Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to:

1. Identify and evaluate ways that litter pollution can endanger wildlife.
2. Propose ways they can help eliminate these dangers.

Method

Students collect and evaluate litter, making collages.

Teacher Planning

Subjects: Studies, Language Arts. Science, Art, Math
Skills: analysis, classification, computation, discussion. evaluation, media construction, observation, problem solving, small group work, synthesis
Duration: minimum of 45 minutes
Group size: small teams of three to five students
Conceptual Framework Reference: I.B., l.B,2., .I.B.,3., IC.. l.C.3. I.C,4.. 1.D., V,A., V.A.5,, V.B,1.,. VI.A.5.. Vll,A.,. VlI.A.1.. Vll,A.2., Vll.A.3.. Vll.A.4,, VII.B.,. VII.B.1., Vll.B.2., VII.B,3,. VII.B,7
Key Vocabulary: litter, pollution
Materials: Paper for mounting types of litter. Large sheets of butcher collages, glue, different

Background

Environmental pollution affects all forms of life. Litter is unsightly. It also exposes wildlife and other animals to illness, injury, and death. Monofilament fish line may get tangled on legs and beaks of water birds like geese and herons. Some of these birds need to run short distances to take off when they fly. The fish line prevents this. It also interferes with their swimming. Birds with long bills often get line wrapped around their bills and cannot open them to eat. They starve to death. The line also gets tangled in their wings, preventing the birds from flying.

Sometimes fish or birds get into the loop portions of plastic six-pack can holders. The animal continues to grow, but the loop wont stretch. A slow death results. These loops can also get tangled around the feet of waterfowl.

Half-open cans are a problem. Animals like deer can cut their tongues on the cans. Sometimes smaller animals get their heads stuck inside such cans and they can’t eat. Starvation is the result. Mice and chipmunks crawl into opened bottles and get trapped inside, unable to get a footing on the slippery glass to push themselves out through the small opening.

Shiny bottle caps or pop-tops may be eaten by wildlife, including fish, injuring or killing them. Cigarette butts, cellophane wrappers, and styrofoam cups eaten by deer, can cause internal problems.

Broken glass from bottles and other glass objects can injure people, pets, and wildlife.
You can contact your state fish and wildlife agency, or other state agencies, for additional information about problems resulting from litter. including local examples. Such personnel and others, including representatives of private environmental, conservation, and animal welfare organizations may also be available to assist you in considering alternatives for reducing litter problems.

The major purpose of this activity is to alert students to the dangers of litter pollution, and to consideration of responsible actions people can take to minimize consequences of litter pollution.

Activities

1. Divide the class into three or four teams.
2. Ask each team to bring a collection of litter to class in a paper bag. Suggest they look in parks, camping areas, or school grounds. NOTE: They should not take things out of garbage cans.
3. Rave the teams make and display collages of these items.
4. Discuss the effects of litter. Optional: Ask a wildlife expert to join the class for the discussion. If available, show a film Cr read brochures on the subject.
5. Ask the students to assign a numerical value to each kind of litter. The item potentially most harmful to wildlife has the highest score; least harmful has the lowest score.
6. Have each team figure a total score for their collage based on the numerical values of each piece of litter.
7. Propose and evaluate ways that people can eliminate litter pollution. Can manufacturers make cans with openings other than pop-tops? Could they devise another method of packaging six-packs? How could people fishing have more control over losing their fishing line? How can individuals be instructed about the dangers as well as the unsightliness of littering? What can the students do personally-as individuals, as groups, or as family units-to eliminate or reduce their own litter?

Evaluation

Name four ways that litter can harm wildlife.
List three things you can do to eliminate these dangers.
Propose what you consider to be one of the most effective ways to eliminate or reduce litter.