Because I'm OCD, I usually do the write-ups for every group project. That way, I ensure that it's done the way I want it to be:).

Consumer Report Project

Because we are high school students, our group felt that it would be applicable for us to test erasers, something that we often use (especially in AP Language when we forget to write a standard five-paragraph essay). Kenzie was in charge of buying the erasers. She bought five different types: Pink Eraser, Black Pearl Papermate, Pink Pearl Papermate, Pentech, and an Artist Eraser. We decided that instead of giving each eraser a score out of ten (or something along those lines), we would rank each eraser from one to five, five being the best. That way no eraser had the same score under the same subject.

The first criterion that we judged on was the design or appearance. Considering that high school is all about looking cool and having the most stylish erasers, this was possibly the most important factor. We determined our scores based on color and overall attractiveness. 

Next, we tested out shape, or how well each eraser felt in our hands. Naturally, it couldn’t be too pointy or that might cause blisters that would get infected and kill us. We had to ensure that the eraser that got the five fit with ease and was comfy to hold for long erasing sessions.

After determining the visual and physical scores for each eraser, it was time to do the real testing! On a piece of lined paper, we drew long, dark pencil lines. After spending a few seconds rubbing the eraser against the marking, it was easy to score the next two criteria: erasing capabilities and the annoying residue stuff that is left behind so you have to brush off the paper and get it all over the floor so that the teacher gets mad at you and the janitor has to clean it up or it gets stuck all over your clothes and then ends up in your laundry and then it is not only all over your clothes but all over all of your clothes and then life sucks. The first was measured by how much of the pencil markings were erased. The latter by seeing how much residue was present.

The final criterion was price. The cheapest erasers were given the highest scores, while more expensive ones got lower scores.

Everyone in the group contributed to the project. Kenzie bought the supplies (as is mentioned earlier), I (Sarah! But after all the sarcastic comments, who else could it be?) did the write up, Emily made the poster, Jordan supervised and provided comic relief, and Kolten managed the presentation. Everyone helped with the actual testing of the erasers because we did it during class!

PS- the best ended up being the Black Pearl!! For style, the way it fits in your hand, and price...however, the artist eraser actually erased the best. The cheapy generic pink eraser did the worst.