Earth Science

<!--td {border: 1px solid #cccccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}-->  A summary of the most commonly found marine debris items in USVI.

Career highlight by Zola Roper, then graduate student at the University of the Virgin Islands studying marine debris.

Utilizing field work and in-class activities, students will learn to identify, sort, and classify marine debris in the U.S. Virgin Islands. They will learn to identify and classify common marine debris through analyzing and/or collecting samples.

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?

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?

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?

In this lesson, students will learn about the impact of school waste on the environment. They will use math to measure some/all of the waste produced in one day on campus, and brainstorm ways to reduce that waste.

In this lesson students will learn about which types of matter can decompose by conducting a simple experiment. Students will observe changes over time due to decomposition, notice patterns and classify materials based on their ability to decompose, and explain how matter changes through decomposition.

In this lesson students pose questions about the nature of the litter found around their school, make predictions, do a campus cleanup to cultivate environmental stewardship, and then brainstorm solutions to prevent litter. 

<!--td {border: 1px solid #cccccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}-->  As a final activity, this lesson provides an opportunity for students to reflect on what they have learned through the curriculum, think critically about their role in the issue of plastic pollution, and plan strategically to take action.

<!--td {border: 1px solid #cccccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}-->  Plastic pollution can become marine debris when it is swept up by stormwater and enters a sewer system that has outlets into local waterways. Once plastic pollution becomes marine debris, it has a negative impact on our communities and ecosystems.

<!--td {border: 1px solid #cccccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}--> In this activity, students will use persuasive communication methods to contact a local retailer to educate and encourage them to shift to more sustainable practices. Note: Environmental science and marine debris is an interdisciplinary field.

<!--td {border: 1px solid #cccccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}-->  In this activity, students will learn about the fundamentals of water treatment systems and the challenges that microplastic particles present to both waste and drinking water systems.

In this activity, students will learn how plastic pollution that is in our communities and on our shorelines can end up in our lakes, rivers, and oceans.

<!--td {border: 1px solid #cccccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}-->  In this activity, students will have the opportunity to research and present different perspectives from community members considering a policy on plastic bags.