NEW YORK STATE – New York Sea Grant has published “Plastic Pollution and You,” a 126-page, 15-lesson curriculum focused on a human-induced threat to the health of New York’s marine and freshwater aquatic ecosystems.
The curriculum is designed to be appropriate for multiple grade levels, meets New York State and Next Generation Learning Standards, and aligns with New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) New York Ocean Action Plan and National Oceanic and Atmospheric (NOAA) Marine Debris Program initiatives in New York’s coastal regions (Great Lakes and New York’s Marine and Coastal District).
The curriculum is co-authored by Kathleen Fallon, Ph.D., a Coastal Processes and Hazards Specialist with New York Sea Grant, Stony Brook, New York, and Nate Drag, New York Sea Grant Great Lakes Literacy Specialist and Great Lakes Program Associate Director at the University of Buffalo, Buffalo, New York.
Teachers from Oswego and Central Square school districts joined other educators from across New York State, representatives from DEC, the NOAA Marine Debris Program, Michigan State University Extension, Maryland and New York Sea Grant programs, and Suffolk County Legislator Sarah Anker to participate in reviewing the curriculum.
The “Plastic Pollution and You” lessons and activities urge students to think about what plastic is, how they use plastic, and about the consequences of plastic pollution in the environment. They learn the different types of plastics, their impact on marine and freshwater ecosystems, and about the recycling process and trash capture technology.
Skills developed through the curriculum lessons include data collection, charting, mapping, position statement preparation, and the design of technological solutions, behavior change campaigns, public policy, and community-level action to address the plastic pollution problem.
A recording of New York Sea Grant’s “Plastic Pollution and You” curriculum introduction webinar for teachers and educators is available online at http://www.nyseagrant.org/plasticpollution.
Funding for this curriculum development was provided through New York State’s Environmental Protection Fund administered by DEC.
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