Search

This unit, developed by the Third World Science Project, is designed to add a multicultural element to existing science syllabi (for students aged 11-16) in the United Kingdom. The project seeks to develop an appreciation of the: boundless fascination of the natural world; knowledge, skills, and expertise possessed by men/women everywhere; application of knowledge and skills to solve the practical problems of everyday life; impact of modern technology in the world; and the influence of the cultural background on the perception of knowledge, problems, and solutions. The unit begins with a brief history of soap-making in Britain and the small-scale preparation of soap in Third World countries using local knowledge, skills, and materials. This is followed by: (1) experiments related to soap-making practices by Ghanian villagers and the chemistry of banana ashes; (2) discussions of applying science to industry in Ghana soap-making (considering acids/bases/salts, sodium/potassium soaps, caustic soda manufacturing, and electrolysis of brine) and the general theory of soap-making (focusing on raw materials, equipment, soap manufacturing processes, and packaging); and (3) a brief description of how palm-oil can be obtained from the pericarp of the oil-palm fruit and its use in village soap industry. (JN)

This unit, developed by the Third World Science Project, is designed to add a multicultural element to existing science syllabi (for students aged 11-16) in the United Kingdom. The project seeks to develop an appreciation of the: boundless fascination of the natural world; knowledge, skills, and expertise possessed by men/women everywhere; application of knowledge and skills to solve the practical problems of everyday life; impact of modern technology in the world; and the influence of the cultural background on the perception of knowledge, problems, and solutions. The unit begins with a brief consideration of the importance of salt in the diet and extraction of salt from mines/seawater. Additional topic areas considered include: salt produced from swamps at Nala (Tanzania), focusing on ingenuity of villagers in providing a living without money to buy commercial table salt; salt extraction from plants (including papyrus) by burning dried leaves; Cibwa salt production in Northern Zambia (presented as a student science project); salt production in the highlands of Papua New Guinea; use of wood to absorb salt from dilute solutions; and salt production in the Turks/Caicos islands; and procedures used to obtain salt from sea water at salt works located near Guerande in Brittany. (JN)

This unit, developed by the Third World Science Project, is designed to add a multicultural element to existing science syllabi (for students aged 11-16) in the United Kingdom. The project seeks to develop an appreciation of the: boundless fascination of the natural world; knowledge, skills, and expertise possessed by men/women everywhere; application of knowledge and skills to solve the practical problems of everyday life; impact of modern technology in the world; and the influence of the cultural background on the perception of knowledge, problems, and solutions. The unit consists of six sections and list of references. Topic areas considered include: historical consideration of the use of color; natural dyestuffs in use today and their resources; and plant pigments (chlorophylls, carotenoids, anthocyanins, and anthoxanthins). Activities presented include: chromatographic analysis of plant pigments; preparation of colored solutions from natural sources; investigation of acidity/alkalinity; and an investigation of dye uptake (preceded by a discussion of dying fabrics). The unit concludes with a brief outline of tie-dying and print processes. (JN)

This unit, developed by the Third World Science Project, is designed to add a multicultural element to existing science syllabi (for students aged 11-16) in the United Kingdom. The project seeks to develop an appreciation of the: boundless fascination of the natural world; knowledge, skills, and expertise possessed by men/women everywhere; application of knowledge and skills to solve the practical problems of everyday life; impact of modern technology in the world; and the influence of the cultural background on the perception of knowledge, problems, and solutions. The unit begins with a discussion of the viability of and technology involved in producing methane from waste materials, followed by information on: physical/chemical properties of biogas; basic theory of anaerobic breakdown of materials into methane; differences between aerobic/anaerobic methods in methane digestors; reproduction of the anaerobic process in air-tight containers; and role of different bacteria in the biological breakdown of wastes in digestors. A discussion of what kind of digestor should be built and best way of using gas/slurry produced follows. A report on the role of the integrated biogas system in Sri Lanka (illustrating benefits for a country lacking in fossil fuels) and a description of how small digestors can be constructed using school materials are included. (JN)

This unit, developed by the Third World Science Project, is designed to add a multicultural element to existing science syllabi (for students aged 11-16) in the United Kingdom. The project seeks to develop an appreciation of the: boundless fascination of the natural world; knowledge, skills, and expertise possessed by men/women everywhere; application of knowledge and skills to solve the practical problems of everyday life; impact of modern technology in the world; and the influence of the cultural background on the perception of knowledge, problems, and solutions. The introduction to this unit traces the historical background of plant use as the only source of drugs for man, considering the belief that a cure for every disease can be found among members of the plant kingdom. Topics areas considered in following sections include: increasing respectability of "primitive" herbal healing; drugs and poisons; major drugs obtained from plants; plants that bring health and death, considering plant chemicals that destroy tumors, reduce blood pressure, paralyze muscles, or prevent conception; African medicine (suggesting students similarly list and identify local plants having medicinal value); and herbs and modern drugs. The unit concludes with a list of plants and their popular drug derivatives. (JN)

This unit, developed by the Third World Science Project, is designed to add a multicultural element to existing science syllabi (for students aged 11-16) in the United Kingdom. The project seeks to develop an appreciation of the: boundless fascination of the natural world; knowledge, skills, and expertise possessed by men/women everywhere; application of knowledge and skills to solve the practical problems of everyday life; impact of modern technology in the world; and the influence of the cultural background on the perception of knowledge, problems, and solutions. The unit consists of nine sections, beginning with an account of the local distillation of beer in Uganda using a homemade still. The measurement of specific gravity comes next, including class activities on making a simple hydrometer. The fractional distillation analysis of "enguli" (Ugandan fermented beverage) follows, with activities on using small experimental quantities. The next section, dealing with "alcohol power," is an account of how Brazil has made a national commitment to replace gasoline consumption with alcohol from sugar cane and cassave. The unit concludes with a discussion of how a Tanzanian student's interest in the alcoholic beverage (ulanzi) was developed into a useful science project. (JN)

This unit, developed by the Third World Science Project, is designed to add a multicultural element to existing science syllabi (for students aged 11-16) in the United Kingdom. The project seeks to develop an appreciation of the: boundless fascination of the natural world; knowledge, skills, and expertise possessed by men/women everywhere; application of knowledge and skills to solve the practical problems of everyday life; impact of modern technology in the world; and the influence of the cultural background on the perception of knowledge, problems, and solutions. The unit consists of four sections and references. The first section considers events leading to the beginning of the Iron Age and smelting the ore today. A diagram showing a blast furnace operating and producing pig-iron is included. The second section is a discussion of iron-smelting in Uganda, an indigenous chemical industry that has been used to introduce African students to basic scientific principles. Provided in the third section are discussions of bellow making (including instructions for constructing bellows), iron-smelting, and end-products of the smelting process. The unit concludes with some suggested class activities, including the extraction of iron from iron ore. (JN)

This unit, developed by the Third World Science Project, is designed to add a multicultural element to existing science syllabi (for students aged 11-16) in the United Kingdom. The project seeks to develop an appreciation of the: boundless fascination of the natural world; knowledge, skills, and expertise possessed by men/women everywhere; application of knowledge and skills to solve the practical problems of everyday life; impact of modern technology in the world; and the influence of the cultural background on the perception of knowledge, problems, and solutions. The unit begins with a brief survey of rural, traditional building and associated problems, using Datoyili (Northern Ghana) as an example of a loosely nucleated settlement of single-story huts. A plan of the village, chief's compound, and interior of chief's hut are included. Scientific concepts involved in building are then considered, such as advantages of cylindrical huts related to direction of sun's rays and use of the thatched roof as non-conductor of heat. Mathematical exercises related to these topics are included. Additional sections focus on construction/comparison of round/rectangular houses, importance of using local labor/materials in constructing houses, and other topics. The unit concludes with illustrated instructions for making models of round huts and rectangular dwelling. (JN)

This unit, developed by the Third World Science Project, is designed to add a multicultural element to existing science syllabi (for students aged 11-16) in the United Kingdom. The project seeks to develop an appreciation of the: boundless fascination of the natural world; knowledge, skills, and expertise possessed by men/women everywhere; application of knowledge and skills to solve the practical problems of everyday life; impact of modern technology in the world; and the influence of the cultural background on the perception of knowledge, problems, and solutions. The unit begins with a discussion of the structure and fermentation activity of yeast (Saccharomyces), followed by an account of Pito brewing in Northern Ghana. Main concepts and processes arising from each step in the brewing procedure and the industrial manufacture of the beverage are included. The brewing of Kanchine (Zambian beverage) is then considered, including rules for drunkards. The unit concludes with four experiments focusing on anaerobic respiration and fermentation in yeast. Laboratory procedures, materials needed, and related questions are included for each experiment. (JN)

This unit, developed by the Third World Science Project, is designed to add a multicultural element to existing science syllabi (for students aged 11-16) in the United Kingdom. The project seeks to develop an appreciation of the: boundless fascination of the natural world; knowledge, skills, and expertise possessed by men/women everywhere; application of knowledge and skills to solve the practical problems of everyday life; impact of modern technology in the world; and the influence of the cultural background on the perception of knowledge, problems, and solutions. The unit (which assumes students have previously been introduced to energy and its different forms) focuses on different types of energy convertors which can be related to the Third World. The introduction explains how unconventional energy courses may help Third World countries to improve their agricultural methods and living standards, proceeding with discussions of energy sources, importance of photosynthesis/plants, raising of water by muscle power, and other devices which make use of muscle power. Other types of energy convertors widely used in underdeveloped countries are the described, including water wheels, wind energy, and solar energy. The unit concludes with list of addresses to obtain detailed information to construct energy converts in the school laboratory. (JN)

This unit, developed by the Third World Science Project, is designed to add a multicultural element to existing science syllabi (for students aged 11-16) in the United Kingdom. The project seeks to develop an appreciation of the: boundless fascination of the natural world; knowledge, skills, and expertise possessed by men/women everywhere; application of knowledge and skills to solve the practical problems of everyday life; impact of modern technology in the world; and the influence of the cultural background on the perception of knowledge, problems, and solutions. The unit begins with historical background information on the ritualistic use of chewing-sticks, describing the most common plants that were chosen for this purpose. This is followed by brief discussions of chewing-sponges (to show differences in the technique employed) and the anti-bacterial activity in chewing-sticks, and a short list of references on chewing-sticks and sponges. The unit concludes with five class activities dealing with identification of different types of teeth, effect of acid on teeth, testing toothpaste, and finding some useful components of toothpaste. (JN)

This unit, developed by the Third World Science Project, is designed to add a multicultural element to existing science syllabi (for students aged 11-16) in the United Kingdom. The project seeks to develop an appreciation of the: boundless fascination of the natural world; knowledge, skills, and expertise possessed by men/women everywhere; application of knowledge and skills to solve the practical problems of everyday life; impact of modern technology in the world; and the influence of the cultural background on the perception of knowledge, problems, and solutions. The unit consists of three sections. Section 1 is an account of how traditional clay pots are made in Sokoto (Northern Nigeria). Section 2 consists of: an experiment to discover how to keep water cool in porous pots; information on why water stays cooler in porous pots and on how water passes through the walls of these containers; and a discussion of advantages of using clay pots for cooling water, especially in rural areas of developing countries. Section 3 is a discussion of village pottery production in the Philippines. Suggested activities include constructing a Taku Kiln from a dust-bin or oil-drum, simple glazing experiments, and hand-built pottery using coiling or slab techniques. (JN)

This unit, developed by the Third World Science Project, is designed to add a multicultural element to existing science syllabi (for students aged 11-16) in the United Kingdom. The project seeks to develop an appreciation of the: boundless fascination of the natural world; knowledge, skills, and expertise possessed by men/women everywhere; application of knowledge and skills to solve the practical problems of everyday life; impact of modern technology in the world; and the influence of the cultural background on the perception of knowledge, problems, and solutions. The unit begins with an outline of the methods used in Zambia to produce charcoal from skillfully constructed log piles. An extract from the Technology Consulting Centre at Kumasi on charcoal burning follows, as well as a report of charcoal burning in Sri Lanka. A contribution on charcoal burning by a third year pupil of Lubushi Seminary in Zambia is included, together with some experiments on the small-scale preparation of charcoal. Suggested practical work includes collection of volatile vapors and the measurement of temperature porosity of charcoal. (JN)

This unit, developed by the Third World Science Project, is designed to add a multicultural element to existing science syllabi (for students aged 11-16) in the United Kingdom. The project seeks to develop an appreciation of the: boundless fascination of the natural world; knowledge, skills, and expertise possessed by men/women everywhere; application of knowledge and skills to solve the practical problems of everyday life; impact of modern technology in the world; and the influence of the cultural background on the perception of knowledge, problems, and solutions. The major focus of the unit is on obtaining water from water supplies located in rural areas, and on carrying it in a pot or on the head to houses/fields long distances from the source. Activities designed to demonstrate collecting water from deep wells and on carrying water by hand or on the head are included. Also included is a story ("My Husband, My Master") about a mother in Tanzania (East Africa). The story, presented to illustrate what it is like being a women living in poor conditions, includes comments on fetching water, a task reserved for women in the village of Msinune. (JN)