Background
This lesson is part of the Plastic Pollution and You curriculum developed by the educators from New York Sea Grant.
In this lesson, students will use the knowledge gained from the previous activities and/or independent research to develop a personal position on plastic pollution in their lives and communities.
They will support this position with factual information from credible sources, write a concise position statement, and present it to their class.
Objectives
Students will:
- apply knowledge gained to develop a personal position on plastic pollution.
- provide evidence to justify a position.
- create a concise position statement.
- defend a position to peers.
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: HS-ETS1-1, HS-ESS3-4
New York State Social Studies Learning Standards and K-12
Framework | LINK
SS: 8.8.c, 10.9.a, 10.9.b, S5-KI #4
English Language Arts Standards & Literacy in History/
Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects Standards | LINK
ELA: W1, W6, WHST1, WHST7
Materials
Access printed copies or electronic versions of lesson materials below.
TEDTalk: Beads of Destruction1
Video Resource
PBS.org Research Guide: Assessing Sources
One per student
Position Statement Guide Sheet
This is an additional resource
Plastic Pollution and You
Full Curricula
1 Disclaimer: The linked YouTube video below may contain advertisements that can interrupt viewing. These ads are typically placed by content creators or YouTube and may vary in length and frequency.
Time Required
This lesson may require multiple class periods to complete.
Activity Set-Up
Instruct students to watch Dr. Sherri Mason’s TEDTalk about plastic pollution.
Instruct students to locate 2-3 additional sources of information on plastic pollution using the PBS.org Research Guide as needed.
Lesson
- Review Position Statement Guide Sheet with students.
- Have students each write a short position statement of at least 100 words (i.e., 7 sentences or 1 paragraph).
NOTE:
If time and technology allow have students assist with creating video montages of their position statements for class TEDTalk video. Student position statements can be used as the basis for a class TEDTalk, like the one presented by Dr. Sherri Mason. Consider partnering with a teacher from another subject area, such as Language Arts or Reading, for this extension. Record students reading their position statements on camera.
This lesson is part of a larger curriculum, Plastic Pollution and You.
