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 listening to and reflecting upon a TEDTalk from researcher Patricia Villarrubia-Gomez, students will explore how the life cycle of plastic has various ecological impacts across the globe.
Students will critically discuss the production, consumption, and disposal of plastic, reflect on the personal implications of this process, and consider how the items we ue every day can have far ranging consequences for people and the planet.
Objectives
Students will:
- critically discuss the production, consumption, and disposal of plastic.
- reflect on the personal implications of production, consumption, and disposal of plastic.
- consider how the plastic items we use every day can have far ranging consequences for people and the planet.
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-ESS3-1, HS-ESS3-1, MS-ESS3-4, 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
Materials
Access printed copies or electronic versions of lesson materials below.
Where Do Plastics Come From?1
Video Resource
The Problem with Plastics1
Video Resource
Student Response Sheets
One per student
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 one class period to complete.
Activity Set-Up
Before watching the “Where Do Plastics Come From” video, discuss the following vocabulary terms with students:
a. Renewable Resources: a resource that is unlimited and/or can be replenished naturally (e.g. wind energy, solar energy)
b. Nonrenewable Resources: a resource that is limited or finite and/or is not able to be replenished at the same rate as it is used (e.g. oil, coal, metals)
c. Disposability: the property of an item that is intended to be thrown away after a single use (e.g. disposable diapers, plastic utensils).
d. Biomimicry: the imitation or inspiration of nature in design and engineering
Lesson
- Distribute the Video Notes Sheet to students. Ask them to read the sheet and prepare to write several things they learn and several questions they have while watching the videos.
- Have students watch “Where Do Plastics Come From?” and Patricia Villarrubia-Gomez’s TEDTalk: “The Problem with Plastics“.
- After watching the videos, do a Think-Pair-Share:
- Give students 5 minutes to think and respond to questions on the Student Response Sheet individually.
- Following that, have the students Pair-Share their responses on the Student Response Sheet and their questions from the Video Notes Page with the classmate next to them for 5 minutes.
- Finally, open the discussion to the class. Have students share their responses and ask any unanswered questions they have.
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.