Air, Water, and Soil Pollution in Austin

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

Introduction: ask the following focus questions:

How does air pollution affect our community in Austin? Is it going to get as bad as a highly polluted city such as Mexico City? What are the causes that lead to air pollution? Can you think of possible solutions to this problem?

Video: Impact that air pollution imposes in our environment.

Discussion: How does air pollution affect our community in Austin? Is it going to get as bad as a highly polluted city such as Mexico City? What are the causes that lead to air pollution? Can you think of possible solutions to this problem? Divide groups in 5 and let them discuss. Share opinion with classmates.

Warm Up: What were the major causes of air pollution discussed yesterday?

Introduction: Different gas concentrations in the atmosphere play a role in air pollution. Green House Effect. What is the green house effect?

Have students view Norton tutorial and answer scavenger hunt questions.

Discussion: What is the green house effect?

Lesson 1: The behavior of Gases

Understanding pressure and pressure instrumentation with an interactive mini-lab

Lesson 1 Continuation

Understanding unit conversions.

Conversion Game

Wrap up lesson.

Lesson 2: Introducing variables to understand how a gas behaves. How is temperature and gas pressure related?

Discussion:

How does air pollution affect the behavior of gases according to what has been discussed?

Last minute prep.

Pick up homework before debate

Wrap up:

Review material for quiz on Friday that will contain:

Answers from focus questions discussed in class, what is the green house effect, what is pressure, how do we measure pressure, how is gas behavior affected by temperature, do you believe there is a correlation between temperature and air pollution?

Quiz 1

Introduction to Six-Week Project

Let students browse to some of the national geographic magazines and pick a topic that looks interesting for them. Let them sign up on the topic of interest. No more than 3 people in group.

Explain that they have to research about the topic and come up with a good question of interest to research in the future.

Warm Up: Refresh the effect on temperature and gas pressure. Now another variable is going to be introduced.

Lesson 3: The gas laws

Boyle’s Law

Charles Law

Mini Lab

Continuation of Lesson 3:

Combining laws ie. Pv=nrT

Work problems and play a game to get students familiarized with solving problems.

Homework 1

Assign some gas kinetic problems for graded homework.

Warm up: Review the laws

Discussion: How can each law seen in lesson 3 contribute or aid to air pollution? Divide class in 3 sections and permit discussion.

Talk about the ozone layer and summarize the negative impact of air pollution using the gas laws.

Quiz 2:

Gas laws, Combined gas laws, how can the fluctuation of variables affect our atmosphere? Also include some information from last week

Putting the picture together:

Make a class concept map having air pollution in the middle and production of gas and is effects as we have learned.

Working on Six-Week Project:

Students should already have a topic. They now should employ the period to gather information about the topic which will become the introduction for their project. Introductions are due next Friday.

Recalling: What other factors were affected by air pollution. Water should be mentioned.

Lesson 4: Physical and Chemical Properties of water with mini-lab. What is water the standard solvent? Etc. Working with concentrations.

Lesson 4 continuation…

Discussion: How is water important to our bodies, to animals, and to ecology? What would happen if water did not exist?

Lesson 5: Acid, Bases, and pH

Do a mini-lab before lecture: have students taste some fruits and other things and rate them depending on taste.

How can we quantify the differences between taste?

Proceed with lecture.

 Lesson 5 Continuation

Continuation of lesson 5:

Work with solving problems

Scavenger Hunt 1: Have students answer the questions that follow the Norton tutorial about pH

Game: Have students form teams and play to win a prize (5 points on lowest quiz) after correctly answering pH problems.

Project Introduction Due

Homework 2: Practice quiz

Scavenger Hunt: Answer questions about Acid Rain

Quiz 3

Very similar to the take home practice quiz

Students will now work on different ways to collect data for their project and data would have to be approved by teacher by the end of class.

What instruments do I need? Where do I collect my data? Is it feasible with the amount of time allotted? Etc.

Putting the picture together: Have students, as a class, build on the concept map that we started.

Discussion: How does our planet respond to the chemicals put out in air brought down to earth by rain? How does the ocean aid to prevent air pollution?

Lesson 6: Buffers

Before entering buffers, make sure to review acid, bases, and pH

Lesson 6 continuation:

Include mini lab

Lesson 6 continuation:

Concentrate on how the buffering capacity of ocean and lakes work. Refer back to tutorial.

Homework 3:

Acid, Base, pH, buffers

Quiz 4

Includes everything that we have talked about

Lab day:

Collecting data for the term project

Data is due next Monday

Homework 4:

Bring soil from your house

Add information to our class concept map.

Lesson 7:

What other things are affected by air pollution: Soil.

Mini lab with pH measurements of soil from around the house.

Discussion:

How are soil properties affected by the changes in pH? How are plants affected by the change in pH?

Have probably power point slides that show how these two habitats are affected.

Remind students about the buffering capacity that plants or soils may have to counteract the problem: Austin’s limestone…carbonate/bicarbonate buffer.

Lab Day:

Think of a refined question and get it approved by the teacher before class. Start thinking about how to collect data and data needed. Data and conclusions are due the day of the presentation which is next week.

Assign presentation dates for the different groups in class. (Power Point)

Question to presenters are bonus points for Test on Tuesday

Review Day:

Review material from lessons 1-6 asking random questions and helping clarify any misconceptions.

Test

Lab Day:

Work on gathering data.

Lab Day:

Work on interpreting data and conclusions

Lab Day:

Finish up conclusions and prepare for presentations.

Presentations will be done Saturday morning for open public.