Close Read: “Five Things You Can Do to End Plastic Pollution” | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA 2019 G7:M4:U2:L2

Close Read: “Five Things You Can Do to End Plastic Pollution”

In this Lesson

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Focus Standards: These are the standards the instruction addresses.

  • RI.7.1, RI.7.6, SL.7.4

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.

  • RI.7.2, RI.7.4, SL.7.1, SL.7.3, L.7.4
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Daily Learning Targets

  • I can identify the central ideas in an article about targeting plastic pollution at the middle of its life cycle. (RI.7.2)
  • I can identify the point of view in an article about targeting plastic pollution at the middle of its life cycle. (RI.7.6)
  • I can present my claims about plastic pollution in a clear way, supported by evidence. (SL.7.4)

Ongoing Assessment

  • Opening A: Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 2 (RI.7.1)
  • Work Time A: Close Read: "Five Things You Can Do to End Plastic Pollution" note-catcher (RI.7.1, RI.7.2, RI.7.4, RI.7.6)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Engage the Learner - RI.7.1 (10 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Close Read: "Five Things You Can Do to End Plastic Pollution" - RI.7.6 (25 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Debate Beginning and Middle of Plastic Life Cycle - SL.7.4 (10 minutes)

4. Homework

A. Reread Articles: Students reread "Five Things You Can Do to End Plastic Pollution" and "Five Weird Materials That Could Replace Plastic" to prepare to compare the articles, focusing on how the authors present their evidence.

B. Find Solutions: Students do research in their anchor text, Trash Vortex, to find examples of solutions to plastic pollution at the middle of the plastic life cycle to complete the second part of Homework: Find Solutions from Lesson 1.

Alignment to Assessment Standards and Purpose of Lesson

  • RI.7.1 – Opening A: On an entrance ticket, students continue to grapple with the concept of the plastic life cycle, brainstorming ideas for what can be done and who should take actions to reduce plastic pollution in the middle of the plastic life cycle.
  • RI.7.6 – Work Time A: Students closely read the article “Five Things You Can Do to End Plastic Pollution,” analyzing it for the author’s purpose and point of view.
  • SL.7.4 – Closing and Assessment A: Students work in groups to present claims and findings for why either the beginning or middle of the plastic life cycle is the best place to focus energy for reducing plastic pollution.
  • In this lesson, students focus on working to become effective learners by collaborating to engage in a close read and answer questions in small groups.
  • 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 article “Five Things You Can Do to End Plastic Pollution,” read in this lesson, the people who reuse and recycle plastic demonstrate perseverance and initiative.

Opportunities to Extend Learning

  • Students who are ready for an additional challenge can research to find more articles on solutions for fighting plastic pollution at the middle of the life cycle. They can present this information in a poster, slideshow, or film clip.
  • Allow those students who demonstrate greater ease understanding the text to move on to outlining the different possible solutions at the end of the plastic life cycle, using Trash Vortex as another resource in addition to the article.

How It Builds on Previous Work

  • In previous lessons, students have begun engaging with the question of which part of the plastic life cycle is the best place to focus energy in order to reduce plastic pollution. In this lesson, students continue this work by reading an article focused on solutions at the middle of the plastic life cycle.

Support All Students

  • Students may need additional support in comprehension as the article is read aloud during the close read. If so, pause at the end of each paragraph and allow time for students to highlight key ideas, take notes on the gist, and even record sketches in the margins of the article. ▲
  • Students may also need support to understand the scientific terms in the article. If so, ask students to identify the terms by circling them. Then work as a class to use strategies (including context, affixes, and a dictionary) to define them. ▲
  • Note there is a differentiated version of the Close Read: “Five Things You Can Do to End Plastic Pollution” note-catcher used in Work Time A in the separate Teacher’s Guide for English Language Learners. ▲
  • The subject matter in this excerpt includes descriptions of extreme harm to animals from plastic pollution. 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 read and discussed this excerpt?” 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

  • Review students’ Close Read: “Five Things You Can Do to End Plastic Pollution” note-catchers to ensure understanding of how the author develops their point of view in the article.

Down the Road

  • In the next lesson, students will compare the two articles about the plastic life cycle they have read so far. Then, students will continue to gather information and insights about what can be done at each stage of the plastic life cycle in order to make an informed decision about which part of the cycle they want to focus on for their performance task.

In Advance

  • Ensure there is a copy of Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 2 at each student's workspace.
  • Review the article "Five Things You Can Do to End Plastic Pollution" and the Close Reading Guide.
  • Designate student triads for the close read, grouping students heterogeneously or by reading or content proficiency.
  • Post the learning targets and applicable anchor charts (see Materials list).

Tech and Multimedia

  • Continue to use the technology tools recommended throughout previous modules to create anchor charts to share with families; to record students as they participate in discussions and protocols to review with students later and to share with families; and for students to listen to and annotate text, record ideas on note-catchers, and word-process writing.

Supporting English Language Learners

Supports guided in part by CA ELD Standards 7.I.A.1, 7.I.B.5, 7.I.B.6, and 7.I.B.8.

Important Points in the Lesson Itself

  • To support ELLs, this lesson provides students the opportunity to work with guidance in a close read of the article "Five Things You Can Do to End Plastic Pollution."
  • ELLs may find it challenging to understand the domain-specific vocabulary in the article. In addition to the supports suggested in the lesson and below, work with students in a group to highlight and use strategies to determine the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary.

Vocabulary

  • N/A

Materials from Previous Lessons

Teacher

Student

  • Plastic Life Cycle anchor chart (example for teacher reference) (from Module 4, Unit 2, Lesson 1, Opening A)
  • Plastic Life Cycle anchor chart (one for display; from Module 4, Unit 2, Lesson 1, Opening A)
  • Equity sticks (from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 1, Closing and Assessment A)
  • Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart (one for display; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 4, Opening A)
  • Work to Become Effective Learners anchor chart (one for display; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 5, Work Time A)
  • Debate Steps anchor chart (one for display; from Module 4, Unit 2, Lesson 1, Closing and Assessment A)
  • Discussion Norms anchor chart (one for display; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 13, Work Time C)
  • Homework: Find Solutions (example for teacher reference) (from Module 4, Unit 2, Lesson 1, Homework B)
  • Trash Vortex by Danielle Smith-Llera (text; from Module 4, Unit 1, Lesson 8, Work Time A)
  • Text: "Five Weird Materials That Could Replace Plastic" (text; from Module 4, Unit 2, Lesson 1, Work Time A)
  • Homework: Find Solutions (one per student; from Module 4, Unit 2, Lesson 1, Homework B)

New Materials

Teacher

Student

  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 2 (example for teacher reference)
  • Close Reading Guide: "Five Things You Can Do to End Plastic Pollution" (for teacher reference)
  • Close Read: "Five Things You Can Do to End Plastic Pollution" note-catcher (example for teacher reference) 
  • Practice Debate Planner (for teacher reference)
  • Middle of Debate note-catcher (example for teacher reference)
  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 2 (one per student)
  • Text: “Five Things You Can Do to End Plastic Pollution” (one per student)
  • Close Read: “Five Things You Can Do to End Plastic Pollution” note-catcher (one per student)
  • Close Read: “Five Things You Can Do to End Plastic Pollution” note-catcher ▲
  • Middle of Debate note-catcher (one per student)

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.

Opening

OpeningLevels of Support

A. Engage the Learner - RI.7.1 (10 minutes)

  • Repeated routine: Students respond to questions on Entrance Ticket: Unit 2, Lesson 2.
  • Once students have completed their entrance tickets, use a total participation technique to review their responses. Then add student responses to the Plastic Life Cycle anchor chart for the middle of the life cycle section. Inform students that in this lesson they will be looking more closely at an article that talks about the changes that can be made at the middle of the plastic life cycle to reduce plastic pollution. Refer to the Plastic Life Cycle anchor chart (example for teacher reference) as needed.
  • Allow several minutes for students to Turn and Talk to share their responses to the previous lesson's homework. Then use equity sticks to review student responses, ensuring students are able to use synonyms, antonyms, and analogies to help them better understand the meaning of unfamiliar words.
  • Repeated routine: Follow the same routine as with the previous lessons to review learning targets and the purpose of the lesson, reminding students of any learning targets that are similar or the same as in previous lessons.

For Lighter Support

  • For the entrance ticket in Opening A, allow students to respond to the questions in the modality that best suits them. They may want to record their responses in writing or practice oral responses with a partner before recording them. Allowing students to respond in multiple ways increases their confidence and success in sharing their evidence.

For Heavier Support

  • For the entrance ticket in Opening A, allow students to work with a partner to respond to the questions in the modality that best suits them. They may want to record their responses in writing or practice their responses orally before writing them. They may want to share their responses in their home language or by using some drawings and symbols. Allowing students to respond in multiple ways increases their confidence and success in sharing their evidence.

Work Time

Work TimeLevels of Support

A. Close Read: “Five Things You Can Do to End Plastic Pollution” – RI.7.6 (25 minutes)

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

“I can identify the central ideas in an article about targeting plastic pollution at the middle of its life cycle.”

“I can identify the point of view in an article about targeting plastic pollution at the middle of its life cycle.”

  • Focus students on the Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart, and remind them that digging into the text deeper can help them understand it better, so they are going to dig deeper into an excerpt of the text through closely reading.
  • Move students into predetermined triads.
  • Direct students’ attention to the Work to Become Effective Learners anchor chart, and review what collaboration looks and sounds like.
  • Use Close Reading Guide: “Five Things You Can Do to End Plastic Pollution” to set the purpose of the close read and to guide students through a close read of this excerpt. Refer to the guide for how to integrate the following:
      • Text: “Five Things You Can Do to End Plastic Pollution”
      • Close Read: “Five Things You Can Do to End Plastic Pollution” note-catcher
      • Close Read: “Five Things You Can Do to End Plastic Pollution” note-catcher ▲ as necessary. The differentiated note-catcher supports students’ writing and comprehension with sentence frames. ▲
  • Refer to Close Read: “Five Things You Can Do to End Plastic Pollution” note-catcher (example for teacher reference) as necessary.
  • Once students have finished reading and analyzing the article, ask students to Think-Pair-Share:

“What habits of character did you see in this article? Who demonstrated them? What did they look/sound like?” (Possible response: The people who recycle and reuse plastic demonstrate perseverance and initiative.)

  • Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning targets.

For Lighter Support

  • Some students may have familiarity with consumer actions to reduce plastic pollution (reduce, recycle, reuse). If so, before Work Time A, ask them to share their experiences with their classmates. As necessary, prompt these students with questions such as the following: 
    • What are some things people can do to reduce plastic pollution? What are some things you do to reduce plastic pollution?
  • Asset-based instruction increases students’ confidence and engagement with the topic of materials to replace plastic pollution.
  • In Work Time A, pause after reading each paragraph of the article to allow time for students to highlight key information and jot down a gist. If they are unable to understand a paragraph enough to record a gist, they should Turn and Talk with a partner to figure out the gist of the paragraph together. Taking time to record gists will ensure comprehension.
  • Also 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, ensure 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

  • As in the lighter support, some students may have familiarity with consumer actions to reduce plastic pollution (reduce, recycle, reuse). If so, before Work Time A, ask them to share their experiences with their classmates. If students don’t feel comfortable sharing their experiences with their classmates, they can draw or write about them. They can also share with a partner who can share with the class. Asset-based instruction increases students’ confidence and engagement with the topic of materials to replace plastic pollution.
  • In Work Time A, to support students in reading the article, draw together a group of students who need heavier support and read aloud the article, pausing at the end of each paragraph for students to Turn and Talk to tell the gist, highlight keywords and phrases, and even illustrate the text in the margins. Review students’ gists, highlights, and illustrations before moving on to the next paragraph. Taking time to record gists and highlight the text will ensure comprehension.
  • As in the lighter support, for Work Time A, ensure that students are strategically grouped to best support them. In addition to the lighter supports, group students who need heavier support by home language and encouraging them to use their home language in their discussions and written responses if necessary. 
  • During Work Time A, invite students to use the Close Read: “Five Things You Can Do to End Plastic Pollution” note-catcher ▲. This resource features sample responses that support students with comprehension and writing.

Closing & Assessments

ClosingLevels of Support

A. Debate Beginning and Middle of Plastic Life Cycle - SL.7.4 (10 minutes)

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

"I can present my claims about plastic pollution in a clear way, supported by evidence."

  • Inform students that they will continue their work discussing and debating the different stages of the plastic life cycle to practice defending their position and learn from peers. Display and review the first two steps on the Debate Steps anchor chart. Explain that in this lesson, students will only complete the first two steps of the debate. In the following lesson, they will complete the next steps of the debate (rebuttal or counter-argument and summary). Then lead students through the first two steps of a debate:
    1. Invite students to form groups of four, choosing either to defend the middle of the plastic life cycle as the best place to solve the plastic pollution problem or cross-examine the middle position as the Beginning Group. As necessary, use the Practice Debate Planner (for teacher reference) to help students form groups and determine roles.
    2. Distribute the Middle of Debate note-catcher, and remind students that both the Middle and Beginning groups will take notes in the top "Present the Position" section. The Middle Group will record notes now for their presentation. The Beginning Group will take notes as the Middle Group presents so that they will be prepared to better cross examine the Middle Group.
    3. Invite those students who chose the middle to work together to create a presentation, laying out the case for intervening in the middle of the plastic life cycle, as modeled for the beginning of the cycle in the previous lesson. Remind the Middle Group to use the article "Five Things You Can Do to End Plastic Pollution" and Trash Vortex to find evidence to support their case. Each student in the Middle Group should be prepared to make part of the presentation, either stating their claim, a reason, or a piece of evidence and reasoning or responding to the Beginning Group's questions.
    4. Inform the group who chose the beginning of the plastic life cycle that they will have a chance to ask cross-examination questions as they did in the previous lesson. While the Middle Group is taking notes to present their position, the Beginning Group can develop questions to cross-examine the Middle Group. Remind students that their questions should incorporate evidence from Trash Vortex and the article they examined in the previous lesson, "Five Weird Materials That Could Replace Plastic," to challenge the Middle Group's position. Each student in the Beginning Group should be prepared to ask at least one question.
    5. As necessary, display and review the Discussion Norms anchor chart, noting that respect is an important part of debating.
    6. After five minutes of preparation, invite each Middle Group to join with a Beginning Group and present their position. While the Middle Groups are presenting, the Beginning Groups should take notes in the "Present the Position" part of their Middle of Debate note-catcher in order to better prepare them to ask questions.
    7. When the Middle Groups finish presenting, invite the Beginning Group to ask cross-examination questions.
    8. Then the Middle Group can respond to these questions.
  • For possible presentations, questions, and responses, consult the Middle of Debate note-catcher (example for teacher reference).
  • Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning targets.
  • Invite students to reflect on the habits of character focus in this lesson, discussing what went well and what could be improved next time.

For Lighter Support

  • To support students in participating in the debate, encourage them to use the Plastic Life Cycle anchor chart for key points to include or ask questions about during the practice time. 

For Heavier Support

  • To support students in the debate, assign them to the Beginning Group since they will only have to ask questions. Also, remind students to use the questions they generated in Lesson 1 as models for their own questions. 

Homework

Homework

A. Reread Articles

  • Students reread "Five Things You Can Do to End Plastic Pollution" and "Five Weird Materials That Could Replace Plastic" to prepare to compare the articles, focusing on how the authors present their evidence.

B. Find Solutions

  • Students do research in their anchor text, Trash Vortex, to find examples of solutions to plastic pollution at the middle of the plastic life cycle to complete the second part of Homework: Find Solutions from Lesson 1.

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