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Taking care of planet Earth means finding solutions to today’s problems so that tomorrow’s world is a healthy place to live. One challenge facing scientists worldwide is the ever-growing problem of what to do with plastic waste. Massive amounts of plastic have accumulated over decades and only some of it can be recycled for new purposes. Meet this issue’s hero who may help scientists solve the plastic dilemma! The hungry little “waxworm” consumes plastic—lots of it—in addition to its normal diet of beehive wax. Scientists studying the waxworm are hopeful this modest fellow can help solve the plastic waste problem. It’s not a perfect solution yet, as you will discover in this issue, but may be a step in the right direction! Will this plastic-eating wiggler save the day? Stay tuned!
In this issue students will:
- read informational text about waxworms
- learn how a scientist discovered the waxworm’s unique features to consume plastic
- compare weight of plastic to a familiar mammal
- locate a scientific problem in the news
- evaluate trash for sorting into the correct bin
- read “closely” to choose correct vocabulary in context
- calculate answers to tricky word problems
- compare measurements of common objects using standard and metric units
- understand a solution may still have a problem
- use headlines in the news to make a silly story
- write about a time you solved a problem by persuading someone to give you a hand
7 page PDF
