West Contra Costa

Climate Education Week  |  April 16-20, 2018

“Plastic objects that we use once and discard, or single-use plastics, are a growing critical problem of global proportion. That’s why this Earth Day, April 22, 2018, is focused on Ending Plastic Pollution by Earth Day 2020, the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. The resources below are designed to help you inform, inspire and organize your students to take action to on Earth Day 2018 and beyond” (earthday.org).

Current News Article as Phenomena:  World's Largest Collection of Ocean Garbage is Twice the Size of Texas (USA Today)

Teaching Resources:

• End Plastic Pollution: Climate Education Week Toolkit (Earth Day Network)
• Daily K-12 lesson plans for the entire week
• Ecological Footprint Quiz
• An Ocean of Plastics (EQuIP)
• 6th-8th grade NGSS-aligned unit
• Environmental Justice and Awareness (PBS Learning)
  • Explore the history of the environmental justice movement, the racial implications of pollution and waste disposal, and the role of new technologies in conservation efforts. Use these resources to inspire students to preserve the health of our planet and its inhabitants.
• Plastic Pollution: Education Resource Pack (Ocean Ambassadors)
• Activities and handouts
• Plastic Pollution Coalition Educational Resources
• K-12 curriculum
• Data resources
• Fact sheets
• Informational Websites
• Myths about recycling
• Engineering for Good Unit (KQED)
• NGSS-aligned middle school unit
• Project-based unit
• Clue Into Climate (PBS Learning)
• Instructional videos, e-books and article
• Dive Into Marine Chemistry - Chemists Celebrate Earth Week (ACS)
• Labs and classroom activities
• Ocean Plastic Pollution Summit Lessons (Monterey Bay Aquarium)
• Shower Curtain Watershed (3rd-5th grade)
• Plastics: Reduce Use or Recycle? (6th-8th grade)
• Plastics in the Water Column (6th-8th grade)
• Plastics Use Audit (6th-12th grade)
• Gyre in a Bottle  (6th-12th grade)