SAVE THE SEA TURTLES!
In the United States, the leatherback sea turtle is listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Their population has declined by 70% worldwide in the past 15 years. Plastic pollution in the ocean plays a major role in this situation.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Wildlife conservation means protecting animals, plants, and their homes to keep nature safe and healthy.
- Recognize that plastic can impact animals in the environment
- Formulate suggestions of how to protect animals
DURING THIS ACTIVITY, STUDENTS WILL:
- Become aware of how plastic ends up in the environment
- Learn why animals eat it and how it affects them
- Reflect on ways to keep plastic out of the environment
GRADE LEVEL: K-6
YOUR MISSION
Play a game to learn about how plastic affects sea turtles, then educate others on how we can help.
Ask students what they remember about wildlife conservation from the Earth Rangers assembly (for example: definition of conservation, the chemical DDT was hurting eagle eggs and laws against it helped save eagles, Geraldo helping to protect sea turtle eggs).
Explain that you are going to learn even more about how we can help sea turtle conservation.
MATERIALS
- Small squares of cardstock in 3 different colors (125 for a class of 25).
- One color = plastic bag
- One color = plastic balloon
- One color = jellyfish
GAME SETUP
In a playing area:
- Mark off a space as home base.
- Ask helpers to spread the cards widely spaced within the playing area.
Explain the game:
- Students are going to be hungry sea turtles, and the cards represent items they can eat.
- Demonstrate how to “swim” through the playing area (moving slowly and moving arms as if swimming).
- Once they have 5 items, it is time to swim to home base.
- The game ends when everyone has 5 items.
PLAY THE GAME
When all have returned to home base:
- Ask students to sort their cards by color.
- Reveal what the different colors represent.
- Ask if there is anyone who didn’t eat any plastic.
DISCUSSION & EXTENSION
Explain:
Sea turtles typically eat jellyfish, and items like plastic bags and balloons can often look like jellyfish floating in the water. The turtles may ingest these items, which take up space in their stomach, making them feel full without providing nutrients. It can also block their digestive system, which can be fatal because the turtle can no longer feed properly.
Next, discuss ways we can keep plastic out of the ocean, such as:
- Shoreline cleanups
- Using less single-use plastic
- Other community actions
SHARE YOUR LEARNING
Pick one or several messages such as:
- How single-use plastics can hurt animals and what we can do about it
- How we can help leatherback turtles
- Why we should never release balloons into the sky
Pick an Audience:
- School community
- Family
- Political leaders
Pick a Medium:
- 1-minute video
- Infomercial
- Skit
- Picture book
Share your messages with us!