A sample of trash that washed up in South Padre Island, Texas. (Source: NRDC)

Overview:

Students will locate plastics in their immediate area and explore what the use of plastics means for the environment, where we find plastics after they have been used, and why we should care about the life cycle of the plastics we produce.

Objective:

Students will identify the two kinds of microplastics and where they originate.

Materials:

Video: "Microplastics"

Reference Material: Types of Microplastics

Worksheet: The What, Where, and Why of Microplastics

Data: "Microplastics in Our Nation's Waterways"

Procedure:

Ask students to look around the room they are in.  What are most items made of?  Have students take two minutes to record everything they see that is made of some kind of plastic.  Ask students to group the items by characteristics.  What is the most common type of plastic item?  Furniture?  School supplies?  Something else?

Explain that plastic is everywhere in our daily lives. Ask how long plastics have been around?  What are plastics made of?  What happens to plastics when we are finished with them?  Facilitate the discussion while explaining that plastics do not decompose the way organic matter recycles in the environment.

View and Discuss the short video, "Microplastics."  Are they surprised by anything they saw in the video?  How are microplastics finding their way into the water?  What is breaking them up into smaller pieces?  Why aren't they decomposing?  What does that mean for the environment?

Pair up and read Types of Microplastics.  Have students refer back to their original list of plastics in the room.  Did they leave microfibers and microbeads out?  Do they think there are microplastics in the tap water near them?  The air?

Complete The What, Where, and Why of Microplastics worksheet.  Give students access to their Types of Microplastics PDFs and "Microplastics in Our Nation's Waterways." Remind them, that though the data is focused on the Great Lakes area, it is a case study that we can consider when thinking about the impact of microplastics.

Assessment: Completed worksheets and observation during discussions.

A washing machine releases microfibers from synthetic clothing. (Source: Otay Water District)

Overview:

Students will attempt to fragment a plastic water bottle.  They will also locate a piece of plastic trash to highlight in a graphic story that illustrates the life cycle of a plastic item as it becomes mircoplastics.

Objective:

Students will explain the process by which macro-plastics become fragmented.

Materials:

An empty plastic water bottle (with cap) for each student

Article: "The Gulf of Mexico is Sending Out an S.O.S - a Message in a Plastic Bottle"

Gloves, trash bags, garbage grabbers

Photo: Creating a Graphic Mini-Story

Graphic Novel Templates #1 and #2

Paper, rulers, colored pencils

Video: "The Nurdles Quest for Ocean Domination"

Video: "The Story of Microfibers"

Procedure:

Ask students how long it would take for one plastic water bottle to become micro-fragments.  What actions and forces would act on the bottle to fragment it?

Share a plastic bottle with each student.  Ask them to attempt to fragment the bottle and bottle cap (while being safe and reasonable in their attempts).  How much effort did they use to try and fragment the bottle?  Was it enough?  How much of the bottle has been transformed into microplastics?  What does this mean for the amount of time and effort, or energy, required to fragment microplastics?

Read and discuss "The Gulf of Mexico is Sending Out an S.O.S - a Message in a Plastic Bottle."  How are plastics getting into our water ways?  When someone throws away a plastic water bottle, can they be sure that it won't end up in our waterways?  Have they seen plastic trash in their neighborhoods?  How did it get there?  Where will it end up?  Have they noticed any fragmented plastic?  How long must it have been there to be fragmented?

Explain that they are going to take a short walk on or around campus to look for (and clean-up) plastic trash.  Hand out garage bags, gloves, and garbage grabbers (if you have them).  As students pick-up garbage around the school, ask them to find one piece of plastic trash that they will use to create a life-cycle story of how plastics become microplastics.

Pair up and create a mini-story of how one plastic item becomes microplastics.  Share the photo of students Creating a Graphic Mini-Story.  Have students use the graphic novel templates #1 and #2 or create their own using the paper and rulers.  Encourage creativity!  They can begin from when the item is thrown away.  What happens to it?  How does it get fragmented?  Where do the fragments end up?  How much time passes?  Alternately, students could create mini-stories  about the life-cycle of nurdles or microfibers. Share these videos as reference material for these stories: "The Nurdles Quest for Ocean Domination" and "The Story of Microfibers".

Assessment:

Completed mini-stories and observation during discussions and activities.

Source: Just One Ocean/University of Portsmouth

Overview:

Students will explore and collect a variety of microplastics data.  Students will analyze the data and determine how micoplastics are impacting our waterways.

Objective:

Students will list consequences of the presence of microplastics in our waterways.

Materials:

Article: "New Link in the Food Chain: Marine Plastic Pollution and Seafood Safety"

Computer and Internet Access

Data: Citizen Science Microplastic Sampling Map

DIY Resource: "Building DIY Citizen Science Technology to See Invisible Marine Plastics"

DIY Instructions: Baby Legs (for collecting microplastics)

Collection Options: MSU - Microplastics

Materials for sampling method (see various instructions)

Microscopes

Data Sheets: Water and Sediment

Worksheet: The Consequences of Microplastics

Microplastics Project: Pontchartrain Conservancy's Microplastics Project

Procedure:

Reflect on the previous two sessions.  What do they know about microplastics?  How do we know?

Read and discuss "New Link in the Food Chain: Marine Plastic Pollution and Seafood Safety." How are microplastics entering ocean-based food webs?  Why is this a cause for concern?

Explain that they are going to explore and collect microplastics data in the waterways near them.  What do the think they will find?  Is the problem, though mostly invisible, as wide-spread as it seems?

Ask students to explore the data on the Citizen Science Microplastic Sampling Map.  What seems to be the most common kind of microplastic in most samples?  Are they finding more in the sediment or water samples?  Who is submitting this data?

Share and discuss "Building DIY Citizen Science Technology to See Invisible Marine Plastics."  Ask students which technique they would like to try to find microplastics in a nearby water source.  Here are the instructions for Baby Legs (for collecting microplastics).  Visit our DIY page for additional instructions or check out MSU - Microplastics for even more methods for collecting samples.  Have students visit a nearby waterway and test their sampling method. Whenever students are on-site working near water, please give detailed water and wildlife safety briefings for all participants.  Here is some general guidance.  For those of us near alligators, here is some advice.

Record the data on Water and Sediment datatsheets depending on the source of the samples.  What did they find?  Were there microplastics they might not have been able to see?  Which kinds would be difficult to detect without certain kinds of filters or a microscope?  What does this mean for data from collected samples?

Pair up and complete the The Consequences of Microplastics worksheet using the data they collected and other resources from the sessions.  How does data help us to understand impacts and critical issues?

Extend the Learning by participating in the Pontchartrain Conservancy's Microplastics Project.  Use our Lakefront Learning Lab to look for microfibers and other tiny microplastics in water samples.

Assessment:

Completed data sheets, worksheets, and observation during discussions and activities.

The microplastics shoreline survey in action. (Source: CLEAR)

Overview:

Students will learn about solutions that are being proposed for the removal of microplastics from our waterways and the prevention of microfibers from entering our waterways.  They will also propose their own solutions.

Objective:

Students will propose possible solutions for microplastics pollution.

Materials:

Article: "Irish Teenager Wins Google Science Award for Removing Microplastics from the Ocean"

Article: "How to Reduce Microfiber Emissions"

Reference Material: Types of Microplastics

Worksheet: Proposed Solution for Microplastics

Online Resource: Nurdle Patrol

Procedure:

Reflect on the previous sessions.  What do they now know about microplastics?  Where is it coming from?  Where are we finding it?  What impacts are microplastics having on wildlife?  On humans?  Can we tackle this issue?  Take a vote.  How many students think there are concrete ways we can get rid of microplastics?  How many think it is a problem that can't be solved?  Ask students to support their votes with statements about why they voted the way they did.

Share and discuss "Irish Teenager Wins Google Science Award for Removing Microplastics from the Ocean" and "How to Reduce Microfiber Emissions." Revisit the vote.  Ask students to use these articles as a way to explore the results of the vote.  Are these examples enough?  What are the actual effects of these two examples on the amount of microplastics in our waterways?  What microplastics are not covered in these examples?  What would have to happen for these examples to have substantial impacts on the amount of microplastics in the water?

Explain that they are going to choose one type of microplastic and propose a solution for either keeping it out of waterways or removing it from waterways.  Remind students of the kinds of microplastics with the Types of Microplastics PDF.

Pair up and complete the Proposed Solution for Microplastics worksheet.  Have students share their ideas.  Did anyone come up with similar ideas?  Have students ask questions about each of the proposed solutions.  Can we solve the problem of microplastics?  What are the first steps to take?

Extend the Learning by having students learn about, and possibly participate in, Nurdle Patrol.  Data collection helps communities and scientists understand the issue of microplastics in our waterways.  When we understand an issue, we can propose solutions.

Assessment:

Completed worksheets and observation during discussions.

Source: #breakfreefromplastic

Overview:

Students will reflect on how their knowledge of microplastics has shifted during this exploration.  They will also examine this new knowledge as it relates to environmental justice.

Objective:

Students will organize and communicate the take-aways from this exploration.

Materials:

Computer and internet access

Data: Plastic Pollution

Online Resource: "What You Can Do"

Worksheet: Microplastics in Our Waterways

Host a Screening: "Microplastic Madness"

Procedure:

Share Plastic Pollution with students.  Give them time to explore the data.  Ask them to write down any items that catch their attention.  Ask them to add a few words as to why the item stood out.

Ask students to share the items that were of most interest.  Discuss why they found those items interesting.  Ask students to reflect on what they knew about microplastics before this exploration.  How has their knowledge changed?

Explain that environmental justice is a factor that is central to communities that have been historically marginalized.  Is microplastics an issue that can impact marginalized communities differently?  Why?  What resources need to be available for a community to manage microplastics?  Are the proposed solutions accessible to all?  Did the data support the idea that microplastics affects economically disadvantaged countries differently?

Share and discuss "What You Can Do." Ask students to choose one action they would like to try.  Schedule a check-in to follow-up on their progress.

Complete Microplastics in Our Waterways.  Ask students to reflect on what they have learned.

Share and discuss student's answers.  Where can they find out more about this topic?  What aspects of this exploration had the most impact on their thinking about this topic?

Extend the Learning by hosting a screening of "Microplastic Madness."  Get the school community involved!  Or the larger community!

Assessment:

Completed worksheets and observation during discussions.