HW#22b -- Friday, March 9th

For this assignment, read the following online article about plastics in the ocean [HERE] and then answer the following questions:

Before reading:
1) When you throw away garbage, where does it go? Name a few places other than the dump where you’ve seen lots of trash.

During/After reading:
2) List a few things a person could find at Kamilo Beach. List a few things a person could not find at Kamilo Beach.

3) How many tons of trash do volunteers remove from the Kamilo Beach area each year?

4) The North Pacific Ocean gyre is far from land. So how does so much plastic trash end up in the gyre?

5) Describe how scientists collect and study samples from gyres.

6) Describe the different ways that sea life interacts with the floating plastic. (Hint: How do barnacles use floating plastic? Do some animals eat the plastic?) Are these interactions good or bad?

7) Why are the smaller pieces of plastic floating at sea so dangerous?

HW#22a -- Thursday, March 8th

Your HW assignment for today is to write a four-paragraph essay about rubber and plastics. The first two paragraphs should have 3-5 sentences each, and should explain what rubber is, what natural sources we get rubber from, and the things we use rubber for. The last two paragraphs should explain what plastics are, how we make them, and the things we use plastics for.

One of the best sources for this assignment is wikipedia, which is a great starting place. It will certainly give you a good definition for "rubber" and "plastics." It should also show you how we get these substances, as well as how they are used to make things around the world!