Plastic pollution
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain the causes, scale, and impacts of plastic pollution on people and the environment.
Key learning points
- Most plastic is made from fossil fuels and is not biodegradable.
- Plastic production has grown rapidly since the 1950s.
- Plastic waste pollutes land, rivers, and oceans.
- Microplastics enter food chains and may harm human health.
- Wildlife can be injured or killed by plastic waste.
Keywords
Biodegradable - material or substance that can break down naturally over time by the action of bacteria, fungi or other living organisms
Microplastic - tiny pieces of plastic, usually smaller than five millimetres, that either come from the breakdown of larger plastic items or are made that size
Ocean garbage patch - a large area of the ocean where plastic and other waste collects, trapped by circular ocean currents
Common misconception
Plastic will eventually biodegrade, even if it takes hundreds of years.
Plastic is not biodegradable, it just breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces and eventually turns into microplastics (tiny plastic pieces, smaller than 5 mm).
Teacher tip
Ask students to think of how they could use less plastic (for example using refillable water bottles).
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What does "Anthropocene" mean?
Q2.Which of these activities increases atmospheric CO₂?
Q3.Why is biodiversity important in ecosystems?
Q4.What is one visible sign of the Anthropocene from space?
Q5.Which human action directly affects the geosphere?
Q6.Which part of Earth is most affected by plastic pollution?
Assessment exit quiz
4 Questions
Q1.Match the keywords to their definition.
Breaks down naturally over time
Tiny plastic pieces under 5 mm
Area of sea where waste collects
Q2.Which of these materials is not biodegradable?
Q3.Why are ocean garbage patches difficult to clean up?
Q4.What happens to most plastic that is not recycled?
To help you plan your 9 geography lesson on: Plastic pollution, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 9 geography lesson on: Plastic pollution, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 geography lessons from the Anthropocene: What is the impact of humans on the world? unit, dive into the full secondary geography curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.