8.
1 Homework
recycling Fact Cards
About one out of every
three tons of the trash
Americans generate is recycled.
Recycling comes with costs (like
collecting, sorting, and transporting)
and can often be more expensive
than putting the same material into
a landfill.
At many landfills, methane gas is
captured and converted into energy like
electricity. As of 2015, 645 landfill-gas
energy projects operate within the U.S.,
with potential for hundreds more.
The energy saved by recycling one
aluminum can could power a T.V. for
three hours. About 2/3 of the aluminum
cans in the U.S. get recycled.
In a 2014 survey of American
adults, 72% say they consistently
recycle.
Decomposing trash within a
landfill produces methane, a
powerful greenhouse gas that
can influence climate change.
Recycling is required in some places.
In Seattle, if more than 10% of items in a
resident’s trash can is recyclable, the policy
is simply not to collect it, leaving the trash
at the curb for the resident to sort out
the recyclable items.
Some experts think a key to reducing
waste and improving recycling efficiency is
to regulate the amount and the types of
packaging that manufacturers can use in
their products.
 Sorting Mat
Cut apart the fact cards. Read each one and place it into the best-fitting category.

These facts support: These facts support:

YES, recycling should be required. NO, recycling should not be required.

These facts could support BOTH opinions above. These facts could support NEITHER opinion above.
Opinion Writing: PLANNER A Name:
Should recycling be required?
Introduction:

How does this fact support

your opinion?

Place a supporting fact here.

How does this fact support

your opinion?

Place a supporting fact here.

Conclusion:
 Should recycling Name ______________

be required?
Look at the question from different points-of-view. How would each of the
following feel? Give a reason with each answer.

garbage Recycling plant

collector manager

Soda Company City mayor

a really busy Person living

person in the future
 Pre-class Homework预习作业
Analyzing paragraph structure:

A problem even kids should be Introduction

worried about is deforestation.
Forests hold 70% of the world’s Fact
plants and animals. The more forests
that are cut down, the more Explanation
animals there will be that lose their
habitats. Plus, over 2,000 plants with Fact
cancer-fighting properties grow
only in rainforests. So by clearing Explanation
forests, these important plants are
being lost too. All the rainforests on Fact
earth will be gone in less than 100
years if deforestation continues at its
current rate. Some people might
argue that a hundred years is plenty Explanation
of time to save the forests, but if we
wait too long, it will be too late.
Therefore, we should work hard now Conclusion
to find solutions to deforestation.
Analyzing ESSAY structure:
• Facts highlighted.
• Opinion statement underlined.

Deforestation happens when forests Introduction

• Begins with fact
are cut down and cleared. I think defor- about what
estation is an issue, but I don’t think kids deforestation is.
• Ends with opinion
should worry about it. statement.
A lot of people automatically think Body Paragraph
that cutting down any tree in the entire • Begins with reason
for opinion.
world is a terrible thing. But this ignores
some of the valuable tradeoffs. For
example, subsistence agriculture is the • Uses a fact as an
example.
biggest direct cause of tropical defor-
estation. Sure, forest is lost this way, but • Explains how the
example supports
there are also people who would not reason for opinion.
otherwise have land to use to provide
for their families. Also, some might say
• Uses additional fact
countries should not encourage new to break down
roads to be built through forest. But counterargument
and further support
there are a lot of good things that reason for opinion.
happen as a result too, like new towns
and more resources.
I’m not trying to say that we should Conclusion
• Begins by fine-
just allow all the forests on the earth to tuning and restating
be completely destroyed. But I don’t opinion.

think we need to completely go nuts

about it. At deforestation’s current rate, • Uses fact to link to a
concluding idea.
we would have almost 100 years before
all the forests are destroyed. Think of all
the new technology that will be devel-
oped! I think that’s plenty of time to
figure out a solution that is good for
everyone involved.
Analyzing ESSAY structure:
• Facts highlighted.
• Opinion statement underlined.

Did you know that forests equal to the size of Introduction

South Carolina are destroyed every year? I don’t • Uses a fact to hook
the reader.
know about you, but that worries me! Deforest-
• Ends with opinion
ation happens when forests are cut down, and I statement.
think all kids should be worried about it.
Since a lot of forests are cut down in order to Body Paragraph 1
create farmland, we need to find different ways • Refers to one fact
for these families to make a living, like shade to help explain a
second fact.
farming. With shade farming, crops like coffee • Ends with summary
can be grown within a forest so that all the trees sentence.
don’t have to be cut down. These alternative
ways to farm can be a win-win for both the
farmers and the forests.
Countries with a lot of forests aren’t protect- Body Paragraph 2
ing them well enough. Even though allowing a • Begins with state-
new road through a forest only destroys a few ment that helps
support the main
trees along its path, the road then causes more opinion.
deforestation from people who use it to get to • Uses a fact to ex-
the new land, like settlers, logging companies, plain the statement.
and big businesses. Countries need to under- • Ends with summary
sentence.
stand the effects of their decisions.
More than 2,000 plants that can be used to Body Paragraph 3
fight cancer grow only in rainforests. Some • Begins with a fact.
people might think we have to cut down the • Gives possible
counter-argument
rainforests to harvest these medicine plants, and for fact.
so deforestation is worth it. But that’s not even • Uses fact to break
one of the main reasons why people clear down counter-
rainforest. Plus, we need to keep the rainforests in argument.
• Ends with summary
tact in order for the plants to continue to grow, statement.
and we need use them in a sustainable way.
Deforestation would make things worse.
If deforestation continues like it is, we only Conclusion
have about a hundred years before all the • Begins with a final
forests on the planet are completely wiped out. fact.
• Links fact to a
If we don’t worry about it now, and if we don’t restatement of the
start making serious changes, it’s going to be too opinion.
late.