Ocean Guardians Unite

Learning Goals & Products

Learning Goals

Students will be able to investigate marine habitats and ocean animals to identify what healthy local marine ecosystems need to survive and thrive.

Students will be able to analyze pollution evidence to determine how trash and plastic harm marine life, beaches, and local waterways.

Students will be able to empathize with local ocean users and marine life to explain how pollution affects people, animals, and places they care about.

Students will be able to define a clear marine pollution problem from user observations and simple field notes.

Students will be able to generate multiple ideas for a student-friendly PSA that teaches how to protect ocean life and keep beaches clean.

Students will be able to prototype a simple PSA artifact using drawings, words, and visuals that communicates a call to action about reducing marine pollution.

Students will be able to test and refine a PSA prototype using peer feedback and audience questions to improve clarity and persuasiveness.

Students will be able to justify a final marine conservation message using facts, persuasive language, and evidence from their investigation.

Products

individual

Marine Pollution Research Notebook and One-Page PSA Draft

Each student creates a research notebook page with observation sketches, a simple data chart, and notes from field experience, reading, or video evidence, then turns that evidence into an individual one-page PSA draft. The draft must show the student’s own understanding of the problem and include a clear call to action.

team

Team Marine Conservation PSA Campaign and Community Tabling Display

Teams combine their individual research and prototype ideas into one polished PSA campaign for families and community partners. The final product includes a shared problem statement, a higher-fidelity PSA in a chosen format, and a simple tabling display for public sharing and questions.

Rubric

Competency Progression Rubric Competency-first rubric

Category	Learning Goal	Stage 1	Stage 2	Stage 3	Stage 4
Deeper Learning Competencies	Critical Thinking & Problem Solving	I can describe what happens to ocean animals and their habitats when pollution is present by sorting examples (safe items, trash, and natural materials) and naming at least one effect I noticed in the investigation.	I can explain how pollution spreads and affects more than one living thing (using the food-web game or video/model) by connecting one human action to an outcome for animals and people in my own words.	I can use evidence from observations, drawings, and simple charts to ask clear “why/how” questions and identify a realistic problem related to local waters or beaches, then suggest a solution that could help ocean animals.	I can propose and justify a solution for reducing marine pollution by reasoning from multiple pieces of evidence, predicting what might happen if people take the action, and revising my ideas using feedback to make my PSA stronger.
Deeper Learning Competencies	Collaboration	I can work with my team by sharing materials and taking turns during ocean-rescue investigations and PSA planning I can follow our agreed-upon team routines and ask for help when I am unsure what to do.	I can collaborate with my team by contributing ideas for how pollution affects marine life and people, and by choosing among options during PSA planning I can listen to teammates’ suggestions, respond respectfully, and adjust my plan when the team decides together.	I can lead part of our team work by helping organize tasks (like sketches, charts, or speaking notes) and keeping our group on track I can use “Glows and Grows” feedback to improve our message and explain how my changes help the PSA persuade the audience.	I can collaborate with confidence by co-designing our multimedia PSA with shared decision-making from start to finish I can resolve disagreements respectfully, support quieter teammates to contribute, and refine our final product based on peer feedback and audience needs at the community showcase.
Deeper Learning Competencies	Effective Communication	I can share my ideas about ocean pollution and how to help using complete sentences during class discussions or show-and-tell, and I can listen to others when they speak.	I can clearly explain what I observed (from drawings, charts, videos, or read-alouds) and connect it to a simple reason and a suggestion for protecting ocean animals, using vocabulary from our project.	I can communicate my team’s message with accurate facts and a clear call to action in my PSA draft, and I can use “Glows and Grows” feedback to revise my wording, visuals, and speaking notes so my audience can understand.	I can present my team’s multimedia PSA to a community audience confidently and respectfully, adapting how I speak and show information to match the listener (families, partners, and peers) while using persuasive techniques and answering simple questions about our solutions.
Deeper Learning Competencies	Content Expertise	I can describe what I notice in ocean-related observations (safe items, trash, and natural materials) and I can name basic ways pollution can harm marine animals and their habitats using pictures or examples from the launch videos/read-aloud.	I can use facts from what we observed and learned to explain how pollution spreads in a food web and affects more than one living thing, and I can match simple evidence (drawings, charts, or observations) to my statements in my PSA.	I can connect multiple sources (field observation, video/read-aloud, and class discussion) to explain how polluted water affects ocean animals, habitats, and people, and I can choose accurate details to support my persuasive message and call to action.	I can independently use accurate content and simple reasoning to show how specific human actions cause ecosystem problems and how protection strategies can help local ocean life, and I can revise my PSA to correct or strengthen facts using peer feedback (“Glows and Grows”).