Use the K-W-L graphic organizer to begin.
KNOW: Use this space to discuss any background knowledge you have on the topic. What do you already know about the Great Pacific garbage patch?
WONDER/WANT: What do you wonder about it? What do you want to know? Do you have any questions you want answered about the topic?
LEARNED: What have you learned about the topic? Summarize your learning and respond to the questions you generated.
Text: Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Imagine an area larger than the size of British Columbia that is made of a dense murky soup of approximately 3.5 million tons of trash – pop bottles, plastic bags, laundry detergent containers, and other garbage. Waste and litter from coastal waters off North America and Japan, trapped by an ocean current called the North Pacific Gyre, has created this floating garbage island. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is made up of an Eastern Patch and a Western Patch that are connected by a 9700 km long current. The Eastern Garbage Patch floats between Hawaii and California, while the Western Garbage Patch is found east of Japan and west of Hawaii.
