Social Studies

Students use a graphic organizer to review existing solutions to microplastic marine debris, and brainstorm feasible, actionable solutions to microplastics. They discuss challenges to implementing solutions.

Student "Green Teams" analyze school waste, work with school and community partners to reduce, reuse and recycle materials, and set goals to make a difference locally and globally. This activity is available for Grades 4-5, 6-8, and 9-12, within the "Solutions" unit. 

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 use a model to test how air movement affects water movement, and devise a hypothesis about how the direction of air currents affect the movement of ocean surface currents and floating objects. This activity is available for Grades 6-8 and 9-12, within the "Sources and Transport" unit. 

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. 

Students split into teams on opposite sides of a visual barrier in the classroom. Debris will be spread over each team’s side of the barrier. Their goal will be to remove all the trash from their side, and they will win when there is no trash on the ground. Students will find that the only way that they can win is by taking care of their own trash rather than throwing it onto the other side.

Students will use a series of videos to explore modern landfills, recycling, and plastic in the environment.

Washed Ashore, in partnership with the NOAA Marine Debris Program, developed an integrated arts marine debris curriculum to educate school students about marine debris.

Students will explore using texture as a means of communication and begin to work with the materials used in this curriculum.

An exploration into how man-made and natural substances break down when discarded into the environment and how some everyday objects we throw away may not really go away.

Students will explore their current understanding of how color can be used to express feeling and emotion and will learn how visual artists use color. Next students will apply their knowledge to create a piece of art that expresses a particular emotion.

In this introductory lesson, slides will show examples of marine debris and also of Washed Ashore sculptures. Whenever possible, actual examples of marine debris and sculpture work will be provided. The lesson will conclude with a brainstorm activity to look at the plastics used in everyday life.

<!--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.