Survey
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Grade 6 / Quarter 4 Writing Task Authors: Jillian Maniscalco, Kathleen Muir LANGUAGE ARTS FLORIDA STANDARDS: LAFS.6.W.1.1; LAFS.6.RI.3.7; LAFS.6.RI.3.8 LDC TASK : A9 After reading informational texts on marine pollution write a multi-paragraph essay in which you discuss marine pollution and evaluate possible solutions. Support your position with evidence from the text. To complete a 45-minute task, assign all anchor texts. To complete a 90-minute task, assign all anchor texts plus all extension texts. “Marine Pollution” Centuries of Heavy Abuse Have Taken a Heavy Toll.” Word Count: 601 http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/critical-issues-marineOverall Grade pollution/ Level: 6+ Qualitative Text Complexity: Middle High “Solution to Plastic Pollution in Our Oceans” Word Count: 781 http://www.nrdc.org/oceans/plastic-ocean/ Overall Grade Level: 6+ Qualitative Text Complexity: Middle High “The Ugly Journey of Our Trash” poster Word Count: “10 Things You Can Do For Trash Free Seas” poster Overall Grade Level: 6+ http://www.fortheloveoftheeastend.com/did-you-know-southamptonQualitative Text town-was-the-first-new-york-town-to-ban-plastic-bags/. Complexity: http://oceanleadership.org/join-the-international-coastal-cleanup-andMiddle Low clean-up-a-beach-near-you/ Poem “Beach Buddies” Jan Allison & Photograph Word Count: 109 http://www.poetrysoup.com/poem/beach_buddies_collect_stuff_681094 Overall Grade Level: 6+ Qualitative Text Complexity: Middle Low Additional Information: TEXTS Anchor Text 1: Anchor Text 2: Anchor Text 3: Extension Text 1: Extension Text 2: NOAA “Ocean Pollution” Word Count: http://www.education.noaa.gov/Ocean_and_Coasts/Ocean_Pollution.html 579 Overall Grade Level: 6+ Qualitative Text Complexity: Middle High LDC PRODUCT: Informational/Explanatory Essay Cognitive Demand 9 1 FSA RUBRIC: Informative/Explanatory Essay Rubric 2 [Student Documents] After reading informational texts on marine pollution write a multi-paragraph essay in which you discuss marine pollution and evaluate possible solutions. Support your position with evidence from the text. Your essay must be based on ideas, concepts, and information from the passage set. Manage your time carefully so that you can • Read the passages; • Plan your essay; • Write your essay; and • Revise and edit your essay. Your written response should be in the form of a multi-paragraph essay. Remember to spend time reading, planning, writing, revising and editing. 3 Anchor Text 1 Marine Pollution Centuries of Abuse Have Taken a Heavy Toll Trash litters the waters of a fishing village on Bonny Island in the Niger Delta. This impoverished region of Africa was supposed to be transformed for the better by the discovery in 1956 of large oil reserves. Half a century later, poverty still reigns, exacerbated by pollution, depleted fisheries, and environmental degradation from the oil industry. Photograph by Ed Kashi The oceans are so vast and deep that until fairly recently, it was widely assumed that no matter how much trash and chemicals humans dumped into them, the effects would be negligible. Proponents of dumping in the oceans even had a catchphrase: "The solution to pollution is dilution." Today, we need look no further than the New Jersey-size dead zone that forms each summer in the Mississippi River Delta, or the thousand-mile-wide swath of decomposing plastic in the northern Pacific Ocean to see that this "dilution" policy has helped place a once flourishing ocean ecosystem on the brink of collapse. Pollution's Many Forms There is evidence that the oceans have suffered at the hands of mankind for millennia, as far back as Roman times. But recent studies show that degradation, particularly of shoreline areas, has accelerated dramatically in the past three centuries as industrial discharge and runoff from farms and coastal cities has increased. Pollution is the introduction of harmful contaminants that are outside the norm for a given ecosystem. Common man-made pollutants that reach the ocean include pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers, detergents, oil, sewage, plastics, and other solids. Many of these pollutants collect at the ocean's depths, where they are consumed by small marine organisms and introduced into the global food chain. Scientists are even discovering that pharmaceuticals ingested by humans but not fully processed by our bodies are eventually ending up in the fish we eat. Many ocean pollutants are released into the environment far upstream from coastlines. Nitrogen-rich fertilizers applied by farmers inland, for example, end up in local streams, rivers, and groundwater and are eventually deposited in estuaries, bays, and deltas. These excess nutrients can spawn massive blooms of algae that rob the water of oxygen, leaving areas where little or no marine life can exist. 4 Scientists have counted some 400 such dead zones around the world. Solid waste like bags, foam, and other items dumped into the oceans from land or by ships at sea are frequently consumed, with often fatal effects, by marine mammals, fish, and birds that mistake it for food. Discarded fishing nets drift for years, ensnaring fish and mammals. In certain regions, ocean currents corral trillions of decomposing plastic items and other trash into gigantic, swirling garbage patches. One in the North Pacific, known as the Pacific Trash Vortex, is estimated to be the size of Texas. A new, massive patch was discovered in the Atlantic Ocean in early 2010. Noise Pollution Pollution is not always physical. In large bodies of water, sound waves can carry undiminished for miles. The increased presence of loud or persistent sounds from ships, sonar devices, oil rigs, and even from natural sources like earthquakes can disrupt the migration, communication, hunting, and reproduction patterns of many marine animals, particularly aquatic mammals like whales and dolphins. End of the "Dilution" Era Humans are beginning to see the shortsightedness of the "dilution" philosophy. Many national laws as well as international protocols now forbid dumping of harmful materials into the ocean, although enforcement can often be spotty. Marine sanctuaries are being created to maintain pristine ocean ecosystems. And isolated efforts to restore estuaries and bays have met with some success. 5 Anchor Text 2 Solutions to Plastic Pollution in our Oceans The Basics We're treating the oceans like a trash bin: around 80 percent of marine litter originates on land, and most of that is plastic. Plastic that pollutes our oceans and waterways has severe impacts on our environment and our economy. Seabirds, whales, sea turtles and other marine life are eating marine plastic pollution and dying from choking, intestinal blockage and starvation. Scientists are investigating the long-term impacts of toxic pollutants absorbed, transported, and consumed by fish and other marine life, including the potential effects on human health. What it Means to You Plastic pollution affects every waterway, sea and ocean in the world. When we damage our water systems, we're putting our own wellbeing at risk. This pollution also has huge costs for taxpayers and local governments that must clean this trash off of beaches and streets to protect public health, prevent flooding from trash-blocked storm drains, and avoid lost tourism revenue from filthy beaches. NRDC analyzed a survey of 95 California communities and found their total reported annual costs for preventing litter from becoming pollution is $428 million per year. See NRDC's Waste in Our Waterways: Unveiling the Hidden Costs to Californians of Litter Cleanup. Solutions The most effective way to stop plastic pollution in our oceans is to make sure it never reaches the water in the first place. We all need to do our fair share to stop plastic pollution: individuals need to recycle and never litter, but producers of single use plastic packaging need to do more too. We need producers to design packaging so that it is fully recyclable, and so there is less waste. We also need producers to help cover the costs of keeping their products out of the ocean. NRDC is working on three key strategies to curb plastic water pollution in the U.S. and beyond: 6 1. Holding plastic producers accountable. Many states hold producers of materials like paint and carpet responsible for recovering and recycling their product after it is used. Producers of plastic packaging should be required to find innovative ways to design better packaging that can be more fully recovered for recycling or reuse, and they should help cover the costs required to keep plastic out of the environment. NRDC is building a growing coalition of waste management, community, environmental, and business groups support measures that would stop plastic pollution at its source by creating incentives for industry to use less packaging for their products, make them recyclable, and ensure that recycling actually happens. Increasing recycling isn't just good for the environment; it's also a green jobs creator. Learn more in NRDC's report From Waste to Jobs: What Achieving 75 Percent Recycling Means for California. 2. Leading international action. NRDC's oceans and waste experts are working directly with international leaders and organizations such as the UN Environment Program to help establish international guidelines for curbing plastic pollution. We're also bringing government agencies and organizations together at the international level to showcase solutions. 3. Reducing plastic pollution. NRDC helps control the amount of litter in our oceans by pushing for legislation that will reduce plastic pollution. We offer strategic guidance to partner organizations and support policies at the state and municipal level in California that help to address pollution from plastic bags and foam to-go containers. What You Can Do Marine plastic pollution shows us that we cannot really throw anything "away." Reducing, reusing, and recycling is the best way to stem the tide of plastics into our oceans. Here are some specific steps you can take to cut down on your use and protect our oceans. 1. Cut disposable plastics out of your routine. Simple alternatives include bringing your own bag to the store, choosing reusable items wherever possible, and purchasing plastic with recycled content. 2. Recycle. When you need to use plastic, be sure that you recycle it after you've reused it. Each piece of plastic recycled is one less piece of waste that could end up in our oceans. 7 3. Take Responsibility. Whether you represent yourself, a business, or a government, know how much you are contributing to the problem of plastic pollution. Conduct a waste audit and share the information. Set specific goals to reduce or eliminate your plastic waste generation. 4. Clean up your beach. Many organizations host clean-up days where you can volunteer to pick up trash at your local beach. A few hours of your time can make a big difference. 5. Support NRDC's work. Because marine debris primarily originates on land, NRDC's ongoing work on waste prevention and recycling plays a critical role in resolving this issue. With your support, NRDC can continue urgent work to reduce plastic waste from reaching our oceans. 8 Anchor Text 3 9 10 Beach Buddies Twice a month on our tiny little Isle A group of heroes go that extra mile Wearing protective clothing they clean the beach Removing vast amounts of rubbish within their reach Plastic bottles, fast food containers and tins Items tossed away so thoughtlessly – it’s a sin So many marine animals can get tangled in discarded plastic They need our protection, or the results could be very drastic Hundreds of bin bags of rubbish are removed from our beach Restoring them to beauty, now they are as pretty as a peach Volunteers work tirelessly with amazing solidarity To help ‘Beach Buddies’ which is a registered charity Jan Allison 11 Extension 2 NOAA: Ocean Pollution Did you know that approximately 1.4 billion pounds of trash per year enters the ocean? Where does all that trash come from? Where does it go? Much of it ends up on our beaches washed in with the waves and tides, some sinks, some is eaten by marine animals mistaking it for food. Other forms of pollution impacting the health of the ocean come from a single known sources like an oil spill or from accumulation of many dispersed sources like fertilizer from our yards. Plastic trash is among the marine debris that washed up on this Hawaii beach. (Source: State of Hawaii - see article: In for the Long Haul) The majority of pollutants going into the ocean come from activities on land. Natural processes and human activities along the coastlines and far inland affect the health of our ocean. One of the biggest sources is called nonpoint source pollution, which occurs as a result of runoff. Nonpoint source pollution includes many small sources, like septic tanks, cars, trucks, and boats, plus larger sources, such as farms, livestock ranches, and timber harvest areas. Pollution that comes from a single source like an oil or chemical spill is known as point source pollution. Often this type of pollution has large impacts but fortunately they occur less often. Discharge from faulty or damaged factories or water treatments system are also considered point source polluters. Nutrients and Algal Blooms Sometimes it is not the type of material, but its concentration, that determines if it is a pollutant. For example, nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus are essential elements for plant growth. However, if they are overabundant in a body of water, they can stimulate an overgrowth of algae called an algal bloom. Some algal blooms are considered to be harmful algal blooms because they can have a negative effect on living organisms. An excess of nutrients entering a body of water, either through natural or human activities, can also result in hypoxic or dead zones. When large amounts of algae sink and decompose in the water, the decomposition process consumes oxygen and depletes the supply available to healthy marine life. Most of the marine life that lives in these areas either dies, or, if they are mobile such as fish, leave the area. Habitats that would normally be teeming with life become, essentially, biological deserts. Marine Debris 12 Marine debris is another persistent pollution problem in our ocean. Marine debris injures and kills marine life, interferes with navigation safety, and poses a threat to human health. Our oceans and waterways are polluted with a wide variety of marine debris ranging from soda cans and plastic bags to derelict fishing gear and abandoned vessels. Today, there is no place on Earth immune to this problem. A majority of the trash and debris that covers our beaches comes from storm drains and sewers, as well as from shoreline and recreational activities. Abandoned or discarded fishing gear is also a major problem because this trash can entangle, injure, maim, and drown marine wildlife and damage property. Impact of Seafood Pollution can have an adverse affect on the food that we eat. Heavy metals and other contaminants can accumulate in seafood and make it harmful to eat. More than one-third of the shellfish-growing waters of the United States are adversely affected by coastal pollution. NOAA monitors this contamination through the Mussel Watch program and also provides seafood safety tips through the Fish Watch program. 13