Grade 9-12

Communities across the world have implemented various policies to reduce the presence of plastic pollution. Policies that aim to change personal and business use of disposable plastic items, in the forms of bans or fees, have grown in number. In this activity, students will read about the current status of these policies in the United States and their local communities.

In this activity, students will learn more about the career of a research scientist who studies plastic pollution. Dr. Sherri “Sam” Mason is a leading researcher in the field of plastic pollution and has published numerous peer reviewed academic articles.

Students will apply their acquired knowledge of different types of plastic and learn about which items are recyclable in their community. NOTE: This may be in their city, county, town, village, etc. depending on what municipal level manages the community’s recycling program.

In this lesson, students will use the knowledge gained from the previous activities and/or independent research to develop a personal position on plastic pollution in their lives and communities. They will support this position with factual information from credible sources, write a concise position statement, and present it to their class.

Students will record what type of plastic pollution they find in their community as they walk through their neighborhood, around their school, or in a local park, shoreline or beach using a map. This data collection will indicate the type(s) of pollution found, identify its potential sources, and begin to think about local solutions to plastic pollution.

Students will learn about the different types of plastics. They will explore how plastics are characterized and how this influences the recycling process. After reviewing a recycling chart, the students will answer questions posed on the Student Response Sheet and complete the Personal Plastic Use Sheet.

By listening to and reflecting on a TEDTalk from author and political commentator Van Jones, students will explore how the life cycle of plastic has various ecological impacts and can have a disproportionate impact on different communities.

This lesson will activate students’ existing knowledge and experiences, stimulate their desire to learn more, and provide an opportunity to reflect on their knowledge acquisition in the future. Activating their prior knowledge is helpful to assess what students already know, understand any misconceptions, and pinpoint areas of interest.

Through these activities and lessons, students will explore what it means to be a scientist, break down assumptions and misconceptions about science identities, and ultimately see themselves as scientists in action. 

Repurpose common trash materials through upcycling ‘waste’ plastics into arts and crafts. Students will be able to repurpose common trash materials through upcycling ‘waste’ plastics into arts and crafts.

Motivate people in your community to help solve the marine debris issue by creating your own behavior change campaign. Students will be able to use behavioral insights and communication strategies to motivate people to help solve the marine debris issue in their community. 

Upcycle plastic bags that would thrown out while creating art and learn about the properties of materials. Students will be able to identify the benefits and consequences of plastic properties and functions. Students will explore how to alter and upcycle waste plastics into new repurposed items with value as a solution to the plastic pollution problem.

Understand where, how much and what kinds of debris are present in your environment using this activity that introduces the Urban Trash Monitoring Protocol.

See the effects of trash on an area by trying to find all of the items on this scavenger hunt. Students will be able to illustrate the types of human-made trash that occur in our urban spaces and explore how these items can affect the human and non-human world. 

Explore the properties of plastic trash and see how they behave in the marine environment. Students will be able to describe that different types of plastics float, sink, or stay neutrally buoyant once they enter the ocean. Students will be able to begin to make connections between where a marine organism lives and feeds and their likelihood of debris exposure.