Lesson Plan: Earth Day and Ocean Pollution   

(Link to Printable PDF Version)

Level: High school students learning English as a Foreign Language with a TOEIC score of about 450.

Time: 45 minutes

Materials:

• Video: "How Plastic in the Ocean Impacts Your Health" ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQQajO5yIUE )
• Short reading: "5 Ways You Can Help Reduce Ocean Pollution" (attached)
• Cloze exercise: "5 Ways You Can Help Reduce Ocean Pollution" (attached)

Objectives:

• To develop students' listening, reading, and writing skills in English.
• To increase students' vocabulary related to environmental problems and solutions.
• To motivate students to take action in addressing environmental issues.

Procedure:

Introduction (5 minutes):

1. Greet the students and introduce the topic of Earth Day and ocean pollution.
2. Ask students if they have heard of Earth Day and what they know about it.
3. Tell the students that today's lesson is about positive ways we can address environmental problems, specifically ocean pollution.
4. Preview the video and ask the students what they think it will be about.

Video Activity (15 minutes):

1. Play the video "How Plastic in the Ocean Impacts Your Health".
2. Ask the students to take notes on the main points of the video.
3. After the video, ask students to discuss what they learned and any questions they have.
4. Review key vocabulary and concepts from the video.

Reading Activity (10 minutes):

1. Give the students the short reading "5 Ways You Can Help Reduce Ocean Pollution".
2. Ask them to read the article and identify any new vocabulary or phrases they are unfamiliar with.
3. Have the students discuss the article in pairs or small groups, focusing on the main ideas and what they learned.
4. Review any new vocabulary or phrases as a class.

Cloze Exercise (15 minutes):

1. Give the students the cloze exercise "5 Ways You Can Help Reduce Ocean Pollution".
2. Ask them to fill in the blanks with the appropriate words from the reading.
3. After they complete the exercise, have the students compare their answers in pairs or small groups.
4. Review the answers as a class.

Conclusion (5 minutes):

1. Recap the main points of the lesson.
2. Encourage students to take action in addressing environmental issues.
3. Thank the students for their participation.

Assessment:

• Observe students during group and class discussions to evaluate their comprehension and participation.
• Check the students' answers to the cloze exercise to assess their understanding of the reading.

Attachments:

• "5 Ways You Can Help Reduce Ocean Pollution" reading
• "5 Ways You Can Help Reduce Ocean Pollution" cloze exercise

Reading:

5 Ways You Can Help Reduce Ocean Pollution

1. Use a reusable water bottle instead of buying plastic water bottles. This reduces the amount of plastic waste that ends up in the ocean.
2. Avoid using single-use plastics such as plastic bags, straws, and utensils. Instead, bring your own reusable bags and utensils when possible.
3. Properly dispose of hazardous waste such as batteries and electronics. These items can release harmful chemicals into the ocean if not disposed of properly.
4. Reduce your energy use by turning off lights and unplugging electronics when not in use. This helps reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that contribute to ocean acidification.
5. Support companies and organizations that are committed to reducing ocean pollution. This includes companies that use sustainable materials and support clean energy.

Cloze Exercise: Ways You Can Help Reduce Ocean Pollution

Fill in the blanks with the appropriate words from the word bank below.

Word bank:

1. Use a reusable water bottle instead of buying __________ water bottles. This reduces the amount of __________ waste that ends up in the ocean.
2. Avoid using single-use plastics such as __________, utensils, and bags. Instead, bring your own reusable bags and utensils when possible.
3. Properly dispose of __________ waste such as batteries and electronics. These items can release harmful chemicals into the ocean if not disposed of properly.
4. __________ your waste whenever possible. This includes separating recyclable materials and disposing of them in the appropriate recycling bins.
5. Support companies and organizations that are committed to reducing ocean pollution. This includes companies that use __________ materials and support __________ energy.
6. Use __________ products when possible. These products break down naturally and do not harm the __________ environment.
7. Reduce your energy use by turning off lights and unplugging electronics when not in use. This helps reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that contribute to ocean __________.
8. Participate in beach cleanups and other __________ events. This helps keep trash and other pollutants out of the ocean.
9. Choose __________ seafood options. Overfishing can harm the __________ environment and disrupt the balance of the ocean's food chain.
10. Spread awareness about ocean pollution and encourage others to take __________ actions to reduce their impact on the environment.

Answer key:

1. disposable, plastic
2. straws,
3. hazardous
4. Recycle
5. sustainable, clean
6. biodegradable, marine
7. acidification
8. clean-up
9. sustainable, marine
10. positive