STUDENT GUIDE
Help for a World Drowning in Microplastics
How does the author help readers to understand the “promise and peril” of plastic alternatives?
View this lesson at ThinkCERCA
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Table of Contents
Skills Focus
Overview and Connect
Read and Check
Analyze / Engage with the Text
Summarize
Develop / Build Your Argument
Draft and Review / Create your CERCA
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Extension Activities
Definition | Facts and Characteristics___ |
Examples | Non-examples___ |
Vocabulary Word:�
MICROPLASTICS
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SKILLS FOCUS
Build Your Vocabulary: �Frayer Model — Microplastics�
The Frayer Model helps you learn vocabulary from different angles.
Frayer Model
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SKILLS FOCUS
Cornell Notes: Structure in Informational Texts
List three common text structures. | Three common text structures are… |
Define “Compare-and-Contrast Text Structure.” | Compare-and-Contrast Text Structure is… |
What is a Cause-and-Effect Text Structure? | Cause-and-Effect Text Structure is… |
Instructions: Take notes on the Direct Instruction lesson using the organizer below. Then summarize and reflect on the next page.
Complete the Direct Instruction lesson online at learn.thinkcerca.com
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SKILLS FOCUS
Cornell Notes: Structure in Informational Texts
Summarize and Reflect
In your own words and in complete sentences, write a 3–4 sentence summary of this Direct Instruction lesson. An accurate summary will cover the lesson's central ideas and include important details to support those ideas.
Record your summary here:
OVERVIEW AND CONNECT
Find Your Purpose for Learning
Instructions: When you have finished reading the Overview for this lesson, answer the following questions in the space below:
What more would you like to learn about environmental pollution and how it affects humans? What would you like to know about the possible impacts on the environment if we consume too many plastics?
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Read the Overview provided at learn.thinkcerca.com
OVERVIEW AND CONNECT
Share Your Personal Connection
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Complete the Connect section for this selection at learn.thinkcerca.com
Instructions:�
READ
Share Your Reflections
Instructions: During or after you have finished reading, find the questions in the text marked Pause and Reflect. These questions may help you understand the text, or they may help you connect the text to yourself, to other texts, or to the world around you.
Use the space on the left below to answer the reflection questions. Then discuss your answers, noting how they were similar or different.
Record “Pause and Reflect” answers here:
Record discussion reflections here:
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Refer to the Pause and Reflect questions within the Read section of the lesson at learn.thinkcerca.com.
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READ
Test Prep Strategy: Verify Your Answer
Multiple choice questions can be tricky! Take your time. Carefully read each question and each response. After you settle on an answer, verify your response by replacing it in the actual question.
Practice this technique with the questions from your reading.
QUESTION ON THINKCERCA | CUE WORDS TO BE REPLACED | VERIFICATION OF YOUR RESPONSE |
EXAMPLE: The author lists which of the following as a benefit of video games: | “Which of the following” | The author lists social connection as a benefit of video games. |
| | |
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| | |
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Refer to the reading and multiple choice questions for this lesson at learn.thinkcerca.com.
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ANALYZE / ENGAGE WITH THE TEXT
Highlight and Annotate
In this step, you will analyze the text closely, then discuss your findings to begin developing reasoning for your argument.
Return to learn.thinkcerca.com to complete Analyze / Engage with the Text.
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SUMMARIZE
Write a Summary
Summaries help you process your thinking about a text and are often a great way to start off an argumentative or informational essay. A good summary shows you have knowledge about a topic.
Practicing summarizing also helps you prepare for the main idea questions posed on many standardized assessments. In addition, summarizing is a helpful skill for working with others, such as when you need to confirm your understanding of what someone else has said. That's a useful skill for all parts of life.
Return to learn.thinkcerca.com to complete Summarize.
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DEVELOP / BUILD YOUR ARGUMENT
Share your Argument Builder
When you’ve completed the argument building step, share your results with others, and listen to how they responded to the same question. Ask questions, and give feedback to help strengthen your partners’ reasons and evidence.
How does the author help readers to understand the “promise and peril” of plastic alternatives? | |
Share Your Argument | Listen and Record Others |
1. | |
2. | |
3. | |
Complete Develop / Build Your Argument to begin building your argument at learn.thinkcerca.com
DRAFT AND REVIEW / CREATE YOUR CERCA
Peer Editing Activity
Complete your Draft at learn.thinkcerca.com
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DRAFT AND REVIEW / CREATE YOUR CERCA
Reflect on Your Writing
Before you submit your final CERCA, write a brief reflection describing your experience.
An area for growth for me on this piece or in my writing in general is…
The strongest areas of this piece of writing are…
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Through self-assessment and/or peer editing, I learned…
Extension Activities
The following activities can be used as extensions to this lesson.
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OPTIONAL EXTENSION : RESEARCH ACTIVITY
Plan Your Research
Step 1: Explore the Topic
Research starts with a topic and a related research question. The topic for this research project is environmental problems and possible sustainable solutions to these problems. In this activity, you will use the information you have learned from your lesson to build a research question that is tied to this topic and that interests you.
Instructions: Use the 3-2-1 strategy to explore what you know, what you want to know more about, and one question you have about environmental problems and possible sustainable solutions to these problems.
2-3 things I know about about environmental problems facing our world today:
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
2-3 things I want to learn more about related to the environmental problems facing our world today:
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
1 research question I have about an environmental problem and a possible sustainable solution to this problem (narrow down your focus to just one that interests you most):
_______________________________________________________________________________________
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OPTIONAL EXTENSION : RESEARCH ACTIVITY
Plan Your Research
Step 2: Create a Thesis Statement
After developing research questions, researchers create a thesis statement. The thesis statement addresses the research question and states your main point, or controlling idea, in your introduction. The thesis statement also frames the remainder of the research. In this activity, you will use your research question, the information you know right now, and your thoughts about the topic to craft your thesis statement.
Instructions: From your research question and the facts you know about the topic, craft a thesis statement below that addresses the topic. Use the statement in your research paper.
Research Question:
Fact 1:
Fact 2:
Fact 3:
Thesis Statement:
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OPTIONAL EXTENSION : RESEARCH ACTIVITY
Plan Your Research
Step 3: Find Reliable Sources
Reliable sources are at the core of research. Researchers use sources to support their thesis and build new ideas from reliable evidence.
Instructions: Find five sources that will provide evidence to support your thesis. Summarize your findings, and carefully cite each source. Consult with your teacher about reliable source databases available to you.
Source Title | Source Author | Source | Summary | Citation |
Source Example: Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean | Jenna R. Jambeck , Roland Geyer, Chris Wilcox, Theodore R. Siegler, Miriam Perryman, Anthony Andrady, Ramani Narayan, And Kara Lavender Law | Science Magazine | This research article gives the findings from a study about waste inputs in the ocean. | Jambeck , J. Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean. Science Magazine Vol 347, Issue 6223, Feb 13, 2015, p 768-771. |
Source 1 | | | | |
Source 2 | | | | |
Source 3: | | | | |
Source 4: | | | | |
Source 5: | | | | |
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OPTIONAL EXTENSION : RESEARCH ACTIVITY
Plan Your Research
Step 4: Collect Relevant and Reliable Evidence
In research, finding reliable evidence is crucial to ensuring your reporting of information is accurate. Ensuring that the evidence is tied directly to your thesis is also important to make certain that you stay on topic.
Instructions: Find pieces of evidence that support your thesis that can be found in at least two sources. Record your direct citations to use as you draft your essay. Consult with your teacher about next steps in the drafting process.
Piece of Evidence (Paraphrased) | Source 1 Evidence (direct quote with citation) | Source 2 Evidence (direct quote with citation) |
Plastic waste entering oceans is increasing every year. | “275 million metric tons of plastic waste was generated in 192 countries in 2010… predicted to increase by an order of magnitude by 2025” (Jambeck, et. al, 2015) | “...every year, tens of millions of tons of plastic enter Earth’s oceans…” (Imbler, 2022) |
Piece of Evidence #1 | | |
Piece of Evidence #2 | | |
Piece of Evidence #3 | | |
Piece of Evidence #4 | | |
Piece of Evidence #5 | | |
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OPTIONAL EXTENSION : INQUIRY TO RESEARCH
Ask Questions of the Texts
As you engage with texts in any subject, you can actively ask questions about the author’s purpose, intended audience, and occasion to understand the message. The table below provides examples.
Approaches | Example |
Questions about the author | Is the author an authority on this topic? What was the author’s motivation in writing this piece? |
Questions about the audience, purpose, and occasion of the text | Why was this article written? Why was it published at this time? |
Questions about civics, economics, geography, and history | What are the possible impacts on the environment if we consume too many plastics? |
Questions about concepts and ideas | What challenges might scientists face when trying to ban or find alternatives to plastic materials? |
Questions about self and community reflections | How does environmental pollution affect humans? |
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OPTIONAL EXTENSION : INQUIRY TO RESEARCH
Ask Questions of the Texts (continued)
Use the table below to record questions about the text you read.
Approaches | Questions |
Questions about the author | |
Questions about the audience, purpose, and occasion of the text | |
Questions about civics, economics, geography, and history | |
Questions about concepts and ideas | |
Self and Community Reflections | |
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