Plastic Microbeads within the Great Lakes

Breanna Malear
Katie Henderson
Grade: Fifth Grade

Standards:

5-ESS2- Develop a model using an example to describe ways the geosphere, biosphere,
1. hydrosphere, and/or atmosphere

5-ESS3- Obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use
1. science ideas to protect the Earths resources and environment.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.5.MD.B.2
Make a line plot to display a data set of measurements in fractions of a unit (1/2, 1/4, 1/8). Use
operations on fractions for this grade to solve problems involving information presented in line
plots. For example, given different measurements of liquid in identical beakers, find the amount
of liquid each beaker would contain if the total amount in all the beakers were redistributed
equally.

GLCE: 5 P4.2.1 Develop and implement an action plan and know how, when, and where to
address or inform others about a public issue.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.1.A
Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure in which
ideas are logically grouped to support the writer's purpose.

3-5.CT.3. use digital resources to identify and investigate a state, national, or global issue (e.g.,
global warming, economy, environment)

Objectives:
Students will be able to explain plastic microbeads including what they are, their usage,
and how they travel within our water systems.
Students will be able to interpret scientific data and apply it to an authentic case study.
Students will be able to describe how microbeads are affecting the Great Lakes and the
surrounding region.
Students will be able to create a line plot with collected data.

Safety: The students will be working with soaps containing plastic microbeads. The students
must be reminded that these liquids are unsafe for their, or their fellow classmates eyes, ears,
or other sensitive surfaces.
Differentiation:
For students that speak English as their second language, or have difficulty with language, they
will not be required to read a full page of Riparias River. The student will only read as much as
he or she feels comfortable with. These students may also have difficulties writing a letter. In
this case, the teacher may assign a buddy to assist the student. In this case, the students may
create their own separate letters, and the buddy assists as needed, or the students can work
together to write one, longer letter. This is dependant on the students needs.
Most of the work in this lesson is done with a group. The teacher will ensure that every voice is
heard when the students work in a group. Therefore, the teacher will make sure that the work is
evenly divided, and each student is contributing. If any individual group member is having
difficulties, then they teacher will encourage his or her group members to help him or her. If
another student is finding the tasks as too easy, he or she may be asked harder questions, or
they could work to help another student who is having difficulties.

Time: 6 hours. We suggest spacing it out over the course of five school days, formatted as
follows:

Day Activity Name Time (minutes)

Day 1 Engage 1, Explore 1 75

Day 2 Engage 2, Explore 2 60

Day 3 Explain 30

Day 4 Elaborate 60

Day 5 Evaluate 120

Materials:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6IP3_aRFtA
Riparias River by Michael J. Caduto
Five products containing plastic microbeads
Graph Paper
Attached Map
Attached Powerpoint
Paper
Pencils
One Box
Five vials containing microbeads
Coffee Filters
One brand of soap without microbeads
Science Background:

What are they?

Plastics are synthetic organic polymers made from oil or gas, created in 1907. Mass production
of plastic began in the 1940s and it now accounts for about 8% of global oil production. This
material is attractive to consumers because it never deteriorates, but this also makes in an
environmental concern. Plastic accounts for about 10% of overall waste and 10% of plastic
waste ends up in our waterways. Plastic pollution is broken down into two categories based on
size: macroplastics and microplastics. In our lesson, we will focus on microplastics because
although it is more difficult to literally see the impact of microplastics, the impact can be
devastating.

What are microplastics used for?

Microplastics come in a variety of sizes from a diameter of 10 mm to less than 1 mm. Primary
microplastics are plastics that are manufactured to be a microscopic size. Primary microplastics
may be found in cosmetics, face scrubs, airblasting
media, and drugs. Secondary microplastics include plastic fragments derived from the
breakdown of larger plastic debris at sea and on land.

How does it move within our waterways?

Microplastics move globally by the use of ocean currents, winds, river outflow and drift. Water
always flows downward by the flow of gravity, and these microparticles do the same. Some
studies have suggested that shorelines that produce different plastic waste but are near the
same ocean current have the accumulation of similar plastic waste. In addition, many
microplastics become trapped in gyres. An ocean gyre is a spinning pool of water constantly
flowing in the same directing with a constant speed. There is a major gyre for almost all of the
major oceans on Earth. Litter can be picked up by these wave patterns and continuously flow
within the system. Specifically the Pacific Gyre has collected enormous amounts of
microplastics and other forms of litter. Hawaii has become a hot spot for these microplastics to
reside. The sun and water may erode these plastics to smaller and smaller sizes. Biodegradable
plastics consist of synthetic polymers and starch, vegetable oils, or special chemicals designed
to accelerate degradation times. This degeneration is only partial, and will still leave synthetic
polymers behind.

What are some effects?

In Hawaii, the plastic debris decreased the heat absorbance of the natural sediment.
Unfortunately, this could be potentially disastrous for the natural wildlife. For example, the sea
turtles nest their eggs in the Hawaii sand and the sex of each baby turtle is dependant on the
temperature of the sand around it. Even a slight decrease in temperature could have huge
effects of turtle fertility in the future.

Microbeads effect on the Great Lakes?

The map below shows the distribution of the number of particles found within each of the
Great Lakes. Lake Erie is found to be the most concentrated compared to Lake Superior and
Lake Huron. Lake Erie is known to account for about 90% of microplastic particles obtaining the
largest abundance of plastic pollution. Lake Superior holds the second largest microplastic
particle count, followed by Lake Huron. On the map, samples 2021 show great abundance of
microplastic particles because of the result of the convergence of currents in Lake Erie. Also,
these two samples were collected in the area of converging currents and are in close proximity
to several coal burning power plants and downstream to many major cities.
Microbeads are primarily found in two sources: sandblasting and consumer products.
Microbeads found in the Great Lakes could not have been from sandblasting because net
towing is used to take samples to analyze microplastic pollution and since sandblasting has a
negative buoyancy in freshwater these samples would not be included in the samples gathered.
Therefore, microbeads found in samples collected indicate that they must have been from
consumer products that are less than 1 mm. These microbeads contain polyethylene or
polypropylene which are found to float in freshwater and would therefore be able to be collected
from the samples gathered. The reason that microbeads are found in the Great Lakes is the
result of being washed down the drain. This occurs because wastewater facilities are not able
to capture all floating, non-biodegradable particles that are 0.5 mm or smaller. Microbeads are
also commonly found in fertilizers and public lands that can be washed away into sewer
systems that eventually lead to the Great Lakes.

http://www.marcuseriksen.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Microplastic-pollution-in-the-surface-waters-of-the-Laurentian-Great-Lakes.pdf

How learning goals will be addressed

During our lesson, the students will first study microbeads in general. Here will be a
more traditional learning method, consisting of a mix of books, readings, lectures, and
discussions to understand exactly what microplastics are and where they come from.
Then, students will perform an inquiry-based scientific research to study microplastics
effects on the environment. These topics will include discussion on the effects of the
geosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere. During their research, the students will look at
past studies and data of other scientists. Then, they will need to graph either their own
personal data or the data of other scientists in an easily understood format. The students will
present this data to the class and conduct a scientific discussion on microplastics. These
discussions will lead students to start wondering what they can do about the problem, and what
others have done about this problem. To elaborate on the lesson, students will look at the Great
Lakes, since it personally impacts the students. These social studies and real world questions
and answers will end our lesson.
 Lesson Outline

Engage 1: Water pollution

Materials
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6IP3_aRFtA
Time: 15 minutes.

Play video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6IP3_aRFtA
After watching the video, the teacher will ask the students if they had ever seen examples of
litter and water pollution in rivers or towns near them. If the school is located near a beach, then
the teacher may reference the nearest beach and ask if students have seen pollution at this
beach. For example, if the school is located near Grand Valley, then the teacher may ask the
students if they had ever seen litter or pollution at the Grand Haven beach. The students will
give personal stories of seeing litter in our waterways, possibly referring to bottles or wrappers
that they have seen in rivers or lakes. The teacher will ask questions about the size and
movement of these pollutants. The students will note that the pollutants move in the same
direction and at a similar speed to the overall waterway.

Explore 1: Water Pollution

Materials:
Riparias River by Michael J. Caduto
Time: One Hour

The class will read Riparias River by Michael J. Caduto. Before reading the book, the teacher
will tell the students to remember the facts and concepts that Riparia teaches the children in the
book about rivers. Each student will take a turn reading a page from the book. After the
students finish reading the book, the teacher will ask the students what they learned about
rivers and streams. The teacher may remind students of portions of the book with the most
information, or of other specific details that the class learned while reading the book.
Answers will include the following:
Rivers are deepest at the curves.
Water flows downhill.
Pollutants flow with the same direction as the water.
The riverbank is the surrounding edge of a river.
Animals like fish and insects need clean, cool water for oxygen to breathe
Insects live under rocks in rivers
Trees cause shade that cools water.
Weed killer is a common pollutant that easily contaminates rivers by running downhill.
One method to stop weed killer pollutants is to create a buffer between crops and rivers,
so plants and rocks may clean the water before it enters the river (the book suggests
about a one hundred feet zone).
Algae are tiny microscopic plants.
 Algae and cow poop are common pollutants.
A habitat is a home for animals.

Engage 2: Microplastics
Materials:
Five Vials of Plastic Microbeads
One box
Paper
Pencils
Coffee Filter
Five different brands of soap containing Microbeads
One brand of soap without Microbeads
Time: 40 minutes

The teacher will place the five vials filled with plastic microbead on a front desk. The
teacher will explain that the students must guess what is in the vials, where they came from,
how they came to be that size, and what material they are made of. The students will come to
the front desk and attempt to guess what is in the vials. They may pick up the vials, but they
cannot dump them out of their container. The students may discuss with each other what they
think are in the vials. Once the students feel ready, they will write down their hypothesis and
place them in the box.
While most of the students are guessing the mysterious substance, the teacher will take
four students at a time to the sink in the room. The teacher will explain that they will be
conducting an experiment about what is actually in our soup. The students will place a coffee
filter over the drain of the sink to catch everything that is in the soap. Each student in the group
of four will take turns washing their hands over the coffee filter. Each group will use a different
brand of soap to wash their hands with. After each student has finished, they will take their
coffee filter back to their desks and return to the mysterious vials as described earlier. Then,
the teacher will take the next group of four students to wash their hands.
Finally, once all the students have finished washing their hands and have discussed the
mysterious objects in the vials, the teacher will ask the students will sit at desks near their
groups of four. Then, the teacher will present the bottles of soap, and explain that some soap
contain tiny plastics, called, Plastic Microbeads, or Microplastics.

Explore 2: Microplastics
Materials
Paper
Pencils
Time: 20 minutes

Within their groups of four, the students will count how many plastic microbeads they collected
from their soap. Some groups may not find any microbeads, while others may find many. The
teacher will draw an outline of a bar graph on the board. The x-axis will contain the brand of
soap, while the y-axis will describe the number of microbeads found. After the students finish
collecting their data, they will add their data to the bar graph on the board, writing their brand of
soap on the x-axis. Once everyone has recorded their data on the board, the teacher will bring
the class together for a discussion. As a whole, the class will measure how many plastic
microbeads were collected. The teacher will ask the students which soaps had the most
microplastics, and which soaps has the least. Then, the teacher will ask the students where
these microplastics typically go after we wash our hands with these products. The students will
say that these products would go into our rivers and lakes. Then, the teacher will ask the
students what are some of the possible effects of these tiny pollutants. The students may say
that it causes the water to look less nice, or is harmful to fish.

Explain: Water Pollution and Microbeads

Materials:
Powerpoint Presentation
Time: 30 minutes

The teacher will present a PowerPoint to explain information about microplastics and how they
travel within our waterways. The PowerPoint is attached to the end of this lesson. The first
three slides of the PowerPoint are fun facts that students can guess. The teacher will ask the
question and the students will shout out possible answers. Then the teacher will reveal the
answer. The next slides explain plastic pollution, specifically microplastics. During this portion,
there are a lot of different vocabulary words to describe how sediment, specifically
microplastics, moves through the water cycle. The students will be introduced to this
vocabulary, but will not be expected to memorize these words. It is just to simplify
communication during this discussion. Finally, there are two videos from the 5 Gyres Institute on
microplastic pollution. This portion is intended to not only inform students on microplastic
pollution, but also show students a real-world example of science inquiry.

Elaborate: Graph it Out!

Materials:
Attached Map
Graph Paper
Pencils
Time: One Hour

After exploring what microbeads are and how they pollute our water systems, students will look
at data of the distribution of microbeads found in the Great Lakes. Groups of three students will
receive the map attached showing the microbead particle count found throughout three of the
Great Lakes. Each student within the group will be responsible for creating a line graph, one for
each Great Lake: Superior, Huron and Erie using the data from the graph. From looking at the
map students will choose what they believe to be the best x and y axis to describe the
distribution of microbead particles found in Lake Superior, Huron and Erie.
Once each group finishes their graphs we will post them on the front board of the room
and discuss the comparisons and differences between the graphs and what they tell us about
microbeads found in the Great Lakes. The teacher will ask the students which areas within the
lakes were found to have the most microbeads. The students will respond by referring to spots
1, 11, 10, 17, 20 and 21 on the graph. The teacher will then ask the students why they think the
most microbeads would be found in those locations. This would lead into the discussion of how
the most microbeads are typically found due to deposition of a river. An example is the
Saginaw River that deposits sediment into the Saginaw Bay leading to Lake Huron where spot
11 is found (Teacher: refer to photo A in PowerPoint during discussion).
Within their groups of three, using the knowledge the students gained from the previous
discussion, they will locate on the map given where they believe the most microbeads would be
found in Lake Michigan. The students should locate river mouths, where microplastics are likely
to be deposited. The students may also add locations without the added depositions of rivers,
and these locations would have a smaller particle count. Each group will present their
predictions to the class. After the presentations, the teacher will ask the students ways that the
class could test these predictions (if there was not time or money limit). The teacher will
encourage creative scientific thinking, and curiosity for future experiments.

http://www.marcuseriksen.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Microplastic-pollution-in-the-surface-waters-of-the-Laurentian-Great-Lakes.pdf

Evaluate: Microplastic Solutions

Materials
Riparias River
Paper
Pencils
Time: 2 hours
After learning about the harmful effects of plastic microbeads, and their effect on the Great
Lakes, the students will reflect on what they can do about it. The teacher may reference the
book, Riparias River because during the book, the students discovered a solution to their water
pollution problem. As a class, the students brainstorm methods to reduce microplastic pollution.
These may include:
Writing letters to government officials to ban the use of microplastic beads
Telling their friends and family to stop purchasing products with microplastic beads.
Stop purchasing items with microplastic beads.
Writing letters to companies that use microplastic beads to educate them on the dangers
to our waterways.
At the end of the brainstorm, each student will write a letter to someone informing them the
dangers of plastic microbeads within the Great Lakes. The students should write about
information that they learned during the lesson, and include their graph as a visual reference.
The students should look up additional facts and resources as needed, and properly cite those
sources. The teacher should encourage the students to look up additional information about
how the microplastics harm specific animal species. The students may choose to write to family
members, community members, government officials, businesses, or friends. These letters
must be typed. The teacher may want to take this time to explain to their students the proper
way to address an envelope.
References

Basset, D. (2011, May 25). Breaking the plastic addiction: tedx great pacific garbage

patch. The Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/deborah-

bassett/breaking-the-plastic-addi_b_781569.html

Caduto, M.J. (2011). Riparia River: New York, NY: Tilbury House Publishers.

Chow, L. (2015). These 5 countries account for 60% of plastic pollution in oceans. EcoWatch.

Retrieved from http://ecowatch.com/2015/10/15/plastic-pollution-oceans/

Cole, M., Lindeque,P., Halsband, C., Galloway, T.S. (2011). Microplastics as

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2588-2597.

Eriksen, M., Mason, S., Wilson, S., Box, C., Zellers, A., Edwards, W., Amato, S. (2013).

Microplastic pollution in the surface waters of the Laurentian great lakes. Marine

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content/uploads/2013/10/Microplastic-pollution-in-the-surface-waters-of-the-Laurentian-

Great-Lakes.pdf

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http://the-ethologist.blogspot.com/2010/07/great-turtle-egg-evacuation.html

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bic7QEVRNe4

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http://www.mississippiriveradventures.com/mississippi_river.htm
 Ocean heroes: what is a gyre? -- 5 gyres institute (2012). One World One Ocean.

Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6i16CrI8ss

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6IP3_aRFtA

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http://www.theexeterdaily.co.uk/news/local-news/microplastics-make-marine-worms-sick