Figure 2: Labeled microscope
Investigations Activity 1: Plankton to Petroleum
Students use a microscope (Figure 2) and prepared slides to observe and illustrate marine diatoms (phytoplankton) and foraminifera (zooplankton) and then make a scale bar to estimate the sizes of these two examples of plankton using field of view width at 60x and 120x magnifications. Students then learn the role plankton plays in ocean food chains, how plankton moderates Earth’s oxygen budget, and how over great lengths of time, buried layers of plank- ton may be converted naturally into petroleum. Students draw a time-series diagram of observations they make of a settling model (Figure 3) that demonstrates seafloor accu- mulation of marine litter.
Activity 2: Petroleum to Plastic
Students describe the relationship between petroleum and plastic and explore the concepts of monomers and polymers using a plastic bottle and its lid as examples. Students graph and interpret data on world production of plastics from 1950 to 20106
before using the trend on their graph to infer future
world plastic production over the next two decades. Students then read about what it means to be non-biodegradable and learn what happens to plastic when it enters our waterways and becomes a pollutant.
Activity 3: Plastic to Pollution Students sketch a map of the world’s oceans and label the five major circulation gyres. Students use a 3D-printed model (Figure 4) of the oceans to simulate how currents move
Figure 3: A series of three pictures taken over a span of time showing ocean floor settling Page 6 Green Teacher 122
Photo by Sam Harsh
Photo by Sam Harsh
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