Curriculum / ELA / 5th Grade / Unit 3: Protecting the Earth: Plastic Pollution / Lesson 9
ELA
Unit 3
5th Grade
Lesson 9 of 16
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Write two strong paragraphs describing why we have a plastic pollution problem and how plastic pollution impacts the ocean.
Book: Trash Vortex: How Plastic Pollution Is Choking the World's Oceans by Danielle Smith-Llera
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Tasks that represents the peak thinking of the lesson - mastery will indicate whether or not objective was achieved
One solution for minimizing the amount of plastic pollution in the ocean is to educate others. Your job is to educate other classrooms around the school about why we have a plastic problem and how the plastic problem is impacting the ocean.
To do so, you’ll need to:
(Note: At the end of the unit, students will build onto this assignment by adding suggested solutions for solving the plastic pollution problem.)
An example response to the Target Task at the level of detail expected of the students.
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L.5.2.a — Use punctuation to separate items in a series.
W.5.2 — Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
W.5.2.a — Introduce a topic clearly, provide a general observation and focus, and group related information logically; include formatting (e.g., headings), illustrations, and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
W.5.2.b — Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic.
W.5.2.e — Provide a concluding statement or section related to the information or explanation presented
W.5.7 — Conduct short research projects that use several sources to build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.
W.5.9 — Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
Standards that are practiced daily but are not priority standards of the unit
L.5.1 — Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
L.5.1.a — Explain the function of conjunctions, prepositions, and interjections in general and their function in particular sentences.
L.5.2 — Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
L.5.3.a — Expand, combine, and reduce sentences for meaning, reader/listener interest, and style.
L.5.6 — Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal contrast, addition, and other logical relationships (e.g., however, although, nevertheless, similarly, moreover, in addition).
W.5.4 — Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1—3 above.)
W.5.5 — With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.
W.5.6 — With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of two pages in a single sitting.
Lesson 8
Lesson 10
Explain what it means to have a plastic problem.
RI.5.3
Explain how plastic ends up in a gyre and what happens to it once it is there.
Explain why the author uses the words grotesque, astounding, and dramatic to describe what Moore and his team found.
L.5.4.c RI.5.3
Explain how Leo Baekeland invented plastic.
Analyze how plastic became such a large part of everyday life.
L.5.2.a RI.5.3
Explain what evidence the author uses to emphasize how much plastic is in the ocean and its impact on the ecosystem.
RI.5.3 RI.5.8
Analyze how plastic has a negative impact on ocean ecosystems and humans.
Explain what the author means by the quote, "we need to think about the items we are using not just on beaches, but also inland and communities far upstream as well."
Writing – 3 days
L.5.2.a W.5.2 W.5.2.a W.5.2.b W.5.2.e W.5.7 W.5.9
Opinion Writing – 4 days
Write an opinion piece defending whether or not single-use plastics should be banned by citing evidence from multiple texts and building an argument.
L.5.2.e L.5.3.a RI.5.8 SL.5.1 SL.5.4 W.5.1 W.5.1.a W.5.1.b W.5.5 W.5.8
Explain what strategies the author recommends to help reduce the amount of plastic in the ocean and the pros and cons of the strategies.
RI.5.3 RI.5.9
Explain what "stealth microplastics" are and what steps we can take to reduce plastic waste from microplastics.
Describe how Shelby’s actions show that a single person can make a difference.
Assessment
Write multiple paragraphs that describe a solution for reducing the school’s use of plastic after researching different alternatives. Create a presentation to convince others around the school to take part and minimize the school’s use of plastic.
L.5.2.a L.5.2.e L.5.3.a L.5.3.b L.5.4.c SL.5.4 SL.5.5 SL.5.6 W.5.1 W.5.1.a W.5.1.b W.5.2.a W.5.2.b W.5.2.e W.5.6 W.5.7 W.5.9
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