Microplastic Investigation

An Educator's Guide to Marine Debris.

In this lesson, students assess where particles are suspended in the water column (using a premade plastic slurry). Next, the slurry is mixed into a tub of water that is designed to mimic seawater and students take samples to assess the amount, size, and type of the particulates. Students relate this activity to what they might actually find in the ocean. They will assess the difficulties of sampling and the limitations of the activity. Students are evaluated by their explanations of the abundance of plastic in the oceans and assessment of potential impact of plastic micro-debris to the health of marine ecosystems.

An Educator's Guide to Marine Debris was designed as a stand-alone teaching tool or to supplement lessons for educators in both formal and informal settings. Appropriate for students grades K-12, with a focus on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) objectives.

Lesson Plans
Microplastic Investigation: An Educator's Guide to Marine Debris, Lesson Seven
Education Tags:
Marine Debris Topics:  
• Types and Sources  
• Microplastics  
Audience:  
• Grade 9-12  
Subject:  
• Language Arts  
• Earth Science  
Special Categories:  
• Working with Data  
• Class Discussion  
• Spanish  
• Scientific Method  
NGSS Disciplinary Core Ideas:  
• ESS3: Earth and Human Activity  
• ETS1: Engineering Design  

For citation purposes, unless otherwise noted, this article was authored by the NOAA Marine Debris Program.

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