More Lesson Plans – Marine Debris
Topic Key
Biological Consequences
Marine Debris Concepts
Pathways
Sources of Marine Debris
Strategies for Mitigation
Accumulation Survey Debris Datasheet
"Accumulation studies provide information on the rate of deposition (flux) of debris onto the shoreline. These studies are more suited to areas that have beach cleanups, as debris is removed from the entire length of shoreline during each site visit. This type of survey is more labor-intensive and is used to determine the rate of debris deposition (# of items per unit area, per unit time)."
Source: NOAA
An Educator's Guide to Marine Debris
"Despite its prevalence, marine debris is a problem that each individual citizen can help prevent. Education is the first crucial step in mitigation. Through the use of this guide, we can help foster environmental stewardship and create advocates for the marine environment. With every person that participates in a cleanup, uses a reusable bag or water bottle, or spreads the word about marine debris, we move one step closer to creating a more beautiful and healthy marine environment."
Bay Backpack Teaching Resources
"Teaching environmental issues in your classroom is a critical component of providing your students a Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (MWEE). Discover a wealth of environment-related books, multimedia, curriculum guides, individual lesson plans and online data sources"
Source: Bay Backpack
Marine Debris: Fishing for Microplastics in Your Home
"There has been a growing of public awareness of plastics found in the ocean environment. Plastics are found at the top and within the water column, in ocean floor sediments, and within beach material. This activity will demonstrate the ease of movement of plastics from your home directly into the ocean environment. Students will explore the typical products which contain plastics and learn how to calculate the concentration of plastics found in a chosen personal care product."
Source: SERC at Carleton College
Marine Debris Tracking Lab
Resources for a marine debris tracking lab where students will review marine debris data to draw conclusions on the impacts of marine debris.
Source: National Geographic
Marine Debris Toolkit
"The Marine Debris Toolkit is an excellent tool for developing a marine debris monitoring program in your classroom. Successful use of this kit involves a full-circle approach - beginning with education, continuing with monitoring efforts, and looping back around to student-driven engagement and outreach."
Source: NOAA
NOAA Estuary Resources
"Why teach about estuaries? This suite of estuary education resources help educators bring estuarine science into the classroom through hands-on learning, experiments, fieldwork, and data explorations. These specially designed lessons, activities, data explorations, animations and videos can be used independently or as a supplement to existing curricula and can be adapted to meet any grade level."
Source: NOAA
Plastic Beach Project
"The Plastic Beach Project aims to better understand the distribution of plastic pollution on beaches all over the world. This information helps designate “Plastic Beach Hotspots” in order to better focus coastal management efforts, understand the sources of plastic pollution, and help others comprehend the vast scale of plastic pollution in the world’s oceans."
Source: 5 Gyres
Why Collect Trash Data?
"Students will learn that trash data can be used to detect patterns of pollutions, inform policy, trailing solutions, and more."
Source: Ponchartrain Conservancy