Level Up! Learning With Ms Lockyer

NURDLES IN OUR RIVER – CLICK THIS LINK TO READ ABOUT IT

Here is a summary of the article – thanks to Chat GPT for helping me.

 NURDLES are small plastic pellets that are used to make many of the plastic things we use every day, like bottles and car parts. Unfortunately, nurdles often end up in our oceans and rivers, and they can be very harmful to the animals that live there.

Some local people are organizing beach cleanups in Perth, Australia, to try and remove as many nurdles as possible from Bathers Beach and Minim Cove. They want to see how many nurdles are there, and what kind of danger they might pose to the environment.

Nurdles are a big problem all over the world. In fact, in 2022, 90% of global beach cleanups found nurdles. In Australia, there are over 2,400 sites that have been affected by nurdle spills. 

Nurdles are dangerous because they can absorb toxic chemicals and look like food to animals. They often end up in their stomachs. Around 230,000 tons of nurdles end up in our oceans every year, which is just as bad as a big oil spill.

Even though nurdles are so harmful, they’re not considered dangerous by the International Maritime Organization’s dangerous goods code, which is a problem. Spills happen all the time, and lots of nurdles end up in the ocean where they don’t belong.

Sea Shepherd Australia is organizing some beach cleanups to remove as many nurdles as possible, and they’re encouraging everyone to be mindful of how much plastic they use and to properly dispose of it.

So if you’re in Perth, Australia, and you want to help out, there are some upcoming beach cleanups you can join. On March 12th, there’s a cleanup at Bathers Beach, and on March 26th, there’s one at Minim Cove. And from October 14th-17th, there’s a bigger beach cleanup happening all over Western Australia.

We all have a responsibility to take care of our planet and the animals that call it home. 

A SUMMARY OF THE DATA IN THE ARTICLE:

• 90% of global beach cleanups in 2022 found nurdles.

• The Australian Marine Debris Database lists over 2400 sites affected by nurdle spills.

• In 2022, over 300,000 nurdles drifted up to Minim Cove alone.

• Around 230,000 tons of nurdles end up in oceans each year, which is equivalent to well-documented global oil spills.

• In 2019, 343 containers of pellets spilled into the North Sea.

• In 2020, a broken container on the cargo ship MV Trans Carrier lost 10 tonnes of pellets, which polluted the coasts of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.

• A second spill in 2020 occurred in South Africa that affected up to 2000 km of coastline, and about 37 tonnes of nurdles are still unaccounted for.

• In May 2021, the container ship X-Press Pearl caught fire and sank in the Indian Ocean, and the most harm from the accident came from the spillage of 87 containers full of nurdles. The death count was 450 sea turtles, 45 dolphins, and 8 whales washed ashore with nurdles in their bodies.

Blocks to store energy – Australian innovation

MGA Blocks

Reading tips: Read the summary at the beginning of the article. Can you recall 3 important facts? Now watch the two videos to add to your understanding.

Quantum Dots – small but game-changing

Quantum Dots

Reading tips: Read the large headings to get a sense of the main idea. Then check out the photos – how do these fit in with the large headings?  Now watch the videos to add to your understanding. Last step: Go back to the top of the article and read until you find the answer to this question: How will quantum dots change solar energy?

Smart Curtains Make a Smart Building

Smart curtains

Reading tip: Don’t even think about reading the whole article, as it’s aimed at industry researchers. The first paragraph is an abstract or summary and you will find it readable and useful. Can you record your new knowledge fast and easy? Try sketchnoting this or Cornell notes.

Gelion Battery Power on the Bench

Gelion smart benches

Reading tips: take time to look carefully at the 3 photos to capture the heart of the article.

Use the useful DRTA strategy which gets you ready to read. Quickly write a list of words that you think will appear in the article. Take a short-cut: just read the first 3 paragraphs. As you read on, tick off the words on your list. 

Let’s layer in another article on the Gelion Technology.

Reading tips: The second article is easier to read, however before reading and viewing,  turbocharge your understanding by thinking of 2 or 3 of your own questions you would like answered about Gelion.

Gelion Technology

C.S.T. ENERGY CIRCLES

CST – concentrated solar thermal

Reading tips: the infographic and the first video in the playlist are good starting points. Show what you know by explaining to a classmate OR creating a cool sketchnote.

WIND POWER WINNERS – AND LOSERS

This is a very recent article from a reliable source.

Reading tips: As you read the article keep in mind the main heading:

Chill wind: Major renewable energy investor says wind farm ruling to have ‘disastrous’ effect

Another reading tip: Build your thinking around the concept of PERSPECTIVE. What does each side want?

Last reading tip: Use Ms Lockyer’s perplexing question about the Bald Hills wind farm law suit:

‘What kind of community do the people of Bald Hills want to be?’

DIAGRAM OF AN AXOLOTLREAD ABOUT AXOLOTLS

WATCH ABOUT AXOLOTLS

FIND OUT MORE HERE

Kidcyber Information

We are learning to create podcasts to share our learning.

Listen to these podcasts from some year 4 students in Melbourne. Their podcast was called Eco-radio and these students were passionate about sustainability and caring for their environment.

Leave a comment here. What did you think of their podcast? Think of the positives, the negatives, and suggest ways they could have improved it. What ideas do you now have for creating your podcast?

We are learning to create our own wonderings and questions about atoms.

ATOMS AND THE BEGINNING OF THE UNIVERSE

Find out about ATOMS AND ELECTRICITY

Atom or Molecule?