Alignment to Assessment Standards and Purpose of Lesson

• SL.7.3 – Opening A: In an opening activity, students read a particular section of the transcript in A Plastic Ocean and delineate the speaker’s claim.
• RI.7.7 – Work Time A: Students watch a clip of A Plastic Ocean and compare how the transcript and video portray the subject.
• SL.7.3 – Work Time A: Students watch a clip of A Plastic Ocean, delineate the speaker’s argument and claims, and evaluate the soundness of the reasoning and the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.
• RI.7.10 – Closing and Assessment A: The class launches their independent research reading according to the preferred plan, giving students the opportunity to demonstrate proficient reading and comprehension of nonfiction texts.
• In this lesson, students focus on working to become effective learners by persevering to evaluate the argument by reading and answering questions independently. Students also work to become ethical people by behaving with integrity and answering questions independently.
• The Think-Pair-Share protocol is 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.
• In the clip of A Plastic Ocean watched in this lesson, Rose Mukankomeje, the director general of the Rwanda Environmental Management Authority, and citizens of Rwanda demonstrate working to make the world a better place through helping the environment by banning plastic bags.

Opportunities to Extend Learning

• Invite students to develop an interactive word wall of the concepts studied thus far. After creating the word wall, invite these students to lead the class in the Interactive Word Wall protocol. (Consult the EL Classroom Protocol document located on the Tools Page as necessary.)
• Rewatch clips of the film through the lens of bias and perspective. Analyze each speaker’s argument and specific claims, naming the perspective they are discussing. Evaluate the soundness of the reasoning and the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence, considering their particular bias. Create a counterclaim and counter-argument to the film’s perspective.
• For each of the Opening activity cards, students can identify and evaluate the relevance and sufficiency of evidence, the soundness of reasoning, and the speaker’s bias.
• Have students choose a plastic pollution topic that concerns them. Come up with a plan to address this concern, spread awareness, and effect change in their school or community.

How It Builds on Previous Work

• In previous lessons, students have focused on analyzing the film A Plastic Ocean for argument and comparing and contrasting the film to the transcript. In this lesson, students watch a clip of A Plastic Ocean and independently delineate the speaker’s argument and claims, evaluating the soundness of the reasoning and the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.

Support All Students

• The subject matter in this film includes descriptions of the environmental impact of plastic pollution, such as harm to animals and humans. Continue to monitor students to determine if there are issues surfacing as a result of the content of this chapter 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.
• Students may need additional support with reading and analyzing the argument in the Opening activity. Encourage students to work in pairs to read the transcript excerpt and identify the claim together, then sharing their responses with another student or pair of students. ▲
• Note there is a differentiated version of the Analyze A Plastic Ocean (1:25:41–1:26:46) note-catcher used in Work Time B in the separate Teacher’s Guide for English Language Learners. ▲
• Students may need additional support identifying the argument in the film clip. Provide students with individual devices and headphones to watch and rewatch the clip at their own pace, pausing where necessary. Consider using cardboard or file folder “offices” to limit distractions, and provide movement breaks where necessary. Pull small groups or work one-on-one with students to support them with filling in the note-catcher. ▲

Assessment Guidance

• Review students’ Analyze A Plastic Ocean (1:25:41–1:26:46) note-catcher to ensure students understand how to delineate the speaker’s argument and claims, and evaluate the soundness of the reasoning and the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.

Down the Road

• In the next lesson, students will demonstrate their skills in comparing the transcript and the film and evaluating an argument by watching and analyzing a film clip, completing a note-catcher, and answering selected response and constructed response questions independently for the mid-unit assessment.