Tracking Trash in Our Oceans
Building Knowledge about the Impacts of Pollution
4-5 Grade Band Text Set
Line of Inquiry: Pollution introduced into the ocean by people is having increasingly negative impacts on
marine ecosystems. This text set explores this issue and how it is being addressed.
The set is anchored by a fiction text that will engage students in the topic. The supporting texts, articles,
and infographics will allow students to build knowledge about ocean pollution and its consequences.
830L
Anchor Text
Flush
By: Carl Hiaasen
Text Type: Fiction
Hiaasen, Carl. Flush. New York: Random House, 2005. Print.
“Noah and his sister, Abbey, are more understanding of their volatile dad's latest arrest than their
mother, who begins talking of divorce. Dad sank the Coral Queen, a casino boat on a Florida Key
because, he alleges, its owner, Dusty Muleman, has been illegally dumping raw sewage into the
local waters. Soon enough the kids begin trying to gather proof that will vindicate their father and
put the casino out of business. The plot would practically disappear if any one of the major
characters had a cell phone, but the environmental story is front and center and readers will be
hooked as the good guys try to do the right thing.” (Amazon)
Available from Amazon in paperback for $5.37.
Books
1200L Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion
By: Loree Griffin Burns
Text Type: Nonfiction
Burns, Loree Griffin. Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion. Boston:
Houghton Mifflin Company, 2007. Print.
“Aided by an army of beachcombers, oceanographer Dr. Curtis Ebbesmeyer tracks trash in the
name of science. From sneakers to hockey gloves, Curt monitors the watery fate of human-made
cargo that has spilled into the ocean. The information he collects is much more than casual news;
it is important scientific data. And with careful analysis, Curt, along with a community of
scientists, friends, and beachcombers alike, is using his data to understand and protect our
ocean. In engaging text and unforgettable images, readers meet the woman who started it all
(Curt's mother!), the computer program that makes sense of his data (nicknamed OSCURS), and
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several scientists, both on land and on the sea, who are using Curt's discoveries to preserve
delicate marine habitats and protect the creatures who live in them.”
Available from Amazon in paperback for $8.99.
873L
Smog, Oil Spills, Sewage, and More: The Yucky Pollution Book
By: Alvin Silverstein
Text Type: Nonfiction
Silverstein, Alvin. Smog, Oil Spills, Sewage, and More: The Yucky Pollution Book. Berkley Heights,
NJ: Enslow Publishers, Inc., 2010. Print.
“Hundreds of years ago, people used to just toss their trash right out their back doors. Modern
people have invented lots of ways to keep things clean—but we still have to deal with pollution
problems like smog, litter, and oil spills. Learn about things that make our planet dirty in this
great addition to the YUCKY SCIENCE series.” (Amazon) While this book addresses more than just
ocean pollution, there is a detailed section on the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
Available from Amazon in library bindings for $21.54.
Articles
810L
Discarded Plastic Forms An Ecosystem at Sea
By: Los Angeles Times, adapted by Newsela staff1
Text Type: Informational
"Discarded Plastic Forms an Ecosystem at Sea." Newsela. N.p., 13 Jan. 2014.
<http://newsela.com/articles/plastic-ocean/id/2308/>.
The article offers information on the platisphere, a manmade ecosystem of plastic debris in the
ocean.
930L
Boats Go Fishing For Trash in Rio’s Big Bay
By: Associated Press, adapted by Newsela staff
Text Type: Informational
“Boats Go Fishing For Trash in Rio’s Big Bay.” Newsela. N.p. 27 Jan. 2014.
<https://www.newsela.com/articles/rio-garbage/id/2493/>.
This article describes the problem of water pollution in Rio de Janeiro and its potential impact on
the 2016 Olympic Games. Readers learn how Rio is addressing the problem and whether or not
the approach is effective.
1
All articles on www.newsela.com are available in 5 different Lexile levels. This allows the topic to be
addressed by different grade levels. For example, a 3rd grade class studying ocean pollution could use
the same article as a middle school class. This does not mean that middle school students should be
reading the article at a lower Lexile. The goal is for all students to be reading texts appropriate for their
grade band.
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1090L Coastal Clean Up in Singapore and Beyond!2
By: Ramita Kondepudi
Text Type: Nonfiction
Kondepudi, Ramita. “Coastal Clean Up in Singapore and Beyond!” ThinkGreenSpeak. Blog. 21
Sept. 2012. <http://thinkgreenspeak.blogspot.com/2012/09/coastal-clean-up-in-singapore-andbeyond.html>.
This is a short article about students who participated in a coastal cleanup project. It includes a
poster, Threats to Wildlife, that is a powerful graphic about the impact ocean pollution has on
wildlife.
Graphics
N/A
Polluted Oceans: “Garbage Dump, Alaska”
By: Ken Graham
Text Type: Nonfiction – Photograph
Graham, Ken. Garbage Dump, Alaska. N.d. Getty Images. JPEG.
<http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/photos/ocean-pollution/#/alaskadump_46_600x450.jpg>.
This site has photos of ocean debris from around the world.
N/A
The Ugly Journey of Our Trash
By: Project Aware
Text Type: Nonfiction – Infographic
Project Aware. The Ugly Journey of Our Trash. 2011. PDF.
<http://www.projectaware.org/infographic>.
This infographic includes a printer-friendly version of a poster illustrating the impact of marine
debris on ocean habitats.
2
While the Lexile score is above the grade band, this article would be accessible to 4th graders with
supports and the poster alone is worth checking out.
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