Curriculum / ELA / 5th Grade / Unit 3: Protecting the Earth: Plastic Pollution / Lesson 15

Protecting the Earth: Plastic Pollution

Lesson 15

ELA

Unit 3

5th Grade

Lesson 15 of 16

These assessments accompany this unit to help gauge student understanding of key unit content and skills.

Content Assessment

The Content Assessment pushes students to synthesize unit content knowledge or unit essential questions in writing. The Content Assessment should be used as the primary assessment because it shows mastery of unit content knowledge and standards. This assessment should take approximately one class period.

Fluency Assessment

The Fluency Assessment allows teachers to monitor students' oral reading fluency progress with a reading passage drawn from one of the unit's core texts. The Fluency Assessment should be given at the end of a unit. Teachers should plan to pull students one-on-one to do this while the rest of the class is independently reading or writing. Find additional guidance for using this assessment and supporting reading fluency in Teacher Tools.

Download Fluency Assessment

Lesson 14

Lesson 16

Lesson Map

Explain what it means to have a plastic problem.

“Single-Use Plastics” — Figure 1.2–Figure 1.8

Standards

RI.5.3

Explain how plastic ends up in a gyre and what happens to it once it is there.

Trash Vortex pp. 4 – 10 — to the top

Standards

RI.5.3

Explain why the author uses the words grotesque, astounding, and dramatic to describe what Moore and his team found.

Trash Vortex pp. 10 – 13

Standards

L.5.4.cRI.5.3

Explain how Leo Baekeland invented plastic.

Trash Vortex pp. 14 – 20

Standards

RI.5.3

Analyze how plastic became such a large part of everyday life.

Trash Vortex pp. 20 – 25 — start from the bottom paragraph

Standards

L.5.2.aRI.5.3

Explain what evidence the author uses to emphasize how much plastic is in the ocean and its impact on the ecosystem.

Trash Vortex pp. 26 – 31

Standards

RI.5.3RI.5.8

Analyze how plastic has a negative impact on ocean ecosystems and humans.

Trash Vortex pp. 32 – 40

Standards

RI.5.3RI.5.8

Explain what the author means by the quote, "we need to think about the items we are using not just on beaches, but also inland and communities far upstream as well."

Trash Vortex pp. 40 – 43
“Single-Use Plastics” — Figure 1.2–Figure 1.8

Standards

RI.5.3RI.5.8

3 days

Write two strong paragraphs describing why we have a plastic pollution problem and how plastic pollution impacts the ocean.

Trash Vortex

Standards

L.5.2.aW.5.2W.5.2.aW.5.2.bW.5.2.eW.5.7W.5.9

Opinion Writing

4 days

Write an opinion piece defending whether or not single-use plastics should be banned by citing evidence from multiple texts and building an argument.

All unit texts
“Queensland passes laws banning 'killer' single-use plastics”
“"People need them": The trouble with the movement to ban plastic straws”
“Mythbusting: 5 common misperceptions surrounding the environmental impacts of single-use plastics”
Grade 5 Literary Analysis and Opinion Writing Rubric
Two-Paragraph Outline — (Use outline depending on students' needs)
Three Paragraph Outline — (Use outline depending on students' needs)
Plastic Pollution Note-Taker

Standards

L.5.2.eL.5.3.aRI.5.8SL.5.1SL.5.4W.5.1W.5.1.aW.5.1.bW.5.5W.5.8

Explain what strategies the author recommends to help reduce the amount of plastic in the ocean and the pros and cons of the strategies.

Trash Vortex pp. 44 – 48

Standards

RI.5.3RI.5.8

Explain what strategies the author recommends to help reduce the amount of plastic in the ocean and the pros and cons of the strategies.

Trash Vortex pp. 49 – 55

Standards

RI.5.3RI.5.9

Explain what "stealth microplastics" are and what steps we can take to reduce plastic waste from microplastics.

“Ten "stealth microplastics"...”

Standards

RI.5.3

Describe how Shelby’s actions show that a single person can make a difference.

“CA Girl Scout’s letters spurred companies to cut down on using plastic straws”
“Little girl, big difference: 4th grader’s idea helps reduce trash at Pikes Peak region-area elementary school”

Standards

RI.5.3RI.5.8

Content Assessment
Fluency Assessment

Opinion Writing

4 days

Write multiple paragraphs that describe a solution for reducing the school’s use of plastic after researching different alternatives. Create a presentation to convince others around the school to take part and minimize the school’s use of plastic.

Grade 5 Literary Analysis and Opinion Writing Rubric

Standards

L.5.2.aL.5.2.eL.5.3.aL.5.3.bL.5.4.cSL.5.4SL.5.5SL.5.6W.5.1W.5.1.aW.5.1.bW.5.2.aW.5.2.bW.5.2.eW.5.6W.5.7W.5.9

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