Plastic Patrol Game Kit Plastic Patrol
The Great Ocean Cleanup Race
Start
2
3 Litter Pick-up!
4
5 Trivia Card
10
9
8 Ghost Net!
7
6
11
12 Trivia Card
13
14 Current Ride!
15
20
19
18 Reusable Bag!
17
16 Trivia Card
21
22 Plastic Storm!
23
24
25 Trivia Card
Finish! Ocean Guardian Island
28
27
26
Game Rules:
Roll one die and move that many spaces.
Follow instructions on the space you land on.
Purple space? Draw a Trivia Card.
Answer correctly? Stay. Wrong? Go back 1 space.
Earth Day Edition
Trivia Cards
Cut along the dashed lines! Answers are on the next page.
Trivia #1
What is the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch"?
Trivia #2
What are microplastics?
Trivia #3
Which marine animal often mistakes plastic bags for jellyfish?
Trivia #4
How long does a plastic bottle take to break down in the ocean?
Trivia #5
True or False: Most microplastics come from larger items breaking down.
Trivia #6
Which "R" means using something again instead of tossing it?
Trivia #7
What is the most common item found on beaches?
Trivia #8
Why use a refillable water bottle?
Assembly & Answers
Player Tokens
SCOUT
ANCHOR
NAVIGATOR
GUARD
Trivia Answer Key
1: Floating plastic patch in North Pacific.
2: Plastic pieces smaller than 5mm.
3: Sea Turtles.
4: Around 450 years.
5: True.
6: Reuse.
7: Cigarette butts (contain plastic).
8: Stops single-use plastic waste.
Build-a-Die
Cut solid, fold dashed, tape tabs!
1
2
3
4
5
6
Plastic Tides Worksheet PLASTIC TIDES
Earth Day Special Report • 6th Grade Edition
Student Name:
Date:
The Blue Planet's Burden
Earth is often called the "Blue Planet" because nearly 71% of its surface is covered by water. However, this vast blue expanse is facing a quiet, floating crisis. Every year, an estimated 11 million metric tons of plastic enter our oceans. This is roughly equivalent to dumping one garbage truck full of plastic into the sea every single minute of every single day.
Unlike natural materials like wood or paper, plastic doesn't biodegrade. It doesn't rot or turn back into soil. Instead, it undergoes photodegradation, where sunlight breaks the plastic into tiny fragments, less than five millimeters long, known as microplastics.
"The ocean is the heart of our planet. If we lose the ocean, we lose ourselves."
— Dr. Sylvia Earle
The Great Pacific Soup
In the North Pacific Ocean, a massive collection of debris has formed what scientists call the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP). Despite its name, it isn't a solid island of trash. Instead, it is more like a giant "plastic soup." The majority consists of microplastics that hang suspended in the water column, making the water look cloudy and murky.
Marine animals often mistake these plastic pieces for food. Sea turtles may see a floating plastic bag and think it's a jellyfish, their favorite snack. Once consumed, the plastic can cause starvation because the animal's stomach feels full, but they receive no actual nutrition from the plastic debris.
What Can We Do?
The best way to help the ocean is to stop plastic at its source. Reducing our use of single-use plastics—like straws, water bottles, and plastic bags—is the most effective step. On this Earth Day, think about how you can replace plastic with reusable alternatives. Small choices made by millions of people can turn the tide.
Check Your Understanding
1. According to the text, how much plastic enters the ocean every minute?
One garbage truck full
Five million metric tons
Eleven garbage truck fulls
One metric ton
2. What does the process of "photodegradation" do to plastic?
Turns it into healthy soil
Melts it into a liquid
Breaks it into smaller pieces
Causes it to sink to the bottom
3. Why is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch described as "plastic soup"?
It is mostly made of hot water that smells like soup.
It is primarily composed of tiny microplastics floating in the water.
It is a solid mass that can only be seen with a microscope.
It changes its shape every time the wind blows.
Plastic Tides Answer Key Answer Key
Plastic Tides • Earth Day Report
Teacher Resource
Target Grade
6th Grade
Total Questions
6 MCQs
Key Topics
Ecology, Pollution
Correct Responses
1
One garbage truck full
Literal recall from paragraph one.
2
Breaks it into smaller pieces
Definition of photodegradation provided in text.
3
It is primarily composed of tiny microplastics floating in the water.
Inference: The "soup" refers to suspended particles rather than a solid mass.
4
Animals mistake it for food, leading to possible starvation.
Recall: Direct evidence given about turtle consumption of bags.
5
Reducing use of single-use plastic
Recall: Author identifies this as the "most effective step."
6
To inform readers about the plastic crisis and inspire action.
Main idea: Combines information with advocacy.
Instructional Guidance
Vocabulary Support
Biodegrade: Breakdown by living organisms.
Photodegradation: Breakdown by sunlight.
Suspended: Floating within a liquid column.
Discussion Starters
Why is the patch hard to see from space?
Identify one item you can swap for a reusable one today.
Plastic Tides Slides Earth Day 2026
Plastic Tides
Protecting our oceans from the floating crisis.
A Global Crisis
11M
Metric tons of plastic
Enter the ocean every single year.
1 Truck / Min
The equivalent of dumping one garbage truck into the sea every minute.
Unlike paper or wood, plastic never truly goes away.
It doesn't rot. It only breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces called microplastics.
The "Plastic Soup"
It's not an island...
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a massive whirlpool of debris. Most of it is invisible from satellites because it's made of microplastics suspended below the surface.
< 5mm in size
North Pacific
Why is it deadly?
Sea turtles mistake bags for jellyfish.
Birds feed plastic to their chicks.
Animals feel "full" but die of starvation.
"Marine life cannot distinguish between nutrition and pollution."
Turn the Tide
Small changes can lead to big waves of impact.
Rethink
Choose reusable bags and bottles.
Refuse
Say "no" to plastic straws and cutlery.
Speak
Share what you know with friends and family.
Save Our Seas
