Plastics: From Pollution to Solutions unit driving question: How can humans solve our plastic problem in the ocean? 

Knowledge + Action = Power lesson driving question: How can your publishing team maximize positive impact on your community and the environment?

1. Facilitate the publication presentations to an invited audience.

• Display each team’s final magazine around the room for a gallery walk.
• The time necessary for this step will vary greatly depending on your students’ success in inviting their target audiences to your class.
• Welcome any guests to your classroom.
• Provide name tags so guests can write their names and titles. Students may also want to wear name tags.
• Ask for a student volunteer to explain the purpose of this unit of study.
• Possible response: 
• We studied the crisis of plastic pollution in the oceans and the problems that it causes.
•  We also researched solutions and proposed our solution to members of the community.
• Ask another student volunteer to introduce the various elements that are included in each magazine.
• Possible response: 
• Each magazine has a front and back cover, a Food Web Infographic showing biomagnification in a marine ecosystem, an Ocean Plastics Movement Model, a Featured Marine Organism Profile, a profile of the winner of the Ocean Plastics Pollution Solutions Contest, a glossary of vocabulary words, a Letter from the Editors, and a Call to Action.
• Explain to guests that each publishing team chose a different target audience and developed a different Call to Action. Ask each team to briefly name their target audience and describe their Call to Action.
• At this point, make sure all outside guests know which publishing team invited them.
• Provide time for guests to receive a presentation of the magazine from the publishing team or read the magazine in paper or digital format.
• Provide time for guests to ask questions of students and to give their initial reactions to the Call to Action. The guests may answer questions, such as:
• What did you learn from reading the magazine?
• What did you find interesting or thought-provoking?
• What questions do you have for the publishing teams about their projects?
• How realistic is it that you will be able to accomplish this Call to Action and why?
• What barriers or obstacles would prevent you from being able to accomplish it?
• What suggestions or advice do you have for the publishing team?
• Thank your guests for attending and make sure students have exchanged contact information to stay in touch with them in the future.

2.     Show the picture of reflections and ripples.

• After guests have left, ask: What do you see in this picture? 
• Possible responses: 
• clean water, a drop of rain, waves or ripples in the water, reflections of trees
• Congratulate students on the work they have done and explain that on this last day of the Plastics: From Pollution to Solutions unit, their final activity is focused on reflections and ripples.
• Ask: What are reflections, and what are ripples?
• Possible responses:
• A reflection is what you see in the mirror, or in the water.
• A ripple is a wave that travels outward from a single point.
• Tell students that even though the unit is ending today, the problem of ocean plastics does not end today, and neither should their journey from knowledge to action.
• The reflection represents students looking inward at themselves and how they have changed.
• The ripples represent the effects of small actions, like a single drop of water, moving outward into the world and affecting others.

• Orient students to the reflection banner hanging in the room (see Setup for directions). Explain or post directions for how the banner works:
• Top half: Students write or draw at least one individual action they plan to take in relation to plastics.
• Bottom half: Students draw or write one or more collective actions they want to see other people take in relation to plastics.
• Explain that one half of the class will complete the Ripples and Reflections Survey handout while the other half of the class will reflect on the banner with markers.
• After both groups have finished their assigned reflections, tell the groups to trade places until all students have taken the survey and written on the banner.
• Once students have completed their surveys and written on the banner, teachers are encouraged to share their class’ responses, along with the students’ final projects, digitally with the broader National Geographic educator community.

• Conclude the unit with a whole-class discussion about next steps.
• Discussion questions:
• If a member of your target audience did not attend today, what is your plan to reach out to them?
• If a member of your target audience did attend today, what is your plan to follow up with them to check on their progress in completing the Call to Action?
• This is a good opportunity for a final review of the class Know and Need to Know chart.
• What questions about plastics do you still have that were not answered in this unit?