Earth Science

<!--td {border: 1px solid #cccccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}-->  A summary of an annual "Trashion Show" where students incorporate debris into costumes and other art.

This lesson is best done after completion of one lesson in each of the sections Composition & Abundance, Sources & Transportation, and Impacts. Students will take everything they have learned about marine debris to create, develop, and complete a project to share their knowledge.

Students will reflect on how much plastic is part of their daily lives and explore creative ways to upcycle plastic bags and other thin, plastic materials into upcycled products to prevent them from potentially becoming marine debris.

Use scientific data to craft a way to reduce microplastics. Students will talk about the costs and benefits of their solutions to the marine environment and the people who use it.

<!--td {border: 1px solid #cccccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}-->  A summary of the Plastic-Free Island summit in 2017.

A summary on the VIMAS efforts to suppor the International Coastal Cleanup each year.

Utilizing field work and in-class activities, students will learn to identify, sort and classify marine debris in the Virgin Islands.

<!--td {border: 1px solid #cccccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}-->  A summary of removal efforts of abandoned and derelict vessels following hurricanes Irma and Maria.

The goal of this lesson is to demonstrate what happens when natural disasters collide with inhabited areas. Students have the ability to interact with scientific models to learn about weather/natural disasters.

The goal of this lesson is to demonstrate what happens to animals that get trapped by some kinds of marine debris. Students will experience similar effects to those that happen to animals that get trapped. This activity works well as an engagement activity.

A summary of the work of Danielle Lasseigne, a microplastics researcher at the University of the Virgin Islands

Students will learn what microplastics are, where they come from, and their effect on the environment.

<!--td {border: 1px solid #cccccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}-->  A summary of annual efforts on a large-scale, community-based cleanup effort of mangrove shorelines.

Students will investigate and learn about nearby watersheds and about the ridge-to-reef concept. Students will use this knowledge to investigate how marine debris gets into and moves around the ocean. They will look for evidence to determine the source (land or sea) of different types of marine debris.

In this activity, students will investigate how long it takes different types of debris to degrade and how weather and sunlight affect the breakdown rate. Students will learn how degradation rates impact how long debris persists in the environment. Students will learn the difference between human-made and natural materials.