Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

60+ minutes

Part A: Investigation Time

10 minutes

Reflection

Part A: Investigation time

There are two options for this lesson. Option A is for students who have completed prior lessons in this unit. Option B is for students who haven’t completed prior lessons in this unit.

Option A

Step 1.

Remind students of the driving question: How are you connected to the ocean? Ask students to recall what they have learnt so far about our connection to the ocean. For example, how are we connected to the ocean through:

The ways we need it?
The ways we impact it?

Students can refer to the questions generated in the previous lessons to help them answer these questions.

Step 2.

Now explain to students that in this lesson they will answer the questions they generated in the previous lessons. The answers to their own questions will help them to understand the driving question. You could do this by:

Inviting each group to select one or more questions that they would like to answer, and to work in their groups to design and conduct an inquiry to answer this question
Choosing one question from each group and working as a class to design and conduct inquiries in order to answer these questions.

Depending on the nature of your questions, you could design your inquiries around some of the activities suggested below. You will also find resources associated with these activities to support you and your students in a range of different inquiry methods:

How do we need the ocean?

Inquiry method: Secondary research

Activity instructions: Begin by watching the following clip:

Take 3 - Systems: https://vimeo.com/451387531/8d92ac9a34

Students can then reflect on this clip using a SEE-THINK-WONDER activity.

Then invite students to suggest and record their own answers to the three inquiry questions. Now invite students to conduct research to answer the three inquiry questions. This research could be conducted online or in the library. Each student should then attempt to answer each question in written form in their own words. Spend some time sharing and clarifying student answers. If they aren’t already in groups, break the class into groups and ask each group to create a map (either of Australia or the world, depending on age and ability) that communicates the answers to the inquiry questions. The map should be annotated to include these questions and should also include BOLTSS Map Conventions.

Tips: Online Search Strategies.

How oceans help us breathe

Inquiry methods: Secondary research and experiment

Activity instructions: Begin by sharing the following clip with students:

Take 3 - Systems: https://vimeo.com/451387531/8d92ac9a34

They can then think about this clip in the context of the inquiry questions. Then ask students to suggest what is still unclear to them and what they’d like to know more about. Through this discussion suggest to students that they could find out more about how plants (including ocean plants) produce oxygen. Students could then conduct research to answer this question, or you can use this Photosynthesis Image to help you explain photosynthesis. Now explain to students that you will complete an experiment that demonstrates a plant producing oxygen - see Oxygen And Plants Experiment.

Tips: Lab Safety Rules.

The role oceans play in our weather

Inquiry method: Demonstrations

Activity instructions: Begin by watching this clip with students:

Take 3 - Systems: https://vimeo.com/451387531/8d92ac9a34

then share what they found interesting or important in the clip. Once complete, invite them to suggest what they already know about how water moves around our planet, and record ideas on the board. You can also invite them to reflect on the questions they generated about this topic and to suggest how these questions might be answered. You could attempt to answer these questions by conducting some demonstrations around water. See the Water Cycle Demonstrations. If you still haven’t uncovered all the answers to your questions, invite students to work together to undertake research online to answer their questions and to communicate their answers with the class.

How people think and feel about the ocean

Inquiry method: Primary research

Activity instructions: Begin by asking students what they think and feel about the ocean, then pose the question: I wonder how other people think and feel about the ocean?

Then share this clip with students:

Take 3 - Connection: https://vimeo.com/451386255/9181e799fa

Once complete, invite them to reflect on how the people in this clip think and feel about the ocean. Then explain to students that for many people the ocean is a precious place, but that because of human actions the ocean is suffering (if time permits you could also share this clip:

Take 3 - Plastic: https://vimeo.com/451388496/76622fea03

If you find out how people think and feel about the ocean you can use this information to inspire them to take action. Where students are familiar with persuasive techniques, you could remind students of the ways we can appeal to emotion, reason, or character, and how these can be used to persuade people to take action. Students will work together to design and conduct a survey or interviews to find out how people in their community think and feel about the ocean. Some suggested questions you could use in your survey/interviews could include: How do you feel when you think about the ocean? What is your favourite thing about the ocean? Why do you think people feel a connection to the ocean? Students could then survey or interview other students or their families. You could work collaboratively to analyse the results and present these graphically. Note: You could use the results of this survey to guide your social action in this lesson.

Tips: Survey Tips and Interview Tips

Plastic pathways into the ocean

Inquiry method: Secondary research

Activity instructions: Begin by watching the following clip:

Take 3 - Plastic https://vimeo.com/451388496/76622fea03

Once complete, invite students to suggest what they found interesting or important about this clip, and what they’d like to know more about (keep a record of these points).

Remind students of their inquiry questions and invite them to suggest how this clip helps them to answer these questions (you could watch the clip a second time through to find some answers).

Explain that they will now conduct research to find out more about the answers to these questions, as well as any points that they wanted to know more about after watching the clip.

Students can then conduct research online or in the library. Some suggested sites to conduct research are included here: Plastic Waste Links.

Once students have had time to gather their answers, invite them to work in groups to create a graphic that describes all the ways that plastic enters the ocean. For example, the graphic could be a picture of a landscape with a range of waterways leading to the sea, can also include wind and people littering, and could have annotations that describe the quantities of plastic waste reaching the ocean.

Tips: Online Search Strategies.

Where plastic waste goes when it gets to the ocean

Inquiry method: Experiment

Activity instructions: Begin by inviting students to share what they already know about plastic waste. You could prompt them with questions such as:

What is plastic waste?
Where does plastic waste come from?
What can we do with plastic waste?

Next watch the following clip with students:

Take 3 - Plastic: https://vimeo.com/451388496/76622fea03

Once complete, invite them to think about what they would like to add to their initial discussion.

Explain to students that they will now conduct an experiment to see what happens to different types of waste when they are added to seawater. See Plastic Waste Breakdown Experiment for further instructions.

You could also invite students to conduct research into the role that recycling has in managing waste. In particular, students can research and create a communication piece that answers the following question: Which types of plastic can be recycled where you are?

Tips: Waste Safety Code.

The ways that we use different types of plastic

Inquiry method: Primary and secondary research

Activity instructions: Collect a range of plastic products that are made from different types of plastic. You could either select items that feel different (like straws, bags, and bottles) or you could check the recycling numbers on the items. Present these items to students and invite them to suggest what they are made from and to describe them in terms or texture and weight.

Now watch the following clip with students:

https://vimeo.com/451388496/76622fea03

As they watch, ask them to pay attention to the different types of plastic featured in the clip, such as plastic bags, straws, bottles, takeaway packaging, thongs, flecks from clothing and carpets (also polystyrene, polyethylene and polypropylene).

Students can then think about how often they use things made from plastic in their daily lives. Students could spend an hour or a day with a tally sheet marking each time they use or come into contact with something that contains plastic.

Students will then think about what alternatives there are to plastic. They could conduct a survey to find out how many people in your school community use alternatives to plastic and what these alternatives are.

Students could then work as a class to analyse and graph results, before creating a communication piece to share their findings.

Note: You could use the results of this survey to guide your social action in this lesson.

Tips: Survey Tips and Interview Tips.

Microplastics in our oceans

Inquiry method: Fieldwork

Activity instructions: Begin by writing the terms ‘microplastics’ and ‘nanoplastics’ on the board. Invite students to suggest what these might mean. You could then work as a class to research and create definitions for each of these terms.

Next watch the following clip:

As they watch, invite students to pay close attention to anything that relates to the two terms defined earlier. Discuss your reflections on the clip.

Now invite students to reflect on their inquiry questions: can they answer these questions using what they found out in the clip and through creating their definitions? If not, suggest to students that they can conduct some more research.

Now pose the following question: Are microplastics really everywhere? Explain to students that they are going to conduct some fieldwork in order to answer this question (they won’t be focusing on nanoplastics because these can’t be seen with the naked eye). This fieldwork will involve going into your schoolyard or a local park and seeing if you can see any microplastics. Students (wearing gloves) could collect any pieces you do find to take back to the classroom. Once back in the classroom clean your pieces of microplastic (by placing in a sieve and running under the tap) and see if you can identify where they come from (i.e. are they hard or soft plastic?).

Students can then work collaboratively to design and make a communication piece around your collection of pieces of microplastic and conduct research in order to provide information about the causes of and problems relating to microplastics (students could use this Microplastics Factsheet). You could share this with an audience.

Tips: Outdoor Learning Tips.

Option B

Step 1.

Begin this lesson by explaining to students that we are all connected to the ocean, no matter where we live. Invite students to suggest how this might be and record ideas on the board.

Step 2.

You can then suggest to students that the ways that we are connected to the ocean can broadly be divided into two categories:

How we need the ocean
How we impact the ocean.

Work with students to see if you can sort the ideas recorded on the board into these two categories.

Step 3.

Now explain to students that in this lesson they will have the chance to explore some of the ways that they are connected to the ocean. Students will be presented with a range of topics that are related to our connection to the ocean and they will focus on at least one of these topics through an inquiry.

Note:

You could choose a topic that you would like students to focus on, or you could invite students to select the topic they are most interested in.
You could work as a class to complete the tasks associated with the chosen topic, or students could work in groups.
If working in groups, you could ask students to select different topics to focus on.
You could also choose to work together to work through a range of these topics to build a big picture of how we are connected to the ocean.

The topics you could focus on include:

How do we need the ocean?
- Understanding the ocean
- How oceans help us breathe
- The role oceans play in our weather
- How people think and feel about the ocean
How do we impact the ocean?
- Plastic pathways into the ocean
- Where plastic waste goes when it gets to the ocean
- Plastic waste and marine animals
- The ways that we use different types of plastic
- Microplastics in our oceans

Understanding the ocean

Questions for inquiry:

What is an ocean?
Where are the main oceans in the world?
What oceans do we have around Australia?
Who is in charge of looking after the oceans?
Who is in charge of looking after the oceans around Australia?

Inquiry method: Secondary research

Activity instructions: Begin by watching the following clip:

https://vimeo.com/451387531/8d92ac9a34

Students can then reflect on this clip using a SEE-THINK-WONDER activity.

Then invite students to suggest and record their own answers to the three inquiry questions.

Now invite students to conduct research to answer the three inquiry questions. This research could be conducted online or in the library. Each student should then attempt to answer each question in written form in their own words. Spend some time sharing and clarifying student answers.

If they aren’t already in groups, break the class into groups and ask each group to create a map (either of Australia or the world, depending on age and ability) that communicates the answers to the inquiry questions. The map should be annotated to include these questions and should also include BOLTSS Map Conventions.

Tips: Online Search Strategies.

How oceans help us breathe

Questions for inquiry:

Why are oceans so important to the air that we breathe?
How do oceans make oxygen?

Inquiry methods: Secondary research and experiment

Activity instructions: Begin by sharing the following clip with students:

https://vimeo.com/451387531/8d92ac9a34

They can then think about this clip in the context of the inquiry questions. Then ask students to suggest what is still unclear to them and what they’d like to know more about. Through this discussion suggest to students that they could find out more about how plants (including ocean plants) produce oxygen.

Students could then conduct research to answer this question, or you can use this Photosynthesis Image to help you explain photosynthesis.

Now explain to students that you will complete an experiment that demonstrates a plant producing oxygen. See Oxygen And Plants Experiment.

Tips: Lab Safety Rules.

The role oceans play in our weather

Questions for inquiry:

How does water from the ocean end up as rain?
Why isn’t rain salty?
How does rain on the land end up in the ocean, even when the ocean is a very long way away?

Inquiry method: Demonstrations

Activity instructions:

Begin by watching this clip with students:

https://vimeo.com/451387531/8d92ac9a34

They then share what they found interesting or important in the clip.

Once complete, invite them to suggest what they already know about how water moves around our planet, and record ideas on the board. You can also introduce the inquiry questions and invite them to think about these questions.

Explain to students that you will attempt to answer these questions by conducting demonstrations. The first demonstration is around the water cycle, and the second demonstrates the way water always moves downhill.

See the Water Cycle Demonstrations.

How people think and feel about the ocean

Questions for inquiry:

What are some of the ways that people think and feel about the ocean?
How does this affect how they look after the ocean?

Inquiry method: Primary research

Activity instructions: Begin by asking students what they think and feel about the ocean, then pose the question: I wonder how other people think and feel about the ocean?

Then share this clip with students:

https://vimeo.com/451386255/9181e799fa

Once complete, invite them to reflect on how the people in this clip think and feel about the ocean.

Then explain to students that for many people the ocean is a precious place, but that because of human actions the ocean is suffering (if time permits you could also share this clip:

Take 3 - Plastic (https://vimeo.com/451388496). If you find out how people think and feel about the ocean you can use this information to inspire them to take action. Where students are familiar with persuasive techniques, you could remind students of the ways we can appeal to emotion, reason or character, and how these can be used to persuade people to take action.

Students will work together to design and conduct a survey or interviews to find out how people in their community think and feel about the ocean. Some suggested questions you could use in your survey/interviews could include:

How do you feel when you think about the ocean?
What is your favourite thing about the ocean?
Why do you think people feel a connection to the ocean?

Students could then survey or interview other students or their families. You could work collaboratively to analyse the results and present these graphically.

Note: You could use the results of this survey to guide your social action in this lesson.

Tips: Survey Tips and Interview Tips.

Plastic pathways into the ocean

Questions for inquiry:

What is plastic waste and where does plastic waste come from?
How much plastic waste ends up in our oceans?
How does plastic get into our oceans?

Inquiry method: Secondary research

Activity instructions: Begin by watching the following clip:

https://vimeo.com/451388496/76622fea03

Once complete, invite students to suggest what they found interesting or important about this clip, and what they’d like to know more about (keep a record of these points).

Present the inquiry questions to students and invite them to suggest how this clip helps them to answer these questions (you could watch the clip a second time through to find some answers).

Explain that they will now conduct research to find out more about the answers to these questions, as well as any points that they wanted to know more about after watching the clip.

Students can then conduct research online or in the library. Some suggested sites to conduct research are included here: Plastic Waste Links.

Once students have had time to gather their answers, invite them to work in groups to create a graphic that describes all the ways that plastic enters the ocean. For example, the graphic could be a picture of a landscape with a range of waterways leading to the sea, can also include wind and people littering, and could have annotations that describe the quantities of plastic waste reaching the ocean.

Tips: Online Search Strategies.

Where plastic waste goes when it gets to the ocean

Questions for inquiry:

What happens to plastic waste when it ends up in the ocean?
How is this different to plastic waste in other settings?
What could we do with plastic waste instead of letting it pollute our environment?

Inquiry method: Experiment

Activity instructions: Begin by inviting students to share what they already know about plastic waste. You could prompt them with questions such as:

What is plastic waste?
Where does plastic waste come from?
What can we do with plastic waste?

Next watch the following clip with students:

Take 3 - Plastic (https://vimeo.com/451388496). Once complete, invite them to think about what they would like to add to their initial discussion.

Explain to students that they will now conduct an experiment to see what happens to different types of waste when they are added to seawater. See Plastic Waste Breakdown Experiment for further instructions.

You could also invite students to conduct research into the role that recycling has in managing waste. In particular, students can research and create a communication piece that answers the following question: Which types of plastic can be recycled where you are?

Tips: Waste Safety Code.

The ways that we use different types of plastic

Inquiry method: Primary and secondary research

Activity instructions:

Collect a range of plastic products that are made from different types of plastic. You could either select items that feel different (like straws, bags and bottles) or you could check the recycling numbers on the items. Present these items to students and invite them to suggest what they are made from and to describe them in terms or texture and weight.

Now watch the following clip with students:

https://vimeo.com/451388496/76622fea03

As they watch, ask them to pay attention to the different types of plastic featured in the clip, such as plastic bags, straws, bottles, takeaway packaging, thongs, flecks from clothing and carpets (also polystyrene, polyethylene and polypropylene).

Students can then think about how often they use things made from plastic in their daily lives. Students could spend an hour or a day with a tally sheet marking each time they use or come into contact with something that contains plastic.

Students will then think about what alternatives there are to plastic. They could conduct a survey to find out how many people in your school community use alternatives to plastic and what these alternatives are.

Students could then work as a class to analyse and graph results, before creating a communication piece to share their findings.

Note: You could use the results of this survey to guide your social action in this lesson.

Tips: Survey Tips.

Microplastics in our oceans

What are microplastics?
How do microplastics harm our oceans?
Are microplastics really everywhere?

Inquiry method: Fieldwork

Activity instructions: Begin by writing the terms ‘microplastics’ and ‘nanoplastics’ on the board. Invite students to suggest what these might mean. You could then work as a class to research and create definitions for each of these terms.

Next watch the following clip:

https://vimeo.com/451388496/76622fea03

As they watch, invite students to pay close attention to anything that relates to the two terms defined earlier. Discuss your reflections on the clip.

Now pose the first two inquiry questions to students: can they answer these questions using what they found out in the clip and through creating their definitions? If not, suggest to students that they can conduct some more research.

Now pose the third inquiry question and explain that they are going to conduct some fieldwork in order to answer this question (they won’t be focusing on nanoplastics because these can’t be seen with the naked eye). This fieldwork will involve going into your schoolyard or a local park and seeing if you can see any microplastics. Students (wearing gloves) could collect any pieces you do find to take back to the classroom. Once back in the classroom clean your pieces of microplastic (by placing in a sieve and running under the tap) and see if you can identify where they come from.

Students can then work collaboratively to design and make a communication piece around your collection of pieces of microplastic and conduct research in order to provide information about the causes of and problems relating to microplastics (students could use this Microplastics Factsheet). You could share this with an audience.

Tips: Outdoor Learning Tips.

Presentation

Consider sharing student work within your class or with other students/teachers/members of your school community through a gallery walk format:

A gallery walk enables students to provide feedback on their peers' work. Display students' work around the classroom and place a piece of blank paper next to each work to collect votes on. Invite students to move around the room viewing each others' work, then vote for their three favourite posters.

As an extension, students could also record one thing they like about the posters displayed, one thing they wonder, and one thing that may improve the work.

Reflection

Once complete, invite students to work independently to respond to the following:

How was this lesson connected to what I already knew? What information was already familiar to me?
What information in this lesson pushed my thinking in new directions? What was new or surprising to me and how has this changed my thinking?
What challenged me? What did I find hard or what am I still unclear about?

Take Action for the global goals

If you'd like to explore further the United Nations Global Goals, consider watching this clip with your students:

The World's Largest Lesson - 2016 (Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cEUhHTlcDU)

Ask students: what did they think about the plastic bags being banned in Bali? All from two students taking action.

Teacher reflection

Take this opportunity to reflect on your own teaching:

What did you learn about your teaching practice today?
What worked well?
What didn't work so well?
What would you share?
Where to next?
How are you going to get there?

Take 3 - Investigating Your Connection To The Ocean

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Summary

Lesson guides and printables

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