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: Where students have completed prior lessons in this unit:

Step 1.

Remind students of the driving question for this unit: How are we 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. They first need to select which questions they will focus on. You could do this by:

Asking students to write all the questions they created or their favourite five questions on pieces of paper, with one question on each piece (scrap paper is fine)
Placing all the questions on a table and inviting the class to form a discussion circle around the table
Working together to identify those questions that they think would best help to answer the driving question:
- How are we connected to the ocean?
Breaking the class into groups and dividing the questions among the groups.

Step 3.

Once in their groups, students can then begin deciding how they will answer their question, i.e. what inquiry methods they will use and how they will design these inquiries.

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?
Topic: Understanding the ocean - Science (e.g. ocean layers, ecosystems, food webs)
Suggested inquiry method and activity
Option 1: Marine ecosystems Inquiry method: Secondary research Activity instructions: Begin by inviting students to share what they understand by the term ‘ecosystem’. Work collaboratively to develop a class definition for the term before inviting students to suggest examples of ecosystems - are any of these marine ecosystems? Now share the Take 3 - Systems clip with students and invite them to record what they observe about ecosystems in this clip. Explain to students that they will now undertake research to find out more about marine ecosystems, such as Antarctic, Arctic, coral reef, deep sea, hydrothermal vent, kelp forest, mangrove, open ocean, rocky shore, salt marsh and mudflat, sandy shore. You could do this by having students work in groups to research several marine ecosystems, or dividing marine ecosystems between groups so that each group focuses on one ecosystem. Groups can then create a graphic or diorama to describe the features of their ecosystem/s.
Option 2: Ocean layers Inquiry methods: Secondary research, demonstration design Activity instructions: Begin by introducing the inquiry question: What are the layers of the ocean? Students can then watch the Take 3 - Systems clip and participate in a discussion around how this clip helps to answer the inquiry question. Students will then design and create a demonstration to show the layers of the ocean (where students need help in understanding density, students could create layers using an experiment like this). They can use this demonstration to communicate their research about ocean layers. You could use the Science Communication Piece Assessment Rubric to assess student work. Option 3: Marine food chains Inquiry methods: Secondary research Activity instructions: Begin by sharing the Take 3 - Systems clip with students and completing a SEE-THINK-WONDER routine. Then introduce the inquiry question: What are some examples of food webs within and across these layers and ecosystems? Ask students to suggest what they already know about this topic. You could then share a clip about this topic (e.g. here or here) or this Food Chains And Food Webs Factsheet. Students could then research and create a graphic to show a marine food web or chain showing one of the animals in the Take 3 - Plastic clip. Students could also speculate about how plastic might interact with the food chain/web they created. Extension: Students could combine their understanding of ocean layers, ecosystems and food webs to create one single graphic that shows a food web/chain spread across layers of the ocean.
Topic: Understanding the ocean - HASS (e.g. governance and responsibility)
Inquiry method: Secondary research Activity instructions: Begin by asking students to complete the first part of a 3-2-1 Bridge activity around the following question: Who is responsible for looking after the ocean? Now watch the Take 3 - Connection clip and ask students to share their thoughts around this clip in the context of the question posed earlier. Prompt students to think about the ways different levels of government might have responsibility and the responsibilities of people buying and creating plastic. Students will now engage in a role-play activity around the topic: We all have equal responsibility for protecting our oceans from plastic waste. Break the class into six groups and assign each group with one of the profiles on the Thinking Hats Worksheet. Each group is to conduct research and answer the questions on the Thinking Hats worksheet. Reconvene the class and have each group share their answers and ideas. Each group member may speak, or there may be one spokesperson per group. Facilitate a discussion based on the ideas and viewpoints presented. Encourage debate and rebuttal between groups but emphasise the importance of finding solutions and compromises, and remind students of the class ground rules. As a class, think about specific scenarios that will keep discussion flowing, for example: Governments say that consumers should vote with their dollars. But consumers say there is often no choice - what could we do? Reflection: Students can now complete the second part of the 3-2-1 Bridge activity around the following question: Who is responsible for looking after the ocean? They should record these final answers as a persuasive piece containing three or four paragraphs.
Topic: Oceans, oxygen production and CO₂ absorption
Inquiry method: Primary and secondary research Begin by watching the Take 3 - Systems clip, and invite students to reflect on this clip with the following question: how does this clip help you understand the role oceans play in oxygen production? Through a class discussion clarify with students that over half of the earth's oxygen comes from the ocean and absorbs CO₂ from the atmosphere. For this, the oceans are known as ‘the lungs of the earth’. Students could now explore and explain the statement ‘The oceans are the lungs of the earth’ in more detail through a series of experiments (see Oxygen And Plants Experiments). Students can follow the PREDICT-OBSERVE-EXPLAIN method when conducting these experiments. Younger students can then use their results to help explain the statement ‘The oceans are the lungs of the earth’. They could create a poster to describe their understanding of this statement. Older students can use their results of these experiments to create a diagram about the carbon cycle, and in particular the role of plants in the carbon cycle. This clip (start at 2:53) could be useful, and the following sites could also help: https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/carbon-cycle.html https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/features/CarbonCycle

Topic: The role oceans play in our weather and our climate
Inquiry method: Secondary research Activity instructions: Begin by posing the following questions to students and invite them to work in pairs to record their ideas about these questions: What role do oceans play in our weather? What role do oceans play in our climate? What is the relationship between oceans and climate change? Then watch the Take 3 - Systems clip and invite students to use the information provided in this clip to add further ideas to their answers to the inquiry questions. Break the class into a number of groups that can be divided by three (e.g. three, six or nine groups). Give each group a number: 1, 2 or 3. Assign number 1 groups with the first inquiry question, number 2 groups with the second, and number 3 groups with the third. Explain that each group must conduct research in order to answer their assigned question. They should keep notes (including sketches) of the information they find, including sources. Then invite groups to come together into larger groups, so that each larger group contains one group representing each inquiry question (e.g. one group 1, one group 2, and one group 3). Working within these groups, invite students to share their research. Finally, ask students to work independently to respond to the following: What were the three most important or interesting points you found out about the relationship between weather, climate and climate change? Explain why you chose these points. What three questions do you still have about this topic?
Topic: The role of oceans in the water cycle
Inquiry method: Primary and secondary research Activity instructions: Begin by posing the following question to students: What is the relationship between oceans and our drinking water? Invite them to work in pairs to record what they already know about this question. Students could share their thoughts with another group or with the class. Next watch the Take 3 - Systems clip, taking notes of anything that relates to the inquiry question they just answered. Through class discussion, lead students to the concept of the water cycle. You could use this Background To The Water Cycle and this clip to explain the water cycle more. Explain to students that one of the best ways to understand the water cycle is to create a demonstration to show how it works. Students will need to work in groups to research water cycle experiments/demonstrations on the internet or in the library, select one that they think they can achieve in the time allowed, have the resources required approved by the teacher, and then conduct the experiment, predicting, observing and explaining the experiment and results in their own words. Students can create a presentation that describes the steps they took to find, conduct and analyse their experiment, and justify the use of this experiment in explaining the water cycle.

How do we impact the ocean?
Topic: Understanding plastics
Inquiry method: Primary and secondary research Activity instructions: Begin by posing the following question to students: What are plastics? Then explain to students that plastics is the term commonly used to describe a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that are used in a huge number of ways. Plastics are all around us; invite students to suggest objects in the classroom that are made of plastic. Now watch the Take 3 - Plastic clip and invite students to record anything interesting or important they observe in the clip. Students can then undertake research into the following questions: What are plastics made from? What is polystyrene? What is an example of an everyday object made with polystyrene? What is polyethylene? What is an example of an everyday object made with polystyrene? What is polypropylene? What is an example of an everyday object made with polystyrene? They then need to design an experiment to test these different types of plastics under different conditions, such as those found in the environment (e.g. fresh water, seawater, buried, sunlight, heat and cold). See this Plastic Waste Breakdown Experiment. Students can create a poster to communicate results.
Topic: Plastic pathways into the ocean
Inquiry method: Primary research and debate Activity instructions: Begin by watching the Take 3 - Plastic clip and completing a THINK-PUZZLE-EXPLORE routine around this clip. Students can then share their ideas with a classmate. Now pose the following questions to students and invite them to work in pairs to suggest answers to these questions: How does plastic waste get to the ocean? Who is responsible for plastic waste? Explain that they will now participate in a debate around the following question: Who is responsible for preventing plastic waste reaching our oceans: governments, consumers or producers? (I.e. should governments legislate against the use of plastic packaging or should it be up to consumers to vote with their dollars and to stop purchasing products wrapped up in packaging, or should it be up to producers to collect and reuse their packaging?) You can use the Debate Guidelines to support students in developing their positions and in conducting the debate. Finally, invite students to work independently to respond to the following: I used to think... But now I think...
Topic: Plastic waste and marine animals
Inquiry method: Secondary research Activity instructions: Begin by asking students to share what they already know about food chains and food webs. Then invite them to read through this Food Chains And Food Webs Factsheet. Students then need to work in groups to find a marine: Herbivore Omnivore Carnivore. For each of these animals, students need to find: Where this animal lives (habitat) What it eats (where possible to the species, otherwise to Class or Order) What eats this animal (if applicable). Students may need to undertake further research online in order to complete these tasks. Students can then create a pictorial food chain for at least one of these animals. This needs to include all the organisms in this food chain and the direction of the flow of energy. Now watch the Take 3 - Plastic clip with students, and ask them to make notes about anything relating to food chains. Once complete, invite them to annotate their food chain with suggestions about how plastic waste could impact their food chain. Students could then create a final version of their food chain in poster form with annotations about plastic waste impacts. Extension: Invite students to suggest how the impacts of plastic waste in marine food chains and webs might also impact humans.

Topic: Microplastics and nanoplastics in our oceans
Inquiry method: Primary research Activity instructions: Begin by posing the following question to students: What are microplastics? Invite them to suggest answers. Now share the Take 3 - Plastic clip, and once complete, invite them to suggest answers to this question: How do microplastics impact our environment? They can then conduct research (e.g. here, here, here, here or this Microplastics Factsheet) to further help them understand the answers to this question. Now pose the following question: Are microplastics really everywhere? You can then explain that they are going to test the answers to this question by designing and conducting field research of soil and water in their area to test for microplastics. This Microplastics Science Experiment Instructions could help you design your own fieldwork, in terms of materials and processes required. You could bring samples of soil and water back to your lab to test them or test them in the field. Students then need to analyse their results and draw conclusions in an attempt to answer the final inquiry question. Finally, invite students to communicate their results by creating an interactive display to share with the school community.
Topic: 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? Explain to students that the ocean has always featured heavily in human thought and cultures. Traditionally, this has taken the form of stories, songs, art and dance (e.g. here). Invite students to suggest some of the books, songs or artworks they know of that feature the sea. Pose the question to students: What keywords would you use to explain how the ocean is often portrayed in works such as these? Prompt students with terms such as ‘majestic’, ‘calm’, ‘enduring’ and ‘fierce’. Keep a record of student ideas on the board. Then share this clip with students: Take 3 - Connection. Once complete, invite them to reflect on how the people in this clip think and feel about the ocean. How do these ideas relate to the keywords you recorded earlier? Now watch the Take 3 - Plastic clip. What new words would you add to the board following this clip? Students could then design and conduct research into how people in their community think and feel about our oceans. It would be interesting if students could collect a range of reflections about the ocean before and after introducing the topic of plastic waste to see how people's ideas about the ocean are changing. Alternatively, students could think up their own research questions. 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: What words do you think of when you think about spending time at the ocean? Why do you think people feel a connection to the ocean? What threats to the ocean are you aware of? What words do you think of when you think about the threats 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.

Option B: Where students haven’t completed prior lessons in this unit:

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 also choose to work together to explore 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 (e.g. ocean layers, ecosystems, food webs)
- Oceans and oxygen production and CO₂ absorption
- The role oceans play in our weather and our climate
- The ocean as a source of food
- The economic value of the ocean (e.g. transport, tourism and food)
- 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
- Microplastics and nanoplastics in our oceans
- Overfishing
- Climate change and ocean acidification
- Human impacts on marine food chains
  .

How do we need the ocean?
Topic: Understanding the ocean - Science (e.g. ocean layers, ecosystems, food webs)
Inquiry questions		Suggested inquiry method and activity
What are the different marine ecosystems and what are the features of these ecosystems? What are the layers of the ocean? What are some examples of food webs within and across these layers and ecosystems?		Option 1: Marine ecosystems Inquiry method: Secondary research Activity instructions: Begin by inviting students to share what they understand by the term ‘ecosystem’. Work collaboratively to develop a class definition for the term before inviting students to suggest examples of ecosystems - are any of these marine ecosystems? Now share the Take 3 - Systems clip with students and invite them to record what they observe about ecosystems in this clip. Explain to students that they will now undertake research to find out more about marine ecosystems. You could do this by having students work in groups to research several marine ecosystems, or dividing marine ecosystems between groups so that each group focuses on one ecosystem. Groups can then create a graphic or diorama to describe the features of their ecosystem/s. Option 2: Ocean layers Inquiry methods: Secondary research, demonstration design Activity instructions: Begin by introducing the second inquiry question. Students can then watch the Take 3 - Systems clip and participate in a discussion around how this clip helps to answer the inquiry question. Students will then design and create a demonstration to show the layers of the ocean (where students need help in understanding density, students could create layers using an experiment like this). They can use this demonstration to communicate their research about ocean layers. You could use the Science Communication Piece Assessment Rubric to assess student work. Option 3: Marine food chains Inquiry methods: Secondary research Activity instructions: Begin by sharing the Take 3 - Systems clip with students and completing a SEE-THINK-WONDER routine. Then introduce the second inquiry question and ask students to suggest what they already know about this topic. You could then share a clip about this topic (e.g. here or here) or this Food Chains And Food Webs Factsheet. Students could then research and create a graphic to show a marine food web or chain showing one of the animals in the Take 3 - Plastic clip. Students could also speculate about how plastic might interact with the food chain/web they created. Extension: Students could combine their understanding of ocean layers, ecosystems and food webs to create one single graphic that shows a food web/chain spread across layers of the ocean.
Topic: Understanding the ocean - HASS (e.g. governance and responsibility)
Who is responsible for looking after the ocean?		Inquiry method: Secondary research Activity instructions: Begin by asking students to complete the first part of a 3-2-1 Bridge activity around the following question: Who is responsible for looking after the ocean? Now watch the Take 3 - Connection clip and ask students to share their thoughts around this clip in the context of the question posed earlier. Prompt students to think about the ways different levels of government might have responsibility and the responsibilities of people buying and creating plastic. Students will now engage in a role-play activity around the topic: We all have equal responsibility for protecting our oceans from plastic waste. Break the class into six groups and assign each group with one of the profiles on the Thinking Hats Worksheet. Each group is to conduct research and answer the questions on the Thinking Hats worksheet. Reconvene the class and have each group share their answers and ideas. Each group member may speak, or there may be one spokesperson per group. Facilitate a discussion based on the ideas and viewpoints presented. Encourage debate and rebuttal between groups but emphasise the importance of finding solutions and compromises, and remind students of the class ground rules. As a class, think about specific scenarios that will keep discussion flowing, for example: Governments say that consumers should vote with their dollars. But consumers say there is often no choice - what could we do? Reflection: Students can now complete the second part of the 3-2-1 Bridge activity around the following question: Who is responsible for looking after the ocean? They should record these final answers as a persuasive piece containing three or four paragraphs.
Topic: Oceans, oxygen production and CO₂ absorption
What role do oceans play in producing oxygen? How important is their oxygen production to humans? What role do oceans play in absorbing CO₂? How does this relate to climate change?		Inquiry method: Primary and secondary research Activity instructions: Begin by watching the Take 3 - Systems clip, and invite students to reflect on this clip with the following question: how does this clip help you understand the role oceans play in oxygen production? Through a class discussion clarify with students that over half of the earth's oxygen comes from the ocean and absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere. For this, the oceans are known as ‘the lungs of the earth’. Students could now explore and explain the statement ‘The oceans are the lungs of the earth’ in more detail through a series of experiments (see Oxygen And Plants Experiments). Students can follow the PREDICT-OBSERVE-EXPLAIN method when conducting these experiments. Younger students can then use their results to help explain the statement ‘The oceans are the lungs of the earth’. They could create a poster to describe their understanding of this statement. Older students can use their results of these experiments to create a diagram about the carbon cycle, and in particular the role of plants in the carbon cycle. This clip (start at 2:53) could be useful, and the following sites could also help: https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/carbon-cycle.html https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/features/CarbonCycle
Topic: The role oceans play in our weather and our climate
What role do oceans play in our weather? What role do oceans play in our climate? What is the relationship between oceans and climate change?		Inquiry method: Secondary research Activity instructions: Begin by posing the three inquiry questions to students and invite them to work in pairs to record their ideas about these questions. Then watch the Take 3 - Systems clip and invite students to use the information provided in this clip to add further ideas to their answers to the inquiry questions. Break the class into a number of groups that can be divided by three (e.g. three, six or nine groups). Give each group a number 1, 2 or 3. Assign number 1 groups with the first inquiry question, number 2 groups with the second, and number 3 groups with the third. Explain that each group must conduct research in order to answer their assigned question. They should keep notes (including sketches) of the information they find, including sources. Then invite groups to come together into larger groups, so that each larger group contains one group representing each inquiry question (e.g. one group 1, one group 2, and one group 3). Working within these groups, invite students to share their research. Finally, ask students to work independently to respond to the following: What were the three most important or interesting points you found out about the relationship between weather, climate and climate change? Explain why you chose these points. What three questions do you still have about this topic?
Topic: The role of oceans in the water cycle
What is the relationship between oceans and our drinking water?		Inquiry method: Primary and secondary research Activity instructions: Begin by posing the inquiry question to students and invite them to work in pairs to record what they already know about this question. Students could share their thoughts with another group or with the class. Next watch the Take 3 - Systems clip, taking notes of anything that relates to the inquiry question they just answered. Through class discussion, lead students to the concept of the water cycle. You could use this Background To The Water Cycle and this clip to explain the water cycle more. Explain to students that one of the best ways to understand the water cycle is to create a demonstration to show how it works. Students will need to work in groups to research water cycle experiments/demonstrations on the internet or in the library, select one that they think they can achieve in the time allowed, have the resources required approved by the teacher, and then conduct the experiment, predicting, observing and explaining the experiment and results in their own words. Students can create a presentation that describes the steps they took to find, conduct and analyse their experiment, and justify the use of this experiment in explaining the water cycle.

How do we impact the ocean?
Topic: Understanding plastics
Inquiry questions		Suggested inquiry method and activity
What are plastics? What type of plastic do we use?		Inquiry method: Primary and secondary research Activity instructions: Begin by posting the first inquiry questions to students. Then explain to students that plastics is the term commonly used to describe a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that are used in a huge number of ways. Plastics are all around us; invite students to suggest objects in the classroom that are made of plastic. Now watch the Take 3 - Plastic clip and invite students to record anything interesting or important they observe in the clip. Students can then undertake research into the following questions: What are plastics made from? What is polystyrene? What is an example of an everyday object made with polystyrene? What is polyethylene? What is an example of an everyday object made with polystyrene? What is polypropylene? What is an example of an everyday object made with polystyrene? They then need to design an experiment to test these different types of plastics under different conditions, such as those found in the environment (e.g. fresh water, seawater, buried, sunlight, heat and cold). See this Plastic Waste Breakdown Experiment. Students can create a poster to communicate results.

Topic: Plastic pathways into the ocean

How does plastic waste get to the ocean?

Who is responsible for plastic waste?

Inquiry method: Primary research and debate

Activity instructions:

Begin by watching the Take 3 - Plastic clip and completing a THINK-PUZZLE-EXPLORE routine around this clip. Students can then share their ideas with a classmate.
Now pose the inquiry questions to students and invite them to work in pairs to suggest answers to these questions.
Explain that they will now participate in a debate around the following question: Who is responsible for preventing plastic waste reaching our oceans: governments, consumers or producers? (I.e. should governments legislate against the use of plastic packaging or should it be up to consumers to vote with their dollars and to stop purchasing products wrapped up in packaging, or should it be up to producers to collect and reuse their packaging?)
You can use the Debate Guidelines to support students in developing their positions and in conducting the debate.
Finally, invite students to work independently to respond to the following:
- I used to think…
- But now I think...

Topic: Plastic waste and marine animals

How does plastic waste interact with marine environments?

What impact does plastic waste have on marine food chains?

Inquiry method: Secondary research

Activity instructions:

Begin by asking students to share what they already know about food chains and food webs. Then invite them to read through this factsheet.
Students then need to work in groups to find a marine:
- Herbivore
- Omnivore
- Carnivore.
For each of these animals, students need to find:
- Where this animal lives (habitat)
- What it eats (where possible to the species, otherwise to Class or Order)
- What eats this animal (if applicable).
Students may need to undertake further research online in order to complete these tasks.
Students can then create a pictorial food chain for at least one of these animals. This needs to include all the organisms in this food chain and the direction of the flow of energy.
Now watch the Take 3 - Plastic clip with students, and ask them to make notes about anything relating to food chains.
Once complete, invite them to annotate their food chain with suggestions about how plastic waste could impact their food chain.
Students could then create a final version of their food chain in poster form with annotations about plastic waste impacts.
Extension: Invite students to suggest how the impacts of plastic waste in marine food chains and webs might also impact humans.

Topic: Microplastics and nanoplastics in our oceans

What are microplastics?

How do microplastics impact our environment?

Are microplastics really everywhere?

Inquiry method: Primary research

Activity instructions:

Begin by posing the first inquiry question to students and invite them to suggest answers.
Now share the Take 3 - Plastic clip, and once complete, invite them to suggest answers to the second inquiry question. They can then conduct research (e.g. here, here, here, here or this Microplastics Factsheet) to further help them understand the answers to this question.
Now pose the final inquiry question. You can then explain that they are going to test the answers to this question by designing and conducting field research of soil and water in their area to test for microplastics. This Microplastics Science Experiment Instructions could help you design your own fieldwork, in terms of materials and processes required. You could bring samples of soil and water back to your lab to test them or test them in the field.
Students then need to analyse their results and draw conclusions in an attempt to answer the final inquiry question.
Finally, invite students to communicate their results by creating an interactive display to share with the school community.

Topic: How people think and feel about the ocean

What are some of the ways people think and feel about the ocean?

What are some of the ways people think and feel about plastic waste in 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?
Explain to students that the ocean has always featured heavily in human thought and cultures. Traditionally, this has taken the form of stories, songs, art and dance (e.g. here). Invite students to suggest some of the books, songs or artworks they know of that feature the sea. Pose the question to students: What keywords would you use to explain how the ocean is often portrayed in works such as these? Prompt students with terms such as ‘majestic’, ‘calm’, ‘enduring’ and ‘fierce’. Keep a record of student ideas on the board.
Then share this clip with students: Take 3 - Connection. Once complete, invite them to reflect on how the people in this clip think and feel about the ocean. How do these ideas relate to the keywords you recorded earlier?
Now watch the Take 3 - Plastic clip. What new words would you add to the board following this clip?
Students could then design and conduct research into how people in their community think and feel about our oceans. It would be interesting if students could collect a range of reflections about the ocean before and after introducing the topic of plastic waste to see how peoples ideas about the ocean are changing. Alternatively, students could think up their own research questions.
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:
- What words do you think of when you think about spending time at the ocean?
- Why do you think people feel a connection to the ocean?
- What threats to the ocean are you aware of?
- What words do you think of when you think about the threats 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.

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 the wonder, and one thing that may improve the work.

Reflection

Where there isn’t a recommended reflection activity within individual activities, you could invite students to work independently to complete 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 Ocean Connections

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Summary

Lesson Guides and Printables

In this lesson