Guayule and Guar in the Classroom

Melissa Wilburn and Arisbeth Ibarra Nieblas are a teacher/fellow pair bringing SBAR topics into the classroom. In their lesson on polymers, Arisbeth asked the 6^th Grade class at Quail Run Elementary, “Where do we get rubber?”
“Guayule!” some of the students called out.

Students learned about the properties of polymers, the difference between natural and synthetic polymers, and made their own polymer bouncy balls to bring home.
“Do you remember how Indigenous people got rubber from guayule?” Arisbeth asked the class.
“They chewed the plant,” the students said.
“We’re going to chew some plant-based gum as we mix our polymers,“ Arisbeth said.

Arisbeth handed out a Turkish plant-based piece of gum to each student to chew as they discussed early uses of the plant (it tasted horrible, but got the idea across).

The SBAR Education team works with teacher and fellow pairs to develop engaging hands-on lessons that bring STEM concepts to life. The lessons that are developed by teachers/fellow pairs will be shared on the SBAR Educational Resources page. 

Melissa and Arisbeth have students reflect on the role of guayule in arid lands. This is part of a KLEWS chart that helps students move through the steps involved in scientific reasoning. “KLEWS” stands for discussing what we think we know, what we have learned, the evidence we found, our wonderings, and scientific words, principles, and reasoning.