Grade 9-12

In this lesson, students analyze the Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup data to make inferences about which countries documented the most amount of marine debris and the types of debris found/collected. Students also answer prompts about why some states or countries had much higher amounts of marine debris reported than others.

In this lesson, students are presented with background information about marine debris – what it is, its origins, and current statistics. Students will engage in a brief discussion about its impacts. Afterward, students are given handouts to review the scientific process. Students are asked to come up with three research questions about the prevention or removal of marine debris.

This lesson plays on students’ creativity by asking them to design a machine that collects debris in the ocean without impacting wildlife.

Students will find creative new uses for common debris items like bottle caps. 

Students will extend their experience in the cleanup by discussing and analyzing ways to prevent marine debris from entering the environment, including Reduce/Reuse/Recycle strategies, Personal habits; Policy change, etc. Using a 4-corners style activity, students will separate debris materials (from the debris deck) into categories for Reduce/Reuse/Recycle/Other.

This lesson includes discussions and activities meant to help students process and analyze their cleanup experience. Students will reflect on the strangest trash item collected and tell the story of its journey to the cleanup site using a medium of their choice (writing, drawing, skits, etc.).

Students will plan, prepare for, execute, and report back on a cleanup in their local area.

Students will begin to understand the impact marine debris has on their own comunities and lives. 

This lesson covers different impacts of marine debris on the ecosystems and human communities, including ingestion, entanglement, and our own experiences. Students will complete two activities:

Students will draw connections between land-based debris and its travel to the ocean through exploration and understanding of watersheds. Through these activities, students will:

Through discussion,vocabulary, and hands-on activities, students will learn about debris composition and what happens to trash once it enters waterways. Students will also explore the formation of mircoplastic through a simple, hands-on activity using a piece of paper.

An introductory lesson using discussion, vocabulary, and critical thinking activities to understand land- and ocean-based sources of marine debris.

Using cards to represent each type of debris identified on the Ocean Concervancy's list of items found during cleanups, students will discuss each debris type and arrange themselves in order of most commonly found. (Debris Deck cards included.)

Students will pick out the hidden images of marine debris amid a graphic of a beach scene.

Trash Tale is a fill-in the blank, "Mad Libs"-style activity telling the story of a piece of trash that ends up in the environment and what happens to it along the way.