The Mess We Made STEAM Books Module Plan
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Provided by: UCI Science Project|Published on: March 26, 2026
Lesson PlansScientist Reviewed
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Synopsis
- In this five-day lesson plan, students will understand why plastic waste is a problem that impacts our oceans and what they can do to help.
- This lesson plan uses the book The Mess We Made to demonstrate the issue, while having students do activities to recycle materials into artwork and assess the plastic problem at their school.
Subjects: Science
Authors: Gina Liebengood
Region: Global, California
Languages: English
Teaching Materials
Positives
- The Mess We That We Made uses repetition to drive home the big issue of plastic pollution in our ocean.
- Students will love using recycled materials to create art.
Prerequisites
- Teachers will either need the physical copy of The Mess That We Made, or they can use the read-aloud video that is available in the slides presentation.
- Some of the videos embedded in the slideshow may not play.
- For many of the lessons, teachers will need to gather pieces of trash that can be used for the demonstration.
- For the optional videos in Lesson 4, the link to the video showing how to process plastic waste into bracelets is broken, and the video for recycled art may be too advanced for students.
Differentiation & Implementation
- This lesson can be used to make connections to Sustainable Development Goal 14, Life Below Water.
- Lesson 3 suggests using a reusable cup to demonstrate the "reduce" portion of "reduce, reuse, and recycle" and using a washable plate instead of a paper one for "reuse". Teachers may want to frame "reuse" with a more distinctly different example, such as reusing a disposable shopping bag to carry your library books instead of throwing it away.
- On the day of Lesson 3, teachers can encourage students to collect a few pieces of clean trash they would like to use to make their art for Lesson 4.
In this lesson, students will learn about trash and how to reduce it. They will explore the impact of trash on the environment and nature, using the ocean as a specific example. The lesson guides students from understanding the problem to taking actions to address it, empowering them to engage more deeply with the topic. The information presented is accurate, and this resource is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
About the Partner Provider
UCI Science Project
UCI Science Project is grounded in research-based educational practices and understands the paradigm shifts needed for the Next Generation Science Standards. Our goal is to support educators as transformative leaders who build capacity in their schools through empowering learning experiences. We are firmly committed to addressing racial, social, and environmental injustices through collaborative efforts that position educators as agents of change for community action.
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
