How much plastic do people use? Class members identify how plastic is involved in their daily lives by looking at food packaging either at a grocery store or at home. Learners view statistics for the amount of plastics found on a beach to learn more about the effects. Small groups then brainstorm ideas of the impacts of the plastic on wildlife and how they might be able to reduce the impact of plastic trash.

Concepts

ocean pollution, pollution, marine debris, plastic, oceans

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Provide more up-to-date graphs of Plastics in US packaging and production
• Assign students to research the ocean's plastic debris field

Classroom Considerations

• Assumes the class has an understanding of the beach or has been to the beach

Pros

• Contains an answer key for easier grading
• Provides several graphics to demonstrate the problem along with giving information

Cons

• None