Page 147 - Dive the Seas and More-2

Coral Reef Teacher’s Guide Benefits, Threats, and Solutions

2. Display the Coral Reef Life Cards in front of
Careful With Your the class.
Plastics! 3. Have a sack with the plastic items listed

above in it.

Objective: Students will identify plastic items
that are often thrown away, and discuss how 4. Have a student pull out a plastic item from
these items can be harmful to coral reef crea- the sack, and explain how it would harm one of
tures. Students will dis- cuss how these items the coral reef animals on display.
should be recycled, reused, or reduced (used
less).
Interdisciplinary Index: Science, Language 5. When you have gone through all of the plastic
Arts items, discuss how each of the items could be
reused, recycled, or reduced (used less). Discuss
Vocabulary: recycle, reuse, reduce, plastic, alternatives to the disposable plastic items.
pollution, coral reef plants and animals
Examples:
Materials:
• plastic grocery bags: use canvas bags instead
• Coral Reef Life Cards to reduce plastic use
• plastic items (food containers, six-pack • plastic fork: use metal silverware, even when
rings, grocery bags, plastic forks, fishing line, on vacation
sandwich bags, etc.)
• plastic six-pack ring: always cut up six-pack
• Plastics Worksheet, one for each student rings and dispose of properly

• plastic food containers: reuse for other things
PRESENTATION: or recycle

1. Tell students that every day, people all over • plastic sandwich bags: use reusable food con-
the world throw unwanted things (trash) on tainers instead
the ground and in the water. At sea, careless Encourage students to be creative at reusing
boaters often dump garbage over the side of the plastic items!
boat. People visiting the seashore sometimes
leave piles of trash on the beach which can be
swept into the ocean by wind and waves. In 6. Pass out the Plastics Worksheet. Have each
this way trash can end up on the coral reef and student complete it and share his/her complet-
sea creatures can be killed when they try to eat ed worksheet with the class.
it. For example, sea turtles think that plastic
bags look like jellyfish, and eat the bags. Small
sea creatures can become trapped in plastic FOLLOW-UP/EXTENSION:
containers dumped in the sea. Other animals Have students check the use and disposal of
become hope- lessly tangled in nylon fishing plastic items at their homes and report to the
lines and nets. Thousands of animals die each class.
year when they are caught in plastic six-pack
rings, causing them to be choked or cut.

E - 35