The Department of Chemical and Process Engineering at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand
Students will learn to think like chemical engineers as they delve into the dye technologies that allow us to express ourselves through colorful clothing. They will read and discuss complex texts, analyze concept maps and graphs, and develop an appreciation for indigenous (Māori) dye technology.
How have different dye technologies been used to produce colorful clothing across cultures and over time?
How can a career in chemical, genetic, or process engineering create opportunities to solve complex societal problems?
Students will able to...
Understand that chemical engineers develop economical commercial processes to convert raw material into useful products.
Understand the scientific and engineering methods.
Analyze complex texts describing historical and contemporary figures and synthesize information about dye processes.
Presentation (Part 1)
Need: WiFi, Computer, Projector, Sound
"Role of the Dye" Readings (Part 1)
Student Worksheet (Part 1)
Print 1 Per Student
Teacher Worksheet (Part 1)
Print 1
10 min: Warm-Up
Clothing Color Audit
Clothing Color Audit
Use the presentation to walk students through an engagement hook activity, before moving into the main reading activity. Using worksheet 1, students calculate their "dye-versity index".
The "dye-versity index" represents the total number of colors a student has on them, and therefore the number of dye processes that had to be invented.
Share Out
Share Out
Let students share their "dye-versity index" and reflect on whether color helps express their personality or mood.
5 min: Engage
Watch Video
Watch Video
This video introduces the importance of color in the natural world of plants, animals, and evolution, as well as in the human world of self-expression, social interaction, and culture. The importance of color to life sets the stage to learn about dye technologies in the next step.
25 min: Explore
Introducing 3 Dye Technologies
Introducing 3 Dye Technologies
The lessons will focus on Tyrian Purple, Mauveine, and Tānekaha Dye.
The invention of each of technology enabled a group of people at a time and place the power of expression through color!
Student "Experts"
Student "Experts"
Split students into groups of three (e.g. by counting off). Assign each number one of the three articles in Reading Handout 1.
After giving them time to read and fill out the concept map for their reading, instruct the groups of three to teach each other what they learned and help each other fill out the remaining blanks on Worksheet 1.
5 min: Wrapping Up
Have students finish remaining questions on their own or assign homework
Have students finish remaining questions on their own or assign homework
Part 2 will begin with a review of each dye technology, so students should complete their Part 1 worksheet before then.
Students will able to...
Understand that chemical engineers develop economical commercial processes to convert raw material into useful products.
Compare and contrast the costs and benefits of synthetic vs natural dye production.
Understand the scientific and engineering methods.
Solve a puzzle by logically piecing together the order of 3 different dye processes.
Presentation (Part 2)
Need: WiFi, Computer, Projector, Sound
Cost Cards for Activity (Part 2)
Print a set for each group
Student Worksheet (Part 2)
Print 1 Per Student
Teacher Worksheet (Part 2)
Print 1
15 min: Review
Share Out
Share Out
Recap the three dye technologies from yesterday's lesson.
Let students share out what they remember from yesterday's lesson and how each dye technology is made. Then use Presentation 2 to pivot the discussion to the sustainability, cultural significance, status signalling, and efficiency of the various technologies.
What is the difference between a chemist and a chemical engineer?
What is the difference between a chemist and a chemical engineer?
Encourage students to do their best to distinguish the differences between a chemist and a chemical engineer. Use Presentation to transition from the discovery and invention of dye technologies to the activity and discussion about how inventions become viable products.
5 min: Pivot
Become a chemical engineer for a day
Become a chemical engineer for a day
Paint the picture: Galactic Tees is a new company that wants to make a new line of t-shirts but can't decide on what dyeing technology to use.
Students will study the pros and cons of each dyeing technology at different scales. For the "Cost Cards" activity the Driving Question will be: "How much does it cost to produce the first dyed item using each technology?"
15 min: Activity: Process Engineering Puzzle
Activity instructions
Activity instructions
Divide students into groups of 2-3 and give each group a set of: ➚ Dye Technology "Cost Card" Puzzle Activity
Each set has 18 Cost Cards representing 6 steps in each of the three dyeing technologies. The presentation will break the activity into substages and guide the students through an analysis of the processes.
Find the Starting Price
Find the Starting Price
Once the cards students have sorted the cards, have them add up the prices of each step listed on the Cost Cards to find the Total Cost of the process.
Starting Price = Total Cost X 1.2 (to include a 20% profit)
10 min: Reflecting on Process Costs
Independent Work
Independent Work
Have students use the remaining time to finish the worksheet.
Students will reflect on the major expenses of the process and predict how the price per item might change as the scale of production increases. Part 3 will explore how production costs change at different scales, so these questions prime the students to think beyond the Starting Price.
Students will able to...
Understand that chemical engineers develop economical commercial processes to convert raw material into useful products.
Interpret graphs to design a product solution at an appropriate scale.
Understand the scientific and engineering methods.
Assess the tradeoffs in scalability, cost, sustainability, and cultural significance between Māori dye technology compared to modern petroleum-based synthetic dyes.
Presentation (Part 3)
Need: WiFi, Computer, Projector, Sound
Teacher Worksheet (Part 3)
Print 1
Student Worksheet (Part 3)
Print 1 Per Student
10 min: Review
Share Out
Share Out
Quickly review the 3 dye technologies, the Starting Price students calculated for each, and the reason the different technologies have varying Starting Prices.
Since the prices and production scales have such a wide range of values, the price per item versus number of items produced points are plotted on log-log plots. The presentation includes a side note about the purpose of log-log plots.
20 min: Explain
Introducing Price Curves
Introducing Price Curves
The presentation introduces the idea of producing items at various scales and discusses how the price per unit changes accordingly.
Make sure students complete corresponding worksheet sections to follow the discussion of Price Curves.
Limited Resources
Limited Resources
Use presentation to guide students through the example of fishing for Murex snails illustrates how the availability of resources affects (and limits) the scale of production.
Watch Video
Watch Video
Show ▶ True Blues: Textiles Water Pollution Problem to introduce environmental impacts of synthetic dyes made from fossil fuels.
Throughout the presentation, synthetic dyes produced from fossil fuels are shown to be a competitive and attractive dye technology. Despite their range of colors and low costs, dyes produced from fossil fuels also cause a lot of problems.
In this video students learn about the many sustainability issues tied to the dye and fashion industries (particularly with fossil-fuel-derived synthetic dyes). This prepares students to reflect on and analyze the consequences of dye technologies as they perform a cost-benefit analysis of the available dye technologies to make a recommendation for Galactic Tees.
15 min: Synthesize and Reflect
Have students finish worksheet independently
Have students finish worksheet independently
By interpreting the price curves, compiling information from all three lessons, and reflecting on their values and goals, students recommend a dye technology for Galactic Tees to use in their new line of t-shirts.
A table in the worksheet allows students to compare the range of colors, price point, target audience, sustainability, status signalling, and cultural significance of each dye technology. Based on the compiled information they will identify the most competitive dye technology. Their final recommendation for Galactic Tees's dye technology is supported by the production bottom line, but also by the student's personal priorities (e.g. sustainability or cultural significance).
Each of these technologies has pros and cons, so students are encouraged to reflect on how they could improve their chosen dye technology's disadvantages. Specifically they are tasked with imagining themselves as chemical engineers trying to make Galactic Tees more sustainable.
Assessment (TEACHER)
This is a streamlined assessment designed to be used in pre/post testing to measure how this lesson affects STEM alignment and key learning objectives.
Assessment (STUDENT)
For those unfamiliar with Māori culture and language, here are some helpful links.
This lesson helps build a high-level understanding of the different processes behind 3 dye technologies: 2 derived from natural resources (tānekaha red and Tyrian purple) and 1 derived from fossil fuels (mauveine). You and your students can gain more detailed knowledge by reading this scientific paper, coauthored by Rangi Te Kanawa.
This Galactic Polymath Learning Chart illustrates the areas of knowledge covered. This lesson targets Science, but it helps teach national learning standards in 4 subjects:
Dimension: Science & Engineering Practices
Dimension: Disciplinary Core ideas
Dimension: Cross-Cutting Concepts
Dimension: Number Systems, Operations & Abstract Representation
Dimension: Algebra, Geometry, Trig, Calculus & Higher Level Thinking
Dimension: Reading
Dimension: Language, Speaking & Listening
Dimension: Science & Engineering Practices
Dimension: Disciplinary Core ideas
Dimension: Peace and Prosperity
Dimension: Planet
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Provided background expertise in Māori dyeing and weaving māutaranga
Provided lots of useful background and photos of this dyeing process using sea snails
Classroom teacher expert advisory during lesson design process
6/29/2022
8/31/2022
Aligned to New Zealand Curriculum. Added Learning Epaulette. Fixed grammatical errors, broken links.
9/8/2022
Procedure edited to be more active. Minor spelling and grammar corrections throughout. Couple of broken links fixed
9/9/2022
Corrected errors; added documentation to teacher versions of worksheets; added learning objectives to standards section.
5/4/2023