Download Marine Pollution Centuries of Abuse Have Taken a Heavy Toll

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
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FSA RUBRIC:
Informative/Explanatory Essay Rubric
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[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.
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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.
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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.
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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:
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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.
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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.
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Anchor Text 3
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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
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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
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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.
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