Before the Activity:
Introduction to Plastics
Objectives: Students will Have Students Watch a Plastic Ocean and
complete a Video Worksheet.
Discuss Students thoughts and reactions to the video.
- Did they realize the effects of plastics?
- How do you feel after watching the film?
- Why is it not practical to just ban everything made of plastic?
- Do you think we have plastics in our local waterways?
Microplastic Sampling
Students are trained in Microplastics Sampling at the beginning of the
school year.
Students will sample local watershed using the Florida Microplastic
Awareness Project Procedures to sample for Microplastics in local
watersheds and collect data once a month.
Students will identify which types of microplastics are present in local
watersheds and which types are most abundant. (Students should find the
microfibers from clothing and wash machines are typically the most
common)
Students will make a graph of the number of microplastics in a 1L sample
Students will upload data into the Microplastics Awareness Project
Database (citizen science project)