Language Arts

Students use scientific models as a tool to evaluate the many kinds of risk tsunami marine debris poses. They then explore the risk posed by live organisms that have colonized tsunami marine debris.

Students relate the location of plastics in the water column to the feeding behavior of various marine organisms. They discuss how marine debris can cause problems for different animals inhabiting a variety of ocean depths.

Students extract microplastic beads from personal care products, explore ways microplastics get into the ocean, and learn about a researcher who studies microplastics. This activity is available for Grades 6-8, within the "Sources and Transport" unit. 

Students construct models of ocean surface currents and winds to explain the dispersal of Japanese Tsunami Marine Debris (JTMD). Then they compare their model to those generated by researchers.

Students read a true story about bath toys that fell off a container ship and washed up on beaches around the world. Using a world map, they locate and record the dates and places where the toys were eventually found.

This interdisciplinary lesson centers around a storybook and three related classroom activities. In the story, three children work together to learn about surface currents and the seafaring history of a plastic duck found on a beach. Students engage in reading, writing, and science process skills. This activity is available for Grades 4-5, within the "Sources and Transport" unit. 

In this lesson, students follow a scientific data collection procedure to collect and analyze debris at their school campus. They compare their results to a larger existing marine debris database in California, and make connections between campus debris and marine debris using the concept of watersheds. This activity is available for Grades 4-5, within the "Sources and Transport" unit. 

There is a great deal of information and misinformation about how much marine debris exists in the open ocean and how it is distributed. We often hear that “The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is twice the size of Texas”, but what exactly does that mean? Students will read and discuss the article “Pacific Ocean 'garbage patch' exaggerated, new analysis asserts”.

After creating the masks, take the opportunity to spread the message by sharing what you’ve learned. Post the faces in the hall and write out messages, put them on the stage and share their messages with the school, or use them to present what was learned to the larger community at a local event!

Students will explore the concept of packaging, both what it has been and what it is. Then they will consider how modern packaging is affecting the environment and what they can do about it.

<!--td {border: 1px solid #cccccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}-->  A summary of the "Keepin' It Clean in 2017" project, which paired middle school students with master's students to learn about marine debris and create an action project to reduce it.

<!--td {border: 1px solid #cccccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}-->  A summary of educational efforts to reduce single-use plastics and provide students with the tools to communicate about marine debris issues through presentations at local schools and other events.

<!--td {border: 1px solid #cccccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}-->  A summary of a project through a local high school to conduct a research project on historic debris accumulation on the islands.

<!--td {border: 1px solid #cccccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}-->  A summary of the efforts of University of the Virgin Islands master's students' efforts to conduct outreach on single-use plastic and other marine debris reduction across the islands.

<!--td {border: 1px solid #cccccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}-->  A summary of efforts to find new ways to communicate Marine Debris information through the University of the Virgin Islands.