Article
Courtesy of the Rossborough family
You Write It Interview,

How I Got Plastic Bags Banned

Bella Rossborough, 12, explains how and why she brought an end to the use of plastic bags in her town. 

From the April 2018 Issue

Learning Objective: to rewrite an interview in the format of an essay

Featured Skill: Summarizing, Central Ideas and Supporting Details,
Other Key Skills: central ideas and details
Common Core Standards
  • Anchor Standards
    R.1, W.2
  • Grade 6
    RI.6.1, W.6.2
  • Grade 7
    RI.7.1, W.7.2
  • Grade 8
    RI.8.1, W.8.2
TEKS Standards
  • Grade 6
    6.10, 6.14, 6.17
  • Grade 7
    7.10, 7.14, 7.17
  • Grade 8
    8.10, 8.14, 8.17

Presentation View
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Directions

1. Read the interview.

2. Choose a central idea for your article.

3. Write a three-paragraph article about Bella in your own words. Use quotes from our interview.


Scope: Why are plastic bags harmful?

Bella: After plastic bags are thrown away, they can escape into our environment. You don’t have to look very hard to find a plastic bag blowing around on the ground, stuck in a tree, or floating in the water. In the ocean, these bags can wrap around the necks, mouths, or bodies of sea animals, making it difficult for them to breathe or move. Animals can also mistake plastic bags for food and eat them, which can make the animals sick.

Scope: What got you interested in this issue?

Bella: When I was in fifth grade, my teacher asked us to pick an article and do a mini research project on it. I chose a Scholastic News article about the problem of plastic in our oceans. Through my research, I found out that a large number of ocean animals are injured or killed by the plastic in oceans, including many animals in the waters around Kennebunk. Plastic bags are a big part of that problem.

Scope: So what did you do?

Bella: I wrote a letter about why I thought plastic bags should be banned in Kennebunk. I was going to mail it to the Board of Selectmen—a group of officials who make decisions about how our town is run—but my teacher encouraged me to present my ideas in person. Before I went, I did a ton of research and I practiced my presentation in front of my class multiple times. It was still very intimidating! I was nervous.

Photo courtesy of the Rossborough family

Scope: How did the Board respond?

Bella: The Board said there wasn’t a lot of interest in the issue. They sent me to our town’s Energy Efficiency Committee to see if they might want to work with me. The Committee was really excited, and we started working to get support from the community. We held a crafts fair where we gave out reusable grocery bags and information pamphlets on the dangers of plastic bags. We also conducted a poll to see whether people would support a ban on plastic bags. About 66 percent of the people who responded said they would.

Scope: How long did it take to get the ban passed?

Bella: I worked with the Committee for over a year. Together, we went back to the Board and presented our case. Eventually our town voted on a law to ban plastic bags in all stores in Kennebunk and it passed.

Scope: What did you learn from this experience?

Bella: I learned that anyone can make a difference if you are persistent and never give up!

This interview was originally published in the April 2018 issue.

Activities (3)
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Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)
Activities (3) Download All Activities
Reference
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)
Dig Deeper With This Scope Text
Debate: “Plastic Bags: Convenient and Cruel”

Plastic bags come in handy for carrying your groceries—or your lunch or your dirty sneakers. But is this convenience worth the cost?

Step-by-Step Lesson Plan

Close Reading, Critical Thinking, Skill Building

1. READING THE INTERVIEW

  • Give students a minute to preview the You Write It: Interview. Prompt students to use the headline, subhead, and central image to identify the topic of the interview.
  • Break students into groups to read each section of the interview and discuss what they find interesting, surprising, or convincing.
  • Reconvene as a class and ask volunteers to summarize the central idea and supporting details from the interview. Have a volunteer read aloud the writing prompt at the bottom of the page. Brainstorm examples of central ideas (or central claims) that could be used.

2. MODELING THE TEXT

If your students need additional support, project the Annotated Model Text or the Non-Annotated Model Text and review together first.

3. WRITING

  • Distribute the guided writing activity. This activity guides students to choose a central idea for their articles, paraphrase each question-and-answer pair from the interview, and choose sentences from the interview that they will use as quotations in their articles.
  • Using their responses from the guided writing activity, have students write a three-paragraph article about the inspiring student using these guidelines:
    •    Opening Paragraph:
      • Your first sentence should be a hook—that is, it should grab the reader’s attention. One option is to state something that is surprising, interesting, or moving. What detail from the interview did you find most interesting?
      • Let readers know what the article is going to be about. In other words, state the central idea of the article.
    •  Body Paragraph:
      • Explain to your readers what the inspiring student’s experience was like, using information from the question-and-answer pairs you summarized.
      • Summarize the most important ideas presented in the interview. Each idea you include should support the central idea that you wrote.
      • Don’t forget to include the direct quotes you chose.
    • Conclusion:
      • Wrap it all up. End your article with a strong sentence that will give your readers something to think about. One option is to end with a quote. Another is to refer to your hook from the opening paragraph.
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