Students investigate how marine pollution harms ocean animals, habitats, and people, then use what they learn to answer how we can protect ocean life and keep local water and beaches clean. Through beach or boating-based launch experiences, videos, literature, games, and guidance from University of Miami WAVES and SeaKeepers of South Florida, they build understanding of marine ecosystems, pollution impacts, and persuasive communication. Working in teams, students create and revise a student-choice multimedia PSA using peer feedback, then share their work at a community tabling event with families, staff, peers, and partners. The project helps students practice critical thinking, collaboration, content knowledge, and clear communication through work that has a real local audience and purpose.

Students investigate how ocean habitats and marine animals stay healthy, how pollution harms ecosystems, and how those changes affect people’s lives and local waterways. They analyze photos, videos, stories, and simple data to answer the questions about protecting ocean life and keeping water and beaches clean, then use critical thinking to propose realistic solutions. In teams, students practice shared decision-making, give “Glows and Grows” feedback, revise their ideas, and create a student-chosen multimedia PSA that uses facts, persuasive techniques, and a clear call to action. Students also strengthen speaking, listening, and presentation skills by preparing to share their work with community partners, families, and other audiences at a public tabling event.

Students will create observation drawings, simple pollution data charts, and idea sketches as they investigate how marine ecosystems stay healthy and how pollution harms ocean animals and people. In teams, they will draft and revise persuasive messages using “Glows and Grows,” then choose a final multimedia PSA format such as a poster, short video, brochure, or illustrated story with a clear call to action about protecting local water and beaches. They will also prepare table displays, speaking notes, and audience-friendly visuals for a community sharing event with families, staff, students, and partners from the University of Miami WAVES program and SeaKeepers of South Florida. By the end, each team will present a polished PSA campaign that combines facts, visuals, and persuasive techniques to encourage citizens to reduce marine pollution.

Begin with a shared “Ocean Rescue Challenge” that includes a short beach or boating field experience, or a simulated shoreline in the classroom, where students observe and sort safe items, trash, and natural materials while noticing how animals and habitats are affected. Follow with a vivid read-aloud, short video clips about pollution harming marine life, and a movement-based game in which pollution spreads through a food web so students can see how one human action affects many living things. Invite a speaker or virtual message from the University of Miami WAVES program or SeaKeepers of South Florida to connect the issue to local waters, then have students sketch what they noticed and wonder about before discussing how people can protect ocean animals and keep local water and beaches clean.

Host a marine conservation showcase where students present their choice-based multimedia PSAs, posters, brochures, stories, or videos to families, school staff, other students, local community members, and partners from the University of Miami WAVES program and SeaKeepers of South Florida. Include a student-led tabling event where teams share facts about healthy marine ecosystems, explain how pollution affects ocean animals and people, and invite visitors to take a simple action pledge to reduce marine pollution. Students can also display drawings, design drafts, and “Glows and Grows” feedback to show how their ideas improved through critique and revision. If possible, connect the exhibition to a beach, boating, or community water-focused event so students share their learning in a real-world setting.