Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

40 minutes	Part B: Responsibility For Waste
10 minutes	Reflection

Part A: Activating Prior Knowledge

Step 1.

Begin this lesson inviting students to complete a THINK-PAIR-SHARE routine around the following question (also available on the Student Worksheet):

How do we impact the ocean?

Once complete you can invite students to share their ideas with the class. Through this process ensure students have considered the following impacts:

Plastic pollution
Marine entanglement
Overfishing, harmful fishing practices and bycatch
Pollution (such as oil spills and agricultural runoff)
Coastal development
Ocean warming, coral bleaching and ocean acidification

Explain to students that there are clearly many ways that we impact the ocean, but in this lesson they will be focusing on plastic pollution.

Differentiation:

Where students have completed previous lessons in this unit:

Invite students to suggest what they already know about plastic pollution in our oceans. For example, what problems does it cause? How does it get there? What sorts of plastics make it into our oceans? What happens to plastic when it gets into the ocean?

Where students haven’t completed previous lessons in this unit:

Consider sharing the following clip - Take 3 - Plastic - with students, or invite them to read the Plastic Pollution Factsheet.
Once complete, pose the following questions and work as a class to discuss the answers:
- How does plastic get into our ocean?
- What sorts of plastics make it into our oceans?
- What happens to plastic when it gets into the ocean?
- What problems does plastic cause?

Part B: Responsibility For Waste

Step 1.

Pose the following question to students:

Who is responsible for plastic waste: governments, producers or consumers?
What role do you think each sector in our economy should play in reducing plastic waste? What actions could each sector take?

Invite students to work in pairs to brainstorm their answers to these questions and to record their answers on the Student Worksheet (note form is fine).

Step 2.

Now share the following clip with students and invite them to record anything they notice that could help them answer the questions they just worked on.

Take 3 - Global Action (https://vimeo.com/451391283)

Once complete, invite students to return to the answers to the previous questions to record any new information. You could prompt students with the following points discussed in this clip:

The government in South Korea taxes consumers for the amount of waste that consumers generate.
In some states in Australia, consumers get money back for returning bottles and other containers for recycling (container deposit scheme).
The government in Vanuatu created legislation to ban single-use plastics.
Producers could only create products that can be recycled.
Governments can educate consumers.
The New Plastics Economy Global Commitment provides a vision for companies to take action on plastics.

When students have had some time to record their ideas, invite them to share some of these ideas with the class and explain that there are many ways that each sector can take a role in addressing plastic waste.

Step 3.

Divide the class into groups of four or five students. Explain to students that they need to work in their groups to conduct research into the examples of addressing plastic waste presented in the clip they just watched, as well as finding other examples from around the world (not Australia). They will need to conduct their research online.

For each example that they research, students need to address the following questions (also available on the Student Worksheet):

Describe the example you are looking at.
What country is this example based in?
Which sector of the economy is responsible for this action?
How will this example address the issue of plastic waste?
What do you like or find interesting about this example?

Note: Depending on the age or ability of students you could differentiate the number of examples students find (i.e. older students could find more than younger students), or you could specify what countries/regions students should focus on based on other studies in your class.

Step 4.

Once students have found one or more examples, they should continue working in their groups to select one idea and start thinking about how this idea might work in their own community, state or country. This plan can be in a draft format, and students can use the following points to guide their planning (also available on the Student Worksheet):

What are the details of this idea?
How would this idea help solve the problem of plastic waste in our oceans?
What is most exciting or promising about this idea?
Would this idea work on a national level in Australia or would it be better suited to a state or community level? Explain your reasoning.
What would be required from each sector of the economy to make this idea work?
What challenges would you expect this idea to have? How could these be addressed?
How would you know when your idea has been successful? What might success look like?

Step 5.

Once students have developed their idea they conduct a cost-benefit analysis of their idea. Alternatively, they could use this SWOT Analysis Template to test their idea.

Part C: Pitch Your Idea

Step 1.

Once students have had time to research their idea and answer the questions, they can prepare a pitch to share this idea with an audience. You can decide on who your audience will be, for example, students could pitch to each other, or students could pitch to other students or teachers, or they could pitch to a camera and the clips could be shared digitally. However, students need to imagine that their pitch will be seen by representatives of the different sectors who will need to be involved in delivering the idea and ensuring its success.

Students can use the following points to help them prepare their pitch (also available on the Student Worksheet):

Briefly introduce the topic by answering the following questions:
- What idea are you proposing?
- Why have you chosen this idea? State the need you are addressing.
- What is the problem with plastic waste in our oceans and how will this idea help to address it?
- What is the chosen location for this idea? Why have you chosen this location?

You can then dig a bit deeper by considering the following:

Describe your idea in detail, including the role of all sectors (i.e. government, producers and consumers) in helping to make this idea successful.
Think about what drawings, plans, diagrams, maps and photographs you want to include and how you will include them.
Describe the goals of your idea.
Describe the benefits of this project.
Describe potential challenges and how these might be addressed.
Explain how you will measure success.

Step 2.

Allow the groups time to respond to these points, and as they do, check in with the groups as they work in case students have questions about any of the points. These Pitch Tips may also be useful in helping students design and develop their pitches.

Step 3.

Students can then begin scripting their pitches. Explain that students will have two minutes maximum to do their pitches and all members of their group should play a part in their short presentation. If your class needs further instruction, the following pitch structure could be useful:

Hook: Something relatable and interesting to capture the audience's attention, for example, "Don’t you just hate it when you’re swimming in the sea and something slides across your leg? You hope it’s not a shark, but you’re surprisingly disappointed to find out it’s a plastic bag. Isn’t it strange that you’d rather have a shark wrapped around your leg than a plastic bag? The truth is, with the amount of plastic waste in the ocean, that ‘thing’ in the water is more likely to be a bag. Or a bottle. Or an old thong. Gross."
Challenge: Explain the problem that your idea will combat, for example, "In a business-as-usual scenario, the ocean is expected to contain 1 tonne of plastic for every 3 tonnes of fish by 2025, and by 2050, more plastics than fish (by weight)." (Source)
Solution: Describe your solution, for example, "We propose to introduce local recycling centres in each neighbourhood where people have to deliver their recyclable waste to a recycling hub in exchange for discounts on their council rates."
Ask: What do you need to make your idea a reality, for example, "We cannot do this without your support. With the support and participation of all of you, we can help protect our oceans from plastic waste and ensure a cleaner, greener future for all of us. We thank you for your time."

Explain to the class that this structure is just a suggestion and if they want to get creative with their pitches this is encouraged.

Again, the Pitch Tips can help students prepare for and practise their pitches.

Step 4.

Set a timer and invite students to pitch their ideas to the rest of the class or to the camera.

At the end of each pitch, invite other groups to share what they liked about the idea being pitched, what they were confused about, and anything they thought could be improved.

At the end of this sharing session invite groups to come back together and invite groups to share their experiences of their pitch, including the following questions:

What things about your idea did people react positively to?
What things about your idea did people suggest may need to change and how could you alter these elements of the project?

Reflection

Invite students to work independently to respond to the following (also available on the Student Worksheet):

How has this lesson helped you understand who is responsible for addressing the problem of plastic waste?
What is still unclear or confusing for you?

Take Action for the Global Goals

If you'd like to explore further the United Nations Global Goals, consider sharing this poster with the class. You could discuss where to place it around the school with your students, or encourage them to make their own.

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 - Solving the Problem of Plastic Waste

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Summary

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