nonfiction article of the week - imlovinlit.com · ©2018 erin cobb imlovinlit.com nonfiction...

©2018 erin cobb imlovinlit.com

Nonfiction Article of the Week7-3: Is Fossil Fuel Overuse Threatening Your Health?

Table of Contents

Terms of Use 2

Table of Contents 3

List of Activities, Difficulty Levels, Common Core Alignment, & TEKS 4

Digital Components/Google Classroom Guide 5

Teaching Guide, Rationale, Lesson Plans, Links, and Procedures: EVERYTHING 6-9

Article: Is Fossil Fuel Overuse Harming Your Health? 10-11

*Modified Article: Is Fossil Fuel Overuse Harming Your Health? 12-13

Activity 1: Basic Comprehension Quiz/Check – Multiple Choice w/Key 14-15

Activity 2: Basic Comprehension Quiz/Check – Open-Ended Questions w/Key 16-17

Activity 3: Text Evidence Activity w/Annotation Guide for Article 18-20

Activity 4: Text Evidence Activity & Answer Bank w/Key 21-23

Activity 5: Skill Focus – Analyze Relationships Between Ideas 24-27

Activity 6: Integrate Sources – Video Clip & Questions w/Key 28-29

Activity 7: Skills Test Regular w/Key 30-33

Activity 8: Skills Test *Modified w/Key 34-37

List of Activities & Standards Difficulty Level: *Easy **Moderate ***Challenge

Activity 1: Basic Comprehension Quiz/Check – Multiple Choice*

Activity 2: Basic Comprehension Quiz/Check – Open-Ended Questions*

Activity 3: Text Evidence Activity w/Annotation Guide for Article**

Activity 4: Text Evidence Activity w/Answer Bank**

Activity 5: Skill Focus – Analyze Relationships Between Ideas***

Activity 6: Integrate Sources – Video Clip & Questions***

Activity 7: Skills Test Regular w/Key**

Activity 8: Skills Test *Modified w/Key**

RI.7.1

RI.7.1

RI.7.1

RI.7.1

RI.7.3

RI.7.9

RI.7.1, RI.7.3

RI.7.1, RI.7.3

ELAR.5(F)

ELAR.5(F)

ELAR.5(F)

ELAR.5(F)

ELAR.5(G)9(B)(C)

ELAR.9(B), 12(F)

ELAR.5(F)(G)9(B)(C)

ELAR.5(F)(G)9(B)(C)

List of Activities & Standards Difficulty Level: *Easy **Moderate ***Challenge

Activity 1: Basic Comprehension Quiz/Check – Multiple Choice*

Activity 2: Basic Comprehension Quiz/Check – Open-Ended Questions*

Activity 3: Text Evidence Activity w/Annotation Guide for Article**

Activity 4: Text Evidence Activity w/Answer Bank**

Activity 5: Skill Focus – Analyze Relationships Between Ideas***

Activity 6: Integrate Sources – Video Clip & Questions***

Activity 7: Skills Test Regular w/Key**

Activity 8: Skills Test *Modified w/Key**



Teacher’s Guide

Activities, Difficulty Levels, and Common Core Alignment

Activities, Difficulty Levels, and TEKS Alignment



Teacher’s Guide

Instructions for Google Classroom Digital ComponentsAll student activities are available in digital format compatible with Google Classroom. They are available in two formats: Google Slides and Google Forms.

Google SlidesFirst, I have made all student pages (excluding assessments) in Google Slides format. Students can simply add text boxes to any area they wish to type on. To access the Google Slides for this article, copy and paste the link below into your browser. *Note that you’ll need to make a copy of the folder or slide before you can use it.*

omitted in preview

Google FormsI have made the assessments available in Google Forms. Here, they are self-grading, and I have set them all up with answer keys so they are ready to go for you. You’ll need to find these two files in your download folder to use Google Forms. The first file contains the links to the Forms, and the second file is explicit instructions for use. Look inside the Google Forms folder.



Teacher’s Guide

A Couple of Options for Teaching Article of the Week UnitsHere are my favorite suggestions for organizing these units with your schedule.*Please note that thumbnails show article 6.1 and activities.

Option A: Quickie UnitSimply complete all lesson activities in order OR pickand choose the activities you want to complete in order.

Time Needed: 2-3 fifty-minute class periodsPros: Super flexible; perfect filler around your other units; makes it easy to assign easier components for homework; ideal no prep sub plans if you have to be out for 2-3 days in a row.Cons: Fitting them all in around everything else you’ve got to do.

Option B: Daily ModelUse as a class starter or specific routine in yourclassroom everyday at the same time.

Time Needed: 15-20 minutes/day, 5 days/weekPros: IDEAL for block scheduling when you need to always change it up; Great way to fit nonfiction articles in with what you’re already doing.Cons: There are 25 total articles for each grade level, so some weeks you’ll need to skip the articles (I’d skip when doing projects, novels, during short weeks, and plan to finish up right before testing); May be difficult to commit to something rigid like this if you’re a type B teacher like myself ;)

Here’s how the daily model works:

Monday: Read article & complete basic comprehension activityTuesday: Text evidence activityWednesday: Skills focus activity (based on one key skill for each article)Thursday: Integrate information (other sources)Friday: Assessment

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday



Teacher’s Guide

WalkthroughI have discussed here how I use each activity and included hints and links to help you, too. Feel free to take or leave what you like. Even if you don’t plan to do every activity, I still recommend reading through this section to get the most out of these activities. Looking for a schedule to follow? Check the previous page for two suggested scheduling options.

These lessons and activities were designed to meet the needs of seventh graders during the first half the school year. The stories, activities, questions, and assessments will become increasingly rigorous and challenging as we progress through the year.

Activities 1-2• *There are no higher order thinking questions

included here – only basic, literal comprehension.• These activities are designed to be completed on

an either/or basis, meaning your students should only complete one of them, not both.

• Use Activity 1 for a quick cold-read assessment or after you’ve read the article together. I use these to hold students accountable for reading carefully. I recommend having students complete activity 1 without the article as long as they’ve just read the article (so not the next day), unless you’re providing a testing accommodation.

• Use Activity 2 for an open-ended option for the same exact questions. Students may have a harder time answering this one without the article, so choose this one if you want students to use the article but still prove that they’ve understood the content.

Article Modified Article

Note: Answer key included but not shown.

Activity 1

Activity 2



Teacher’s Guide

Activities 3-4• Again, these activities are either/or, so choose

one or the other but not both.• Activity 3 requires students to annotate text

evidence in the article and includes an article annotation key.

• Activity 4 requires students to choose text evidence from a bank at the bottom. This format prepares students to choose from and distinguish between pieces of text evidence on a state assessment. I recommend mixing it up and going back and forth between these among units until your students are proficient at both methods.

Activity 5• This activity is focused around the main skill

for this article: RI.7.3 – Analyze Relationships and Interactions in a Text. Complete answer keys included, as always.

Activity 6• This activity requires students to integrate

information from another source or media. • Here, students view a brief video clip about the same

topic. Students will analyze details and central idea and decide where new information from the video clip would best fit into the article.

• View the video clip https://youtu.be/cJ-J91SwP8w• Backup: https://goo.gl/8uSSW2

Activity 4

Activity 3

Activity 5

Activity 6



Teacher’s Guide

Activities 7-8• What’s the best way to make sure your students

are prepared for the state assessment? Assess them regularly with that format. I always let my students practice for the first few before I start counting them for a grade, and I always use the basic comprehension assessment (activity 1 or 2) as an easy grade so it levels the playing field.

• Activity 7 is the regular assessment.• Activity 8 is the modified assessment. The

modified assessment offer students only two answer choices instead of four. Note that only the multiple choice portion of the modified test is different from the original. Simply put, only page one is different. Complete keys included as always (not shown).

• In a hurry? I always include only multiple choice questions on the first page in case you’re in a hurry and need to skip the open-ended portion of the test. I don’t recommend skipping regularly but every now and then, I need a grading break.

Activity 7

Activity 8

heat in the atmosphere. This is called the greenhouse effect because it makes the earth warmer just like a greenhouse. Fossil fuels are responsible for 78% of the gases that lead to climate change.

New research shows that the people most vulnerable to breathing these harmful gases are children. The body’s immune system helps to defend against infections and poisons such as toxic chemicals. But because a child’s immune system has not yet finished developing, the child’s body is not as protected as that of an adult. Furthermore, since a child’s brain is still growing and changing rapidly, it is very sensitive to pollutants that can actually change and damage brain cells. Children exposed to air pollution from fossil fuels have a significantly greater chance of having developmental delays, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and a lower IQ.

Climate change can lead to more extreme weather events like hurricanes, tornadoes, storms, droughts, and more. Extreme weather can cause people to lose their homes. It can also make it harder to grow food. Climate change also causes ice to melt in the arctic, which makes ocean levels rise. This can cause communities to lose the land they live on. Climate change also affects natural ecosystems. When climate shifts, animal habitats can be destroyed.


The greenhouse effect: energy is trapped in the earth’s atmosphere, warming the earth.

Another problem with fossil fuels is that they are non-renewable. This means that eventually fossil fuels will run out. Because fossil fuels take thousands and thousands of years to create, new fossil fuels will not be ready by the time humans use the existing amount.

Today, people are working to create renewable energy. Renewable energy is energy that will not run out. Wind power and solar power are two power sources that are renewable and do not harm the planet. Another option is hydroelectric power. This is power that comes from running water like rivers. A third option, geothermal power, comes from the heat inside the earth. Nations around the world are already switching to renewable energy. But many scientists think the world is not switching quickly enough. They recommend that this problem be treated with a greater sense of urgency so that the problem does not continue to escalate.

Individuals can help by reducing the number of hours that they drive gas-fueled cars. Instead, people can choose to walk, bike, and take the bus when they travel. They can also choose to purchase eco-friendly cars that use electricity in place of gasoline. How might you reduce fossil fuel use in your own life?

The Future of Energy



Informational Text

1. According to a new report by Frederica Perera, the harmful effects of fossil fuel use are considerably worse for _______ than ________.

a. adults, childrenb. children, babiesc. the elderly, childrend. children, adults

2. What are fossil fuels made of?a. shredded tree barkb. remains of dead plants and animalsc. acid collected from raind. plastics

3. Which of the following is NOT a main type of fossil fuel?

a. natural gasb. woodc. oild. coal

4. How is coal obtained?a. It is mined from the earth.b. It is extracted by drills.c. It is trapped between layers.d. It is found at the bottom of the

ocean.

5. When fossil fuels are burned, they release…

a. plastics.b. carbon dioxide gas.c. greenhouse gas.d. climate change.

Comprehension QuizChoose the best answer according to the article.

6. Exposure to air pollution from fossil fuels can lead to all of these except…

a. viral meningitisb. attention deficit hyperactivity

disorderc. a lower IQd. developmental delays

7. Climate change can lead to…a. ice forming in the Artic.b. reduced immune system function.c. extreme weather events.d. reduced ocean levels.

8. What is one way that the article suggests individuals can help to reduce fossil fuel consumption?

a. Never leave the water running while you brush your teeth.

b. Fly instead of drive.c. Purchase cars that use electricity

instead of gasoline.d. Recycle newspapers, bottles, and

cans.

Activity 1

Skill: Literal Comprehension



Informational Text

For items 1-4, you’ll be citing textual evidence to support what the text says explicitly.

1. Find the sentence that tells you when fossil fuels first became popular. Highlight it in

blue.

2. Find the sentences that explain what the greenhouse effect is and highlight them in

green.

3. Find the sentence that explains why a child’s immune system is more vulnerable than an

adults and highlight it in purple.

4. Find the sentence that explains why we will run out of fossil fuels. Highlight it in gray.

Finding Text EvidenceFind each piece of text evidence in the article and highlight OR underline it with the color specified.

Skill: Text Evidence

For items 5-8, you’ll be citing one piece or multiple pieces of textual evidence to support

inferences drawn from the text.

5. Find two pieces of evidence in the article that support the idea that our modern world

was designed to run on fossil fuels. Highlight them in orange.

6. Find three pieces of text evidence that provide specific ways that fossil fuel usage harms

the environment. Highlight them in pink.

7. Find two pieces of text evidence that support the idea that there are viable alternatives to

fossil fuels and highlight them in yellow.

8. Find text evidence that shows why scientists may be frustrated with how the world is

handling the issue of fossil fuel overuse. Highlight it in red.

Activity 3



Informational TextSkill: Text Evidence

Activity 3



Informational Text

1. The main topic in the article is fossil fuel overuse. Briefly explain what fossil fuels are and what they are used for.

2. What is the major problem with fossil fuels? (What harmful substance is produced?)3. List two ways this problem is harming humans.4. List two ways this problem is harming the environment.

A. Analyze Interactions Between IdeasUse the article to answer the questions and complete the graphic organizers.

Activity 5

Fossil Fuels

Major Problem With Fossil Fuels

Humans Environment

5. Based on the information you entered above, which phrase below do the three arrows in the graphic diagram represent? Hint: Try inserting these words into the arrows to see which ones make sense.

is an example of is a cause of is the result of

Skill: Analyze Relationships Between Ideas



Informational Text

According to information from the article, how are these ideas related? Describe the relationship between ideas succinctly in the space provided. Then, explain the relationship more in-depth. See the first example that is done for you. Keep in mind that you’ll have to make some inferences and draw some logical conclusions based on the information that’s in the article.

Activity 5

B. Analyze Relationships Between Ideas

Fossil fuel overuse has caused the greenhouse effect.

Burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide gases. These gases enter the atmosphere and form a layer around the earth, trapping the heat in the atmosphere. This trapping of heat is what we know as the greenhouse effect.

6. fossil fuel overuse and the greenhouse effectrelationship described succinctly here

relationship explained more in-depth here

7. carbon dioxide and children’s brain cells

9. fossil fuels and renewable energy

8. the greenhouse effect and electric-powered cars

10. solar power and hydroelectric power

Skill: Analyze Relationships Between Ideas

nonfiction article of the week - imlovinlit.com · ©2018 erin cobb imlovinlit.com nonfiction...

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