Watch and Analyze A Plastic Ocean: Great Pacific Garbage Patch | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA 2019 G7:M4:U1:L3

Watch and Analyze A Plastic Ocean: Great Pacific Garbage Patch

In this Lesson

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Focus Standards: These are the standards the instruction addresses.

  • RI.7.7, SL.7.2

Supporting Standards

  • N/A
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Daily Learning Targets

  • I can identify the main ideas in a clip of A Plastic Ocean and explain how they are conveyed. (SL.7.2)
  • I can compare the way a transcript of A Plastic Ocean portrays a subject to the way it is portrayed in the video. (RI.7.7)

Ongoing Assessment

  • Opening A: Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 3 (SL.7.2)
  • Work Time B: Analyze A Plastic Ocean (25:48-28:56) note-catcher (RI.7.7)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Engage the Learner - SL.7.2 (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Watch and Analyze the Video - SL.7.2 (15 minutes)

B. Compare Transcript and Video - RI.7.7 (15 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Answer Questions - RI.7.7 (10 minutes)

4. Homework

A. Reflect on Film and Transcript: Students write a brief paragraph to reflect on what they have seen of the documentary A Plastic Ocean so far, including questions they have, to complete Homework: Reflect on Film and Transcript: Lesson 3. Then they read excerpts of the film transcript they will study in the following lesson and reflect on the text.

Alignment to Assessment Standards and Purpose of Lesson

  • SL.7.2 – Opening A: On an entrance ticket, students share their reflections and wonderings about what they’ve seen of A Plastic Ocean so far.
  • SL.7.2 – Work Time A: Students watch a clip of A Plastic Ocean and determine the main ideas as well as how they are developed in the clip.
  • RI.7.7 – Work Time B: Students rewatch the clip of A Plastic Ocean and compare a portion of the video to the transcript.
  • RI.7.7 – Closing and Assessment A: Students answer selected response questions about the clip of A Plastic Ocean that they watched and analyzed in class today.
  • In this lesson, students focus on working to become effective learners by collaborating in small groups to answer questions about the documentary video.
  • 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 viewed in this lesson, the scientists take initiative in studying the plastic in the ocean and collaborate with each other to try and improve the oceans. They also work to contribute to a better world by sharing their knowledge in a documentary film.

Opportunities to Extend Learning

  • An optional Mini Language Dive, intended for use after students watch and analyze the video during Work Time A, is available in the Teacher’s Guide for English Language Learners. ▲
  • Release responsibility more quickly to students as they comprehend the tasks or concepts, such as the following: 
    • Students can create their own note-catchers, a skill they will need in high school, college, and even many careers. Ask students to consider the learning targets to help them design their own note-catchers.
    • Students who show a greater understanding of the techniques used in the video can move on to answering the questions sooner.
    • Students can write and exchange their own text-dependent questions about the portrayal of subjects in other video clips such as: 14:35–15:57, 19:02–20:00, 37:10–40:32, 1:05:28–1:06:47, 1:09:42–1:11:40, 1:20:53–1:22:22, 1:23:53–1:25:21, 1:35:10–1:35:45.

How It Builds on Previous Work

  • In previous lessons, students began analyzing the film A Plastic Ocean and identified techniques used in videos and how they were used to convey ideas in this documentary. In this lesson, students continue this work, honing their skills and answering selected response questions about the documentary to practice for the mid-unit assessment.

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 in reading and understanding the transcript and how it relates to the video. Point out to students the key features of the transcript, including how the names of the speakers are capitalized and how the transcript only records words said in the video and not other elements such as camera shots or lighting cues.
  • The lesson suggests several opportunities for replaying the clip to allow for comprehension. Provide more opportunities for students struggling with analysis of the video as well as individual devices for students to watch and rewatch the clip at their own pace. ▲
  • Note there is a differentiated version of the Analyze A Plastic Ocean (25:48–28:56) note-catcher used in Work Time B in the separate Teacher’s Guide for English Language Learners. ▲
  • If students need additional support with the note-catcher, pull small groups or individual students to coach them as needed. ▲

Assessment Guidance

  • Review students’ Analyze A Plastic Ocean Lesson 3 note-catchers to ensure understanding of how the video conveys ideas and compares with the transcript.

Down the Road

  • In the next lesson, students will continue to develop their video analysis skills and build background knowledge by viewing and analyzing another clip in A Plastic Ocean, while also beginning to analyze claims made by the speakers in the video.

In Advance

  • Ensure there is a copy of Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 3 at each student's workspace.
  • Before the lesson, preview and then cue the clip from A Plastic Ocean: 25:48-28:56.
  • Post the learning targets and applicable anchor charts (see Materials list).

Tech and Multimedia

  • Work Time A: A projector to watch the clip from A Plastic Ocean (25:48-28:56). Devices and headphones for students to provide additional support, as needed.
  • Work Time B: A projector to watch the clip from A Plastic Ocean (25:48-28:56). Devices and headphones for students to provide additional support, as needed.

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.C.10.

Important Points in the Lesson Itself

  • To support ELLs, this lesson provides students the opportunity to work in small groups to analyze a film clip for its techniques and how it compares to the transcript.
  • ELLs may find it challenging to gradually release from teacher-led, whole-class work to small group analysis of the film clip for its techniques and how it compares to the transcript. If so, draw these students together into a small group and work with them to watch and analyze the clip then complete the note-catcher. Doing so will also allow these students to view the film clip as many times as is necessary and to work at their own pace with sufficient processing time.

Vocabulary

  • insidious (A)
  • gyre (DS)

Key

(A): Academic Vocabulary

(DS): Domain-Specific Vocabulary

Materials from Previous Lessons

Teacher

Student

  • Techniques anchor chart (one for display; from Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 2, Work Time B)
  • A Plastic Ocean documentary video (from Module 4, Unit 1, Lesson 1, Work Time B)
  • 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)
  • Academic word wall (one for display; from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 1, Opening A)
  • Vocabulary log (from Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 2, Opening A)

New Materials

Teacher

Student

  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 3 (example for teacher reference)
  • Device for showing the documentary video
  • Analyze A Plastic Ocean (25:48-28:56) note-catcher (example for teacher reference)
  • Homework: Reflect on Film and Transcript: Lesson 3 (example for teacher reference) (see Homework Resources)
  • Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 3 (one per student)
  • Analyze A Plastic Ocean (25:48–28:56) note-catcher (one per student)
  • Analyze A Plastic Ocean (25:48–28:56) note-catcher ▲
  • Homework: Reflect on Film and Transcript: Lesson 3 (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.

Opening

OpeningLevels of Support

A. Engage the Learner - SL.7.2 (5 minutes)

  • Repeated routine: Students respond to questions on Entrance Ticket: Unit 1, Lesson 3.
  • Once students have completed their entrance tickets, ask them to Turn and Talk to share their reactions to the film and transcript with a partner.
  • 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, encourage students to respond to the prompts in the modality that best suits them. They may want to discuss their responses instead of recording them in writing or even draw a response to the questions. Allowing students to respond in multiple ways increases their engagement and success on the task.

For Heavier Support

  • For the entrance ticket in Opening A, allow students to respond to the discussion prompts in the modality that best suits them. They may want to record their responses in writing or practice their oral responses with a partner before sharing them out. They may want to share their responses in their home language. Allowing students to respond in multiple ways increases their confidence and success on the task. 

Work Time

Work TimeLevels of Support

A. Watch and Analyze the Video – SL.7.2 (15 minutes)

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

“I can identify the main ideas in a clip of A Plastic Ocean and explain how they are conveyed.”

  • Explain to students that in this lesson they will analyze a new clip from the documentary A Plastic Ocean, focusing first on discovering the gist and main ideas before comparing an excerpt of a transcript to the video as they did in the previous lesson.
  • Invite students to form small groups and distribute the Analyze A Plastic Ocean (25:48–28:56) note-catcher and the Analyze A Plastic Ocean (25:48–28:56) note-catcher ▲ as necessary. The differentiated note-catcher supports students’ comprehension and writing with sentence starters. ▲ Note that this is a similar note-catcher to the one they used in the previous lesson. Also, point out that the techniques they identified along with other common techniques in the previous lesson are included on the top of the note-catcher. Students can add any additional techniques they would like for reference to the note-catcher.
  • Play the clip (25:48–28:56) once, and ask students to discuss the gist of the clip in their groups. Ask for student volunteers to share out their responses. (Plastics collect in gyres in the ocean and are toxic.)
  • Play the clip a second time, and ask students to focus on identifying the main ideas and techniques used to convey those ideas as they watch. Display the Techniques anchor chart to guide students in their analysis.
  • Invite students to discuss the ideas and techniques they identified in their small groups and share out responses with the class. (Main ideas: The plastic garbage patch is made of tiny pieces of plastic. Plastic is toxic to life in the ocean. Techniques: graphics of how the gyres are formed, images of the plastic caught in the ocean, voice-over, music, text to explain the size of the problem, videos of the fish eating toxic plastic.) For possible responses, see the Analyze A Plastic Ocean (25:48–28:56) note-catcher (example for teacher reference).
  • Once students have finished watching and reflecting on the clip, ask students to Think-Pair-Share:

“What habits of character did you see in this excerpt? Who demonstrated them? What did they look/sound like?” (Possible response: In the clip of A Plastic Ocean viewed in this lesson, the scientists take the initiative in studying the plastic in the ocean and collaborate with each other to try and improve the oceans. They also work to contribute to a better world by sharing their knowledge in a documentary film.)

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

For Lighter Support

  • For Work Time A and B, 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.
  • In Work Time A, after students watch and analyze the video, invite students to participate in a Mini Language Dive in small groups to examine a sentence from the documentary transcript that conveys a main idea of the documentary (SL.7.2). This Mini Language Dive also gives students the opportunity to analyze a noun clause that is functioning as a direct object (L.7.1a).

For Heavier Support

  • As in the lighter support, for Work Time A and B, ensure that students are strategically grouped to best support them. In addition to the lighter supports, consider grouping students who need heavier support by home language.
  • During Work Time A and B, invite students to use the Analyze A Plastic Ocean (25:48–28:56) note-catcher ▲. This resource features sentence starters that support students with comprehension and writing.

B. Compare Transcript and Video - RI.7.7 (15 minutes)

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

"I can compare the way a transcript of A Plastic Ocean portrays a subject to the way it is portrayed in the video." 

  • Tell students that they will now work in their small groups to compare an excerpt of the transcript to the same video clip they analyzed in Work Time A. Direct students' attention to the section on their note-catchers titled "Zoom in on an excerpt" and ask them to reread this excerpt of the transcript. Then replay the video clip. 
  • Invite students to Turn and Talk with a partner about the question:

"What techniques do the filmmakers use in this section of the video? How do the techniques the filmmakers use in this section add to the words and develop the ideas in them?" (The filmmakers show an image of the ocean to show what the narrator means by "the vast expanse of clear, sparkling water." At first the image shows no plastic. But, as the narrator discusses the "contents of the trawl," the camera reveals images of the tiny plastic. These techniques help show the idea that the plastic isn't always visible in the ocean, but there is a lot of it.)

  • Play the clip again, and invite students to finish writing their ideas on their note-catchers. For possible responses, see Analyze A Plastic Ocean (25:48-28:56) note-catcher (example for teacher reference).
  • Repeated routine: Invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning target.

For Lighter Support

  • For Work Time A and B, 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

  • As in the lighter support, for Work Time A and B, ensure that students are strategically grouped to best support them. In addition to the lighter supports, consider grouping students who need heavier support by home language.
  • During Work Time A and B, invite students to use the Analyze A Plastic Ocean (25:48–28:56) note-catcher ▲. This resource features sentence starters that support students with comprehension and writing.

Closing & Assessments

ClosingLevels of Support

A. Answer Questions - RI.7.7 (10 minutes)

  • Direct students' attention to the questions at the end of the note-catcher. Explain to students that as part of their mid-unit assessments they will be answering similar questions.
  • Play the clip once and lead a whole-class discussion of the first two-part question.
  • As necessary, play the clip again, and ask students to work in groups to answer the second two-part question. Then ask volunteers to share their responses with the class.
  • As necessary, use the vocabulary strategies on the Close Readers Do These Things anchor chart to deconstruct the words gyre (a circular or spiral path or motion) and insidious (seemingly or outwardly harmless, but actually very dangerous). Record the words on the domain-specific word wall and academic word wall with translations in home languages, where appropriate, and invite students to record words in their vocabulary logs.
  • 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

  • For the transcript analysis in Closing and Assessment A, encourage students to work independently at first to highlight key words and phrases in the transcript and grapple to answer the questions. Then they can share their highlights and responses with a partner to check and expand their work. Grappling first and then working with a partner will increase student engagement, independence, and speaking and listening skills.

For Heavier Support

  • For the transcript analysis in Closing and Assessment A, encourage students to work in pairs to highlight key words and phrases in the transcript and to answer the questions. Consider pairing students by either content or language proficiency. Strategic grouping affords students the opportunity of supporting and being challenged by others.

Homework

HomeworkLevels of Support

A. Reflect on Film and Transcript

  • Students write a brief paragraph to reflect on what they have seen of the documentary A Plastic Ocean so far, including questions they have, to complete Homework: Reflect on Film and Transcript: Lesson 3. Then they read excerpts of the film transcript they will study in the following lesson and reflect on the text.

For Lighter Support

  • Before students leave class, ask them to read the homework assignment and discuss it with a partner. Ensure students understand the purpose of the QuickWrite is to reflect on or think about the documentary. Encourage students to respond to the prompts in the modality that best suits them. They may want to record their responses in writing or even draw a response to the film. Allowing students to respond in multiple ways increases their confidence and frees them to process emotionally challenging content in the way that best suits them.

For Heavier Support

  • Before students leave class, ask them to read the homework assignment and discuss it with a partner. Ensure students understand the purpose of the QuickWrite is to reflect on or think about the documentary. Encourage students to respond to the prompts in the modality that best suits them. They may want to record their responses in English, their home language, or even draw a response to the film. Allowing students to respond in multiple ways increases their confidence and frees them to process emotionally challenging content in the way that best suits them. 

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