Discover Our Topic: Plastic Pollution | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA 2019 G7:M4:U1:L1

Discover Our Topic: Plastic Pollution

In this Lesson

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Focus Standards: These are the standards the instruction addresses.

  • RI.7.1, SL.7.1

Supporting Standards: These are the standards that are incidental—no direct instruction in this lesson, but practice of these standards occurs as a result of addressing the focus standards.

  • L.7.4
Download Materials

Daily Learning Targets

  • I can infer the topic of this module from the scavenger hunt and film. (RI.7.1)

Ongoing Assessment

  • Opening A: Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 1
  • Work Time A: Scavenger Hunt note-catcher (RI.7.1)
  • Work Time B: Infer the Topic: I Notice/I Wonder note-catcher (RI.7.1)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Engage the Learner (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Scavenger Hunt - RI.7.1 (20 minutes)

B. Launch the Video: A Plastic Ocean - RI.7.1 (10 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Introduce the Performance Task and Module Guiding Questions - SL.7.1 (10 minutes)

4. Homework

A. Read and Reflect: Students complete Homework: Module Guiding Questions anchor chart to read and reflect on the guiding questions for the module and discuss them with their families. They should consider how the guiding questions make them feel. They can sketch or write about their ideas.

Alignment to Assessment Standards and Purpose of Lesson

  • RI.7.1 - Work Time A: Students use evidence from informational texts on the scavenger hunt to infer the topic of the module.
  • RI.7.1 - Work Time B: Students use evidence from a clip from the film A Plastic Ocean to infer the topic of the module.
  • SL.7.1 - Closing and Assessment A: Students use the Think-Pair-Share protocol to engage in collaborative discussions about the performance task and the guiding questions for the module.
  • Students are introduced to one of the module anchor texts, a documentary titled A Plastic Ocean, in Work Time B. The film's topics of pollution and harm to people and animals from pollution may be sensitive for students, and some students may connect with these issues personally and deeply. After exploring the film, provide students with time to reflect. Monitor students and determine if there are issues surfacing that need to be discussed in more detail as a whole group, in smaller groups, or independently. Reflections may be personal, and students are not required to share them. Provide background information and discussion on pollution and environmental concerns if necessary.
  • In this lesson, students focus on working to become effective learners as they persevere, take responsibility, take initiative, and collaborate on the scavenger hunt. Students also focus on working to become ethical people by showing empathy and compassion for the animals threatened by pollution in the film.
  • The Think-Pair-Share and the Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face protocols are used in this lesson. Protocols are an important feature of the EL Education curriculum because they are one of the best ways we know to engage students in discussion, inquiry, critical thinking, and sophisticated communication. A protocol consists of agreed-upon, detailed guidelines for reading, recording, discussing, or reporting that ensure equal participation and accountability in learning. The Classroom Protocols document (see the Tools page) includes instructions on implementing these protocols.
  • At the end of the lesson, distribute Homework Resources (for families), and review the format of the document and this lesson's specific assignment with students.
  • Only portions of the documentary A Plastic Ocean are used in this curriculum. Some students may find the omitted portions of the video disturbing as they focus on extreme harm to animals and people as a result of plastic pollution. Other portions of the video include strong language or partially clothed children. Should you opt to show additional portions of the film not analyzed in this curriculum, it is strongly advised that you preview the clips before showing them to students.

Opportunities to Extend Learning

  • Invite students to create their own version of the scavenger hunt for another class or next year's work, using knowledge gained from class as well as further research on the topic of plastic pollution. Ask students to extend the scavenger hunt to include the environmental impact of plastic pollution on places in the community such as local watersheds, bodies of water, storm drains, or sewer systems.
  • Invite students to watch the film A Plastic Ocean, and choose another compelling clip that might introduce this topic to a family member or a friend. Ask these students to document that viewer's responses and feelings after viewing the clip.
  • Ask students to find the counter-argument to the claim made in the opening clip of A Plastic Ocean and storyboard and script a counter-argument documentary on the alternative argument that might be made.

How It Builds on Previous Work

  • If students have worked on EL Education modules in Grades 6-8, this module will build on those foundations of inferring the topic by examining resources.

Support All Students

  • Integrated ELL supports are marked throughout lessons with a ^. These teaching suggestions support student comprehension without disrupting lesson flow or requiring extensive class time or additional materials. Deeper, high-leverage supports, designed to accelerate ELLs' language development, can be found in each individual lesson.
  • Students may need additional support on the scavenger hunt. If students are leaving the classroom for the scavenger hunt, invite parent volunteers, teachers, aides, or other school staff to support small groups of students. ^
  • Note there is a differentiated version of the Infer the Topic: I Notice/I Wonder note-catcher used in Work Time B in the supporting materials. ^
  • The subject matter in the film and scavenger hunt includes descriptions of pollution and harm to people and animals from pollution. Monitor students to determine if there are issues surfacing as a result of the content of this work that need to be discussed as a whole group, in smaller groups, or individually. To support students in processing this content, ask: "What habit of character did you use as you watched and discussed this film?" Students may need to draw on perseverance, empathy, and compassion as they read and discuss this content, being sensitive to their own and others' reactions to the information presented.

Assessment Guidance

  • Monitor students' Scavenger Hunt note-catchers to ensure they are on the right track for inferring what the module is about.

Down the Road

  • In the next lesson, students will watch another clip of the film A Plastic Ocean, comparing how the film and transcript portray the film.

In Advance

  • Ensure there is a copy of Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 1 at each student's workspace.
  • Prepare
    • Small groups or partnerships for the Scavenger Hunt
    • Scavenger hunt information cards to post round the room or around the school 
    • A Scavenger Hunt tool kit with norms, team members' names, and a Scavenger Hunt note-catcher
    • Performance Task anchor chart (see Performance Task download)
    • Module Guiding Questions anchor chart (see supporting materials)
  • Decide whether to have the scavenger hunt in the classroom or around the school, and consider adding additional time for this lesson to do the school version. If the scavenger hunt extends to the school, include a map of the school with key locations to visit, depending on where the task and information cards are posted.
  • Record the link to the folder or document to which students will send images at the top of the Scavenger Hunt tool kit for student reference.
  • Watch from the opening scene until 8:35 of the film A Plastic Ocean. Cue the clip to the opening scene.
  • Post the learning targets and applicable anchor charts (see Materials list).

Tech and Multimedia

  • Work Time A: Students take photographs and videos for the scavenger hunt using devices.

Supporting English Language Learners

Supports guided in part by CA ELD Standards 7.I.A.1, 7.I.B.5, and 7.I.B.6.

Important Points in the Lesson Itself

  • To support ELLs, this lesson provides students the opportunity to work with others to generate useful background knowledge about plastic pollution, which they may not have in English and will need to use throughout the module.
  • ELLs may find it challenging to fill out the note-catchers independently if they do not know the English words for the ideas and concepts. Therefore allowing them to fill out the note-catchers in their native language or with a partner may be helpful. Also, the film requires some background knowledge about plastic pollution. The scavenger hunt activity gives a lot of this background information, but all students, and especially ELLs, may need key information highlighted. Create a Plastic Pollution chart with rows for who, what, where, when, why, and how. Then spend some time at the beginning or end of class filling in details. This chart can also be used to support students in their understanding and synthesis of the biographies they read throughout the module.

Vocabulary

  • plankton, scavenger hunt, single-use plastic (DS)

Key

(A): Academic Vocabulary

(DS): Domain-Specific Vocabulary

Materials from Previous Lessons

Teacher

Student

  • Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart (one for display; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 4, Opening A)
  • Domain-specific word wall (one for display; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 1, Work Time B)

  • Vocabulary log (one per student; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 2, Work Time B)

New Materials

Teacher

Student

  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 1 (example for teacher reference)
  • Scavenger Hunt resources for the classroom version
  • Scavenger Hunt resources for the school version
  • Scavenger Hunt tool kit: classroom version (example for teacher reference)
  • Scavenger Hunt tool kit: school version (example for teacher reference)
  • A Plastic Ocean documentary video
  • Device for showing the documentary video
  • Performance Task anchor chart (example for teacher reference; see Performance Task download)
  • Model Documentary Storyboard (example for teacher reference)
  • Module Guiding Questions anchor chart (one for display)
  • Classroom Protocols document (for teacher reference; see Teaching Notes)
  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 1 (one per student)
  • Scavenger Hunt tool kit: classroom version (one per group)
  • Scavenger Hunt tool kit: school version (one per group)
  • Directions for Scavenger Hunt: Classroom Version (one per student and one for display)
  • Directions for Scavenger Hunt: School Version (one per student and one for display)
  • Infer the Topic: I Notice/I Wonder note-catcher (one per student)
  • Infer the Topic: I Notice/I Wonder note-catcher ▲
  • Homework Resources (for families) (one for display and one per student; see module or unit download)
  • Homework: Module Guiding Questions anchor chart (one per student; see Homework Resources)

Assessment

Each unit in the 6-8 Language Arts Curriculum has two standards-based assessments built in, one mid-unit assessment and one end of unit assessment. The module concludes with a performance task at the end of Unit 3 to synthesize students' understanding of what they accomplished through supported, standards-based writing.

Download the Performance Task

Opening

OpeningLevels of Support

A. Engage the Learner (5 minutes)

  • Repeated routine: Students respond to questions on Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 1.
  • Once students have completed their entrance tickets, use a total response technique such as cold call to invite students to share their answers. As necessary, use the vocabulary strategies on the Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart to deconstruct the words scavenger hunt (an activity in which people gather different items from a list), single-use plastic (plastic that is used only once and then thrown away), and plankton (plankton are a mixture of very small plants and animals floating in fresh or saltwater; most kinds of plankton are microscopic; plankton is an important food source for many animals that live in water). Record the words on the domain-specific word wall with translations in home languages, where appropriate, and invite students to record words in their vocabulary logs.
  • Repeated routine: Follow the same routine as with the previous lessons to review the learning target and the purpose of the lesson, reminding students that they have seen this learning target in the previous module.

For Lighter Support

  • If it is feasible to do so, host individual reading check-ins with ELLs before they begin Module 4 reading. During these meetings, work with students to identify their reading strengths, as well as pinpoint areas of possible growth. Help students develop action plans for working toward their goals. Plan to meet with students again at the end of this module to track their progress and adjust goals as needed. This process supports a growth mindset for developing readers and facilitates opportunities for students to take charge of their own learning.

For Heavier Support

  • If it is feasible to do so, host individual reading check-ins with ELLs before they begin Module 4 reading. Before these meetings, create a list of clear and specific statements that students can use to help them pinpoint their strengths and areas of growth. Students can use a 1-5 scale to express the extent to which they believe the statements apply to them. These statements might include the following:
    • I can read quickly in English and still understand what I read.
    • I enjoy reading in English.
    • I enjoy reading in other languages.
    • I understand most of the words I read in class.
    • I know how to determine the meaning of words I don't know.
    • I feel comfortable using a dictionary.
    • I can usually determine the central idea of what I read.

Work Time

Work TimeLevels of Support

A. Scavenger Hunt – RI.7.1 (20 minutes)

  • Review appropriate learning target relevant to the work to be completed in this section of the lesson:

“I can infer the topic of this module from the scavenger hunt and film.”

  • Focus students on the Scavenger Hunt resources posted around the room, or explain that they are posted around the school if doing the school version of the scavenger hunt.
  • Distribute the Scavenger Hunt tool kit. Be sure to distribute the correct version: use the classroom version if students are remaining in the classroom for the scavenger hunt, and the school version if students are leaving the classroom for the scavenger hunt. Explain to students that by the end of today’s scavenger hunt activity and film clip viewing, they will be able to respond to this question:
    • “What do you think you will be learning about in this module?”
  • Inform students that the purpose of the scavenger hunt is to help them figure out the topic of the module. Explain that a scavenger hunt is a helpful way to understand and explore a new topic.
  • Review the Directions for Scavenger Hunt: Classroom Version or the Directions for Scavenger Hunt: School Version, depending on which version the class is completing. Guide students through the activity. Allow them to choose which resources to observe, and in which order. Explain that some resources are task cards that ask students to write, draw, take a photograph, or take a video. Other resources are information cards that also ask students to complete similar tasks as well as to read a statistic or quote from the film they’ll be viewing later today and to fill in the blank with key information they’ve learned. As necessary, model reading and pantomiming completing a task and information card from one of the resources to ensure all students understand the activity. ▲
  • Invite students to post the photographs and videos they take throughout the course of the scavenger hunt. Ensure that students know where to find this link to do this work (at the top of their Scavenger Hunt tool kits). Explain to students that if one group is already at a task card or information card, they should find a different card. Mixed-proficiency pairs/groups can choose the resources they want to observe and begin by discussing what the task card or information card means. Encourage students to agree or disagree with one another about what the text means using sentence frames. Examples: “I agree because _____.” “I disagree because _____.” As necessary, model reading information from the card and asking volunteers to agree or disagree and explain their reasons. ▲
  • Review the norms for the scavenger hunt, located on the Scavenger Hunt tool kit. Invite students to add their own norms to the list from their responses to the entrance ticket.
  • Divide students into partnerships or small groups, and invite students to begin the scavenger hunt.
  • After 10 minutes, refocus the whole group. Think-Pair-Share:

“Now that you have participated in a scavenger hunt, what do you think this module might be about?” (Answers will vary, but may include: plastic pollution, litter, the environment, the ocean.)

  • Repeated routine: invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning target.

For Lighter Support

  • For the scavenger hunt activity in Work Time A, ensure that students are strategically grouped to best support them. This may mean mixed groupings by language or content proficiency. However, since groups include about four students, ensure that there are two students from each level and that there is no more than one level of difference among the students in a group. Strategic grouping affords students the opportunity of supporting and being challenged by others.

For Heavier Support

  • For the scavenger hunt activity in Work Time A, pair newcomers with other students who speak their native language, and allow them to discuss and record their ideas in their native language. This practice supports ELLs by giving an opportunity to express ideas more fluently, quickly, and deeply than they may be able to in English, and also affirms the classes' respect for their native language. Encouraging pairs to work in their native language to report out in English also helps to foster bilingualism.

B. Launch the Video: A Plastic Ocean – RI.7.1 (10 minutes)

  • Review the appropriate learning target relevant to the work to be completed in this section of the lesson:

“I can infer the topic of this module from the scavenger hunt and film.”

  • Focus students on the film A Plastic Ocean, cued to the title.
  • Distribute the Infer the Topic: I Notice/I Wonder note-catcher and the Infer the Topic: I Notice/I Wonder note-catcher ▲ as necessary. The differentiated note-catcher supports students’ inferences and note-taking with images and sentence starters. ▲
  • Tell students that the purpose of the note-catcher is to take notes to help them remember their thoughts. It isn’t something they will hand in for assessment, so they can record in pictures or words. They do not need to write in full sentences.
  • Be transparent about why students are noticing and wondering (because it is a helpful way to understand and explore a new topic or text).
  • Watch the first 7 minutes of the film.
  • Refocus the whole group. Invite students to stand and Turn and Talk about the following questions:

“What did you think about the images?” (Answers will vary, but may include: they were incredibly beautiful.)

“How did the images make you feel?” (Answers will vary, but may include: the images of the whales and the ocean made me feel calm and peaceful.)

“Now that you have seen the first clip of the film, what do you think this module might be about?” (Answers will vary, but may include: whales, the ocean.)

“Can you say more about that? I’ll give you some time to think and write or sketch.” (Answers will vary.)

  • Refocus the whole group, and ask students to sit down. Watch the next 50 seconds of the film, until 7:50. Stop when the Scottish man begins speaking, as he uses language that may not be appropriate.
  • Refocus the whole group. Invite students to stand Back-to-Back, Face-to-Face:

“What did you think about the images?” (Answers will vary, but may include: the plastic floating on the surface, right next to the whale, which seemed like such a horrible contrast.)

  • Invite students to stand Back-to-Back, Face-to-Face, with a different partner:

“How did the images make you feel?” (Answers will vary, but may include: the images of the plastic made me angry and sad.)

  • Invite students to stand Back-to-Back, Face-to-Face, with a different partner:

“Now that you have seen the next piece of the clip, what do you think this module might be about?” (Answers will vary, but may include: plastic pollution, whales, the environment, the ocean)

  • Invite students to stand Back-to-Back, Face-to-Face, with a different partner:

“Can you say more about that? I’ll give you some time to think and write or sketch.” (Answers will vary.)

  • Repeated routine: invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning target.

For Lighter Support

  • In Work Time B and Closing and Assessment A, students use the language chunk “I wonder . . . ” To deepen students’ understanding of language structures, remind them that this chunk begins a statement that is really asking a question. Invite volunteers to do so as well, recording the statements on the board (e.g., “I wonder what is happening in this scene. I wonder who this person is. I wonder where they are.”). Note how a question word often follows the “I wonder . . . ” chunk but then a noun or pronoun follows the question word, then a verb. Leave the example statements on the board for students to consult as they make their own “I wonder” statements throughout the work time.

For Heavier Support

  • During Work Time B, invite students to use the Infer the Topic: I Notice/I Wonder note-catcher ▲. This resource features more specific questions and sentence starters which hone student attention and reduce cognitive overload.
  • Before releasing students to infer the topic in Closing and Assessment A, do a think-aloud and infer a few—but not all—aspects of the topic from the scavenger hunt and film to model the inferring activity for students and get them started. Modeling supports ELLs by giving them a preview of the kind of language they will need to use to complete the activity independently or with a partner. For example: 
    • “In the scavenger hunt, I noticed you found a lot of products made of plastic. I wonder if the module is about plastic trash.”

Closing & Assessments

ClosingLevels of Support

A. Introduce the Performance Task and Module Guiding Questions – SL.7.1 (10 minutes)

  • Display the Performance Task anchor chart (example for teacher reference) and Model Documentary Storyboard. Read the task aloud, pointing out the parts of the storyboard, script, and action sequences in the model.
  • As students may be overwhelmed by the Performance Task anchor chart, assure them that they will continue to explore the meaning of the chart in subsequent lessons and units. They will also closely examine the Model Documentary Storyboard to learn how to create their own.
  • Turn and Talk:

“What do you notice?” (We will create a documentary clip about plastic pollution. We will work in groups. We will choose a topic related to solving the problem of plastic pollution.)

“What do you wonder?” (Answers will vary, but may include: What are documentary film techniques? Do we have to storyboard and write a script, or may we just begin filming right away? May we choose our own groups? Is the 5–10 minutes a hard and fast rule, or could we make something shorter or longer?)

“Now that you have analyzed the performance task, has your inference of what this module might be about changed? How?” (Answers will vary.)

  • Clarify anything pertinent to this specific performance task. Consider listening to a model performance task from a former student or an exemplar podcast. Ask students to make connections between the model or the exemplar and the performance task.
  • Direct students’ attention to the Module Guiding Questions anchor chart, and read the questions aloud. Turn and Talk:

“Why do we have guiding questions for each module?” (Answers will vary, but may include: to help focus our learning, to help us think about the performance task.)

  • Tell students that these are the questions that will guide their thinking and learning throughout the module. Turn and Talk:

“What do you notice?” (Answers will vary, but may include: this module is really about plastic pollution.)

“What do you wonder?” (Answers will vary, but may include: I’m wondering how scientists have been tackling the problem of plastic pollution, and what I can do to help.)

“Now that you have analyzed the guiding questions and performance task, has your inference of what this module might be about changed?” (Answers will vary.)

Conversation Cue: “How is what _____ said the same as/different from what _____ said? I’ll give you time to think and write.” (Answers will vary.)

  • Clarify that this module will be about plastic pollution, what people are doing to combat it, and what we can do to help.
  • Turn and Talk:

“What does this topic mean to you at this point? Why might it be meaningful to study this topic?” (Answers will vary, but may include: Our oceans, environment, animals, and even our own bodies are being impacted by plastic pollution. This is a really big concern right now that needs to be solved.)

“From what you know so far, what are you looking forward to about this topic?” (Answers will vary, but may include: I look forward to figuring out how I can help solve this problem and communicating that solution in a documentary clip.)

  • Acknowledge that some students may already know something about this topic. Explain that for homework, they will reflect on the guiding questions and how they feel about them based on their own experiences, and that this will be discussed more at the beginning of the next lesson. Note that some students may know nothing about the topic—it will be fun to dig in together!
  • Invite students to reflect on the habits of character focus in this lesson, discussing what went well and what could be improved next time.
  • Distribute the Homework Resources (for families), and review the format of the document and this lesson’s specific assignment with students.

For Lighter Support

  • In Work Time B and Closing and Assessment A, students use the language chunk "I wonder . . . " To deepen students' understanding of language structures, remind them that this chunk begins a statement that is really asking a question. Invite volunteers to do so as well, recording the statements on the board (e.g., "I wonder what is happening in this scene. I wonder who this person is. I wonder where they are."). Note how a question word often follows the "I wonder . . . " chunk but then a noun or pronoun follows the question word, then a verb. Leave the example statements on the board for students to consult as they make their own "I wonder" statements throughout the work time.

For Heavier Support

  • N/A

Homework

HomeworkLevels of Support

A. Read and Reflect

  • Students complete Homework: Module Guiding Questions anchor chart to read and reflect on the guiding questions for the module and discuss them with their families. They should consider how the guiding questions make them feel. They can sketch or write about their ideas.

For Lighter Support

  • Before students leave class, ask them to read the homework assignment and discuss it with a partner who speaks the same home language, if possible. Encourage students to spend time brainstorming vocabulary and language structures in either English or their home language to enable them to discuss the guiding questions with family members.

For Heavier Support

  • Before students leave class, ask them to read the homework assignment and discuss it with a partner who speaks the same home language, if possible. Encourage students to spend time brainstorming vocabulary and language structures in either English or their home language to enable them to discuss the guiding questions with family members.

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