Earth Day 2024! Planet vs. Plastics Engaging Activity Set Middle School Science

Get ready to make a difference this Earth Day and beyond with our Planet vs. Plastics Middle School Activity Pack!

♻️ Engage students in learning about plastic pollution and promote environmental awareness with our engaging collection of activities and resources designed for middle school and up students.

♻️ Inspired by the 2024 Earth Day theme of "Planet vs. Plastics," this pack is the perfect companion for exploring the impact of plastics on our planet and empowering students to take action.

♻️ Loaded with articles, graphic organizers, puzzles, project prompts, and more, our pack covers everything from the origins of plastic to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and microplastics.

♻️ Aligned with Earth Day's focus on "Planet vs. Plastics," this resource offers a comprehensive look at the environmental challenges posed by plastics and ways to mitigate them.

Take a closer look at what's included in this exciting pack!

✔️ What's Included:

➞ Article & Question Set:

• Start your exploration with an informative article that explains the origins of plastic, its environmental impact, Great Pacific garbage patches, microplastics, and mitigation measures.

• Then, support and assess comprehension with a set of thought-provoking questions.

➞ Cloze Activity:

• Challenge students' understanding with our cloze activity, where they'll fill in the missing words from sentences related to plastic pollution and its impact on the environment.

• Cloze activities are my favorite review tool because they allow students to use context clues and their own understanding to create a summary of concepts.

• A word bank is included for your students, as well as an answer key to save you time!

➞ Plastic Pollution Solution Matrix Set:

• Analyze the benefits and challenges of different plastic pollution mitigation measures, such as banning single-use plastics and community cleanup efforts.

• Guiding questions provide a better understanding of the scope of the problem and what will be necessary to overcome.

• A blank version of the matrix is also included in case you'd rather have your students brainstorm and research the ins and outs of these mitigation measures themselves (better for high school).

➞ Plastic-Free Pledge:

• Encourage students to take actionable steps to reduce plastic usage and be more environmentally conscious.

• Break out the colored pencils! Doubles as a coloring page for added engagement and fun.

• I will definitely be using these as a brain-break after state tests this month!

➞ Comprehensive Glossary:

• Navigate complex terminology with ease using our comprehensive glossary, featuring definitions of key terms related to plastic pollution and environmental issues.

• All words are on a single page, so this can easily be stapled into student notebooks.

• Use as a companion resource to the article and question set, word games, or extension prompts (see below).

➞ Fun Vocab Review! Word Search and Crossword:

• Choose from a fun word search or the more challenging crossword puzzles, perfect for reinforcing vocabulary related to plastic pollution.

• Crossword puzzles are available in two levels (brief and extended) for differentiation options.

• Both the crossword puzzles and word search include word banks (because we all know that spelling is a notorious area of struggle in classrooms!) — easily cover the word banks with a sticky note prior to making copies if you wish to provide an extra challenge.

• Answer keys included!

➞ Extend Learning with Creative Writing, Hands-On Projects and Research Prompts:

Take learning to the next level with the THREE included extension activity choice boards!

Choose from six prompts for additional research, six creative writing prompts, or six project ideas for your students to showcase their creativity:

• Research Prompts: Explore interesting topics such as: how plastic is made, what recycling symbols really mean, and tech initiatives to combat plastic pollution.

• Creative Writing Prompts: Spark creativity with prompts like: imagining a plastic-free planet, writing a narrative from the perspective of a piece of plastic making its way to the ocean, and more!

• Project Ideas: Encourage innovation with options such as: creating an upcycled art piece, designing a plastic pollution infographic, and putting together a plastic-free shopping guide.

• These extension activities provide opportunities for deeper exploration and creative expression, catering to diverse learning styles and interests.

• Great for early finishers, sub plans, and independent study!

☄️ BONUS! Group Work Expectations Poster & More!

• Reusable poster that reinforces expectations for working in groups.

• Keep a large version posted year-round!

• You will LOVE the convenience of saying "'O' is for...?" and hearing your class remind themselves aloud with "On task at all times!"

• Also includes samples from our Solstice & Equinox Activity Pack and Greenhouse Effect Topic Pack! ❤️

♻️ Versatile and Timeless Resource:

• Our Planet vs. Plastics Middle School Activity Pack is a comprehensive resource designed to facilitate engaging and impactful learning experiences both this Earth Day and school years to come.

• Whether you're teaching about environmental issues, exploring human impact on the planet, or investigating solutions to pollution and climate change, this pack offers rich content suitable for any time of the year.

• Perfect for supplementing units on ecology and Earth systems, this pack aligns with NGSS MS standards on Human Impacts, and can seamlessly integrate into your curriculum.

• Tailored with middle schoolers in mind, this resource ensures that every opportunity to explore the complexities of plastic pollution and environmental advocacy is maximized for meaningful and memorable classroom connections.

• Includes lots of options, ideal for any middle or high school classroom or home-school setting!

♻️ Bring Plastic Pollution Awareness to Your Classroom!

Equip your classroom with the essential tools to combat plastic pollution and inspire environmental stewardship among your students.

With our Planet vs. Plastics Middle School Activity Pack, students will engage in meaningful discussions, critical thinking activities, and hands-on projects that inspire them to take action against plastic pollution.

Empower your students to make a difference and cultivate a lifelong commitment to environmental stewardship, this Earth Day and beyond!

Check out the preview video above for an inside look!

❤️ You Might Also Like:

➥ EARTH MONTH: Project 2-Pack! Upcycle Challenge & Environmental Issues Research Guide

• Check out our Earth month double-feature project set!

• Be prepared with solid projects to use during Earth Month — or anytime — year after year!

• Two impactful options at a discount: Upcycle Challenge and Environmental Issues Research Guide.

• A great bundle to invest in — Explore here!

➥ Fun & Low-Prep Science Activities for Middle School:

• HTwins Scale of the Universe Activity & Unit Pack - Mind-Blowing MUST-DO Activity for Middle School Science!

• The Stroop Effect Lab Guide - Explore the Science of Conflicting Information and How the Brain Interprets It

• Back to School Science Volume 1 - Science Dicebreakers Q&A, Science BINGO, NGSS Poster Pack, Science & STEM Career Exploration Pack

• Back to School Science Volume 2 - Science-Themed This or That? Icebreaker Set, Science Selfie About Me Template, Signature Species, Science of Goal Setting

• Back to School Science Volumes 1 & 2 Bundle - Includes Volumes 1 & 2 PLUS Science of Autumn CER Pack

➥ Teacher Planning Tools:

• Ultimate Planning Pack: Editable Weekly & Daily Templates PLUS Student Progress Trackers
• Lesson Planning 2-Pack: Weekly & Daily Editable Templates
• Editable Week-At-A-Glance Lesson Planner
• Editable Daily Detailed Lesson Planner
• Editable Student Progress Tracker Pack

♛ Let's Connect!

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