have need to show references and what proof they have for this (bibliography). In a table, or document of some kind.

References:

1. Corinaldesia, C, Marcellini, F, Nepote, E, Damiani, E, Danovaro, R 2018, ‘Impact of inorganic UV filters contained in sunscreen products on tropical stony corals (Acropora spp.)’, Science of the Total Environment, vol. 637, p. 1279-1285, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.05.108

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2. Johnsen, E 2018, Toxicological Effects of Commercial Sunscreens on Coral Reef Ecosystems: New Protocols for Coral Restoration, Capstone, Nova Southeastern University, retrieved 21/9/2018, https://nsuworks.nova.edu/cnso_stucap/335/

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