Scribd
Upload
3 views

Cause and Effect Practice

The document discusses the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a massive accumulation of plastic waste in the ocean that poses a threat to marine life and the food chain. It highlights the causes of the garbage patch, including abandoned fishing nets and the impact of the 2011 tsunami in Japan, which contributed to the influx of trash. The text emphasizes the importance of understanding the cause and effect relationships in environmental issues.

Uploaded by

Hamza AL- ASSAD
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
3 views

Cause and Effect Practice

The document discusses the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a massive accumulation of plastic waste in the ocean that poses a threat to marine life and the food chain. It highlights the causes of the garbage patch, including abandoned fishing nets and the impact of the 2011 tsunami in Japan, which contributed to the influx of trash. The text emphasizes the importance of understanding the cause and effect relationships in environmental issues.

Uploaded by

Hamza AL- ASSAD
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 4

Text Structure

Cause and Effect


Objective: I can describe the relationship between a
series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or
steps in technical procedures in a text, using language that
pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect

I can determine the cause and effect in a nonfiction text.

Cause is the reason why something happened


Effect is the result that happened.

Cause and Effect organizer:

21
Tons of Trash in the Ocean Hurt Animals

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a big glob of trash. It


floats in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It is between
California and Hawaii. It is mostly made of plastic. It is very
big. A lot bigger than we thought it was. It is twice the size
of Texas. And it is only getting bigger.

A team of scientists were curious about the garbage


patch. They wanted to measure how big it was. They
were in for a surprise. The patch was much larger than
they expected. Worse, it is still growing!

Laurent Lebreton led the group. He called the garbage


"frightening.

Plastic Can Hurt Animals

Plastic is very useful. Plastic bags help us with our


groceries. However, they can hurt our oceans. Animals can
eat plastic bags. Shellfish and other animals can stick to the
plastic. Fish and birds then eat these animals. Soon, the
plastic has hurt the whole food chain!

22
Mr. Lebreton's team wanted a bird's-eye view of the trash.
They studied what it looked like from above. They also sent
boats to take pieces of trash. The scientists looked at these
pieces very closely. Most of the garbage patch is made of
tiny bits of plastic. This time, the scientists got to see bigger
pieces, too.
41 Years Ago!
Where did all that trash come from? Fishing nets are part
of the problem. They made up a big part of the garbage
patch. Fishing boats leave them behind. Then they drift
through the ocean. Animals can get stuck in the nets.

Fifty plastic items had dates printed on them. Most were


from the 1990s and 2000s. One was from 1977. That is 41
years ago! There were 386 items with words from different
languages. Many were in Japanese.

Giant Wave
Why might that be? The scientists have a guess. In 2011,
Japan was hit by a tsunami. The giant wave washed tons of
trash into the sea. That trash could have floated across the
ocean. Then it could have made its way to the garbage
patch.

This study just looked at floating plastic. There might be


much more on the ocean floor!

23
Refer to the previous text and answer the following
question:
Q1. Fill in the table below with the causes and effects
mentioned in the text.

Cause Effect

After reading the text, search online for the meaning


of the bold words in the text.

patch:.............................................................................

curious:..........................................................................

measure:........................................................................

24

You might also like