Issues of importance about our oceans

Outcome - States an opinion about a National or International issue that is affecting our oceans.

Indicator – Expresses an opinion about an environmental issue that impacts on ocean water, the things that live in the ocean or people.

Method
1. Go to the Ocean Literacies website and choose a short video to show the class.
2. Select an issue that is age appropriate and that relates to issues being studied or those that impact on your local marine environment.
3. Show the video, allow children with some quiet time to think about what they saw and to write down any questions or comments about the issue.
4. Have a class discussion about the types of questions or comments raised by the children.
5. Ask children to think about their personal stance on the issue, have them react privately - using writing or drawings as to whether they:

a. agree with or support the issue
b. disagree with or don’t support the issue
c. don’t care about the issue.

6. Depending on children’s responses to the above you could have students do one of the following:

a. draw a picture to show what will happen in our oceans if this environmental problem is allowed to continue and get worse
b. prepare a letter to the state Minister for the environment about the issue
c. make a personal plan to describe how they will act to support the issue
d. design a poster to convey their stance on the issue to the wider school community (this may make a good an entry for the Marine art and issues primary poster competition).
e. design a poster to convince adults how they should act to protect our oceans from this issue.