Curriculum / ELA / 5th Grade / Unit 3: Protecting the Earth: Plastic Pollution / Lesson 12

Protecting the Earth: Plastic Pollution

Lesson 12

ELA

Unit 3

5th Grade

Lesson 12 of 18

Lesson Overview

Objective

Explain what strategies the author recommends to help reduce the amount of plastic in the ocean and the pros and cons of each strategy.

Readings and Materials

Book: Trash Vortex: How Plastic Pollution Is Choking the World's Oceans by Danielle Smith-Llera pp. 44–48

Lesson Notes

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Resource: Plastic Pollution Note-Taker (G5, U3)

Lesson Notes

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Lesson Map

Lesson

Explain what it means to have a "plastic problem."

Materials

“Single-Use Plastics” — Figure 1.2–Figure 1.8 (Print pages 3–7 in packets for students)

Standards

RI.5.3

Lesson

Explain how plastic ends up in a gyre and what happens to it once it is there.

Materials

Trash Vortex pp. 4–10 — to the top

Standards

RI.5.3

Lesson

Explain why the author uses the words grotesque, astounding, and dramatic to describe what Moore and his team found.

Materials

Trash Vortex pp. 10–13

Standards

L.5.4.cRI.5.3

Lesson

Language

Combine sentences using prepositions and relative pronouns.

Standards

L.5.3.a

Lesson

Explain how Leo Baekeland invented plastic.

Materials

Trash Vortex pp. 14–20 — (End of first paragraph)

Standards

L.5.3.aRI.5.3

progress
monitoring

Lesson

Analyze how plastic became such a large part of everyday life.

Materials

Trash Vortex pp. 20–25 — start from the bottom paragraph

Standards

L.5.2.aL.5.3.aRI.5.3

Lesson

Explain what evidence the author uses to emphasize how much plastic is in the ocean and its impact on the ecosystem.

Materials

Trash Vortex pp. 26–31

Standards

L.5.3.aRI.5.3RI.5.8

Lesson

Analyze how plastic has a negative impact on ocean ecosystems and humans.

Materials

Trash Vortex pp. 32–40

Standards

L.5.3.aRI.5.3RI.5.8

progress
monitoring

Lesson

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."

Materials

Trash Vortex pp. 40–43
“Single-Use Plastics” — Figure 1.2–Figure 1.8

Standards

L.5.3.aRI.5.3RI.5.8

Lesson

Writing

Overview

Write two strong paragraphs describing why we have a plastic pollution problem and how plastic pollution impacts the ocean.

Day 1 - Brainstorming

Distinguish between interesting and important details to support the main idea of each paragraph.

Materials

Brainstorming Page 1 (G5, U3, L10)

Standards

W.5.2W.5.2.bW.5.9

Day 2 - Planning

Group and order details based on the paragraph structure.

Materials

Two Paragraph Outline (G5, U3, L10)
Brainstorming Page 1 (G5, U3, L10) — Completed on Day 1

Standards

W.5.2W.5.2.aW.5.2.bW.5.2.eW.5.9

Day 3 - Drafting

Include signal words that support the structure of the paragraph.

Materials

Two Paragraph Outline (G5, U3, L10) — Completed on Day 2
Brainstorming Page 1 (G5, U3, L10) — Completed on Day 1

Standards

W.5.2W.5.2.aW.5.2.bW.5.2.eW.5.9

Lesson

Language

Show the relationship between two ideas using a conjunction.

Standards

L.5.3.a

Lesson

Explain what strategies the author recommends to help reduce the amount of plastic in the ocean and the pros and cons of each strategy.

Materials

Trash Vortex pp. 44–48

Standards

L.5.3.aRI.5.3RI.5.8

Lesson

Explain what strategies the author recommends to help reduce the amount of plastic in the ocean and the pros and cons of each strategy.

Materials

Trash Vortex pp. 49–55

Standards

L.5.3.aRI.5.3RI.5.9

Write an opinion piece defending whether or not single-use plastics should be banned by citing evidence from multiple texts and building an argument.

Day 1 - Brainstorming

Brainstorm and organize ideas and details before crafting an opinion statement.

Materials

Plastic Pollution Opinion Brainstorming Note-Taker (G5, U3, L14)

Standards

SL.5.4W.5.1W.5.5W.5.8

Day 2 - Planning

Plan by completing an outline that includes main ideas and supporting details, listing supporting details in order of importance.

Materials

Plastic Pollution Opinion Brainstorming Note-Taker (G5, U3, L14) — Completed on Day 1
Two Paragraph Opinion Outline (G5, U3, L14)

Standards

SL.5.1SL.5.4W.5.1W.5.1.aW.5.1.bW.5.5

Day 3 - Drafting

Include opposing facts to strengthen opinion writing.

Materials

Plastic Pollution Opinion Brainstorming Note-Taker (G5, U3, L14) — Completed on Day 1
Two Paragraph Opinion Outline (G5, U3, L14) — Completed on Day 2

Standards

SL.5.4W.5.1W.5.1.aW.5.1.bW.5.5W.5.8

Day 4 - Revision & Editing

Use evaluative and modal words to strengthen an opinion.

Standards

L.5.3.aSL.5.1SL.5.4W.5.1W.5.5

Lesson

Explain what "stealth microplastics" are and what steps we can take to reduce plastic waste from microplastics.

Materials

“Ten 'stealth microplastics' to avoid if you want to save the oceans”

Standards

L.5.3.aRI.5.3

Lesson

Describe how Shelby's actions show that a single person can make a difference.

Materials

“A Girl Scout's letters spurred companies to cut down on using plastic straws”
“Little girl, big difference: 4th grader's idea helps reduce trash at Pikes Peak region-area elementary school”

Standards

L.5.3.aRI.5.3RI.5.8

progress
monitoring

Lesson

Assessment

Gauge student understanding of unit content and skills with one of Fishtank's unit assessments.

Lesson

Writing

Overview

Write a paragraph that describes 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.

Day 1 - Brainstorming

Paraphrase accurately and concisely.

Materials