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Teach with the microPlastics DJ

Students play four common plastics as instruments, then discover they are hearing real Raman spectroscopy data, the same measurements scientists use to find plastic pollution in the Great Lakes. Sound first, science second.

Grades 5 to 12 NGSS-aligned 45 to 60 minutes No install, works offline
Start here

Lesson 01: Hearing the Invisible

A single class period that moves from sensory exploration to scientific framing to a discussion of what microplastics mean for water, food, and bodies. Works whole-class on a projector, in small groups, or as a tactile Makey Makey station.

By the end of class, students can:
  1. Describe what a molecular fingerprint is and why each plastic has a unique one.
  2. Identify three of the four plastic types (PET, PE, PP, PS) by name and an everyday source.
  3. Explain how scientists use Raman spectroscopy to identify pollution they cannot see.
  4. State at least one reason this matters for the Great Lakes.
The 50-minute flow
5 min
Hook: listen first, ask laterPlay the plastics with no setup. Ask "what did you just hear?" Take every answer. Then: "every sound you just heard is a piece of real scientific data."
10 min
Free play: discoveryStudents explore. Can you make each plastic sound as different as possible? Make a song using only two. Which instrument mode makes the differences easiest to hear?
10 min
The reveal: sound to sciencePoint to the spectrum. Each plastic vibrates in a unique pattern under a laser. The peaks became the notes they played. Every note is a real measurement.
10 min
Connect to the Great LakesThe lakes hold 21 percent of the world's surface fresh water. Tiny plastics arrive from runoff, washing machines, and the air. Scientists need a way to find and identify them. Now students know what it sounds like.
5 min
Exit ticket"Explain to a younger student what a molecular fingerprint is, using the word plastic and the word sound."
▶ Open the DJ Request the full lesson pack →
More ways to teach it
Lesson 02: The Research Journey (5-day unit)
A week-long unit that walks all eight tools in sequence, from sampling to detection to the food web. Day-by-day plan, NGSS-aligned.
Lesson 04: Spectrum Lab (data literacy)
A 60 to 90 minute follow-up where students read and compare real spectra, introducing wavenumber and frequency for older grades.
Lesson 05: Food Web Cascade (systems thinking)
What happens after detection: how plastics move into daphnia and biomagnify through fish, grounded in the Wei lab's research.
Lesson 06: Filtration Station (engineering design)
The "how do you catch these things" angle: a 90-minute engineering-design lesson on membrane filtration.
How to facilitate it

Guide discovery, do not lecture.

Let students explore before you explain. Open with questions, not answers: "what do you notice?" and "why do you think they sound different?" The wonder comes first; the vocabulary lands after. Each tool ships with a one-page facilitation card carrying three guiding questions, common student responses, and a debrief prompt, designed to print and keep on a clipboard.

Every lesson is NGSS-aligned, with a full standards crosswalk covering performance expectations, science practices, crosscutting concepts, and disciplinary core ideas. Differentiation notes cover grades 5 to 7, grades 10 to 12, English language learners, and sensory accommodations. The tool itself supports keyboard navigation, screen readers, reduced motion, and a light or dark theme.

Bring the microPlastics DJ to your students.

The tool is free and runs in any browser. Want the full printable lesson pack, the student handout, and the facilitation cards? Reach out and we will send them.

▶ Play the DJ Request the lesson pack →