Grade 6-8

This handbook offers general guidance and inspiration for informal and formal educators looking to engage youth in participatory forms of environmental science education, research, and action. The primary goals of the handbook are to: 

One Cool Earth, in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine Debris Program, ECOSLO

The Turtle Trash Collectors (2TC) program is a University of North Carolina MarineQuest environmental education initiative funded by the NOAA Marine Debris

Work with students in the classroom to create a marine debris action plan (modeled after Regional Marine Debris Action Plans) for a specific context (the classroom or cafeteria, for example) using SMART goals and objectives, and the students will consider the necessary steps to action implementation, including timelines

While there are trash monitoring protocols for waterways and shorelines, less attention is paid to plans for addressing trash along urban streets. Marine debris education, activities and messaging are predominantly geared toward coastal areas, leaving out urban areas. 

Hawai‘i Marine Animal Response (HMAR) produced these resources as a part of “A Community Approach to Addressing and Preventing Derelict Recreational Fishing Gear,” a project supp

Across the Great Lakes basin, many educators are interested in the topic of marine debris but lack the resources needed to explore this topic with their students.

“Plastic Pollution and You,” published by New York Sea Grant, is a 15-lesson curriculum focused on marine debris sources, impacts, and solutions. These hands-on lessons and activities help students learn the different types of plastics, their impact on marine and freshwater ecosystems, and about ways to address and prevent plastic pollution.

One Cool Earth, in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine Debris Program and Bay Watershed Education and Training program, created a series of standards-aligned lesson plans exploring issues related to marine debris and environmental stewardship.

This toolkit, created by Falmouth Water Stewards/Skip the Straw and Sea Education Association (SEA) with funding provided by the NOAA Marine Debris Program, provides strategies

Created by One Cool Earth with funding provided by the NOAA Marine Debris Program, this Marine Debris Prevention Best Practices Manual is a comprehensive guide to help establish lasting change on school campuses.

Have you ever found litter on the beach and wondered what it is and where it came from? In this project, organized by Oregon Sea Grant and supported through funding by the NOAA Marine Debris Program, students focus on one particular item of marine debris and try to learn about the item's story. What was the item originally used for?

These colorful, engaging activity books were created by Prince George’s County, Maryland, with funding from the NOAA Marine Debris Program.

Microplastics, or plastic particles smaller than 5mm, and the closely related microfibers might be small in size, but they have a huge impact on our environment.

Marine debris is a pervasive, global problem and one that is felt locally in the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI).