You might have some ideas about what is in air pollution from the Engage activity. Sometimes you can see air pollution, as in the air over the city in figure 2-3. Are there other things that you can't see using just your eyes? What if you could see those things? That might help you draw some better conclusions about what makes up air pollution. In this activity, you will make an air pollution detector to help you try to find out more about what is in the air. Materials
Set up your technology notebook for a new activity. Write the date and activity name on a new page. Add this information to the table of contents.
Join with your team and get the materials needed to make an air pollution detector. Use the Air Pollution Detector Protocol to set up the detector. Hint
- Use the hole punch to make holes in the spots marked on the detector.
- Cut out the two rectangular pieces from the detector. Use the holes as a place to start your scissors.
- Write the team members' names on the front of the detector. Also write the date on the front.
- Get 1 strip of tape. Hold it by the ends. Try not to touch the middle of the strip.
- Lay the tape on the table with the sticky side up. Have one teammate hold the ends so the tape stays in place.
- Hold the cut-out detector over the tape. Make sure the back side is facing down. Lower the detector onto the tape so that one of the rectangular holes is over the tape. Cut off the ends of the tape that hang over the end of the detector.
- Repeat Steps 1-6 of the protocol to add tape over the second rectangular hole of the detector.
With your teammates, make a list of places that you could put your air pollution detector. The place should meet the following criteria:
- The detector should be at least 3 feet off the ground.
- The detector should be able to stay in the location for 5 days.
- The detector should not be disturbed by people or animals during the 5 days.
As a team, come to a consensus on one location. Hint
With your teammates, put your air pollution detector in the place you chose. Use tape to hold it in place or string to hang it.
In your technology notebook, draw a picture of what the air pollution detector looks like when you first put it up. Use labels or other words to help describe the detector. Also, make sure you describe where you put the detector. Hint
Write the following statement in your technology notebook. Add any ideas you have that might answer the question.
Steps 7-10 will give you more information to help you complete the sentence in Step 6. Read the Need to Know: It's Up in the Air to start learning more about air pollution.
Join with another team of 3 students. You should now have 6 people working together. Each of you will read a paragraph about 1 type of air pollutant. You will need to share the information with your teammates, so underline anything that is important to tell them. Hint
Take turns sharing the information you read with your team. Hint
Draw a 3-column table in your notebook. Label the first column "Pollutant." Label the second column "What the pollutant is." Label the third column "Can you see the pollutant?" Work with your team to fill out the table. Hint
Revise the prediction you made in Step 6 using a different color.
When your teacher tells you to do so, get your air pollution detector from its location. Make observations of your detector. In your technology notebook, describe what you see and describe how it is different now than when you first put it up. Hint
Air Pollution Detector Protocol
Caution: Try not to touch the tape other than at the ends.
When I collect my evidence from the detector, I think I may see _____.
Need to Know: It's Up in the Air
Air is a mix of gases. Air contains nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and some other gases. You know that you need the oxygen in the air to breathe. Most of the time, however, you probably do not think about what else is in the air.
Depending on where you live, there may have been times where the quality of the air around you was important. If you live in a big city, you may have seen a haze in the air. Or you may have even smelled something in the air that is not normal. Sometimes, if the air quality is not very good, officials may say that people with certain health problems should stay inside. Air quality goes down when a lot of pollution is in the air.
What is air pollution? Air pollution is the addition of gases, dust, fumes, or particles to the air in harmful amounts. The substances added to the air are called pollutants. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has identified six common types of air pollutants.
Activity Overview
In this Explore activity, students first work to construct an air pollution detector. They then work with their teams to learn more about the types of pollutants that are recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Before You Teach
Materials
For each class of 30 students, teams of 3:
- 5 copies of Master 2-1, Pollution Detector Template, cut apart
- 1 roll of clear packing tape (48 mm wide)
- 10 pairs of scissors
- 10 hole punches
- masking tape for positioning finished pollution detectors
- string for hanging finished pollution detectors
- 5 copies of Master 2-2, Pollutants
Advance Preparation
You will need to plan when you want to teach this lesson. As part of this Engage activity, students will construct pollution detectors. The detectors will need to be in place for 5–7 days before students look at the results. Once students have placed the detectors, you should move on to the Reflect and Connect questions and the Explain activity, then come back to this activity for students to see their results.
Make 6 copies of Master 2-1, Pollution Detector Template, using cardstock or other heavy paper. Cut the pages in half so that each team can have one template. One template will be for you to make a pollution detector in advance so students can see an example of the finished product.
Decide on appropriate locations for the pollution detectors. They should be at least 1 meter (3 feet) off the ground in a place where they will not be disturbed. Ideally, the detectors should be spread around the school so students can see pollution in different areas.
Make 5 copies of Master 2-2, Pollutants. Cut the readings apart and create stacks with all 6 readings. One stack will be given to each team so that each student on a team reads about a different pollutant.
As You Teach
Outcomes and Indicators of Success
By the end of this activity, students will be aware of key features of several natural events.
They will demonstrate their awareness by
- making observations of their pollution detectors and a demonstration
- expressing how the pollution detectors and the demonstration illustrate aspects of air pollution
- sharing their ideas about how people have affected the quality of the air.
Strategies
Getting Started
Begin by going over the chapter organizer again with students. They should read the key ideas of the activities and the linking questions. Ask students if they have questions or comments about what they did in the Engage activity before moving on. Have them read the introduction to the Explore activity before beginning the activity.
Process and Procedure
If necessary, remind students how to set up a new page in their technology notebooks. They should include the title of the activity and the date. They should also add this information to the table of contents in the front of their technology notebooks.
Students should join with 2 other students to make a team of 3. They should get the materials they will need to make their detectors. You may want to tell them to have only 1 student per team gather the materials. Then they should set up their detectors according to the protocol. Be sure to have a completed detector available for them to see.
Students should work together to decide on a place to put their detectors. At this point, give them any guidelines about where they may or may not put their detectors.
Have students place their detectors in an appropriate location. If necessary, you might also want to have some signs printed that ask others to not disturb the detectors.
Students should draw their detectors in their notebooks. You may want to have them do this while they are still at the location where they placed their detectors so that they can include information about the location in their observations.
Students should write the question in their notebooks, then complete the sentence. This serves as the start of a prediction about what they may be able to see on their detectors after 5–7 days have elapsed. They will likely not have many ideas at this point, so do not spend much time on this step.
Have students read the Need to Know: It's Up in the Air. This will give them some information about air quality and air pollution. This leads into the short readings that each student will complete.
Have 2 teams join together to make large teams of 6 students. Provide them with a stack of readings and make sure they understand that each student should read about one pollutant.
Give teams time to share the information they read. This will take some time as teams will have 6 pollutants to share. Circulate around the room to make sure that students are listening to one another and asking questions when they do not understand.
Students should draw the 3-column table in their notebooks, then complete the table with their teams. The third column is particularly important as it will help them refine their predictions about what they will see on the detector.
Based on the tables, students should revise their predictions from Step 6.
Approximately 5–7 days later, ask students to retrieve their pollution detectors. Have teams work together to examine their detectors. Students should write their observations in their technology notebooks.