6th Grade
Informational Text
880L
Tiny Plastic, Big Problem
Alison Pearce Stevens
2015
Passage Summary:
When plastic was invented at the turn of 20th century, it was lauded as a miraculous new material that could be used to create innumerable products. Few could have recognized the impact that plastic would have on our world – particularly in our oceans – over the course of a century.
When and How to Pair: Have students read this text after page 82, when Frightful burns herself on utility pole wires, to generate a discussion on the human impact on the environment. How does plastic in the ocean negatively impact the animals that come in contact with it? How does this compare to how various birds are negatively impacted by utility poles? How are humans responsible for both? How could humans decrease the number of animals that are hurt by utility pole wires and plastic?