Student-Facing Directions for Making a Marine Debris “MAP”

The NOAA Marine Debris Program created Making a Marine Debris “MAP”: A Guide to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project for Educators (Guide) as a resource for educators who are interested in implementing Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project (MDMAP) surveys with their students. MDMAP is a NOAA community science initiative that volunteers around the world use to survey and record the amount and types of marine debris on shorelines. This Guide provides instructions and tips for participating in MDMAP and planning, conducting, and following up on monitoring surveys with student groups. 

To provide additional support for educators conducting MDMAP surveys with students, we have compiled printable directions and resources for the MDMAP protocols. These materials are designed to be printed on one page (front and back) and provided to students who are conducting surveys. Directions are provided for the following scenarios: 

1. Student pairs completing a survey with their class: these directions cover survey preparation, transect survey procedures, and closing routines. 
2. Student teams completing a survey with their class: these directions include all of the information needed for pairs, with additional differentiation for several roles, which can be modified to match your learning environment. 
3. Station rotations for large classes: these directions include example station directions that can be modified to match your learning environment, and can be combined with student pair or student team directions for surveys.

You are welcome to adapt, modify, or otherwise change these directions according to the preferences of your students and needs of your site or routine, as long as the survey protocols are still being followed. If you are unsure that your modified directions are consistent with MDMAP protocols, feel free to reach out to md.monitoring@noaa.gov. 

These directions should be paired with the following survey data sheets and references, which can be printed out and included in materials for students: 

• Shoreline Site Characterization Form: Complete one of these only for new survey sites.
• Survey Coversheet: Complete one of these for each survey. 
• Transect Survey Forms: Complete one of these for each transect (at least four). 
• Marine Debris Item Categorization Guide: This is a helpful resource to make available to students when sorting debris. 

This resource was inspired by and adapted from student-facing materials developed by the Aventureros educational team at Vermilion Sea Institute. Learn more about their work and their community on the Marine Debris Program project profile.