1

“From poisoning and injuring marine life to disrupting human hormones,

from littering our beaches and landscapes to clogging our waste streams

and landfills, the exponential growth of plastics is now threatening the

survival of our planet.”

— Climate Education Week Toolkit Earth Day Network 2018

Plastic Pollution Lesson Plan by World

Ocean Day

▪ Plastic Pollution Lesson Plan

<www.worldoceansday.org/plastic-pollution

-lesson-plan>

▪ Lesson Plan Resources

<www.worldoceansday.org/lesson-plan-

resources>

Description: This resource was

designed for youth to teach their peers and

community members about plastic pollution

by providing step by step actions and

activity ideas for all audiences.

Type:

Lesson Plan

Target:

Grades 6-12

Integrating plastic pollution issues into your curricular,

creates real-world opportunities for students to

strengthen global competencies including critical inquiry,

ecological literacy, system thinking and citizenship skills.

Each resource offers background links and teaching

ideas to engage students through a variety of

approaches, perspectives and tools.

We hope you find these resource useful to integrate this

important and diverse subject into your classrooms and

school activities, as well as to engage students in

contributing to a healthier planet.

The Plastics Challenge 2018

“From poisoning and injuring marine life to disrupting human hormones, from littering our beaches and landscapes to clogging our waste streams and landfills, the exponential growth of plastics is now threatening the survival of our planet.”

— Climate Egucation Week 1oolkit Earth Day Network 2018

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Type:

Educator

toolkit with

week of

activities

Target:

Grades

K-5, 6-8,

9-12

Type:

Lesson Plan

Target:

Grades 4-8

End Plastic Pollution: Climate Education Week Toolkit by

Earth Day Network 2018

▪ Earth Day Plastic Education Toolkit

<www.earthday.org/educate2018/>

Description: This toolkit provides one activity per day for

students in grades K-5, 6-8, and 9-12, for a one week focus on

plastic pollution.

Downloadable resources include:

▪ Plastics Pollution Primer and Action Toolkit

▪ Plastics Pollution Teach-In Toolkit

▪ Plastic Pollution Calculator

▪ Climate Education Week Toolkit

Plastics, Plastics Everywhere! from the Office of National

Marine Sanctuaries, National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration (NOAA)

▪ Plastic Bag Lesson Plan

<nmsflowergarden.blob.core.windows.net/

flowergarden-prod/media/archive/

document_library/eddocs/

plasticbaglesson.pdf>

Description: In this lesson, students identify

different types of plastic garbage and their

sources.

Downloadable resources include:

▪ NOAA Marine Debris Program Fact Sheets

▪ International Coastal Cleanup report from Ocean Conservancy

3

Type:

Resource

guide

includes

seven action

oriented

lessons.

Separate

guides EN/FR

Target:

Grades

2-3, 7-8,

10-11

Type:

Student

workbook

with

Cantonese

and English

text

Target:

Grades

4-6

Plastic Education Kit from Environment and Climate Change

Canada (English and French resources)

▪ Plastic Education Kit—English

<plasticsedkit.ocean.org/resources.html>

▪ Plastic Education Kit—French

<plasticsedkit.ocean.org/resources-fr.html>

Description: This resource provides a different toolkit for

students in elementary, middle, and high school. Each toolkit

focuses on the importance of oceans, the impact of plastic on the

ocean, and what can be done to help.

Downloadable resources include:

▪ Teacher Unit Plan (Elementary, Middle and

Secondary School)

▪ Student Workbooks (Elementary, Middle and

Secondary School)

▪ Videos from Ocean Wise, Students on Ice and

Sea Smart

▪ Action Campaign resources by WE

▪ Pledge to take action by Clean Seas

▪ Ocean Literacy for All by UNESCO

Out to Sea: The Plastic Garbage Project from The Hong Kong

Science Museum

▪ Out to Sea: The Plastic Garbage Project

Student Workbook

<hk.science.museum/ms/ots2015/download/

OTS_ActivitySheet.pdf>

Description: This resource is a student

activity booklet that focuses on different plastic

types, plastic disposal, recycling, and marine

pollution.

4

Type:

STEM

design

challenge

Target:

Grades 3-8

Type:

Lesson Plan

plus

Engineering

for Good

STEM unit

Target:

Grades

6-8

Plastics STEM Challenge from Practical Action

▪ Plastics STEM Challenge Activity Guide

<practicalaction.org/plastics-challenge>

Description: This resource offers a challenge for students

aged 8-14 to investigate the properties of plastics then find solutions

to problems caused by plastic waste globally.

Downloadable resources include:

▪ Teacher guide

▪ 16 lessons

▪ PowerPoint presentation

▪ Student challenge design sheets and

resources

▪ Plastics challenge poster

▪ Video clips and photos to download

Plastic, Plastic Everywhere by Andrea Aust for The Lowdown–

Connecting Newsroom to Classroom

▪ Plastic, Plastic Everywhere Lesson Plan

<ww2.kqed.org/lowdown/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2018/01/

Lesson-Plan_-Microfibers-2.pdf>

Description: In this lesson plan students analyze the history

of plastics, their effects on the environment, and policies to address

plastic pollution.

Downloadable resources include:

Engineering for Good: 3 week project- based

STEM learning unit focused on designing a

solution.

Teacher guide16 lessonsPowerPoint presentationStudent challenge design sheets and resources

Plastics challenge posterVideo clips and photos to download

5

Type:

Youth

Action

Manual

Target:

Grades

9-12+

Type:

Activity

guide with

lessons

Available in

EN/FR,

Arabic,

Bahasa,

Hindi,

Mandarin

Russian,

Spanish,

Swahili, and

Vietnamese.

Target:

Grades

6-12

Plastics Free Campus Manual from PLAN (Post-Landfill Action

Network)

▪ Plastics Free Campus Manual

<https://www.postlandfill.org/plastic-free-

campus/>

Description: This document w ill help

EcoTeams design actions to help their school

go plastic free.

The Back to School Plastic Challenge from UN Environment

#CleanSeas

▪ The Back to School: Plastic Challenge Booklet

<http://www.cleanseas.org/back-school>

Description: This booklet includes step-by-step activities to

reduce the use of single-use plastics.

Downloadable resources include:

▪ Lessons for measuring and monitoring trends, understanding

the impact

▪ Action-based project ideas to reduce the

use

▪ Advocacy and innovation ideas to go

farther

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Type:

Activity

guide with

lessons

Target:

Grades

K-3:

7 lessons

4-6:

3 lessons

7-12:

6 lessons

Type:

Toolkit with

actions

Separate

guides

EN/FR

Other lan-

guages

available on

the Green-

peace In-

ternational

site

Target:

Grades

7-12

Plastic Pollution & The Great Lakes from 5 Gyres Institute

▪ Plastic Pollution & The Great Lakes Resource

<seagrant.psu.edu/sites/default/files/Lessons%20for%20NIE%

202%20and%203%

205GyresALLACTIVITIESPlasticPollutionCurriculum.pdf>

▪ 5 Gyres Institute Website

<www.5gyres.org>

Description: This resource provides a

compilation of lessons to unpack what is plastic,

where does it go, and its impact.

Million Acts of Blue by Greenpeace Canada

▪ Break Free From Plastic Resource

<www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/act/break-free-from-plastic/>

▪ Libérons-nous du plastique ressource

<www.greenpeace.org/canada/fr/agir/liberons-nous-du-plastique/>

Description: This toolkit consists of seven actions participants

can take to reduce single-use plastics in schools, businesses, and

communities.

Downloadable resources include:

▪ Powerpoint presentations

▪ Handout materials

▪ Tips on how to take action

Powerpoint presentations

Handout materialsTips on how to take action

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Type:

Activity

guides with

embedded

STEM

challenges

Target:

Grades

7-12+

Type:

Toolkit with

actions

Target:

Grades 4-12

or EcoTeams

Circular Economy Lessons e.g., Redesigning Plastics, How We

Make Stuff, A Design that Works, The Future of Cities by the

Ellen MacArthur Foundation

▪ Circular Economy Resources

<www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/resources/

learn/schools-colleges-resources>

▪ How We Make Stuff Website

<www.made2bmadeagain.org>

Description: This series of lesson plans

provide an introduction to the circular economy

and challenge students to rethink the “take-

make-dispose” economy and build a system

that works long-term.

Downloadable resources include:

▪ Student design templates

▪ PowerPoints

▪ Link to TEDx on plastics

▪ New Plastics Economy publications

Beat Plastic Pollution: School Lesson Plan

from World Environment Day

▪ Beat Plastic Pollution: School Lesson Plan

<worldenvironmentday.global/en/get-involved/toolkits#event-kits>

Description: This resource provides action-

based project ideas to reduce the use of single-

use plastic.