Teaching Resources:
Ocean Plastics Academy Platform Ocean Plastics Academy Learning ObjectivesDownloads:
Ocean Plastics Academy Paper Home Education Toolkit (Greek)We need a new generation of sea champions.
Teaching young people about plastic – where it comes from, what it does, where it goes, and what they can do about it - will create a generation of leaders, activists, citizens and voters dedicated to solving the plastic pollution crisis.
Developed with a broad coalition of educators, scientists and industry experts, Ocean Plastics Academy combines a suite of curriculum-aligned resources with practical activities that help schools radically reduce their reliance on single-use plastics.
Learning about plastic
To solve a problem like plastic, you must first understand it. Our learning resources build knowledge and understanding, year-on-year, for students aged 5 to 16 years old.
The resources are standards-linked and aligned with UK’s national curriculum and are available to download for free from our online platform. So far, they consist of:
- 12 Ocean for Beginners lessons, e.g. ‘Our oceans and us’
- 14 primary cross-curricular Ocean Plastics lessons, e.g. ‘What are plastics?’
- Nine Ocean Plastics geography lessons, e.g. ‘The global journey of plastic waste’
- Five Ocean Plastics science lessons, e.g. ‘Why is plastic useful?’
- Six Ocean Plastics design lessons, e.g. ‘Why should we recycle?’
We also offer learning opportunities for teachers to refine their ocean plastic knowledge.
"The Ocean Plastics Academy from Common Seas will support the next generation to learn their way out of the plastic pollution crisis while deepening their understanding of our intimate relationship with the greatest life support system on our planet, the ocean." James Honeyborne
Executive Producer BLUE PLANET ll
How we developed these resources
We developed these resources in close partnership with award-winning education specialists Encounter Edu, as well as exam boards, universities, educators, students and brands.
We collaborated with Subject Associations to ensure the learning is relevant, accurate and engaging. And we drew on UNESCO’s education framework, which uses cognitive, socio-emotional and behavioural learning outcomes embedded in the UN’s SDGs.
Ocean Plastics Academy was developed for the UK and can be adapted and replicated to other countries around the world – particularly those working to achieve the UN’s SDGs.
Acting on Plastic
Real life experiences help reinforce formal learning. We turn literacy into action by guiding schools through the steps to radically reduce single-use plastics in their classrooms, dinner rooms, playgrounds and hallways.
Our toolkit empowers students, engages the whole school and creates a cultural shift around the role of single-use plastic in young people’s lives.
We encourage schools to engage their students to take the lead on designing interventions, such as plastic free tuck shops, lunches, and advocacy action. We also offer ongoing support to schools, monitor their progress, and celebrate successes to influence the wider community and other institutions.
