Microplastics

In this unit, students will consider how plastic pollution affects Great Basin ecosystems, through participating in hands-on investigations and interpreting data from DRI’s scientists. Students will then research possibilities for removing and preventing plastic pollution and present that information in the form of a public service announcement. 

Hands-on Activities:

• Use milk and lemon juice to create casein plastic keychains
• Investigate the density of a variety of plastics using a density column 
• Use clay and toothpicks to model monomers and polymers of plastic 
• Model how surface area of a microplastic allows plastic in an ecosystem to interact with more pollutants 
• Play the part of birds to consider how plastic in the environment might enter the food chain 
• Collect and sort trash/recycling at your school site to consider which types 
• Create a PSA to encourage positive changes within the school site

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS):

MS-PS1-1 •  MS-PS1-3 •  MS-LS2-4 •  MS-LS2-5 •  MS-ESS3-3