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Description
Did you know that around 13 million tonnes of plastics enter oceanic currents annually? This has resulted in more pieces of plastic in our ocean than stars in the galaxy. To help educators bring ocean literacy into the classroom, Ocean Wise has created The Ocean Plastic Education Kit for Middle School, which provides a variety of lesson plans, activities and resources to educate, equip and empower students to be ocean stewards.
This resource consists of several lessons for students in grades seven and eight to help inspire youth to break the plastic pattern and protect and restore our ocean. Students will learn about the socio-economic and scientific factors contributing to the omnipresence of plastics and the environmental footprint of plastics. They will also learn how the production, consumption and disposal of plastics contributes to climate change.
Throughout the resource, students will consider critical questions parallel with engaging activities informed by Western Science and Indigenous Knowledge. The kit follows the overarching theme of interconnectedness, integrating decolonization practices with scientific conservation and Indigenous knowledge. A Thought Book section will prompt students to journal about each lesson using a series of reflection questions. Through this reflection, students examine their role in mitigating plastic pollution and consider various perspectives on these issues. Finally, students are encouraged to become change makers within their community. Each lesson offers a way to Take Action and an opportunity for students to use the skills, tools and knowledge acquired during the lessons.
The educator’s guidebook provides detailed guidance on how to conduct classroom activities and their specific curriculum connection. Each lesson provides background information for teachers, a variety of videos, websites, guiding questions, reflection questions, workbook activities and opportunities to Take Action. The student workbook provided is complete with age-specific fun, interactive activities such as online games, collages, writing activities, and discussion/reflection questions to accompany each lesson.
Each lesson follows the same format throughout the kit, with critical questions and reflections built into the activities section.
Lesson 1 – The History of Plastics
Lesson 2 – How Plastics Travel to the Ocean
Lesson 3 – Big or Small, Plastics Have a Huge Impact
Lesson 4 – Plastics at the Wheel, Driving Through Ocean Currents
Lesson 5 – Plastics and Climate Change, A Never Ending Cycle
Lesson 6 – Cleanup Your Shoreline for a Cleaner Ocean
These activities prepare students with the knowledge, tools, and skills needed to break their plastic pattern and become changemakers within their community.
General Assessment
Strengths
- Each lesson offers background information, links and teaching activities to engage students through a variety of approaches
- The resource easy to implement and visually appealing
- Excellent quantity of resources to watch, visit or read as well as additional resources to support the learning
- External links are up to date
- The lesson design is very effective in connecting the learning to the students lives
- The students workbook is a tool designed for students to accompany lessons from the teacher's guidebook
- The students workbook is an editable pdf so no need to print any worksheets for students
Weaknesses
- No strategies are suggested for students with learning difficulties
- No assessment tools or rubrics are provided
Recommendation of how and where to use it
This resource integrates itself well with Science and Social Studies classes. It addresses plastic pollution from a perspective that acknowledges the value of Traditional Environmental Knowledge (TEK). The resource is engaging on its own or would be an excellent addition to highlight World Oceans Day in Early June. The activities promote how plastic pollution is connected to climate change, social justice and Indigenous Knowledge.
Relevant Curriculum Units
The following tool will allow you to explore the relevant curriculum matches for this resource. To start, select a province listed below.
- Step 1Select a province
- Alberta
- British Columbia
- Step 2Select a grade level
- Grade 7
- Step 3Select a subject
- Science
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Science 7: Earth and its climate have changed over geological time
- Science 7: Elements consist of one type of atom, and compounds consist of atoms of different elements chemically combined
- Social Studies
- Step 4Relevant matches
- The Ancient World to the 7th Century: Economic specialization and trade networks can lead to conflict and cooperation between societies.
- The Ancient World to the 7th Century: Religious and cultural practices that emerged during this period have endured and continue to influence people.
- Grade 8
- Step 3Select a subject
- Science
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Science 8: Life processes are performed at the cellular leve
- Science 8: The behaviour of matter can be explained by the kinetic molecular theory and atomic theory.
- Social Studies
- Step 4Relevant matches
- 7th Century to 1750: Changing ideas about the world created tension between people wanting to adopt new ideas and those wanting to preserve established traditions.
- 7th Century to 1750: Contacts and conflicts between peoples stimulated significant cultural, social, political change.
- 7th Century to 1750: Exploration, expansion, and colonization had varying consequences for different groups
- 7th Century to 1750: Human and environmental factors shape changes in population and living standards.
- Manitoba
- Step 2Select a grade level
- Grade 7
- Step 3Select a subject
- Science
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Interactions Within Ecosystems
- Grade 8
- Step 3Select a subject
- Science
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Water Systems on Earth
- Social Studies
- Step 4Relevant matches
- World History: Socities of the Past -Understanding Societies Past and Present
- New Brunswick
- Newfoundland & Labrador
- Step 2Select a grade level
- Grade 7
- Step 3Select a subject
- Science
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Interaction of Ecosystems
- Grade 8
- Step 3Select a subject
- Science
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Water Systems on Earth's Surface
- Social Studies
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Newfoundland & Labrador History: History as a Story of the Past in the Present
- Northwest Territories
- Nova Scotia
- Step 2Select a grade level
- Grade 7
- Step 3Select a subject
- Science
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Science 7: Environmental Action
- Grade 8
- Step 3Select a subject
- Science
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Science 8: Climate Change
- Social Studies
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Social Studies 8 - A Changing Canadian Society: Equity and Inequity
- Social Studies 8 - A Changing Canadian Society: Indigenous Experience
- Nunavut
- Ontario
- Step 2Select a grade level
- Grade 7
- Step 3Select a subject
- Science & Technology
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Life Systems: Interactions in the Environment
- Prince Edward Island
- Quebec
- Step 2Select a grade level
- Grade 7
- Step 3Select a subject
- Science & Technology
- Step 4Relevant matches
- The Living World
- Saskatchewan
- Step 2Select a grade level
- Grade 7
- Step 3Select a subject
- Science
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Science 7: Life Science: Interactions within Ecosystems
- Grade 8
- Step 3Select a subject
- Science
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Science 8: Water Systems on Earth
- Social Studies
- Step 4Relevant matches
- The Individual in Canadian Society: Resources & Wealth
- Yukon Territory
- Step 2Select a grade level
- Grade 7
- Step 3Select a subject
- Science
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Science 7: Earth and its climate have changed over geological time
- Science 7: Elements consist of one type of atom, and compounds consist of atoms of different elements chemically combined
- Social Studies
- Step 4Relevant matches
- The Ancient World to the 7th Century: Economic specialization and trade networks can lead to conflict and cooperation between societies.
- The Ancient World to the 7th Century: Religious and cultural practices that emerged during this period have endured and continue to influence people.
- Grade 8
- Step 3Select a subject
- Science
- Step 4Relevant matches
- Science 8: Life processes are performed at the cellular leve
- Science 8: The behaviour of matter can be explained by the kinetic molecular theory and atomic theory.
- Social Studies
- Step 4Relevant matches
- 7th Century to 1750: Changing ideas about the world created tension between people wanting to adopt new ideas and those wanting to preserve established traditions.
- 7th Century to 1750: Contacts and conflicts between peoples stimulated significant cultural, social, political change.
- 7th Century to 1750: Exploration, expansion, and colonization had varying consequences for different groups
- 7th Century to 1750: Human and environmental factors shape changes in population and living standards.
Themes Addressed
Air, Atmosphere & Climate (1)
- Climate Change
Ecosystems (2)
- Appreciating the Natural World
- Biodiversity
Human Rights (1)
- Social Justice
Indigenous Knowledge (1)
- TEK -- Traditional Ecological Knowledge
Waste Management (1)
- Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Water (1)
- Marine Environments
Sustainability Education Principles
| Principle | Rating | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Consideration of Alternative Perspectives | Very Good | The resource provides critical and guiding questions in parallel with engaging activities informed by Western Science and Traditional Knowledge. The activities provide many opportunities to discuss the different perspectives and approaches of Traditional Knowledge in comparison to the western world. The resource follows the overarching theme of interconnectedness, integrating decolonization practices with scientific conservation and Indigenous knowledge. Students reflect on ways TEK can be applied to better understand the impacts and solutions to the world's plastic problems. |
Consideration of Alternative Perspectives:
| ||
| Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions | Good | The issue of plastics in the oceans has economic, environmental, and social implications. The resource effectively links the environmental challenges associated with the overuse of plastics in society with the choices made by consumers. The lesson plans and activities support the environmental dimension by helping students understand the positive environmental impacts of removing plastic pollution from the ocean. Some of the videos discuss the economic costs linked to clean-up operations, litter removal, reduced fishing catches, and a decline in coastal tourism and impact on related industries. Social costs include a potential reduction in the recreational values of the marine environment. |
| Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions: Effectively addresses the environmental, economic and social dimensions of the issue(s) being explored.
| ||
| Respects Complexity | Very Good | The lessons present the dynamic of economic and social factors that have given rise to the mass production and demand for plastic products and the complex problems these factors have created for the environment. Plastic leaves quite an impact on our environment, with properties which make them virtually impossible to decompose and instead break up into millions of microparticles; they have managed to infiltrate ecosystems, food chains, and even humans. |
| Respects Complexity: The complexity of the problems/issues being discussed is respected. | ||
| Acting on Learning | Very Good | Each lesson ends with ways to take action. Students are encouraged to become change makers within their community. The resource aims to empower students through active approaches and creative problem solving that address individual or smaller-scale behavioral change, but also through actions that can positively influence large systemic issues. |
| Acting on Learning: Learning moves from understanding issues to working towards positive change — in personal lifestyle, in school, in the community, or for the planet
| ||
| Values Education | Very Good | Through journaling in their thought books, students explore their connection to the concepts covered in the lessons. They are encouraged to write, draw, and get creative. Through this reflection students consider their role in mitigating plastic pollution and how the plastic waste they produce can harm marine environments and coastal Indigenous communities. |
| Values Education: Students are explicitly provided with opportunities to identify, clarify and express their own beliefs/values. | ||
| Empathy & Respect for Humans | Very Good | The resource emphasizes that plastic pollution harms Indigenous communities and is infiltrating the natural ecosystems that sustain their traditional way of life. Students reflect and develop a meaningful connection to the adverse impacts Indigenous communities face from plastic pollution. They discuss ways that plastic pollution interferes with the Inuit Traditional Ecological Knowledge including how pollution would impact their cultural ways of life such as fishing and hunting. |
| Empathy & Respect for Humans: Empathy and respect are fostered for diverse groups of humans (including different genders, ethnic groups, sexual preferences, etc.). | ||
| Personal Affinity with Earth | Very Good | The videos do an excellent job in revealing the impact of plastics on our oceans in such a way as to encourage a personal connection to the natural world. Students get outdoors to find plastic waste in the schoolyard or surrounding area. They are invited to organize or participate in a Shoreline, Schoolyard or Community Cleanup. Shoreline cleanups are a valuable tool for environmental remediation and conservation. They directly address the issue of plastic pollution by contributing to the physical removal of litter from an environment which has the potential to transport it anywhere in the world. Whether it be on the shoreline of a river, stream, lake, ocean, or any other waterway, shoreline cleanups are effective in preventing plastic pollution from continuing their journey and harming wildlife. |
| Personal Affinity with Earth: Encourages a personal affinity with -the natural world.
| ||
| Locally-Focused Learning | Good | Students are encouraged to become change makers within their community. Activities such as taking students outside to collect litter from the school yard and surrounding area are suggested. They are invited to seek out a plastic reduction partner or to encourage their favourite business or restaturant to be plastic wise and to organize or participate in a shoreline clean up in their area. |
| Locally-Focused Learning: Includes learning experiences that take advantage of issues/elements within the local community.
| ||
| Past, Present & Future | Very Good | The resource activities and videos provide an understanding of the history and composition of plastics. Individual action must be coupled with systemic change, so the resource aims to engage students through active approaches and creative problem-solving. Through these lessons, students are encouraged to become leaders of change – starting in the classroom then taking it outdoors |
| Past, Present & Future: Promotes an understanding of the past, a sense of the present, and a positive vision for the future. | ||
Pedagogical Approaches
| Principle | Rating | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Open-Ended Instruction | Very Good | The resource aims to empower students through active approaches and creative problem solving. Students are encouraged to share their opinions throughout the lessons during discussions, reflections in their journal entries, and during Take Action projects. |
| Open-Ended Instruction
: Lessons are structured so that multiple/complex answers are possible; students are not steered toward one 'right' answer. | ||
| Integrated Learning | Good |
Please note that although this resource is developed with a focus on aligning to the BC curriculum, there exists a lot of overlap across provincial curricula and lesson activities possess room for interpretation so different curriculum objectives can be met, making this kit applicable throughout Canada. |
| Integrated Learning: Learning brings together content and skills from more than one subject area
| ||
| Inquiry Learning | Satisfactory | Each lesson offers ways to take action to work towards a solution and invites teachers and students to create their own. Teachers are provided with critical/guiding questions at the beginning of each lesson. The Thoughtbook activities do provide reflection questions/problems to solve such as What makes plastics a threat to the environment and Indigenous culture? |
| Inquiry Learning: Learning is directed by questions, problems, or challenges that students work to address.
| ||
| Differentiated Instruction | Good | The resource suggests a variety of instructional strategies such as journals, reflections, viewing videos, reading articles, writing, drawing, creating posters, investigation sheet, and hands-on action opportunities. |
| Differentiated Instruction: Activities address a range of student learning styles, abilities and readiness.
| ||
| Experiential Learning | Good | Students are asked to identify the different types of plastic products gathered during the clean up, and record their observations in the Ocean Wise Clean Up Data Card found in their workbook. Once observations are recorded, and garbage is collected, students participate in a garbage triage and proper disposal. |
| Experiential Learning: Authentic learning experiences are provided
| ||
| Cooperative Learning | Good | Students participate in small and large group activities indoors and outdoors. |
| Cooperative Learning: Group and cooperative learning strategies are a priority.
| ||
| Assessment & Evaluation | Satisfactory | There are no explicit tools for assessment provided. Teachers could use the reflective journal pieces for assessing student learning as well as posters/ presentations students completed in some of the other activities. |
| Assessment & Evaluation: Tools are provided that help students and teachers to capture formative and summative information about students' learning and performance. These tools may include reflection questions, checklists, rubrics, etc. | ||
| Peer Teaching | Good | With the information they researched, students create a poster style sheet, by drawing an animal of their choice that is labeled (name of animal, type of animal),their prey, their predators, and impacts of plastic on the animal. Students present their animal investigation to the class and discuss the impacts of plastic on their animal and its habitat. Students are also invited to take the pledge to reduce their plastic footprint. The resource suggests they talk to someone they know about the pledge to see if they can inspire action in others around them. |
| Peer Teaching: Provides opportunities for students to actively present their knowledge and skills to peers and/or act as teachers and mentors.
| ||
| Case Studies | Good | The videos provide lots of information regarding plastic pollution around the world and how water within the different oceans moves across waterways, carrying animals, plants, nutrients, and unfortunately, plastic. Students will also contemplate the ongoing impact that plastic pollution and related environmental issues have on Indigenous populations around the world. |
| Case Studies: Relevant case studies are included. Case studies are thorough descriptions of real events from real situations that students use to explore concepts in an authentic context. | ||
| Locus of Control | Good | Each lesson ends with ways to Take Action, but the resource also invites educators and students to create their own Take Action projects. |
| Locus of Control: Meaningful opportunities are provided for students to choose elements of program content, the medium in which they wish to work, and/or to go deeper into a chosen issue. | ||
