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Message in a (Plastic) Bottle
Summary
Researchers developed an educational activity in which students create a 'MicroGlobe' model mimicking real-world microplastic contamination in marine environments, calculating percentages of different microplastic types (beads, fragments, films, fibers) and generating pie charts to compare their data with real-world distributions, with modifications for students with visual impairments.
Microplastics are plastic pieces less than 5 mm in diameter and are a widespread contaminant in waterways worldwide. Microplastics can be split into four categories: beads, fragments, thin films, or fibers. In this activity, students learn about microplastics in the environment and as hazards to marine life. Students create a “MicroGlobe” that mimics real-world microplastic contamination in marine environments. Students calculate the percentages of different types of microplastics and generate pie charts of the collected data. They are challenged to think about ways they can be better stewards of the Earth and their answers in the math exercise are used to answer questions about how their “MicroGlobes” differ from real-world data in the provided Activity Packet. This activity has modifications for students with visual impairments.