Featured Resource
Monitoring Toolkit for Educators
Engage your class in some marine debris monitoring using the new Marine Debris Monitoring Toolkit for Educators!
Created through a collaboration between the NOAA Marine Debris Program and Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, the new toolkit takes the robust citizen science Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project and modifies it for classroom use. Students can get involved in surveying their local area for marine debris and entering their findings into a national database. This information helps us determine where, when, and what kind of debris is showing up and can help inform management decisions.
Check out the Monitoring Toolkit for Educators and get your class involved in data collection, analysis, and involvement in their community!
Featured Activity
Plastic is a Deadly Meal
Teach your students about the hazards of marine debris with this simple and interactive activity. Using a mixture of rice and lentils to represent food and plastic debris, students are tasked with getting as much "food" onto their plate as they can within a given time. Racing against other students either in pairs or in relay teams, students will employ different strategies to get the job done. This is a great way to get talking about ratios and the ingestion of marine debris.
Check out a demonstration of this and other activities in the Trash Talk Webinar for Educators!
Marine Debris Craft Corner
Jellyfish Jars
Put some of your old plastic bags to use and help students see firsthand why sea turtles and other animals often mistake plastic single-use bags in the ocean for food. This easy-to-make Jellyfish Jar is a strong visual and can stimulate great discussion on reducing waste!
Instructions:
Step 1: Fill a transparent jar with water (containers with screw-on lids work best).
Step 2: Place a plastic bag in the jar, trimming the bag as needed (produce bags work best).
Step 3: Carefully manipulate the bag to eliminate any air bubbles.
Step 4: Close the lid tightly and admire your plastic bag jellyfish!
|