World Environment Day - St Aiden's - Trails of Trash Board Game

Objective: To learn how trash that is not properly disposed of on land can
become marine debris, and how marine debris can find its way back onto land.

Activity: Students play a board game that illustrates some ways that trash
discarded on land gets into the sea, as well as how marine debris can get back to
land. The object of the game is to successfully make it to the trash can at the end
of the path.

Vocabulary: stormwater runoff

Materials:
One copy of the "Trails and Trials of Trash Game Board" [PDF, 1389Kb] handout
for each group of three or four students in the class

A cent/penny for each student

Scissors

Tape

One dice for each group of three or four students in the class

Subjects: Language Arts, Science, Social Studies

Learning Skills: Analysing. Visualising, Working in Small Groups

Duration: 40 minutes

Divide the class into groups of three and four students. Pass out one copy
of the "Trails and Trials of Trash Game Board" handout to each group. Have
each student in the group choose one of the game pieces from the handout
( the six-pack ring, the plastic cup, the balloon, or the fishing net), cut it out,
and tape it to a penny.
After all of the students have assembled their game pieces, explain how the
game is played. The game board is divided into two sections: the land
section and the sea section. The object of the game is to be the first piece of
trash to make it to the trash can at the end of the land section.
All players start on the "Land Start" space. Each player takes a turn rolling
the dice. The player with the highest number goes first, and the others follow
in a clockwise fashion. In turn, each player rolls the dice and moves the
number of spaces indicated.
If the player lands on a space without written instructions, the player remains
on that space until his or her next turn.
If the player lands on a space with instructions, the player must follow those
instructions.
If the player is on the land section of the board and the instructions indicate
that he or she has been washed to sea, the player moves his or her game
piece to the "Ocean Start" space.
If the player is in the ocean section of the game board and the instructions
tell the player to move back to the land, the player moves his or her game
piece to the "Land Start" space.
The game continues until one of the players arrives at the trash can. (
Note: Players need to land on the trash can with an exact roll of the dice to
finish the game.)

Ask the students to write a story, poem, or song about the "travels" of a piece of
marine debris. The story, poem, or song should discuss where the marine debris
began its journey, how it "travelled," where it "travelled," and where it ended up.
Another option is to write, stage, and perform a play or puppet show that illustrates
the "travels" of one or more pieces of marine debris.

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Environment
Trails of Trash Game

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