Watch a Video: What You Need to Know About Plastic Pollution
Discuss: Why is it a problem that plastic does not break down completely?
Students will understand why most plastic waste is not recycled and how people are working to solve the problem.
Lesson Plan - Plastic vs. the Planet
Learning Objective
Text Structure
Problem/Solution
Content-Area Connections
Earth Science
Standards Correlations
CCSS: RI.4.1, RI.4.2, RI.4.3, RI.4.4, RI.4.5, RI.4.7, RI.4.8, RI.4.9, RI.4.10, L.4.4, SL.4.1
NGSS: Earth and Human Activity
TEKS: Science 4.7
1. Preparing to Read
What You Need to Know About Plastic Pollution
Watch a video to learn more about the history of plastic and why it has become a problem.
Preview Words to Know
Project the online vocabulary slideshow and introduce the Words to Know.
- decompose
- degrades
Set a Purpose for Reading
Use the “As You Read” question to have students look for details about why recycling plastic is difficult.
2. Close-Reading Questions
1. How do the photos on page 3 support the article? One photo shows a girl with a plastic shopping bag. The other shows a marine animal about to eat a plastic bag. Together, the photos show how our use of plastic can affect wildlife.
(RI.4.7 TEXT FEATURES)
2. Summarize the section “Fixing the Problem.” The section explains that people are working to help more plastic get recycled. Scientists are developing plastic that doesn’t degrade when recycled, and cities have passed laws to cut down on single-use plastics. People can help by properly recycling, and companies can help by producing less plastic.
(RI.4.2 SUMMARIZE)
3. According to the sidebar, how can people “shop smarter”? The sidebar explains that people can shop smarter by using reusable bags and choosing items that are not packed in plastic.
(RI.1. TEXT EVIDENCE)
3. Skill Building
FEATURED SKILL: Problem and Solution
Use the Skill Builder “Solving the Plastic Problem” to have students identify the problem and solutions described in the article.
(RI.4.5 PROBLEM/SOLUTION)
Text-to-Speech