The Problem with Plastic

Lesson

Purpose and Context

Plastics have become an important part of our daily lives. Early on, when synthetic polymers were first being invented in the first half of the 1900s, people considered them to be miracle materials. This is because they could be molded into and dyed any shape and color but they also had properties that natural materials like wood, metal, and glass didn’t have. But over the years, the flaws of plastic were gradually uncovered. Now, we wonder how people thought it could ever be a good idea to make a polymer that nature can’t “digest.”

As we come up with solutions to the plastic problem, we will need to develop alternative materials, processes and systems that keep human and planetary health in mind. We’ll also need to make sure that the solutions are accessible and affordable for everyone. And on top of that, we’ll need to think ahead about the problems our solutions might create in the future.

Instructions

Prepare

Gather materials you’ll need: Post-its OR whiteboards and markers.

In Class

1. Screen this introductory video about plastic pollution. Read the content shown below the video together as a class.
2. Group students into groups of 3-4 students.
3. Using questions like the ones below, ask students to talk about and then write down their thoughts about the benefits and consequences of plastics for human communities.
   • Find a plastic object in the classroom. How does it serve a purpose for human use?
   • What have you learned from sources like the news media, and social media, or friends and family about plastics? Is the source trust-worthy?
   • What did you learn in the video about the uses and benefits of plastics? What did you learn about the negative impacts?
   • What things do we make out of plastic? How are they useful?
   • Have you experienced plastics pollution in the environment? How might it be a problem for humans?
4. Discuss as a class, allowing each group to contribute. If you’re using post-its, have students work together to group their responses and compare and contrast them.
5. Repeat this activity, or keep adding to it after doing additional activities or lessons on plastic pollution.

Discussion Ideas

• Do the negative aspects of plastic outweigh the positives?

Tips and Suggestions

• Guide students to think about not only the personal benefits and consequences they experience in their own lives but to think about society at large as they brainstorm.

Associated Standards

NGSS:

• MS-PS 1-3 Gather and make sense of info to describe that synthetic materials come from natural resources and impact society.

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