Loading...
Is Plastic Trashing Our Planet?
Quiz by Lauren Philbert
Customize this quiz to suit your class
Instantly translate to 100+ languages
Tag the questions with any skills you have. Your dashboard will track each student's mastery of each skill.
Give this quiz to my class
How is plastic damaging the environment?The film begins as a journey to film the largest animal on the planet, the blue whale. But during the journey the filmmakers (journalist Craig Leeson and environmental activist Tanya Streeter) make the shocking discovery of a huge, thick layer of plastic floating in the middle of the Indian Ocean. This prompts them to travel around the world to look at other areas that have been affected. In total, they visited 20 locations around the world during the four years it took them to make the film. The documentary premiered in 2016, and is now on streaming services such as Netflix.It’s very clear that a lot of research went into the film. There are beautiful shots of the seas and marine life. These are contrasted with scenes of polluted cities and dumps full of plastic rubbish. We see how marine species are being killed by all the plastic we are dumping in the ocean. The message about our use of plastic is painfully obvious. But the film doesn’t only present the negative side. In the second half, the filmmakers look at what we can do to reverse the tide of plastic flowing around the world. They present short-term and long-term solutions. These include avoiding plastic containers and ‘single-use’ plastic products as much as possible. Reuse your plastic bags and recycle as much as you can. The filmmakers also stress the need for governments to work more on recycling programmers, and look at how technology is developing that can convert plastic into fuel We make a staggering amount of plastic. In terms of plastic bags alone, we use five hundred billion worldwide annually. Over 300 million tons of plastic are produced every year, and at least 8 million of those are dumped into the oceans. The results are disastrous, but it isn’t too late to change. Once you’ve seen A Plastic Ocean, you’ll realize the time is now and we all have a role to play. A Plastic Ocean is a film to make you think. Think, and then act. We need to take action on our dependence on plastic. We’ve been producing plastic in huge quantities since the 1940s. Drink bottles, shopping bags, toiletries and even clothes are made with plastic. We live in the world full of plastic, and only a small proportion is recycled. What happens to all the rest? This is the question the film A Plastic Ocean answers. It is a documentary that looks at the impact that plastic waste has on the environment. Spoiler alert: the impact is devastating.SORT ME-Opening Statements: "School uniforms promote a sense of unity and equality among students." "Implementing a four-day school week would improve student performance and well-being." "Banning plastic straws is necessary to reduce environmental pollution." Rebuttals: "While school uniforms may promote unity, they also restrict students' individuality and expression." "A four-day school week could lead to longer school days and increased stress for students and teachers." "Banning plastic straws alone won't solve the problem of plastic pollution; more comprehensive measures are needed." Evidence: Statistics showing improved academic performance in schools with uniform policies. Research studies demonstrating the benefits of a shorter school week on student achievement and mental health. Environmental reports highlighting the detrimental effects of plastic pollution on marine life. Closing Arguments: "In conclusion, school uniforms foster a sense of belonging and reduce distractions, ultimately creating a better learning environment for all students." "To summarize, a four-day school week offers numerous advantages, including increased student engagement and teacher satisfaction." "In closing, while banning plastic straws is a positive step, it's essential to implement broader strategies to address the larger issue of plastic pollution."Opening Statements: "School uniforms promote a sense of unity and equality among students." "Implementing a four-day school week would improve student performance and well-being." "Banning plastic straws is necessary to reduce environmental pollution." Rebuttals: "While school uniforms may promote unity, they also restrict students' individuality and expression." "A four-day school week could lead to longer school days and increased stress for students and teachers." "Banning plastic straws alone won't solve the problem of plastic pollution; more comprehensive measures are needed." Evidence: Statistics showing improved academic performance in schools with uniform policies. Research studies demonstrating the benefits of a shorter school week on student achievement and mental health. Environmental reports highlighting the detrimental effects of plastic pollution on marine life. Closing Arguments: "In conclusion, school uniforms foster a sense of belonging and reduce distractions, ultimately creating a better learning environment for all students." "To summarize, a four-day school week offers numerous advantages, including increased student engagement and teacher satisfaction." "In closing, while banning plastic straws is a positive step, it's essential to implement broader strategies to address the larger issue of plastic pollution." Gever Tulley is a computer scientist from California. In 2005, he started a summer programme for children called Tinkering School. The idea was that children can learn important skills for life by building things together. Gever Tulley and his team help the children to think big and create plans for innovative things they want to build. Children have made fantastic things since the school started. They have built a rollercoaster. They have made a rope bridge from plastic shopping bags. They have made tree houses, wooden motorbikes and boats. At Tinkering School, children get all kinds of materials like wood, metal, plastic, nails and ropes. They get lots of real tools too, such as knives, hammers, screwdrivers and power drills. Some children have cut themselves when using a knife, or hurt their fingers when using a hammer. Tinkering School has been around for many years now, but nobody has ever suffered a serious injury in all those years. This is because there are strict health and safety regulations they must follow. The children always learn how to use the tools safely and they must wear the right clothing and protection at all times. Gever Tulley's ideas have worked very well. A lot of children have gone to his summer schools over the years. In 2011, Gever Tulley and a colleague decided to create a 'real' ! school, called Brightworks, in San Francisco. The school is very small-it only has 20 students aged 6 to 13. Brightworks is based on the same principles as Tinkering School. Since it started, Brightworks has been written about a lot. Most of those articles have been very positive. They have praised the quality of the school. They have found the children are more motivated than at many other schools. But since the beginning of the school there have also been critical voices. Some people have said that children are not learning enough at Brightworks. They feel that students and teachers are just 'playing around' all the time. The students at Brightworks seem to love their school. We spoke to 12-year-old Tina Cooper. She has been a student at the school since last October. 'Since I started here, I've never sat in a 'normal' class with a teacher,' she told us. 'But it's been a very exciting experience. I've worked hard at my new school for eight months now, and there hasn't been one single moment when I found it boring. Before, I was bored quite often.'What is an earthquake? Would you be surprised to learn that several million earthquakes happen every year? Seriously. Most are so small in magnitude or size that we cannot even feel them. In fact, only 20 earthquakes are efficiently reported each year in the United States Geological Survey. Wow! That is a huge difference! The Earth has four major layers. Inner core, outer core, mantle, and crust. Think of the crust and top of the mantle like the skin of the earth. This skin is made up of different pieces of rock called tectonic plates. There are about 15 major slabs that join together, kind of like a puzzle. The edges around the tectonic plates are called plate boundaries. These massive pieces of rock slide back and forth under the Earth's surface, bumping up against each other and creating a lot of tension. This tension and movement create faults, which are basically huge cracks in the rock. When the faults get stuck, they build up pressure. And when they get unstuck, you guessed it, an earthquake. So basically, an earthquake is caused by the shifting and sliding of tectonic plates on the Earth's upper mantle and crust. There are three ways that tectonic plates shift or slide. They are subduction, lateral sliding, and spreading. Subduction happens when plates crash into each other. This can cause one plate to slide under another and be destroyed. Or the edges of the plate may rise up and form mountains. Lateral sliding means that the plates slide alongside each other, which can create lots of friction. And like you might have guessed, spreading happens when plates move apart from each other. When they do, melted rock between the plates rises and cools, forming new crust. Here's an interesting fact. Nearly 90% of all earthquakes begin in the Pacific Ocean, in an area called the Ring of Fire. It's called the Ring of Fire because along with earthquakes, it's filled with many active volcanoes. More than 450! Earthquakes can be powerful enough to change the surface of the earth and can do a lot of damage. And sometimes earthquakes can even cause other natural disasters, like avalanches, landslides, and tsunamis. Pretty wild, right? The epicenter is the location of an earthquake on the Earth's surface. The closer you are to the epicenter, the more of the earthquake you will feel. Earthquakes lose intensity as they travel away from the epicenter. Scientists measure the intensity of an earthquake using a special device called a seismograph. Seismometers detect and measure the vibrations given off by an earthquake. Magnitude is the number given to record the size of an earthquake. For example, a magnitude 5.5 is considered moderate. Above 8.0 is considered a major earthquake and we see one every year or two. Earthquakes measured at 2.5 or less are usually not felt, but can be recorded. And believe it or not, there are millions that happen each year. You can make a model of a seismograph at home, and we are going to show you how. It's activity time! You can print off directions for this one on our website at learnbright.org. You'll need a cardboard box, string, a plastic cup, a marker, small heavy objects, a long strip of paper, and a friend because this is an activity for at least two people. Now comes the fun part. One friend shakes the box, alternating between hard and soft and slow and fast, while the other friend is pulling the strip of paper through the bottom. Watch the marker as it records the movement. This is exactly what a seismograph does during an earthquake. So, in a way, we have not only created our own seismograph, but our own earthquake as well. Now, we can analyze the data just like scientists. Can you tell how hard the box was shaking based on the line? Can you tell when it was barely shaking at all? You are on your way to becoming a seismologist. A seismologist is a person that studies earthquakes. It's pretty cool to watch the process, but it's even more exciting to do it yourself. You can head on over to our website to get detailed instructions for this activity. Just download the lesson plan and as always have fun! Hope you had fun learning with us! Visit us at learnbright.org for thousands of Hope you had fun learning with us! Visit us at learnbright.org for thousands of free resources and turnkey solutions for teachers and homeschoolers.Create vocab quiz for the following vocab: eco hotel (noun) a hotel that is made to minimise impact on the natural environment water sports (noun) sports that take place on or in water windsurfing (noun) a sport in which you sail across water by standing on a board and holding onto a large sail waterskiing (noun) a sport in which you are pulled along the surface of the water by a boat, while balancing on a pair of skis first-aid kit (noun) a box or bag containing basic medical equipment day trip (noun) a visit to a place in which you go there and come back on the same day picnic basket (noun) a light container made of thin strips of wood, metal or plastic, that holds an informal meal of sandwiches, etc. for eating outside roller skating (noun) the activity of moving along the ground using roller skates ice skating (noun) the sport or activity of moving on ice using ice skates theme park (noun) a large permanent area for public entertainment, with entertaining activities and big machines to ride on or play games on, restaurants, etc. national park (noun) an area of a country that is protected by the government because of its natural beauty or because it has a special history campsite (noun) an area where people stay in tents for a holiday hot spring (noun) a place where hot water naturally flows out from the ground, typically heated by underground volcanic activity insect repellent (noun) a substance used to repel very small animals such as mosquitos tennis court (noun) a rectangular area marked with lines on which tennis is played swimming pool (noun) an area of water that has been made for people to swim in beach umbrella (noun) a device for protection against the sun sightseeing tour (noun) a tour of a place, visiting interesting places boat trip (noun) a journey taken in a small vehicle travelling on water