Plastic Pollution in the Ocean

 

This week, Girlstart students learned about the extent of ocean pollution and tackled the problem head-on! At the beginning of their lesson, students learned about the Marine Engineer career, where engineers design and repair marine craft and floating structures like tugs, submarines, torpedoes, barges, and ships. Girls also reviewed vocabulary, including “gyre” – a massive, slowly rotating whirlpool of trash in the ocean. Yuck! Students tested various properties of different types of plastic and made their own mini gyres to observe the effects of ocean pollution.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next, the girls watched a short “mockumentary” of the life cycle of a plastic bag. The video featured first-person views of a real-life gyre. Although the mockumentary got students laughing, it also highlighted the horrible effects of trash on marine life. Girls felt empowered to do something about the issue of ocean pollution and began to brainstorm designs for pollution pickup!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Each table collaborated to create a trash pickup machine from cardstock, popsicle sticks, chenile stems, netting, and other items. It was amazing to see the creativity in each design! Girls tested their prototypes in the gyres they had created and made improvements to their machines. At Girlstart, our students are solution-focused thinkers, studying and prepping to make the world a cleaner and more beautiful place to live!