A n important part of doing your bit and changing the world for the better is to be interested, informed and reflective. So, we’ve put together a collection of resources that we hope will be helpful.
Below are some BIG blue buttons that give you quick access to some themed resources. Or, you can just search or filter the resource bank.
If there are any resources you would like (that we haven’t provided already), do get in touch.
Happy learning!
“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.”
Albert Einstein
Themes
Sets of resources grouped by theme
The Resource Bank
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A project with the aim of engaging young people in exploring their perceptions of and researching what they feel are the key issues in the plastics circular economy. The project…
Use this image as a discussion prompt or as part of the 'Where Does Plastic Go?' lesson
Use this image as a discussion prompt or as part of the 'Where Does Plastic Go?' lesson
Use this image as a discussion prompt or as part of the 'Where Does Plastic Go?' lesson
Use this image as a discussion prompt or as part of the 'Where Does Plastic Go?' lesson
Every year millions of people around the globe take part in the Plastic Free July challenge, choosing to refuse single-use plastics and drastically reducing the amount of plastic waste ending…
A colourful and engaging infographic explaining the environmental impact plastic toys can have on the environment. Credit: Stuart Loach, Envirotoy
Youth have been protesting all around the world over inaction on climate change. Join a global movement pushing for change. Became a Youth Ambassador and learn more at realfoodsystems.org.
The Earth's climate has changed many times in response to natural factors. But over the course of the last century we have seen an unusual rise in the average global…
Global warming could do more than just melt polar ice. It could change our maps, and displace people from cities and tropical islands. An educational video from National Geographic.
These resources were created by Paul Tyler (https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/paultyler) for a school open day and comprise 6 linked activities, which were done by groups of pupils in rotation. The resources could…
The UK Plastics Pact are tackling the issue of problematic or unnecessary single-use plastic, changing how we make, use, reuse and recycle these items. 2020 is fast approaching... just over…
Here are five easy ways you can reduce how much single-use plastic you use.
Teacher Resources from The Environment Agency We're delighted to be able to share these Teacher Resources aimed at pupils in lower Key Stage 2. It is the fourth workshop in a series of four…
Teacher Resources from The Environment Agency We're delighted to be able to share these Teacher Resources aimed at pupils in lower Key Stage 2. It is the third workshop in a series of four…
Teacher Resources from The Environment Agency We're delighted to be able to share these Teacher Resources aimed at pupils in upper Key Stage 1. It is the second workshop in a series of…
Teacher Resources from The Environment Agency We're delighted to be able to share these Teacher Resources aimed at pupils in lower Key Stage 1. It is the first workshop in a series of four…
Big corporations that use billions of tonnes of single-use plastic a year globally are a BIG part of the single-use plastic disaster, but as this video shows, when shareholders demand…
A 'hands-on' (or should it be 'bands-on') practical lesson looking at how certain man-made material hazards (litter) can restrict an animal's ability to feed properly. Curriculum coverage NC references Working Scientifically using straightforward…
A stimulating and practical KS2 lesson to demonstrate the problems plastic and other harmful materials might pose for beak feeding animals (who accidentally ingest them when they 'grab' feed). Curriculum coverage NC references Working…
Chile-based designer Margarita Talep has created a sustainable, biodegradable alternative to single-use packaging, using raw material extracted from algae. Disappointed by the abundance of non-recyclable materials currently used to contain…
A Powerpoint presentation made by students of Haydon Eco Club. The students created and used this as part of their KS2 / KS3 Transition Project. For more information about the…
The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) is the UK's leading marine environment, not-for-profit organisation. It works for the increased protection of the seas around the United Kingdom. It organises out hundreds of…
Learn about the hidden horror that are man-made material microfibres - tiny pieces of plastic clothing fibres that get washed out of our clothes, and into our waterways, each time we wash…
'Cora Ball' was inspired by corals that filter ocean water. This laundry ball will help capture microfibres when you do your laundry. It can even pick up hair. This nature-inspired…
Every time we wash clothes that are made from man-made fibres they shed tiny micro plastics that make their way through our water treatment plants and into our oceans when…
Cleanups are a great way to remove plastic pollution already on the beach, but how do we stop it from getting there in the first place? This short video explains…
The Story of Bottled Water, released on March 22, 2010 (World Water Day) employs the Story of Stuff style to tell the story of manufactured demand—how you get Americans to…
A short animated film produced by the production company «Animaskin» for UNICEF Norway and the UN Association of Norway to support Sustainable Development learning via unicef.no/skole/barekraft. What is Sustainable Development?…
Volunteers have removed an astonishing 12 million kilograms (nearly 12,000 tons) of plastic from a short stretch of a Mumbai beach. But their efforts will be in vain unless the…
David Luke make Eco school uniforms from plastic bottles, turning waste into up cycled stylish and practical clothing. This film shows how they now have the ability to make sweatshirts, cardigans,…
See how plastic bottles can be recycled and what they can be turned into. This animation showing how plastic bottles can be recycled is brought to you by recyclenow.com.
A thought-provoking photograph showing a bulldozer working on a landfill site.
Could reusable water bottles with built-in purification filters offer more than just a travel solution? Would their use reduce the number of plastic bottles sold and littered? Find out more…
A short but very powerful film about how a whale - dying from plastic ingestion - is seemingly trying to communicate this (and perhaps more) to the humans that found…
Worldwide, humans produce 260 million tonnes of plastic each year. Plastic does not decompose over time so much of our waste plastic ends up in the ocean. Maddie Moate explains…
We’ve all been told that we should recycle plastic bottles and containers. But what actually happens to the plastic if we just throw it away? Emma Bryce traces the life…
Sky News looks at a new project that could help tackle the global plastic pollution crisis. But is this the solution to replace single-use plastic bottles? Take a look and…
Plastic microfibres slideshow Every time we wash our clothes in the washing machine, thousands of plastic microfibres are shed, entering the rinse water. When the fibres leave the washing machine,…
When Amy and Ella grilled Iceland supermarket boss about its use of plastic packaging.
The Shiant Isles are home to large populations of seabirds, including thousands of Puffins, Guillemots and Razorbills found on the cree slopes of the island Garbh Eilean. The islands are…
Concerns about plastic pollution and specifically how it is affecting the health of Albatrosses. A short film made by Blue Planet II.
A Key Stage 1 maths lesson based round the collection of 100 pieces of plastic litter. With linked Lesson Resource. Curriculum coverage: Maths Write numbers to 100 Know number facts to…
As part of our Clear Plastic UK project inspired by the UN's Global Goals we have been learning about the environmental and social impact of our use and abuse of…
A new initiative is combining drones, tidal studies and navigation technology to try and work out where the millions of tonnes of plastic we dump in the sea ends up.…
What's the difference between a 'ray' and a 'skate'? Find out with this intere'sting' non-fiction poster. Credit: The Deep, Hull.
A KS1 lesson guide to develop writing skills within a range of different text types, including: poetry, persuasive writing, newspaper articles and more. Curriculum relevance Develop positive attitudes towards and stamina for…
An excellent video by Algalita a non-profit organisation dedicated to the protection of the marine environment. The video covers plastic (as a material) the issues associated with plastic pollution, and some…
A funny audiobook, written by Georgina Stevens, narrated by Jeremy Irons, about a Tiger Shark named Finn, who gets into a spot of bother. Also featuring a brand new, beautiful…
A KS2 lesson guide to develop writing skills within a range of different text types, including: poetry, persuasive writing, newspaper articles and more. Curriculum coverage NC references Write accurately, fluently, effectively and at…
A lesson guide that introduces the UN Global Goals as a stimulus for learning about environmental and humanitarian issues, leading to the pupils thinking about they can contribute towards the…
A lesson that uses research about the Great Pacific Trash Island (gyre) to investigate the effects of plastic pollution. Curriculum coverage KS2 Science Working scientifically reporting and presenting findings from enquiries…in…
A non-fiction text about plastic pollution that supports the Reading Comprehension Lesson Guide.
A KS2 reading comprehension about plastic pollution and its effects. NC references Spoken Language: articulate and justify answers, arguments and opinions give well-structured descriptions, explanations and narratives for different purposes, including…
A lesson resource to support the linked lesson Pros and Cons of Plastic.
A KS2 lesson that encourages pupils to consider the Pros and Cons of plastic before making and justifying a personal opinion about the positive and negatives associated with plastic. This…
A hands-on activity that requires the application of knowledge and skills to classify a selection of products based on whether they contain plastic or not. The work on 'environmental impact', 'recyclability' and…
How is plastic recycled? And is all recycling a good thing? Just two of the themes covered in this KS2 lesson about properties and changes in materials. This lesson has a…
A resource to support the lesson guide Plastic Recycling Process.
An interesting lesson about the different groups / scientists that lead the early work that led to the creation of plastic, and how evidence is used to support or refute…
A KS2 lesson that focuses on developing speaking and listening skills and how to use facts and figures during discussions and debates. English: Spoken Language listen and respond appropriately to…
A practical investigation saturated with interesting science, and one that has a thought-provoking environmental follow up activity. National Curriculum Relevance taking measurements, using a range of scientific equipment, with increasing accuracy and…
A KS2 lesson on exploring and classifying objects in different ways, such as by biodegradability and recyclability, and whether made-made or natural. Science Working scientifically gathering, recording, classifying and presenting data…
This lesson resource is associated with the linked lesson: Making Plastic - Lesson Guide.
Learn about the material that is plastic (it's properties, how it is made) and ask whether it is OK to discard items made from it. This lesson has a linked…
A KS2 lesson guide that helps develop an understanding of key terms like 'recycling' and 'recyclable' through recording and interpreting, and classifying data. Maths Interpret bar charts and pictograms Use pie…
A lesson idea to encourage investigative and enquiry skills around the theme of decomposition of different materials. The learning culminates in giving opportunities for pupils to develop important presentation skills. KS2…
After some tasty research and investigation into snacks and packaging, pupils create and then advertise their own (plastic clever) snacks to sell in school. English: Spoken Language give well-structured descriptions,…
A resource to support the Key Stage 1 maths lesson guide '100 Pieces of Plastic'.
The Sky Ocean Rescue campaign has been working hard to highlight the impact of plastics on marine life, from bottles to microbeads. This film warns us of how significant and disturbing the impact of…
An amazing visual resource introducing and explaining about Swordfish (and their rostrum). Credit: The Deep, Hull.
A colourful poster showing the current state of coral in the oceans. Credit: The Deep, Hull.
A selection of images showing litter in the environment to show just how ubiquitous plastic pollution is, and how - once you start looking for it - you find it everywhere.…
A resource to support the lesson guide 'Water Bottles - lesson guide'.
A KS1 lesson that helps pupils to identify different types of plastic: single use vs reusable, and the skills associated with using data to answer questions and persuade. Curriculum coverage Maths interpret…
A lesson guide suitable for KS1 and KS2 that looks at the term 'recycling' and how this applies to (or not) different materials such as plastic. Curriculum coverage KS1 Science Working…
A lesson resource linked to the lesson guide 'Plastic Recycling'.
A lesson guide to help encourage an understanding of the hazards presented to natural environments and living things by plastic pollution. Curriculum coverage KS1 Science Working scientifically using their observations and…
A lesson to encouraging investigation, discussion around different materials, with a focus on plastics. Curriculum coverage Key Stage 1 Science identifying and classifying distinguish between an object and the material from…
Investigating materials based on their properties and making decisions about the suitability of materials for different contexts and situations. Curriculum coverage Science KS1- identifying and classifying KS1- performing simple tests…
A reading comprehension lesson guide using the linked non-fiction text about plastic pollution. Curriculum coverage Spoken Language: articulate and justify answers, arguments and opinions give well-structured descriptions, explanations and narratives for different purposes,…
A non-fiction text about plastic pollution that supports the Reading Comprehension Lesson Guide.
A Key Stage 1 lesson involving collection, sorting and interpreting litter data found in the school playground. Curriculum coverage Maths Interpret simple tables & pictograms Ask & answer comparison questions…
A Key Stage 1/ 2 investigation into the biodegradability of plastic. Curriculum coverage Working scientifically KS1 observe closely using their observations and ideas to suggest answers to questions gathering and…
New Research by the University of Hull and the British Antarctic Survey has highlighted the emerging problem of plastic pollution in the Antarctic
Plastic pollution pictured along the coast of Wadi El Gamal national park, Marsa Alam, Egypt. Credit: Cherie Bridges
Single Use Plastic-Clever Cafe Policy This policy is part of the Kids Against Plastic 'Be Plastic Clever' campaign. A plastic clever café will: Avoid stocking single-use plastic items This includes: Straws Cups…
A mother pilot whale grieves over its dead calf. A short film from Blue Planet II.
The future of our oceans. A short film made by Blue Planet II.
Kids Against Plastic share exclusive interview footage with Steve Backshall, Simon Reeve, Sylvia Earle and more, shot at the brilliantly inspirational Steppes Beyond Festival 2017 at the Royal Geographical Society -…
The plastic you throw away could end up back in the food chain.
What is the coffee cup levy? And what do people think of it as a solution to reducing the amount disposable coffee cups we use?
There is so much plastic in our oceans, that you could be eating 11,000 microparticles of plastic per year.
The Sky Ocean Rescue campaign has been working hard to highlight the impact of plastics on marine life, from bottles to microbeads. This film raises awareness of the fact that even your clothes can…
This is the third of three videos about the life of plastic bottles, covering how we can combat plastic pollution, and also the non-plastic alternatives that are out there.
This is the second of three videos about the life of a plastic bottle, covering the consumption and disposal of bottles.
The first of three videos about plastic bottles and their negative impact on the environment throughout their lives. This video covers the manufacture and transportation of a plastic bottle.
A news bulletin about a whale that starved to death after consuming plastic, some of it from the UK.
Does it make sense to buy bottled water? Not in Buxton, Derbyshire it doesn't. A short film by Kids Against Plastic
A short film made by Kids Against Plastic explain some of the issues with single-use plastic and why we all need to do something about it. Please note: the website…
A short film made by Kids Against Plastic highlighting the amount of plastic pollution in our local river, the River Trent in Nottingham.
A crew of women embarked on an ambitious sailing expedition around the UK to raise awareness of ocean plastic and sample the water to see what damage is being done.…
An infographic showing 10 statistics about bottled water consumption. Credit: Phoxwater.com
How many throw-away coffee cups does the UK use a year?... a day?... a second? And what happens to them? Find out here? Credit: Phoxwater.com
More than eight million tonnes of plastic is thrown away each year and washed out to sea. It takes centuries to break down. It's eaten by marine creatures. And it's…
Sky Ocean Rescue is partnering with National Geographic to give 3 scholars the opportunity to drive research that will raise awareness of the issues surrounding ocean health and advance our…
An brightly illustrated information sheet full of stats and facts. Credit: The Deep, Hull.
A vibrant and engaging poster giving facts, stats and interesting information about the world's turtles.. Credit: The Deep, Hull.
Puffins at Sumburgh Head, Shetland, filmed by Hugh Harrop on 18 May 2014.
A close-up photograph of a Nurse Shark, clearly showing its barbels. Credit: Tchami. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/
A short video of a pod of Killer Whales in Mousa Sound filmed from Leebotton by Hugh Harrop on 28 July 2013.
A Moon Jellyfish filmed by Jeremy Pierce on a dive off Lerwick on 24 April 2012.
A short video clip of an Otter feeding. Filmed in Shetland by Hugh Harrop on 8 April 2012
The supporting Power Point file for the 'Plastic Ocean Assembly for KS3' case study resource.
Bottled water – a fresh-tasting, pure drink that is supposedly bottled from pristine mountain rivers. A beverage that nations spend billions of pounds on every year. And, in reality, a…
10 things you can do to help keen our seas clean. Credit: Ocean Conservancy
A Flesh-Footed Shearwater in mid-flight. By Ed Dunens (Flesh-footed Shearwater) , via Wikimedia Commons
On a remote island in the Tasman Sea Liz Bonnin meets the scientists battling to save Flesh-footed Shearwater chicks from the devastating effects of plastic pollution. NB contains disturbing scenes…
Seventeen-year-old Edgar Edmund has made a business out of turning waste plastic into bricks.
David Attenborough reinforces the message that the best solution to the problem of plastics is a combined and sustained effort by EVERYONE.
Emily Penn is an oceans advocate and works tirelessly to search for solutions to the problem of plastic pollution in our oceans.
In May 2018, a 120-meter section of the world’s first ocean cleanup system was towed out of San Francisco Bay into the Pacific to conduct a two-week tow test.
Boyan Slat, Founder and CEO of The Ocean Cleanup, the Dutch foundation developing advanced technologies to rid the oceans of plastic, announced a design breakthrough allowing for the cleanup of…
The Ocean Cleanup project: one of the most ambitious but much needed solutions to the global issue of plastic pollution.
Male seahorses incubate the eggs and then give birth. Don't believe it ... take a look.
An active display from a batch of Black Percula clownfish at The Deep aquarium, Hull.
An animation of the story of how (and how much of) our rubbish makes it into the oceans. Created by Project Aware.
An interesting video about the problem of marine debris, and what divers around the world are doing to contribute towards the fight against ocean pollution.
A close-up of a sea turtle swimming past showing off its beautifully coloured and patterned carapace (shell).
It's World Turtle Day! To shell-ebrate, the Aquarists at The Deep made a special treat for the Loggerhead sea turtles - an icey lolly slab stuffed full of nori, capelin, krill…
A short video showing the main attractions of this impressive aquarium made by The Deep, one of our resource contributors.
A stunning view of a shark - one of the top level predators found in most oceans around the world. But what breed is it? Challenge your students to identify…
Some simple tips for anyone wanting to be more Plastic Clever.
A film highlighting the plastic litter problem in the Scottish village of Arrochar.
Resource Download Link Beach Clean Colouring
“We have to make our life better for our kids’ children.” (more…)
One of the Global Goals for Sustainable Development that we have been focussing this year is Goal 12: Responsible Consumption. Whilst the UN states have agreed to take action on…
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