Subject taught
- Chemistry

Link
https://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-really-happens-to-the-plastic-you-throw-away-emma-bryce

Type of Product
- Videos

Language Skills Developed
- Interaction
- Listening
- Speaking
- Writing

Transferable/Scientific Skills Developed
Students will develop communication skills, self-motivation, analytical skills, critical thinking skills, problem-solving skills.

Description
General aims
Students will be able to explain the phenomenon and provide solutions. They will acquire the basic English vocabulary connected with the topic (plastic waste). Students will develop positive learning habits (organisational and ecological and problem-solving skills).
Linguistic aims
Students will be able to:
- listen to English audio passages with ease
- reflect on their listening experience and share it with their peers
- get the main ideas from a listening text
- comprehend the topic correctly
- translate words connected with the topic (discarded plastic bottles) from English into their mother tongue.
Subject specific aims
Students will be able to:
- explain the phenomenon and effects
- provide solutions to related problems in their context
- act pro-socially and prevent the phenomenon
Target groups age:
Students from high school 16-18+ years old. What is more, this web site can be used by anyone who wants to do extend knowledge about the perils of plastic.
Level of competence in English (CEFR)
B2
Time required to use the resource with the students: 2 or 3 hours (if the debate is organised)

How to use it
Teacher initiates a class discussion on plastic bottles and invites students to explore the origins of plastic bottles. After eliciting from students the class watches the first part of the video and compares and comments on their findings. The teacher highlights the new vocabulary and asks students L1 equivalents (L1= mother tongue). The teacher sets class into three groups which will follow three different journeys of discarded bottles. While watching the video, students take notes on the key words/phrases given by the teacher before watching the video: 1. First group: landfill, leachate, how long it takes a bottle to decompose 2. Second group: ocean, plastic debris, food chain 3. Third group: shredded, raw materials, reborn. The teacher gives students the above key words in advance so they know what to look for when watching the video. Class discussion follows. Debate Solutions: Recycling or reduction?
Follow up activity: students watch theTED lesson at home and do the embedded tasks (Watch, the Big Deeper and Discuss). They can go in depth and read the texts suggested at The Big Deeper section and in class share their reading findings with peers. Students can also discuss on the topic provided by the Discuss section in class.
• Possible difficulties for the students
Students who have poor knowledge of English can have problems with understanding the content. When organising the debate the teacher has to instruct and prepare students on how to run a debate.

Comments
The strengths of the video lie in: - clear accessible explanations - Illustrative examples The vocabulary may pose some problems, that is why the teacher should introduce it to students. This web site is scientifically reliable and can be recommended to students. It is well-organised and accessible. Students can watch it at their pace and play it as many times as they need. The layout highlights the most important points. The resource can be used as support for a range of learning activities (self- study, project work).

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