Upper Elementary Application:

Art Project
Jasmin Ventura
Learning Objectives
Specific: Students will learn about plastic waste in their community and how it affects the ocean
and environment around them. They will research ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle waste.
They will also take pictures of waste they find in their community to display in the art exhibit as
a way to raise awareness.
Measurable: Students will self-evaluate their individual art projects with a checklist and their
exhibit will be evaluated by the teacher through a rubric.
Achievable: Students will collaborate on researching methods of reusing plastic waste. Each
student will venture out into their neighborhood and collect any plastic waste they come
across. The goal is to use this plastic and create any form of art they feel will send a message to
their community.
Relevant: It is important for the students to learn about their effects on the ocean as this can
greatly impact their future. Learning to have empathy for ocean life and understanding that
change starts with them can instill helpful habits down the road.
Timely: This project will span across 1 month focusing on 1 activity per week. This will give
students the time to freely research and understand the topic on their own.

What will they learn?

The students will learn about the environment around them as well as how their habits can
affect it. Littering, not properly recycling, and the over usage of plastic can lead to abundant
amounts found in the ocean. This will eventually lead to harming the seas living creatures. The
students will learn methods of preventing plastic from entering the ocean by thinking of
alternative materials to use as well as ways of turning plastic waste into art.

Why is this important?

The students will understand the damaging cycle of plastic going from the store and ending up
in the ocean. It is important for them to learn this from a young age as they will become more
aware of their habits and its effects on the ocean. This also teaches students that they have a
voice and have the ability to send a message their community. It sharpens their leadership and
language skills by having them research ways to deliver a message to their community. This
project will focus on encouraging the students to raise awareness about the plastic pollution
growth within their own community. It will be broken down into four activities. Each activity
will foster the students’ knowledge of the impact they can have in their community, as well as
the influence they can have on their environment in the future.

Activity 1: Learn about Plastic Waste

In this activity students will research and watch a documentary on the effects of plastic waste.
They will discuss why plastic is harmful such as how long it takes to decompose. Eventually they
will be tasked with finding ways to reduce waste, reuse plastic, and proper recycling
techniques.
 Use tablets for research

 Talk about which products use plastic

(bottles, bags, wrapping)

 Think of ways to replace commonly used

plastic products

Activity 2: Collect Plastic from the Community

In this activity students will venture out into their community to collect any plastic waste they
come across. This may include parks and the neighborhood they live in. They will be
encouraged to take photos where they found the waste as this will later become part of their
art project. They will be encouraged to collect plastic waste they may generate in their homes
and at s
.
 Students will be given a form in which they
can keep track of the plastic waste they have
found as well as its location.

 Students can use their phones or be given

tablets to take photographs of the plastic
waste in their community.

Activity 3: Individual Art Project

After collecting plastic waste found in their community, home and school, students will be
tasked with the assignment of creating their own individual art project. The students are free to
create something useful, decorative, or a means of sending a message. The only requirement is
that the students use the materials they've collected within their community. Students will use
their imagination to create any form of art such as a sculpture or model. The idea students will
be conveying is that waste can be created into something new and helpful rather than hurtful.
Some ideas may include a canvas using bottle caps instead of paint, a sculpture of a turtle made
from joining straws together, turning bottles into vases or storage, or jellyfish models hanging
from the ceiling made from plastic bags.
 Students will use the plastic waste they
have collected to create an individual art
project.
  Students will follow the checklist* given to
them as guide for their project.

Activity 4: Art Exhibit

The Art exhibit will be presented in two stages.
Stage 1:
The first stage will depict how plastic use goes from the store, to our home, to the ocean, and
the negative impact it has. They are encouraged to use the photos they took previously to
remind the community of their impact on the environment around them. They will also display
pictures of the pollution found in oceans and its effects on the oceans living creatures. This
stage will primarily focus on the effects of human actions and why it is important to start
changing our ways of plastic use.
Stage 2:
The second stage would focus on methods in preventing, reusing, and recycling plastic waste.
Here students will present their individual art projects made from the plastic waste they've
collected. The way the exhibit is decorative is up to the students and most importantly this will
show students how they can make a change by leading by example.
The teacher will walk around evaluating the exhibit based on the rubric*.

21st Century Skills

Creativity - Students will have to think about the task at hand in new and creative ways. They
are given the freedom to use their imagination of how plastic can be made into something
different.

Communication - Students will have to visually communicate with their community of the
impact plastic waste has on the ocean. By using different forms of media, they will be able to
send their message and be heard.

Collaboration - Students will have to work together in researching and discussing different
methods of reducing waste, reusing resources, and recycling materials. After they will work
together in displaying their artwork in a cohesive and meaningful exhibit.
Emotional Intelligence - Students will become self-aware of their own plastic use and how their
negative habits may effect the environment and those around them. They will understand
empathy for the oceans creatures and feel the motivation to make a change.

Leadership and Social Influence - Students will realize that in order to make a change they
must lead by example. Taking initiative to bring awareness to their community develops
leadership skills as well as have an influence on others.

Cross Curricular Goals

English
The students will be researching and gathering information on ocean pollution that can later
help develop their art project. They will discuss and develop the ability to send a message to
their community.

Science
The students will be studying the plastic waste issue within their own community. Through
research they will learn the impact of littering and how lack of recycling can leave a negative
impact on the environment around them. They will discuss the scientific aspect as to why
plastic is bad for the environment as well as why it takes years for it to break down.

Art
The students will apply all the knowledge they have gathered to an art exhibit they will host for
the community. Students will create decorative and useful things out of the plastic they have
found within their community. Students are free to use their imagination and create what they
feel best sends the message they want to convey.

Engineering
The students will discuss and research different methods of reducing waste, reusing resources,
and recycling materials. They will show their community how they can reduce waste by
switching plastic items for more sustainable ones. They will also show how to reuse plastic by
turning them into works of art that can bring joy or be useful.

Social Studies
The students will learn how the habits of their community can lead to plastic pollution in the
ocean. They will raise awareness of this issue and send a message to their community through
art and the research they have found.

References
Maleficio, J. (2018, April 11). How To Cultivate Environmental Awareness In Schools - Viewing Blog Post.
Retrieved July 25, 2020, from https://www.greenschoolsalliance.org/blogs/60/628