Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes	Tune In: Identifying the issue
10 minutes	Find Out: Ideas for change
35 minutes	Take Action: Designing change
5 minutes	Reflection

Tune In: Identifying the issue

Step 1

Explain that this part of the lesson will focus on exploring the health of the ocean and everything that lives in it, looking specifically at the impact that plastic has. Show the second slide of the lesson presentation, which features the image below:

plasticfloatinginwatersmalluntitled1-464-2-edit

Ask students to view the Student Worksheet and write down 2-3 things that they notice about the image. Then, ask volunteers to share what they have written down. Prompt students to share their opinion about what they notice. You could prompt students to expand on their thoughts by asking: “What makes you say that?”

Repeat the process for the next two slides:

timsilverwoodpollutedbeachsmallv1untitled1-388-3

timsilverwoodpollutedwaterwaysmall1q4a1986

Step 2

Check for prior knowledge about why plastic is bad for the ocean and reconnect the class with any Blue lessons that have been delivered using the questions below:

Why is plastic bad for the ocean?
What living ocean creatures are affected by plastic?
Do you think plastic in the ocean ever completely goes away?

Step 3

Watch this short clip from Blue The Film. Before the screening, explain that it features three Ocean Guardians who are passionate about sharing ideas about how we can keep plastic out of the ocean.

Plastic addiction (https://vimeo.com/1056608395/7354e5b897)

This clip also features as the first slide on the lesson presentation.

Step 4

Emphasise the point made by Lucas Handley that the ocean is ‘ours’ - so even if Australian beaches and waterways don’t look like they do in the images, the waste that we create is connected to the plastic found in the ocean and on the coastlines. The video gives examples of what people can do to clean up the oceans, but its strongest message is arguably around what people can do to prevent plastic getting into the ocean in the first place. Work with the class to describe what they saw and heard in the clip by creating a mind map on the whiteboard with “Plastic” written in the central circle.

How to change the world (https://vimeo.com/1056609682/3526d344b6)

In a class discussion, ask students for a quick summary of the message in the clip. If required, guide students by asking:

What does the clip say about people being able to make a change in the world?

Progress the discussion by asking students:

What do you think this means for you and me?
Can we make change in the world?

Hopefully, students agree that they are capable of making change - if they don’t, inform the class that they are indeed capable of making small changes that will have a big impact! They too can become Ocean Guardians.

Let students know that the rest of the lesson will be dedicated to coming up with ideas to address the issue of plastic in our oceans, then educating others about the issue. Students will also organise an event where Blue The Film is screened for the school and wider community, and their ideas will be showcased.

Step 5

Write the following big question on the whiteboard. It is the ‘problem’ that students will address as Ocean Guardians. Explain to students these big questions invite many different solutions:

‘How might we educate our community to use less plastic so that ocean health can improve?’

Alternatively, print the “How Might We…?” question and display in it in a prominent position.

Find Out: Ideas for change

Step 1

Help students identify the type of plastic that they will aim to reduce by highlighting Tim Silverwood’s reference to #stupidplastic. Draw two columns on the whiteboard, and label the columns: “Plastic that’s OK” and “Plastic we don’t need”.

Plastic that's OK	Plastic we don't need

Step 2

Invite students to Google “#stupidplastic” in pairs (Search strategies for Googling). They may find posts on social media that feature what people regard as unnecessary or wasteful uses of plastic. Once pairs have had enough time to search, ask students to come up to the whiteboard and write what they found under each column.

Challenge students to justify their decisions during this process and give them the opportunity to move items from one column to the other:

Tell me why you chose this column?
Why do you think that we don’t need the plastic?
How many times is this plastic used before it is thrown away?
How necessary is this plastic in our lives?

Thank students for this list, and ask the class if they can identify some common features of #stupidplastic. Record this on the whiteboard, using the following sentence stem:

'Unnecessary plastic is…'

Step 3

Encourage students to work in pairs to think about their day-to-day use of plastic products. They should make a list in the table on the Student Worksheet in the “Plastic I Use” column.

Step 4

Ask students to recall as many ideas from the clip as they can about the alternatives to plastic. Inspire students with the example from the clip by asking:

Did you know that bamboo toothbrushes exist?

Suggest to students that there may be more options for replacing plastic out there than we currently know about.

Step 5

Invite students to work in pairs to complete the “Non-Plastic Replacement” column of the table. They could conduct an online search for alternatives for the plastic products they have listed. You may suggest students search using the term: ‘Alternative to ...’ (Plastic wrap, plastic bags, plastic bottles, plastic straws, micro-beads, etc.).

Encourage them to check out the Take Action section of the Blue The Film website. It contains some practical advice about how to reduce plastic consumption.

Step 6

Summarise what students have found by re-creating the two-columned table on the whiteboard. Record the plastic products and the non-plastic alternatives students have listed.

Take Action: Designing change

Step 1

Connect this part of the lesson by reminding students about the question they are working on finding a solution to:

‘How might we educate our community to use less plastic so that ocean health can improve?’

Step 2

Inform students that so far they have identified the plastic products that they use in their day-to-day lives, and have found some alternatives to those products. The next challenge is to share their findings so that the community will be educated about options to use less plastic so that ocean health is improved.

Ask students to form social action groups. Each group will work as a team to create and deliver a 1-3 minute presentation to educate members of the community about how to improve ocean health by using alternatives to plastic products. The main challenge will be communicating in a way that will influence people to change how they normally do things.

Ask groups to decide on one plastic product and its alternatives that they will educate the community about. While they are doing so, distribute a piece of A3 paper to each group.

Step 3

Write these presentation guidelines on a prominent place in the room.

What do we want people to know about the problem?
What information can we share with people?
What change do we want people to make or do?
What message do we want to leave the audience with?

Ask groups to write the main message of their presentation in the centre of the paper. They could do so using the following sentence stem:

'Become an Ocean Guardian by using (non-plastic product) instead of (plastic product).'

Then, ask students to brainstorm HOW they will convince their audience of their message, writing all of their presentation ideas in the space around the main message. Encourage students to think outside the box during this brainstorm - even the wacky ideas can serve as inspiration for other (more realistic) highly engaging and persuasive ideas. If required, scaffold this task using the examples below:

'Become an Ocean Guardian by using (non-plastic product) instead of (plastic product).'	HOW you will convince your audience of your message.
Using an exfoliant that uses natural products instead of plastic micro-beads.	Storyboard detailing the fish-to-human consumption journey Funny video on products containing micro-beads News report A play that follows the lifespan of a micro-bead
Using calico bags instead of plastic shopping bags.	Top tips for remembering to take a material shopping bag to the stores A list of all the things you could say back when you’re asked 'Would you like a bag?'
'Nude food' lunchboxes instead of using plastic wrap.	Short video that explores all of the alternatives to plastic wrap.

Step 4

Inform students about the amount of class time or home time that groups will have to design the presentation, then ask groups to collectively select one presentation idea. Guide students to ask themselves the following questions to help them make their final choice about their approach to the presentation:

What skills do we need to do this?
What resources do we need to do this?
Can we prepare this presentation in the time the teacher gives us?
Are we still excited by this idea?

Discuss with the class that often during a design process original ideas may need to be modified in order to complete the project in time.

Step 5

Encourage groups to allocate roles and responsibilities to their team.

MANAGER
The manager is in charge of any equipment the group needs and is responsible for collecting and returning the equipment. In addition, the manager needs to tell the teacher if any equipment is broken or missing.

DIRECTOR
The director is in charge of ensuring the project stays on track and that all group members understand what is expected from each step of the project. The director also needs to offer
encouragement and guidance, but is not the group leader (this responsibility falls to all students - see above).

SPEAKER
The speaker is in charge of asking for help from the teacher or from other groups. They are the only group member who can leave the group to seek advice from outside the group and report back. However, the teacher can visit the group and speak to all group members, and all group members can share the group's ideas and results when asked.

Discuss the format that presentations should take - suggest dynamic presentation modes, such as a Prezi or PowToon or even a short film. Remind students to share the speaking roles. Explain the positive response this will create in an audience that will respect the cohesiveness of the group and the individual responsibility taken by all members to speak up on an issue that matters to them. Allow time for groups to create their presentation.

During the presentation development time, check in with each group at least twice. Ask them to give you a progress report about the following:

What they have done so far?
What they still need to do?
When does it need to be done by?
Who is doing it?
What ‘road blocks’ are still in the way?
What can they do to overcome them?

Step 6

Request suggestions from students about people or community groups that they would like to present to. This could include staff at the school, parents, relatives and local community groups that students are involved in.

Once the list of invitees has been compiled, make a decision about who will reach out to the invitees, and how they should do so. This could mean that the responsibility for inviting people is distributed amongst groups or individual volunteers.

As a class, decide when the presentations will occur, where the presentations will be held, and the other information to share with invitees. Students could invite people to attend a presentation event over the phone, via their school email, or in person.

Increase the impact of student presentations by pairing them with a community screening of Blue the film.

Step 7

Organise a final rehearsal time and make this as close to the real thing as possible. This could be done by inviting one or two people (such as the school’s staff leadership group) to give feedback.

Ask for student volunteers to act as hosts, welcoming guests, introducing groups, and thanking groups and guests at the conclusion of the presentations - they can rehearse doing so at this stage.

Time the rehearsals and provide feedback on where groups can tighten up or expand on their ideas and their presentation skills, such as voice projection, expressiveness and eye contact.

Step 8 (Optional)

This section of the lesson provides an opportunity for students to share their presentations with people from the community and in doing so, compel them to take the action suggested by students. It is also an excellent opportunity for students to present their learning in an authentic way.

Support groups to set up the space, allowing for time to get accustomed to any video or audio equipment. Allow time for a quick run through. This will help with logistics regarding the order of presentations and help find and address any unforeseen hiccups, as well as promote student confidence and foster a willingness to improve in students.

Once guests have arrived, encourage the student hosts to commence proceedings. Run through the presentations. Once all groups have delivered their presentation, encourage the hosts to thank the audience. You may like to speak, too, thanking the students and noticing the things that make you proud and reinforcing the important messages about actions for ocean conservation. Encourage the audience to consider any next steps.

Encourage the room to network, giving the students and audience the chance to connect and share on a personal level.

Reflection

Facilitate a discussion using these questions:

What did you do well?
What did your group do well?
What would you do differently?
What might your group do differently?
What feedback did you receive from the audience?
What could you do to continue to promote the use of less plastic?

Ask students to respond to the questions below on the Student Worksheet:

Can you name some alternatives to plastic products? What are they?
Describe the thing you felt most challenged by when you were delivering your presentation.
Describe if you have made change - what change did you create?

Blue - Ocean Guardians Preventing Plastic Pollution

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Summary

Learning intentions:

Students will...

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Students can...

Lesson Guides and Printables

Lesson Details

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Curriculum Mapping

Resources Required

UN Sustainable Development Goals

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