Examining Models

INTERACTIVE WEBSITE

5Gyres, Understanding Plastic Pollution through Exploration, Education, and Action

5Gyres is an organization of scientists and environmentalists dedicated to better understanding the impact of plastic pollution on the world’s oceans, communicating about this impact, and reducing this pollution. The site offers myriad ways to learn about this issue and to get involved.

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Understanding Plastic Pollution through Exploration, Education, and Action. 5Gyres. http://5gyres.org

Reading the Genre

Question

1. This site focuses on problems and solutions. Look at each of the proposed steps in the solution offered: action, legislation, innovation, recovery, and reduction. How do these sections try to persuade you to act? What could be added to make readers actually take the next step?

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2. Now look back at the section called “What Is the Problem?” How does this section use images and figures to illustrate the impact of pollution? How are these elements organized to create an argument?

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3. WRITING: On the actual 5Gyres website, there are many more resources available. Visit the site, and pay particular attention to the ways research is assembled. Using this site as a starting point, what are some topics or titles for researched argumentative essays that you could write?

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4. COMPOSING VISUALLY: Could this site be more interactive or more engaging? What other types of media could be used to make this site and its arguments better? Develop an idea for a new section of the site that would enhance its interactivity and/or utilize new media to further its arguments.

To visit this site, go to http://www.5gyres.org/.

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