Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes

Part A: Activating prior knowledge

15 minutes

Part B: How do we need the ocean?

85 minutes

Part C: How do we impact the ocean?

10 minutes

Reflection

Learning intentions:

Students will:

understand that the health of our oceans is under threat from human behaviour
recognise a range of ways that humans have impacted the ocean
understand how to create a guided discussion around a clip in order to lead their audience to a particular understanding or issue raised in the clip.

Success criteria:

Students can:

participate in a guided discussion around a clip
create and conduct a guided discussion around a clip
identify how people impact the ocean
understand that the ocean is under threat from human behaviour.

Part A: Activating prior knowledge

Step 1

This activity can be used as a barometer to test students' prior knowledge of the topic of human impacts on marine ecosystems.

Stand on the Line

Using string, masking tape or chalk (this activity could be done outside) create a line on the floor/ground, long enough for all students to place themselves along. Explain to students that one end of the line means 'strongly agree' and the other end means 'strongly disagree', while the halfway point means 'neither agree or disagree' (consider adding small signs with these titles along the line).

Invite students to respond to a range of statements by positioning themselves along the line, according to whether they agree or disagree with the statement. With each statement, engage students in a brief discussion, highlighting some of the key points identified in each statement.

Read the following statements to students. Use the additional notes to engage students in further conversation around each point:

Humans are impacting our oceans in many different ways.
A recent study describes how two-thirds of our oceans are under stress due to human activities. Humans impact marine ecosystems in many ways, including through producing waste that ends up in the ocean, overfishing and unsustainable fishing practices, unsustainable development along coastlines and even inland (e.g. mining or agriculture), and ocean change.
Things I do in my own home can affect marine ecosystems.
In many places the water that goes down our drains ends up in the ocean, carrying with it microplastics (from clothing and cosmetics), chemicals, medicines, paint and other contaminants. Some of the waste we create in our houses may also end up in the ocean. In addition, any activity that produces greenhouse gas emissions can lead to ocean change, including warming oceans and ocean acidification.
I have heard about marine debris.
Marine debris is described as any persistent, manufactured or processed solid material that has been discarded, disposed of or abandoned in the marine and coastal environment. Marine debris is basically just bits of rubbish, including plastic bottles, plastic bags, fishing nets, fishing gear, food packaging, gloves, cigarette butts, buckets, packing material, rope and light bulbs.
I know what happens to the plastic that I throw away; I know where it goes.
Over 6 million tonnes of rubbish makes its way into the world's oceans each year, and scientists have concluded that 60-80% of marine debris is initially discarded on land.
I know where the fish that I eat come from.
More than 30% of global fish populations are estimated to be overfished, meaning that we are catching so many fish that the remaining fish are unable to replace themselves. In Australia, we import about 75% of the seafood we consume. Although there are regulations regarding where we can get our seafood from, it is hard to know for certain whether it has been caught sustainably or even legally.
I have heard about ocean change.
Ocean change describes the way our oceans are changing due to rising greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere, which are causing our oceans to experience a rise in temperatures, affecting coral reef ecosystems and organisms such as krill. Oceans also absorb CO₂, causing a change in the chemical composition of the oceans. Our oceans are becoming more acidic, resulting in changes to shellfish and coral reefs.

Part B: How do we need the ocean? Guided discussion

Step 1

Explain to students that they will be looking at some of the ways humans are impacting marine ecosystems. Students will begin the lesson by watching the following clip and participating in a guided discussion around it. (The clip can also be found on the Student Worksheet.)

Allow students to watch the clip through once uninterrupted. You can watch it a second time, pausing at the timings below to engage students in the guided discussion.

We owe the ocean (https://vimeo.com/1056609166/f127af1031)

Guided discussion suggested timings and topics:

0:33 - “We owe the ocean everything.” Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not? What do you think it means?
1:35 - How have we "repaid" our ocean?
- What do you already know about the impact of unsustainable fishing practices on our oceans?
  Suggested answers: More than 30% of global fish populations are estimated to be overfished. Many fish species are subject to illegal or unregulated fishing practices. Bycatch is one of the largest threats to maintaining healthy fish populations and marine ecosystems around the world, and some estimates put the global bycatch amount at 40% of the world’s total fishing catch. Bottom trawling is a widespread fishing method where the fishing gear is towed or dragged along the seafloor. All of these practices negatively affect the targeted marine species, pushing them towards dangerously low population levels, while also affecting the ecosystems they belong to and the other organisms who depend on those targeted species for food.
- What do you already know about the impact of waste on our oceans?
  Suggested answers: Over 6 million tonnes of rubbish makes its way into the world's oceans each year, and scientists have concluded that 60-80% of marine debris is initially discarded on land. The remaining marine debris found in the ocean comes from boats, offshore oil rigs and large cargo ships that dump or lose debris directly into the water. The majority of this debris is fishing nets. The problem with plastic waste is that it never truly breaks down. Other waste materials – like paper or glass – break down eventually. However, plastic just breaks into smaller and smaller pieces.
- What do you know about of coastal development on our oceans?
  Suggested answers: Development along coastlines impacts marine environments in a number of ways. Development can destroy habitats along the shore, such as mangroves or sand dunes, affecting those species that rely on those habitats as feeding or breeding sites. Development can also result in pollution and sediment running into the sea, smothering seagrass meadows and coral reefs, suppressing growth and affecting those species that rely on those habitats.
- What do you know about the impact of greenhouse gas emissions and global warming on our oceans?
  Suggested answers: Ocean change is the change taking place in the oceans as a result of rising greenhouse gas emissions and increased global temperatures. This is affecting oceans by increasing the temperature of the oceans, resulting in coral bleaching events and declines in species such as krill, which are an extremely important link at the bottom of marine food webs. Increasing absorption of CO₂ by oceans is changing the chemical composition of the oceans, making them more acidic and affecting corals and shell producing marine species who will not be able to make strong shells if the water becomes too acidic.
2:35 - What does Lucas mean when he says “we need to stop thinking of the ocean as a commodity”?
2:52 - What will you do to become a guardian of the ocean?

In addition, invite students to reflect on the clip independently using the following questions (also available on the Student Worksheet):

How did this clip make you feel and why?
What was most interesting or inspiring about this clip?
What were the main messages of the clip and how relevant are they to you?
What are some other ways (not mentioned in the clip) that you need or experience the ocean?
What questions do you still have about this clip?

Invite students to share some of their responses to these questions.

Part C: How do we impact the ocean? Student-led guided discussions

Step 1

Break the class into five groups. Explain to students that each group needs to create their own guided discussion around a clip. They will then present the clip to the class and guide the class through a discussion about this clip and its contents. This teaching strategy creates more significant engagement with the content and places ownership of teaching other students in each group.

Instructions, factsheets and clips required for this activity are also available on the student worksheet!

Assign each group with one of the following topics and the accompanying clip:

How the ocean is changing (https://vimeo.com/207574290)
Coral bleaching (https://vimeo.com/211448412)
Unsustainable fishing (https://vimeo.com/201983000)
The importance of turtles (https://vimeo.com/217959713)
Plastic Addiction (https://vimeo.com/212684767)

Instructions for creating a guided discussion:

At least four pauses
At each pause a question must be posed to the class
Questions should focus mainly on human impacts on marine ecosystems
Those presenting the discussion must undertake the relevant research to answer the questions they pose to the audience and to potentially answer other questions from the audience
Concluding remarks should include information about what the audience can do to help minimise further impacts on marine ecosystems

For longer clips, students may choose to skip sections that aren't relevant to the message they want to convey

Students can use the following factsheets for additional information (also available on the Student Worksheet under Resources):

Ocean Change Factsheet
Coral Reefs Factsheet
Fishing Factsheet
Turtles Factsheet
Plastic Pollution Factsheet

You could also distribute this Guided Discussion Rubric to students so that they are aware of what is expected of them.

When conducting research, remind students of the Search strategies for Googling (also available on the Student Worksheet under Resources).

Step 2

Invite each group to present their guided discussion to the class. If you have time, you may choose to allow students to watch each clip once before commencing the guided discussion.

Students watching the guided discussions of other groups must take notes as they watch. Students could consider recording points such as:

What is interesting to me?
How does this clip make me feel?
What organisms are discussed in this clip and how/why are they discussed? What is their role in the ecosystem being presented?
What does this tell me about human impacts on marine ecosystems?
What questions does this clip and discussion leave me with?

Use the Guided Discussion Rubric to assess the guided discussions of students.

Step 3

Once all groups have had a chance to present their guided discussions, engage the class in a discussion to check for understanding and to summarise what students have learned.

Ensure students understand the following:

There are many different ways that humans are impacting marine ecosystems. Some of the most significant include ocean change, ocean acidification, pollution from plastics and other land-based contaminants (including run-off from agriculture, mining and developments), and unsustainable fishing practices.
The effects on ecosystems include changes to the numbers of various marine organisms, limited food sources, limited habitats, and greater exposure to future impacts.
We can all do something to help marine ecosystems, even if we live a long way from the ocean.

Reflection

Invite students to work independently to complete the following Reflection Questions on the Student Worksheet:

Describe two things that you found interesting in this lesson.
Think of one question you now have about human impacts on marine ecosystems.
Describe how your thinking about the ocean has changed throughout this lesson:

• I used to think…
• But now I think…

Take It Further

Invite students to apply their learning in a real world context by completing the Social Action lesson.

Blue - Human Impacts on the Ocean

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Summary

Learning intentions:

Students will:

Success criteria:

Students can:

Lesson Guides and Printables

Lesson Details

Skills

Curriculum Mapping

Resources Required

UN Sustainable Development Goals

Additional Info

Related Professional Learning

In this lesson