Ocean Plastic:
The Problem and the Solution
Third Grade - Unit PowerPoint
Sustainability for Young Learners Courses
Lessons 1-5

Standards Covered – Main Standards
• LS2.C: Ecosystem Dynamics, Functioning, and Resilience - When the
environment changes in ways that affect a place’s physical characteristics,
temperature, or availability of resources, some organisms survive and
reproduce, others move to new locations, yet others move into the
transformed environment, and some die.
• 3-LS4-4: Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity - Make a claim about the
merit of a solution to a problem caused when the environment changes
and the types of plants and animals that live there may change.
[Clarification Statement: Examples of environmental changes could include
changes in land characteristics, water distribution, temperature, food, and
other organisms.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to a single
environmental change. Assessment does not include the greenhouse effect
or climate change.]

Standards Covered – Standard Connections
• RI.3.1: Literacy Common Core State Standards Connection: Ask and
answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring
explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers. (3-LS4-1), (3-LS4-2),
(3-LS4-3)

Vocabulary words
and single use plastics
Lesson #1

Vocabulary Words
Lesson #1, Activity #1

Ocean
• The vast body of saltwater covering about three quarters of the
earth’s surface.

Lesson 1, Activity #1

Pollution
• Pollution happens when the environment is contaminated, or dirtied,
by waste, chemicals, and other harmful substances.
• There are three main forms of pollution: air, water, and land.

Lesson 1, Activity #1

Plastic
• An artificial substance made from certain kinds of chemicals that can
be easily shaped when soft.

Lesson 1, Activity #1

Micro Plastic
• Microplastics are small plastic pieces less than five millimeters long
which can be harmful to our ocean and aquatic life. Micro plastics
come from larger pieces of plastic that break down in the ocean.

Lesson 1, Activity #1

Great Pacific Garbage Patch
• A vast accumulation of trash made up primarily of tiny plastic
particles floating at the surface of water in between California and
Hawaii

Lesson 1, Activity #1

Environmental Change
• Disturbance of the environment most often caused by human
influences and natural ecological processes.

Lesson 1, Activity #1

Food Web
• The interlocking food chains within an ecological community.

Lesson 1, Activity #1

Reduce
• To make less in amount or size.

Lesson 1, Activity #1

Reuse
• To use something more than
once or often.

Lesson 1, Activity #1

Recycle
• The process of taking materials ready to be thrown away and
changing them into reusable materials.

Lesson 1, Activity #1

Compost
• A mixture of decaying leaves, vegetables, or manure that is used to
improve garden soil.

Lesson 1, Activity #1

Single use plastic
• Plastic materials only designed to be used one time.

Lesson 1, Activity #1

Life of a Spoon
Video” and singleuse plastics
worksheet
Lesson #1, Activity #2

Life of a Spoon Video
• Click here to watch the video.
• Link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eg-E1FtjaxY

Lesson 1, Activity #2.1

Single Use Plastics – Identification and
Alternatives Worksheet
• Students will work on
the following worksheet.

Lesson 1, Activity #2.2

Ocean plastics are
a big problem
Lesson #2

Video and
Discussion
Lesson #2, Activity #1

How much plastic is in our ocean – Video
• Click here to watch the video.
• Link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFZS3Vh4lfI

Lesson 2, Activity #1

How much plastic is in our ocean – Discussion

Lesson 2, Activity #1

Reading, Quiz,
and Discussion
Lesson #2, Activity #2

Reading - Tons of Trash in the Ocean Hurt
Animals
Students will read this
article independently.

Lesson 2, Activity #2.1

Where is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
located?
1. Near the state of Texas
2. In between California and Hawaii
3. Off the coast of Japan
4. In between Hawaii and Japan

Lesson 2, Activity #2.2

Where is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
located?
Answer:
2. In between California and Hawaii

Lesson 2, Activity #2.2

What is the MAIN reason why scientists want
to study the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?
1. Because it is as big as Texas
2. Because they did not know it was made of trash
3. Because plastic garbage can hurt animals
4. Because it is made up of fishing nets

Lesson 2, Activity #2.2

What is the MAIN reason why scientists want
to study the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?
Answer:
3. Because plastic garbage can hurt animals

Lesson 2, Activity #2.2

Why is a lot of the trash in the Great Pacific
Garbage Patch from Japan?
1. Because Japan uses more plastic than other places
2. Because a tsunami hit Japan and washed tons of trash into the
sea
3. Because the Great Pacific Garbage Patch floated near Japan
4. Because fishing boats from Japan leave most of the trash in the
ocean
Lesson 2, Activity #2.2

Why is a lot of the trash in the Great Pacific
Garbage Patch from Japan?
Answer:
2. Because a tsunami hit Japan and washed tons of trash into the
sea

Lesson 2, Activity #2.2

Where did most of the trash in the Great
Pacific Garbage Patch come from?
1. Groceries
2. California
3. Fishing boats
4. The ocean floor

Lesson 2, Activity #2.2

Where did most of the trash in the Great
Pacific Garbage Patch come from?
Answer:
3. Fishing boats

Lesson 2, Activity #2.2

Rivers and Streams
Connect to Our
Oceans
Lesson #2, Activity #3

What really happens to the plastic that you
throw away? – Video
• Click here to watch the video
• Link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6xlNyWPpB8
• Note: Play the video from to 1:53 to 3:15.

Lesson 2, Activity #3.1

Worksheet – How Rivers and Streams connect
to our oceans
• Students complete the
following worksheet.

Lesson 2, Activity #3.2

Ocean Pollution
Experiment
Lesson #3

Ocean Pollution
Experiment
Lesson #3, Activity #1

Pre-Pollution
• Here, the water in the bin is clean and healthy for the animals.

Lesson 3, Activity #1.1

Adding in Pollution
• Trash and oil is added to the bin, and the water gets dirty.

Lesson 3, Activity #1.2

How Whales Eat - Video
• “See Blue Whales Lunge For Dinner in Beautiful Drone Footage” (1 minutes, 28 seconds)
• Click here to watch the video.
• Link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbxSBDopVyw

Lesson 3, Activity #1.3

Cleaning up the
Mess and Working
on the Worksheet
Lesson #3, Activity #2

Working on the worksheet
• Students will work on the
first page of the
worksheet.

Lesson 3, Activity #2.1

Cleaning up the water
• Students will begin to clean up the
water with sponges, coffee filters,
and cotton balls.

Lesson 3, Activity #2.2

Experiment
Wrap-up
Lesson #3, Activity #3

Experiment Wrap-up
• Compare the jars when the water
was collected:
• Pre pollution
• Pollution
• Clean up

Lesson 3, Activity #3

Solutions to the
Plastics Problem
Lesson #4

Solutions –
Technologies
Lesson #4, Activity #1

The Ocean Cleanup – Video #1
• Video #1: The Ocean Cleanup, System 001, Technology Explained (two minutes, 2 seconds)
• Link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1EAeNdTFHU

Lesson 4, Activity #1.1

The Ocean Cleanup – Video #2
• Video #2: Ocean Cleanup: Plastic-harvesting decide ‘successful’ (two minutes, six seconds)
• Link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-fI4ahyHNg

Lesson 4, Activity #1.1

The Ocean Cleanup Discussion

Lesson 4, Activity #1.2

The Ocean Cleanup Discussion

Lesson 4, Activity #1.2

Learning about
the solutions
Lesson #4, Activity #2

Refuse
• Refuse single use plastics, such as:
•
•
•
•
•
•

Plastic straws
Plastic water bottles
Plastic bags
Plastic spoons
Styrofoam containers
Single-use coffee cups

Lesson 4, Activity #2.1

Reduce
• Reduce your consumption
of plastics and other
goods.
• Replace plastic goods with
durable, eco-friendly
materials

Lesson 4, Activity #2.1

Reuse
• Reuse items that you already
have.
• Examples:
• Use the back side of your paper
• Reusable water bottle
• Reusable lunchbox instead of a
plastic bag
• Reusable grocery bags

Lesson 4, Activity #2.1

Repair
• Fix things that might be broken
to extend the life of a product.
• Examples:
• Tape a folder that has a rip
• Patch a t-shirt that has a hole in it
• Fix a toy instead of buying a new
one.

Lesson 4, Activity #2.1

Recycle
• Recycle plastic, glass, paper,
cardboard, and metal items
once you are done using these
products.
• Note: All cities and counties
have different recycling
guidelines. Check with your city
to see what you can properly
recycle.
Lesson 4, Activity #2.1

Video: Composting for Kids
• “Composting for Kids” video
• Link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRXNo7Ieky8

Lesson 4, Activity #2.2

Sorting Activity and
the 5 R’s Worksheet
Lesson #4, Activity #3

Sorting Activity: Small Groups
• Students will sort different objects into one of three bins labeled:
recycling, compost, and trash.

Lesson 4, Activity #3.1

Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repair, and Recycle
Worksheet
• Students will complete
the following worksheet.

Lesson 4, Activity #3.2

Solutions, Presentations,
and Class Pledge
Lesson #5

The Solutions
Worksheet
Lesson #5, Activity #1

Filling out the Solutions Worksheet
• Students will fill out the
following worksheet.
• Note: This is the back side of
the worksheet titled “Ocean
Plastic – The Problem and
the Solution”

Lesson 5, Activity #1

Student Presentation
Time
Lesson #5, Activity #2

Call to Action:
Pledge
Lesson #5, Activity #3

Call to Action
• The class will create a pledge
and every student will sign
the pledge.

Lesson 5, Activity #3

Thank you for your time.

Content Creator:
Sydney Lund
Master of Sustainability Leadership
End of the Unit Presentation