Life Science

Reading and accompanying activity about the importance and challenges faced by diamondback terrapins.

Reading and activity exploring the impacts of derelict fishing gear on whales and other marine mammals. 

Rubber band entanglement exercise simulating the impacts of marine debris entanglement on marine animals' comfort and ability to feed.

A timed activity/game demonstrating the difficulty of distinguishing "food" from plastic debris for marine life like seabirds.

Using the NAMEPA Trash Tracker form, students record their waste for two weeks (time may vary). The first week, students record the items they throw away without changing their normal behavior. The second week, students attempt to reduce the waste they throw away and compare their data from each week.

In this lesson, students build a model showing how water flows through a system and evaluate different management practices to see how they might reduce the amount of marine debris that enters the marine environment. The models in this lesson could be used as a classroom demonstration or traditional lab investigation for students, depending on time efficiency of instructor and students.

In this lesson, students make observations about what is in their classroom trash receptacle (or various trash items brought by instructor). Students then go outside to collect trash from the surrounding area and record what they find using the NAMEPA Trash Data form.

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 synthesize what they have learned about marine debris and incorporate their knowledge into a presentation or display that helps others both 1) understand the problem and 2) take actions that contribute to solving the problem.

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.