www.siemensstemday.com 1 Addresses NGSS Level of Difficulty: 2 Grade Range: 3-5 OVERVIEW In this activity, students will learn about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Students will discuss how organisms are being impacted by this garbage patch and the impact it has on our resources and environment. Students will identify the major items contributing to the garbage patch. Students will design a solution to reduce the impact these items have on the environment. Their solutions may include (but are not limited to) ways to clean up the garbage patch, education of individuals, or new uses for materials. Topic: Human Impacts on Earth’s Systems Real-World Science Topics • Understand the challenges of disposal of waste materials and their impact on the environment. • Evaluate how scientific knowledge and technology can be used to design a solution to environmental issues Objective At the end of this activity, students will evaluate the major challenges faced by Earth’s systems due to waste management. Students will develop a solution based on research and data. Students will communicate their solutions to others. NGSS Three-Dimensions GARBAGE IN OUR OCEANS (1 Hour) Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information • Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information in 3–5 builds on K–2 experiences and progresses to evaluating the merit and accuracy of ideas and methods. • Obtain and combine information from books and/or other reliable media to explain phenomena or solutions to a design problem. (5-ESS3-1) Science and Engineering Practices ESS3.C: Human Impacts on Earth Systems • Human activities in agriculture, industry, and everyday life have had major effects on the land, vegetation, streams, ocean, air, and even outer space. But individuals and communities are doing things to help protect Earth’s resources and environments. (5-ESS3-1) Disciplinary Core Ideas Systems and System Models • A system can be described in terms of its components and their interactions. (5-ESS2-1),(5-ESS3-1) Crosscutting Concepts (Source: Next Generation Science Standards) Background Information What is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a mass of debris in the Pacific Ocean. Due to the currents in the Pacific Ocean, the waters swirl in a giant circular pattern, called a gyre. The calmest water is found in the center of this swirling circle. As a result, debris is pulled along by the currents, eventually finding its way into the calm waters of the center. These garbage patches are not only found in the Pacific Ocean but are also in most major bodies of water, including the Great Lakes.
Transcript
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Addresses NGSS Level of Difficulty: 2 Grade Range: 3-5
OVERVIEWIn this activity, students will learn about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Students will discuss how organismsare being impacted by this garbage patch and the impact it has on our resources and environment. Studentswill identify the major items contributing to the garbage patch. Students will design a solution to reduce theimpact these items have on the environment. Their solutions may include (but are not limited to) ways toclean up the garbage patch, education of individuals, or new uses for materials.
Topic: Human Impacts on Earth’s Systems
Real-World Science Topics• Understand the challenges of disposal of waste materials and their impact on the environment.
• Evaluate how scientific knowledge and technology can be used to design a solution to environmental issues
ObjectiveAt the end of this activity, students will evaluate the major challenges faced by Earth’s systems due to wastemanagement. Students will develop a solution based on research and data. Students will communicate theirsolutions to others.
NGSS Three-Dimensions
GARBAGE IN OUR OCEANS (1 Hour)
Obtaining, Evaluating, andCommunicating Information
• Obtaining, evaluating, andcommunicating information in3–5 builds on K–2 experiencesand progresses to evaluatingthe merit and accuracyof ideas and methods.
• Obtain and combineinformation from booksand/or other reliable mediato explain phenomena orsolutions to a design problem.(5-ESS3-1)
Science and Engineering Practices
ESS3.C: Human Impactson Earth Systems
• Human activities in agriculture,industry, and everyday lifehave had major effects onthe land, vegetation, streams,ocean, air, and even outerspace. But individuals andcommunities are doingthings to help protect Earth’sresources and environments.(5-ESS3-1)
Disciplinary Core Ideas
Systems and System Models• A system can be describedin terms of its componentsand their interactions.(5-ESS2-1),(5-ESS3-1)
Crosscutting Concepts
(Source: Next Generation Science Standards)
Background Information
What is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a mass of debris in the Pacific Ocean. Due to the currents in the PacificOcean, the waters swirl in a giant circular pattern, called a gyre. The calmest water is found in the center ofthis swirling circle. As a result, debris is pulled along by the currents, eventually finding its way into the calmwaters of the center. These garbage patches are not only found in the Pacific Ocean but are also in mostmajor bodies of water, including the Great Lakes.
What is the impact of the Garbage Patch on Earth’s Systems?
These garbage patches are impacting all four of Earth’s systems. The hydrosphere is moving this debristhroughout the water system. The debris in the water is often seen as food to many marine animals that arepart of the biosphere. This marine life includes fish, which are eating the contaminated debris. Marine lifethat is contaminated with this debris can cause human health issues when humans eat fish. The impact on the geosphere is that some of this debris is sinking down to the ocean floor contaminating the sea bed.Finally, the garbage patch is adding to the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
What kind of material is in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?
Most of the material is small particles of plastic that have broken apart. • 70% of debris sinks to the ocean floor• 80% of the trash comes from land based activities that take up to 6 years to travel there fromthe U.S. (only 1 year from Japan and Asia)
• The remaining 20% comes from boating activities, in particular fishing nets• Plastic makes up most of the debris because it is durable and is not biodegradable• Only 7% of plastic in the US is recycled• The patch in the Pacific is twice the size of the state of Texas
What are some issues related to cleaning up the Garbage Patch?
Cleaning it up is problematic, because microscopic organisms such as plankton will also be taken, reducingthe amount of food available for the existing marine life.
What is the effect on marine life?
Marine animals see much of this debris floating in the water and it looks like food to them. Plastic bags can look like jellyfish; plastic pellets can look like fish eggs. These items are not food, and as a result, marineanimals that eat them can die. Also, the rings from plastic bottles can get caught on legs and beaks, damaginglimbs and restricting growth.
Key Vocabulary
Biodegradable – able to decompose naturallyCurrent – flow of liquid moving from one place to anotherDurability – difficult to wear out or decayMarine Life – animals that live in the waterOcean Gyre – area of the ocean that rotates in a giant circle
Materials Needed for Activity
• Solution Worksheet
• Assorted items of waste found in the oceans for students to observe as samples
• Presentation materials - computers, posters, or index cards.
Teacher Preparation
Obtain a variety of plastic items that might be found in a garbage patch
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GARBAGE IN OUR OCEANS
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STEPS FOR GARBAGE IN OUR OCEANS
1. Warm-up Activity: On student desks, there should be a variety of plastic materials. Ask students todiscuss what they know about these materials (physical characteristics). Write characteristics on theboard. Teacher should ask students if they know how to dispose of these items when they are no longerneeded.
2. Ask students to make inferences about what happens to them after they dispose of them.
3. Teacher will say, “imagine that you are groups of ecological scientists. You have just found out that a lotof these items that are disposed of in landfills are ending up in the ocean, causing harm to the marineenvironment. You have been invited to travel on a ship out into the Pacific Ocean to look at this environ-mental issue that is causing great concern. In your role as ecological scientists, you are being asked todesign a solution to solve this ecological situation.”
4. Next, the teacher will provide students with background information and statistics about this environ-mental issue. Teacher should include visual images of how this debris has deteriorated.
5. Students will divide into small groups of 3 to research the issue.
6. Once time has been allowed for research, provide students with handout. Groups will use the handout tobrainstorm and develop a solution for this problem. They will create a presentation for their ecologicalscience colleagues supporting their argument and reasoning.
7. The teams will present their solution (presentation) to the class. Once all the presentations are com-pleted, your class of ecological scientists can decide which one or ones would be viable solutions to theproblem.
8. Teacher can close with a question such as, “why is it important for us to consider solutions for this eco-logical problem?”
Extension Activity
Students can take the ideas from their presentations and create surveys to see what a cross section of oth-ers feel about their solution. Using the data from the survey, students could choose one idea to submit eitheras a school project or even to send on to their congressman or representative.
Sources
“22 Facts About Plastic Pollution (And 10 Things We Can Do About It).” EcoWatch. N.p., n.d. Web.8 Feb. 2016.
“Great Pacific Garbage Patch.” National Geographic Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Feb. 2016.“The Next Generation Science Standards.” Next Generation Science Standards. N.p., n.d. Web.
