Background
This lesson is part of the Plastic Pollution and You curriculum developed by the educators from New York Sea Grant.
Students will learn about the different types of plastics. They will explore how plastics are characterized and how this influences the recycling process. After reviewing a recycling chart, the students will answer questions posed on the Student Response Sheet and complete the Personal Plastic Use Sheet.
Objectives
Students will:
- explore how plastics are characterized and how this influences the recycling process.
- develop an awareness about the different types of plastics.
Lesson Alignment
This lesson is part of the Plastic Pollution and You curriculum and is aligned to the following standards document:
New York State P-12 Science Learning Standards & Next
Generation Science Standards | LINK
SCI: 5-ESS3-1, MS-ESS3-4, HS-ESS3-4
Materials
Access printed copies or electronic versions of lesson materials below.
Container of common plastic items, such as those listed in the Recycling Chart (NOTE: can be the same plastic items used in Plastic Pollution Lesson 1.1)
Recycling Chart
One per student
Student Response Sheet
One per student
Personal Plastic Use Sheet
Questions included- one per student
Plastic Pollution and You
Full Curricula
Time Required
This lesson should require 30-60 minutes to complete.
Activity Set-Up
Gather plastic materials. These can be the same plastic items used in Lesson 1.1 of the Plastic Pollution and You Curriculum.
Lesson
- Review the Recycling Chart as a class to discuss the differences between the 7 types of plastic.
- Display and pass around different plastic items so students can see and feel the differences, and identify which number each item corresponds to.
- After examining each item, have students group items into different piles based on their number codes.
- Ask students what they notice about the items in each number code. What is similar about the items?
- What is different about the items? If an item does not have a number code, encourage students to use the characteristics of each type of plastic in the recycling chart to determine what type of plastic it is.
- Have students fill out the Student Response Sheet.
- Distribute the Personal Plastic Use Sheet and have students take the sheet home.
- While at home, students should look around their home and try to find a plastic item from each category (Numbers 1-7)
- Encourage them to use the Recycling Chart as a guide.
- Once they identify an item, have them write down what it is and how often they use it.
While at home, students should look around their home and try to find a plastic item from each category (Numbers 1-7). Encourage them to use the Recycling Chart as a guide. Once they identify an item, have them write down what it is and how often they use it. After their chart is filled out, have students answer the reflection questions.
This lesson is part of a larger curriculum, Plastic Pollution and You.
