HIGH SCHOOL GEOMETRY: GOT MILK? UNIT OVERVIEW This packet contains a curriculum-­‐embedded Common Core–aligned task and instructional supports. The task can be used as a group performance assessment on modeling, and should be proceeded by a review of volume and surface area. TASK DETAILS Task Name: Got Milk? Grade: High School Geometry Subject: Math Depth of Knowledge: 3 Task Description: Students analyze the characteristics of sustainably designed items. In a real-­‐world application exercise, students calculate the surface area and volume of a prism and a cylinder in order to connect geometric properties to sustainable design principles. Students look at implications for redesigning products in order to minimize costs and maximize profits. Students will also use news articles to aid in their analysis of sustainability. Standards Assessed: G-­‐GMD.3: Use volume formulas for cylinders, pyramids, cones, and spheres to solve problems. G.MG.1: Use geometric shapes, their measures, and their properties to describe objects (e.g., modeling a tree trunk or a human torso as a cylinder). G.MG.3: Apply geometric methods to solve design problems (e.g., designing an object or structure to satisfy physical constraints or minimize cost; working with typographic grid systems based on ratios). Standards for Mathematical Practice: MP.1: Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. MP.2: Reason abstractly and quantitatively. MP.3: Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others. MP.4: Model with mathematics. 1
TABLE OF CONTENTS The task and instructional supports in the following pages are designed to help educators understand and implement Common Core–aligned tasks that are embedded in a unit of instruction. We have learned through our pilot work that focusing instruction on units anchored in rigorous Common Core–
aligned assessments drives significant shifts in curriculum and pedagogy. PERFORMANCE TASK: GOT MILK?...............................................................................................…3 RUBRIC AND SCORING GUIDE………………………………………………………………………………………………………9 PRE-­‐-­‐-­‐ASSESSMENT AND ANSWER KEY…………………………………………………………………………………………..11 INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORTS……………………………………………………………………………………………………......13 UNIT OUTLINE………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….14 INITIAL ASSESSMENTS…………………………….…………………………………………………………….............19 GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS……………………………………………………………………………………………………..26 Acknowledgements: This bundle was developed by Deborah Terraferma, Trish Jufer, and Emily Wilson at Williamsburg High School for Architecture and Design (14K558), in collaboration with the Common Core Fellows. 2
HIGH SCHOOL GEOMETRY: GOT MILK? PERFORMANCE TASK 3
Group Performance Task: Got Milk? Part I: Introduction – Whole Class Discussion
Materials: Plastic milk jug, New York Times article “Solution or Mess? A Milk Jug for a Green
Earth” (Consider having students read NYT article as a homework assignment the night before you
begin the task.)
1) What kinds of things do you use every day that someone has designed?
2) How is a product’s design related to its use?
3) What is sustainable design?
Display plastic milk jug.
4) What three-dimensional geometric figure resembles this plastic milk jug?
(continued on following page for student distribution)
Adopted from Taking Shape: www.facingthefuture.org
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Part II: Sustainable Design – Students will be moved into small groups.
Materials: Milk Crates, Milk Jugs
Directions: Your group is part of a milk distribution company. You are trying to figure out how
to make the transport of milk from dairy farms to stores across the nation as cost-efficient and
environmentally responsible as possible.
1) How many one-gallon milk jugs can fit into the crate you were given? How do you know?
Show all work.
2) Would there be any unused space in the crate/box if it were filled with milk jugs? What factors
contribute to this wasted space?
3) How is the use of milk jugs and crates/boxes like these related to the cost-effectiveness of
transporting milk from a dairy farm to a store?
4) How could the milk jug be redesigned so that more jugs could fit onto a truck? Would you
consider a cone or a pyramid jug? Why or why not?
Adopted from Taking Shape: www.facingthefuture.org
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Part III: You Be the Judge!
In your groups you are going to examine two milk container designs to see which one is more
sustainable. Remember! Sustainable design involves making products in a way that minimizes
negative impacts of production on people and environmental resources while still balancing
economic costs.
Record all of your group’s work on this sheet. Your group will then create a poster presenting
your solutions to questions 9 and 10. The audience for your poster is the management of a store
trying to make a decision on which container of milk to stock. The store wants to appeal to their
customers’ sense of environmental friendliness as well as control costs.
1) Name at least three ways that the concept of sustainable design can be used to redesign plastic milk
jugs.
2) Calculate volume for the following two containers:
3) Which container holds a greater volume of milk?
4) What feature(s) of this container allows it to hold more milk?
Adopted from Taking Shape: www.facingthefuture.org
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5) How is a container’s volume related to sustainable design?
6) Now calculate and compare the surface area of the two containers. Round answers to the
nearest hundredth.
7) Which container has a greater surface area?
8) How is surface area related to sustainable design?
9) Of the two containers, which one would you recommend stores carry? Take into consideration
volume, surface area, production and transport costs, the environment, and usability.
10) What other design features would you add to the preferred container to make it even easier to
use? Explain how these features would affect the sustainability of the container’s design either
positively or negatively.
Adopted from Taking Shape: www.facingthefuture.org
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Part IV: For Better or Worse – Complete for Homework
versus
1) Companies such as Sam’s Club, Walmart, and Costco introduced a new milk jug similar to the
one on the right. List some advantages and disadvantages for the new jug.
2) How many of the new milk jugs (13 cm x 13 cm x 25 cm) will fit in a truck whose trailer is 28
feet long, 10 feet high, and 10 feet wide?
3) After reading the article “Solution, or Mess? A Milk Jug for a Green Earth” by Stephanie
Rosenbloom, what is your opinion of the new milk jug? Is the inconvenience worth the cost
savings?
Adopted from Taking Shape: www.facingthefuture.org
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HIGH SCHOOL GEOMETRY: GOT MILK? RUBRIC 9
Grading Rubric – Got Milk?
Student Name:
________________________________________
CATEGORY
Exceeds
Expectations
Part II
20 points
Part III
20 points
Part III
Poster
Presentation
10 points
Part IV
10 points
Meets Expectations
Barely Meets
Expectations
Does Not Meet
Expectations
Evidence of
observation and
analysis of problem
is well presented.
Conclusions are
based on
measurements
conducted by the
group.
Most answers are
complete and
demonstrate
evidence of group’s
discussion of the
problem.
Incomplete
responses and/or
one to two missing
answers.
Responses do not
relate to questions.
Evidence not
presented based on
measurements.
Accurate
calculations.
Comparison of two
containers is
presented
completely and
neatly.
Recommendation is
based on
observations and
measurements.
No more than two
calculation errors.
Recommendation is
based on
observations or
measurements.
More than two
calculation errors.
Little evidence of
analysis of different
containers.
Calculations are
incomplete. No
analysis of
differences in
containers.
Recommendation
missing or
incomplete.
Poster shows
evidence of
significant effort in
preparation.
Material in poster is
accurate and
displayed with
clarity; easy to read
and understand.
Poster shows
evidence of effort in
preparation.
Material in poster
has no more than
two errors and is
readily
understandable.
Poster shows some
evidence of effort in
preparation.
Material in poster
has more than two
errors and may not
be easy to
understand.
Poster shows little
evidence of effort in
preparation.
Material in poster
has many errors and
is difficult to
understand, or
unintelligible.
Work is presented in
a neat, clear,
organized fashion
with correct
conclusion.
Work is presented in
a neat and organized
fashion, with no
more than one error.
Work is presented in
an organized
fashion but may be
hard to read at
times; error in
calculation.
Work appears
sloppy and
unorganized.
Multiple calculation
errors.
10
Performance Task: Got Milk? Answer Key Content
Possible Points Points Earned Part II: 1) Answers will vary depending on the size of 5 pts the crate they are given. 2) Yes, there would be wasted space around the 5 pts neck of the bottles, in the handles, and around the top. The jugs will not be easily stackable. 5 pts 3) Because of the wasted space, more trips might have to be made; small crates mean that more crates will need to be used. 5 pts 4) Answers will vary. If the jugs were stackable or more square shaped, that would cut down on the amount of space. Students should discuss how a cone and pyramid would make it considerably more difficult to stack and account for more wasted space within crates. Part III: 1) Just a few possibilities include: 2 pts • reducing volume so that the containers take up less space in store refrigerators (saving energy) and less space in delivery trucks (reducing fuel) • reducing surface area so that less packaging is required (saving resources) • using recycled plastic • making sure the container can easily be recycled or reused. 3
2 p
ts 2) Container A – V = 3318.3 cm Container B – V = 4225 cm3 2 p
ts 3) Container B 4) Container B has a larger base area, resulting 2 p
ts in greater volume. 5) A container with more volume holds more 2 p
ts milk, reducing the number of containers (and often the amount of packaging needed). 2
6) Container A – SA 1286.48 cm 2 pts Container B – SA 1638 cm 2 7) Container B 2 pts 8) Larger surface area requires more packaging 2 pts materials (plastic in this case). Items with a 11
small surface area could be considered more sustainable. 9) Possible Answer: Stores should carry Container B. Even though its surface area is larger, it has a greater volume, and the containers can be stacked on top of each other. This would allow more containers to fit in the truck. Less fuel would be used to transport the containers because delivery trucks wouldn’t have to make as many trips. 10) Features such as handles and a narrow neck for pouring would make the container easier to use, but would likely diminish the environmental and economic sustainability of the container. Another idea is to fashion the container from material that insulates the milk better so that the refrigerator doesn’t need to be kept as cold. Part III: Presentation Poster 1) Effort: Poster reflects significant effort and thought in preparation. 2) Accuracy: Poster reflects accurate mathematics. 3) Clarity: Poster is easily understandable without explanation. Part IV: 1) Answers will vary. 2) 217. Look for accuracy in calculation of volume of containers and truck: conversion of units from feet to centimeters, rounding down to nearest whole number. 3) Answer is thoughtful and reflects evidence-­‐
based thinking. 12
2 pts 2 pts 3 pts 4 pts 3 pts 2 pts 4 pts 2 pts HIGH SCHOOL GEOMETRY: GOT MILK? INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORTS 13
Unit Outline I NTRODUCTION : This unit outline provides an example of how to integrate performance tasks into a unit. Teachers may (a) use this unit outline as it is described below; (b) integrate parts of it into a currently existing curriculum unit; or (c) use it as a model or checklist for a currently existing unit on a different topic. The length of the unit includes suggested time spent on the classroom instruction of lessons and administration of assessments. Please note that this framework does not include individual lessons. High School Geometry: Three-­‐Dimensional Solids U NIT T OPIC AND L ENGTH : Ø The sequence of related lessons is intended to take approximately five instructional periods (one week/50 minutes), depending on students’ prior knowledge and work with area, surface area, and volume. It is recommended that the unit be taught after Module 2: Similarity, Proof, and Trigonometry (midyear). C OMMON C ORE S TANDARDS : Ø G-­‐GMD.A.3: Use volume formulas for cylinders, pyramids, cones, and spheres to solve problems. Ø G-­‐GMD.4: Identify the shapes of two-­‐dimensional objects and cross-­‐sections of three-­‐
dimensional objects, and identify three-­‐dimensional objects generated by rotations of two-­‐dimensional objects. Ø G-­‐MG.A.1: Use geometric shapes, their measures, and their properties to describe objects (e.g., modeling a tree trunk or a human torso as a cylinder). Ø G-­‐MG.A.3: Apply geometric methods to solve design problems (e.g., designing an object or structure to satisfy physical constraints or minimize cost; working with typographic grid systems based on ratios). S TANDARDS FOR M ATHEMATICAL P RACTICE : MP.1: Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. MP.2: Reason abstractly and quantitatively. MP.3: Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others. MP.4: Model with mathematics. 14
B IG I DEAS /E NDURING U NDERSTANDINGS : Ø The design of a 3-­‐D container affects the cost of its production and storage. Ø An understanding of 3-­‐D geometry is essential to many design careers. Ø 3-­‐D shapes can be formed and/or visualized from two-­‐dimensional diagrams (nets). Ø The units which are reported in an answer are critical to the accuracy of that answer. C ONTENT : Ø Formulas for area of two-­‐
dimensional figures Ø Formulas for lateral area, surface area, and volume of three-­‐
dimensional figures Ø The relationship between the volume of pyramids and prisms as well as between those of cylinders and cones Ø How to categorize a three-­‐
dimensional shape Ø Knowing which situations the faces of a pyramid are congruent isosceles triangles E SSENTIAL Q UESTIO NS : Ø How can three-­‐dimensional objects be visually drawn on a two-­‐dimensional plane? Ø How is volume derived from area? Ø What role does math play in creating sustainable designs? Ø How is the design of an object tied to creating a well-­‐balanced environment, society, and economy? S KILLS : Ø Calculate the volume, surface area, and lateral area of prisms, pyramids, cylinders, cones, and spheres Ø Apply the formulas for area of two-­‐
dimensional figures: quadrilaterals, triangles, etc. Ø Find the radius, height, length, or width of a three-­‐dimensional figure, given its volume or surface area Ø Compare different solids with the same volume but different surface areas for efficiency Ø Consider the impact of varying dimensions of different design and their impact to the environment and other resources (e.g., is bigger always better or stackable containers vs. jugs) Ø Transform an expression in one unit into another (e.g., ft/sec to yds/hr) V OCABULARY /K EY T ERMS : Ø
LINE, POINT, PLANE, NET, VERTEX, EDGE, FACE, BASE, CIRCUMFERENCE, AREA, LATERAL AREA, SURFACE AREA, VOLUME, SLANT HEIGHT, CYLINDER, PRISM, CONE, PYRAMID, SPHERE, GREAT CIRCLE, SUSTAINABILITY, CAPACITY, APOTHEM A SSESSMENT EVIDENCE A ND ACTIVITIES : I NITIAL A SSESSMENT : R EMEMBER M E ? The unit begins with an initial assessment of the classifying three-­‐dimensional shapes called “Remember Me?” After completing the worksheet, review formulas for volume and surface area of different three-­‐dimensional solids. The graphic organizer can be used to record this information which will be used later in solving problems. 15
F ORMATIVE A SSESSMENT : P OPCORN P ROBLEM The formative assessment lesson is entitled “Popcorn Anyone?” This task should be done after reviewing the formulas for volume and surface area. Students working in pairs should spend one class period working on the task and present their work in the format of a lab report (hypothesis, investigation, and presentation of results with evidence). This activity was adapted from http://illuminations.nctm.org/LessonDetail.aspx?id=L797. F ORMATIVE A SSESSMENT : Q UIZ The quiz (which is presented in two versions, one which provides step-­‐by-­‐step supports and one which is more open-­‐ended) will assess student understanding and application of the formulas. This assessment is designed to prepare students for the deep critical thinking required by the performance task, and to give the teacher data on student readiness, which will allow him/her to intentionally group students. P ERFORMANCE T ASK : G OT M ILK ? In the performance task “Got Milk?,” students, working in small groups, will incorporate their knowledge of three-­‐dimensional solids within a real-­‐work context. Students analyze the characteristics of sustainably designed items, and then calculate the surface area and volume of a prism and a cylinder in order to connect geometric properties to sustainable design principles. Students look at implications for redesigning products in order to minimize costs and maximize profits. Students will also use a news article to aid in their analysis of sustainability. L EARNING P LAN AND A CTIVITIES : Ø Day 1: Students complete initial assessment “Remember Me?,” identifying three-­‐
dimensional shapes. Teacher reviews formulas for surface area and volume for three-­‐
dimensional shapes. Ø Students practice straightforward problems calculating surface area and volume. Consider using textbook resources, worksheets from http://kutasoftware.com/freeige.html, or Jmap.org. Ø Day 2: Teacher guides students through a demonstration of surface area, using nets for prisms, cylinders, pyramids, and cones. Suggested resources: http://illuminations.nctm.org/ActivityDetail.aspx?ID=70
http://www.learner.org/interactives/geometry/3d_prisms.html http://www.learner.org/interactives/geometry/3d_pyramids.html http://nrich.maths.org/6307 Ø Students, working in pairs, explore two different options for a new popcorn container made from different-­‐sized cylinders. This activity will be completed in a “laboratory” format. At the completion of the experiment, the class will discuss the results and conclusions they have drawn regarding the different shapes. Ø Day 3: Quiz: Students will complete the quiz independently, comparing the volumes of two differently shaped containers. Ø Students will reflect on various ideas related to three-­‐dimensional shapes through journal prompts and essential questions. o
A manufacturer must sell 216 cubic inches of fish tank gravel in a container that has the smallest surface area (packaging costs must be kept at a minimum). The manufacturer employs you as the packaging expert to develop a container (cube, 16
prism, cylinder, or other shape) which has the smallest surface area while maintaining a volume of 216 cubic inches. Make a shape and size recommendation to your manager and give reasons for your recommendation. Ø Days 4 and 5: Students will work in small groups to complete the “Got Milk?” task, Parts I, II, and III. Groups will create and share a poster which presents their answers to questions 9 and 10 (or consider a Gallery Walk, perhaps with Post-­‐its for feedback). Ø Students will complete Part IV of the “Got Milk?” task independently as a homework assignment and final assessment. Additional Support Strategies: For students who need help understanding the different vocabulary: Ø The quiz has been provided in two different formats. The format with more scaffolding may support learners who struggle with vocabulary or problem solving. Ø A word wall and visual aides (3-­‐D models) can help visual learners. Ø Video clips and geometric software can help students can help bring the 3-­‐D shape to life versus the static nature of a 2-­‐D shape. For students who need help remember the formulas: Ø Graphic organizers can be used to help students keep track of the various formulas. Suggested site: http://www.dgelman.com/graphicorganizers/#GEOM. Ø The quiz has been provided in two different formats. The format with more scaffolding may support learners who struggle with vocabulary or problem solving. R ESOURCES : Muschla, Judith A. and Gary R. Muschla. Geometry Teacher's Activities Kit. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-­‐
Bass, 2000. Print. Charles, Randall I., et. al. Geometry Common Core. Boston: Pearson, 2012. Print. Serra, Michael. Discovering Geometry: An Investigative Approach. Emeryville, CA: Key Curriculum Press, 2008. Print. http://illuminations.nctm.org/LessonDetail.aspx?id=L797 http://www.dgelman.com/graphicorganizers/#GEOM Real World Math: Engaging Students Through Global Issues. Seattle, WA: Facing the Future, 2009. Print. Rosenbloom, Stephanie. “Solution, or Mess? A Milk Jug for a Green Earth.” New York Times, June 30, 2008, http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/30/business/30milk.html?_r=1. Bennett, Dan. Exploring Geometry with Geometers Sketchpad. New York: Key Curriculum Press, 2005. Print. 17
“The Geometer’s Sketchpad” (Version 4.05). New York: Key Curriculum Press. Software. Bass, Laurie. Geometry. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2007. Print. 18
Unit: Solids and Characteristics of 3-­‐D Figures Initial Assessment – Remember Me? At the beginning of the unit, the teacher will assess what the students already know about solids by having them identify different types of solid figures based on diagrams of the 3-­‐D figures. Many students will be familiar with the different types of solids from middle school. Objective: Students will identify prisms, pyramids, cylinders, cones, and spheres. If possible, the teacher should have actual 3-­‐D models of the different figures to show the students and reintroduce the names of the different figures. Students should know the following in order to complete the activity: • Both prisms and pyramids are named by the type of base. For example, if a prism has a triangular base, it is called a triangular prism. If a pyramid has a base in the form of a pentagon, it is called a pentagonal prism. • Prisms have two bases, while pyramids have only one base. • Cylinders have two circular bases, while cones have only one circular base. • Spheres have no bases. Notes to tell students: • Every name will be used on the worksheet, and some may be used more than once. • If you have answered correctly, the correct answers will reveal a hidden message. • Answer message: “Solids are not plane.” Possible Extension: • After students complete the activity, teacher can see if they remember formulas for volume and area, as three-­‐dimensional shapes are covered in both the 7th and 8th grade standards. 19
Name: _______________________________________________ Date: _____________ Geometry Unit: Solids Initial Assessment –Remember Me? A solid is a three-­‐dimensional figure. Identify each of the following figures by the correct name, and write the corresponding letter in the space below the figure. Correct answers will reveal a message about solid figures. rectangular pyramid – A triangular prism – E pentagonal prism – L triangular pyramid – O hexagonal pyramid – R sphere – T cone – D rectangular prism – I cube – N pentagonal pyramid – P cylinder – S 20
Name: ___________________________________________ Geometry Assessment Popcorn, Anyone? Regal Cinemas is considering purchasing a new popcorn container: a long skinny one or a short fatter one. Both containers will be made from a sheet of 8½-­‐by-­‐11-­‐inch paper. Option A Option B 1. Hypothesis: Do you think the two cylinders will hold the same amount? Do you think one will hold more than the other? Which one? Justify your answer. 2. Experiment: a. Take the white sheet of paper and roll it up along the longest side to form a baseless cylinder that is tall and narrow. Do not overlap the sides. Tape along the edge. Label this Cylinder A. Measure the dimensions with a ruler. Record your data in the table below and on the cylinder. b. Take the colored sheet of paper and roll it up along the shorter side to form a baseless cylinder that is short and stout (fat). Do not overlap the sides. Tape along the edge. Label this Cylinder B. Measure the dimensions with a ruler. Record your data in the table below and on the cylinder. Dimensions Height (in) Diameter (in) Radius (in) Cylinder A Cylinder B 21
c. Now test your hypothesis. Place Cylinder B on the paper plate with Cylinder A inside it. Pour popcorn into Cylinder A until it is full. Carefully lift Cylinder A so that the popcorn falls into Cylinder B. Describe what happened. Is Cylinder B full, not full, or overflowing? 3. Supporting Evidence: Use your knowledge of cylinders to support your findings. a. Was your prediction correct? How do you know? b. If your prediction was incorrect, describe what happened. c. State the formula for finding volume of a cylinder and use it to calculate the volumes of Cylinder A and Cylinder B. d. Explain why the cylinders do or do not hold the same amount. Use the formula for volume of a cylinder to guide your explanation. 4. Discussion: a. Which measurement impacts the volume more: the radius or the height? Provide examples to support your answer. 22
Which Holds More? Quiz Name:________________________________________ Date:____________________ Mike buys his ice cream packed in a rectangular prism-­‐shaped carton, while Carol buys hers in a cylindrical-­‐shaped carton. The dimensions of the prism are 5 inches by 3.5 inches by 7 inches. The cylinder has a diameter of 5 inches and a height of 7 inches. Which container holds more ice cream? Justify your answer. Determine, to the nearest tenth of a cubic inch, how much more ice cream the larger container holds. 23
24
Which Holds More? Quiz B Name:________________________________________ Date:____________________ Mike buys his ice cream packed in a rectangular prism-­‐shaped carton, while Carol buys hers in a cylindrical-­‐shaped carton. The dimensions of the prism are 5 inches by 3.5 inches by 7 inches. The cylinder has a diameter of 5 inches and a height of 7 inches. Container A Container B Use the chart below to organize your answers to these questions. 1. What shape is Container A? ______________________ Container B? _____________________ 2. What are the dimensions of Container A and Container B? 3. What formula will you use to show how much ice cream each container can hold? 1. Name of the Figure 2. Dimensions 3. Formula Container A Container B 4. Show your work and explain your reasoning: Which container holds more ice cream? (Determine to the nearest tenth of a cubic inch, how much more ice cream the larger container holds.) Your Work Your Explanation __________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ 25
3D Solids Formula Study Sheet
Spheres
Cones
Pyramids Cylinders
Prisms
Volume
26
Surface
Area
Lateral
Area
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Solution, or Mess? A Milk Jug for a Green Earth - NYTimes.com
June 30, 2008
Solution, or Mess? A Milk Jug for a Green Earth
By STEPHANIE ROSENBLOOM
Correction Appended
NORTH CANTON, Ohio — A simple change to the design of the gallon milk jug, adopted by Wal-Mart and
Costco, seems made for the times. The jugs are cheaper to ship and better for the environment, the milk is
fresher when it arrives in stores, and it costs less.
What’s not to like? Plenty, as it turns out.
The jugs have no real spout, and their unorthodox shape makes consumers feel like novices at the simple
task of pouring a glass of milk.
“I hate it,” said Lisa DeHoff, a cafe owner shopping in a Sam’s Club here.
“It spills everywhere,” said Amy Wise, a homemaker.
“It’s very hard for kids to pour,” said Lee Morris, who was shopping for her grandchildren.
But retailers are undeterred by the prospect of upended bowls of Cheerios. The new jugs have many
advantages from their point of view, and Sam’s Club intends to roll them out broadly, making them more
prevalent.
The redesign of the gallon milk j ug, experts say, is an example of the changes likely to play out in the
American economy over the next two decades. In an era of soaring global demand and higher costs for
energy and materials, virtually every aspect of the economy needs to be re-examined, they say, and many
products must be redesigned for greater efficiency.
“This is a key strategy as a path forward,” said Anne Johnson, the director of the Sustainable Packaging
Coalition, a project of the nonprofit group GreenBlue. “Re-examining, ‘What are the materials we are
using? How are we using them? And where do they go ultimately?’ ”
Wal-Mart Stores is already moving down this path. But if the milk jug is any indication, some of the
changes will take getting used to on the part of consumers. Many spill milk when first using the new jugs.
“ When we brought in the new milk, we were asking for feedback,” said Heather Mayo, vice president for
merchandising at Sam’s Club, a division of Wal-Mart. “And they’re saying, ‘Why’s it in a square jug? Why’s
it different? I want the same milk. What happened to my old milk?’ ”
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Solution, or Mess? A Milk Jug for a Green Earth - NYTimes.com
Mary Tilton tried to educate the public a few days ago as she stood at a Sam’s Club in North Canton, about
50 miles south of Cleveland, luring shoppers with chocolate chip cookies and milk as she showed them
how to pour from the new jugs.
“Just tilt it slowly and pour slowly,” Ms. Tilton said to passing customers as she talked about the jugs’
environmental benefits and cost savings. Instead of picking up the jug, as most people tend to do, she kept
it on a table and gently tipped it toward a cup.
Mike Compston, who owns a dairy in Yerington, Nev., described the pouring technique in a telephone
interview as a “rock-and-pour instead of a lift-and-tip.”
Demonstrations are but one of several ways Sam’s Club is advocating the containers. Signs in the aisle
laud their cost savings and “better fridge fit.”
And some customers have become converts.
“With the new refrigerators with the shelf in the door, these fit nice,” said April Buchanan, who was
shopping at the Sam’s Club here. Others, even those who rue the day their tried-and-true jugs were
replaced, praised the lower cost, from $2.18 to $2.58 a gallon. Sam’s Club said that was a savings of 10 to
20 cents a gallon compared with old jugs.
The new jug marks a sharp break with the way dairies and grocers have traditionally produced and
stocked milk.
Early one recent morning, the creators and producers of the new tall rectangular jugs donned goggles and
white coats to walk the noisy, chilly production lines at Superior Dairy in Canton, Ohio. It was founded in
1922 by a man who was forced to abandon the brandy business during Prohibition. Five generat ions of the
founder’s family, the Soehnlens, have worked there.
Today, they bottle and ship two different ways. The old way is inefficient and labor-intensive, according to
members of the family. The other day, a worker named Dennis Sickafoose was using a long hook to drag
plastic crates loaded with jugs of milk onto a conveyor belt.
The crates are necessary because the shape of old-fashioned milk jugs prohibits stacking them atop one
another. The crates take up a lot of room, they are unwieldy to move, and extra space must be left in
delivery trucks to take empty ones back from stores to the dairy.
They also can be filthy. “Birds roost on them,” said Dan Soehnlen, president of Superior Dairy, which spun
off a unit called Creative Edge to design and license new packaging of many kinds. He spoke whi le
standing in pools of the soapy run-off from milk crates that had just been washed. About 100,000 gallons
of water a day are used at his dairy clean the crates, Mr. Soehnlen said.
But with the new jugs, the milk crates are gone. Instead, a machine stacks the jugs, with cardboard sheets
between layers. Then the entire pallet, four layers high, is shrink-wrapped and moved with a forklift.
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Solution, or Mess? A Milk Jug for a Green Earth - NYTimes.com
The company estimates this kind of shipping has cut labor by half and water use by 60 to 70 percent.
More gallons fit on a truck and in Sam’s Club coolers, and no empty crates need to be picked up, reducing
trips to each Sam’s Club store to two a week, from five — a big fuel savings. Also, Sam’s Club can now
store 224 gallons of milk in its coolers, in the same space that used to hold 80.
The whole operation is so much more efficient that milk coming out of a cow in the morning winds up at a
Sam’s Club store by that afternoon, compared with several hours later or the next morning by the old
method. “That’s our idea of fresh milk,” Greg Soehnlen, a vice president at Creative Edge, said.
Sam’s Club started using the boxy jugs in November, and they are now in 189 stores scattered around the
country. They will appear soon in more Sam’s Club stores and perhaps in Wal-Marts.
The question now is whether customers will go along.
As Ms. Tilton gave her in-store demonstration the other day at the Sam’s Club here, customers stood
around her, munching cookies and sipping milk. “Would you like to take some home today?” she asked.
A shopper named Jodi Kauffman gave the alien jugs a sidelong glance.
“Maybe,” she said.
This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:
Correction: July 2, 2008
A chart on Monday with the continuation of a front-page article about a new milk jug design adopted by
Wal-Mart and Costco used an incorrect unit of measure. The new containers store 4.5 gallons of milk in a
cubic foot — not a square foot. The chart has been corrected.
Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company
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