Learning to Give, Philanthropy education resources that teach giving and civic engagement

generationOn

Home / Teachers / Air Pollution and Asthma (11th Grade)

Air Pollution and Asthma (11th Grade)

Lesson 1:

From Unit Air Pollution and Asthma (11th Grade)

Lesson

Handouts

Academic Standards

Philanthropy Framework

9th-12th Grade

Subjects:

Language Arts, Library / Technology, Philanthropy, Science and Social Studies

Key Words/Concepts click to view

ELA:	Group Discussions; Informational Media; Prior Knowledge; Research; Teamwork; Vocabulary
PHIL:	4 lesson genOn; Common Good; Environmental Stewardship; Philanthropic Act; Time/Talent/Treasure
SCI:	Air; Cause/Effect; Health; Pollution
SOC:	Civic Responsibility/Virtue; Common Good; Communities; Environment; Health and Disease; Pollution

Focus Question(s):

What is each person's responsibility for environmental stewardship?

NOTE: Prior to this lesson, use the Blue Sky Activity in which students envision a better world. If you already have a Blue Sky display, revisit it before beginning this lesson.

Purpose:

The purpose of this lesson is to raise awareness of the negative effects of air pollution, especially asthma. Students identify some of the sources of air pollution in the school and community and possible ways to improve air quality in these areas.

Duration:

One 50 Minute Class Period

Objectives:

The learner will:

describe what asthma feels like and identify air quality issues that trigger asthma attacks.
identify negative effects of poor air quality.
identify potential sources of air pollution in the school and outdoors.
identify ways to act as environmental stewards in relation to air quality.
explain how working to improve air quality is an act of philanthropy for the common good.

Materials:

copies of "Indoor Air Quality in Schools" http://www.nrdc.org/greensquad/library/air_indoor.asp for each learner
copies of "Asthma and Air Pollution" http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/fasthma.asp for each learner
(optional) copies of "Air Pollution Causes and Effects" http://healthandenergy.com/air_pollution_causes.htm for each learner
copies of Attachment One: Environmental Stewardship: What Can be Done? for each group

Handout 1: Environment Stewardship: What Can Be Done?

Instructional Procedure(s):

Anticipatory Set:
Ask the students to raise their hands if they have ever seen or felt evidence of air pollution. Let students share their observations. Tell the students that the government reports air quality statistics on a daily basis. Display the Air Quality Index on a projected computer screen (or print out today's map on a color printer). This map shows the air quality around the country. Under the map are links to the national forecast, the ozone statistics, the particles statistics, and more. Select the national forecast page and zoom in to your area to obtain more specific information. Ask the students why they think this information is important and who and what might be affected by poor air quality (plant and animal life, fish, water, ground soil, trees, people with asthma, etc.).

Tell the students that air pollution affects us all, but people with asthma are particularly sensitive to air pollution, which can trigger an asthma attack. Have the students read the following article: "Asthma and Air Pollution."
If possible, invite a guest to your classroom to tell the students what asthma is and what factors can trigger it. This can be a doctor or a person who has asthma.
To review the new information, ask the class to name potential sources of air pollution (cars, factories, power plants) and some major pollutants (ground-level ozone, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, nitrogen oxide).
Challenge the learners to come up with ideas to reduce the amount of air pollution created by transportation, factories, and power plants. List their ideas on the display board.
Ask the learners how they think working to improve the quality of air at school, at home, and in the community promotes the common good. Common good involves "promoting the welfare of the community for the greater benefit of all."
Have the students read the following article: "Indoor Air Quality in Schools." Challenge them to come up with ideas to reduce the amount of air pollution within the school environment. List their ideas on the display board.
Write the word philanthropy on the display board. Have the learners share their prior knowledge of this word. Define philanthropy as "giving time, talent, or treasure for the common good." Look again at the list of ideas on the display board for reducing air pollution (inside and outside). Have them label each of the ideas with the words time, talent, or treasure to show what they would be giving if they carried out these actions. Encourage the students to add to or amend the list to focus on ideas that are specifically about what they can do (with their time, talent, and treasure) rather than what can be done in general.
Have the students work in groups of three or four to come up with specific plans for reducing pollution. Give each group a copy of Attachment One: Environmental Stewardship: What Can Be Done? Give them about ten minutes to complete the statements.
As a whole class, discuss the ideas generated by the small groups. Help the students come to consensus about which projects they will carry out for the Earth Day Event.

Assessment:

The assessment of this lesson will be based upon the learner's participation in the classroom discussions as well as their understanding and empathy for improving air quality for the common good. The depth of understanding and seriousness displayed in group work responses and journal writing can also be used to assess this lesson.

Learning Link(s): (click to view)

Have an idea for a Learning Link?

Submit your idea here.

If your Link is accepted for publication on the Web site you will be credited with your name, school, and city.

These Learning Links provide ten quick-and-easy, five-minute mini-lessons to promote student thought and dialogue about service and civic engagement. You may use as many of them as you wish, and in whatever order best meets your needs and the interest of your students. The purpose of these mini-lessons is to provide a deeper understanding of philanthropy (the giving of time, talent, and treasure for the common good) and to reinforce the lesson focus. These Learning Links also promote the development of character traits, civic engagement, and student leadership. As appropriate to your grade level, it is recommended that students play an active leadership role in presenting these mini-lessons to their classmates.

1. READ The findings of a major study of the effects of air pollution on lung development in school children include:
1. Air pollution harms children’s lungs for life.
2. Children exposed to pollution have significantly reduced lung growth and development.
3. Children who live in high ozone communities and who participate in sports are more likely to develop asthma than those from communities with cleaner air.
4. Days with higher ozone levels have significantly higher school absences due to respiratory illness.
DISCUSS: Do we have high ozone levels in our community? How do we know or how can we find out that information? What can we do on Earth Day to raise awareness of the threats caused by polluted air?
www.arb.ca.gov/research/chs/chs.htm

2. READ Asthma is the nation’s fastest growing chronic disease, afflicting more than 22 million Americans. In children under four years of age, asthma rates more than doubled in the last twenty years. Most affected are communities of color. In New York City's Harlem, one-quarter of children have asthma. Genetics sets the stage for asthma, but the environment starts the action. Once a person develops asthma, polluted air can trigger an attack. Reducing traffic congestion and industrial emissions are ways to lessen the impact of asthma and other respiratory diseases.
DISCUSS: What can our community do to eliminate traffic congestion and air pollution? What can we as individuals do? Can we address the issue of air quality during our Earth Day event?
http://www.edf.org/page.cfm?tagID=38

3. READ You probably recognize that outdoor air pollution can damage your health, but you may not be aware that polluted indoor air can also damage health. Studies by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) indicate that indoor levels of many harmful air pollutants may be two to five times higher than outdoor levels. These pollutants include second hand smoke, allergens, wet carpet, products used for cleaning or hobbies, specific building materials, carbon monoxide, radon, lead, and pesticides.
DISCUSS: Do you think our school building may have harmful levels of indoor air pollutants? What might be the source of these harmful pollutants? Is our school building properly ventilated and free of pollutants? How can we discover information about the quality of the air in our school? Can we do an air quality survey of our school as an Earth Day activity?
www.ehso.com/ehshome/children3indoorair.htm

4. READ What symptoms does air pollution cause? Air pollution can irritate the eyes, throat and lungs. Burning eyes, cough and chest tightness are common with exposure to high levels of air pollution. Children are more sensitive to the effects of pollution than adults. In areas with high levels of pollution, children experience more illness, such as bronchitis and earaches, than in area with cleaner air.
DISCUSS: Should schools have higher air quality standards than other buildings? What can our class do to raise awareness of this important health issue in our schools?
http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/asthma/triggers/085.html

5. READ USA Today reported on a EPA study on air quality near schools. Ninety-five schools in thirty states were monitored for five days to check the quality of the air around the schools. Seven schools were found to have the worst air quality readings. Monitoring pollutants at those locations showed levels that would make people sick or increase their risk of cancer. At fifty-seven more schools, pollution levels were higher than what many states consider acceptable.
DISCUSS: What should be done with the schools where air quality was poor? Who is responsible for making sure our schools have good quality air, inside and outside? Who should pay to fix the problem in schools where it is found to exist?
http://content.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/smokestack/index

6. READ: Louisville, Kentucky is known for fast horses (the Kentucky Derby), bourbon, and the home of the Louisville slugger baseball bat, but did you know it is also notorious for bad air? Fortunately for its residents, Louisville is dong something to address that issue, and it’s all because of one person. A minister from the neighborhoods around Rubbertown, an area so polluted it makes your eyes burn, organized protests and demanded government action to clean up the air pollution and reduce the chemical emissions from factories. As a result of these efforts, the Louisville’s Strategic Toxic Air Reduction Program (STAR) set standards for the city’s biggest polluters and has dramatically cut emissions of the city’s worst chemicals.
DISCUSS: What are the largest sources of air pollution in our community? If one person could be the catalyst for this kind of progress in cleaning up the air in Louisville, what can and should our class do, working together, to affect the air quality in our community?
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/2008-12-16-toxic-louisville_N.htm

7. READ: During warm weather, there’s a sound you can hear in many communities – lawn mowers. Even if you didn’t hear the engines, your other senses pick up clues -- from the smell of newly mowed grass AND the smell of mower engine emissions. “Each weekend in the U.S., about 54 million people mow their lawns, using 800 million gallons of gasoline per year and producing tons of air pollutants.” The equipment we use for our lawns and gardens produces high levels of carbon monoxide and other noxious chemicals and about 5 percent of the nation’s air pollution. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a gas-powered lawnmower produces as much air pollution as 43 new cars being driven 12,000 miles each.
DISCUSS: What is your reaction to these facts about lawn mower and other motorized garden equipment? What are some practical alternatives to using this equipment?
www.peoplepoweredmachines.com/faq-environment.htm

8. READ A climate change model, developed by Stanford University Prof. Mark Jacobson over the last 18 years, illustrates a direct link between CO2 emissions and increased human mortality. Professor Jacobson’s model estimates that for every one degree Celsius increase in global temperature, due to increased by CO2 levels, there will be an approximate increase in 20,000 deaths per year due to air pollution.
DISCUSS: In what geographic locations do you think most of these deaths will occur? Why? Is this something that might affect those of us sitting in this classroom? If so, what can we do with the information to make a positive impact?
www.earthtrends.wri.org/updates/node/283

9. READ: Fossil fuels include natural gas, coal, and oil and are nonrenewable resources. Natural gas is the cleanest of all the fossil fuels. The main by-products of natural gas are CO2 and water vapor, and these are the same compounds we exhale when we breathe. In contrast, coal and oil are composed of much more complex molecules. They have higher carbon ratios and higher nitrogen and sulfur content. Coal and oil release more pollutants into the air when burned.
DISCUSS: What might be some of the benefits and challenges of replacing oil and coal consumption with natural gas use? What are some other sources of methane we might be able to use in our community? Natural gas use also produces CO2. Is its use an effective, long-term, sustainable solution?

10. READ: The primary source of air pollutants that damage health is burning fuel. This comes from power-generating plants, industries, and cars. These by-products of fuel combustion include carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and ozone. The health effects include burning eyes, lung disease, chronic respiratory disease, heart disease, and death. These air pollutants can also create acid rain, which pollutes the water and gets into the food chain. And the pollutants are the primary contributors to global climate change.
DISCUSS: If fossil fuel combustion is responsible for air pollution, should we immediately stop using coal and oil? What would the consequences for that action be? What alternative sources of clean fuel might we be able to use?

School/Home Connection:

Have students survey their family members about air pollution. Work together to compile a few questions that all students ask at home. The information gathered could be used to assess the most critical issues, get ideas for projects, and determine family interest in getting involved.

Cross-Curriculum Extensions:

Students may research the existing community policies that address air quality issues and standards.
Encourage students to develop a project that utilizes the Air Quality Index in evaluating and reporting data, such as comparing levels of five major air pollutants or the number of bad air days in given cities.
"Coal-fired power plants, factories, and diesel vehicles are major sources of particulate pollution. Around 81 million people live in areas that fail to meet national air quality standards for particulate matter." ("Asthma and Air Pollution," Natural Resources Defense Council, June 8, 2005.) Have the students determine whether their community meets the national air quality standards for particulate matter.

Reflection: (click to view)

Reflection plays a very important role in promoting student learning. The following suggested activities are ways to help students reflect on their learning after they have participated in a service event. Choose one or more of the activities most appropriate to the service event and your students.

ACTIVITY ONE:
Put four “table coverings” (large sheets of butcher paper) in locations around the room. Place one of the following headings on each “table covering”

The Service Event (What did we actually do during the event?),
The Feelings (What were some of the thoughts/emotions that we had while participating in this service project?),
The Impact (What do we think were the results/impacts of our involvement in this service project?),
The Improvement (What could be done to make this service project even more successful next time?).

Assign each student to one of four groups giving each group a color marker and a starting “table covering”. Have the students, in their groups, respond to the prompts written on their starting “table covering”. (NOTE: Each group is to use the same color marker to record their thoughts and ideas on each “table covering”.) After 2-5 minutes, have the students rotate clockwise to the next “table covering” with their marker in hand. They are to first read what the first group wrote before writing their response to the prompt. After 2-5 minutes the rotation continues until all of the groups have been to each table and have returned to their originally assigned table to read all the comments made by the other groups. Depending on time, a classroom discussion could conclude this activity or it can be just as effective as a reflection activity without further discussion.

ACTIVITY TWO:
Have the students share the many ways that information is communicated to the public in today’s world (i.e. radio, TV, Internet, etc.). Have the students talk about the kinds of information that are being shared. Focus on commercials and ads. Talk about how media has utilized the varied forms of communication to promote commercial products and services. Ask the students to think about how commercial products and services might have been advertised prior to all of the communication systems we use today. Lead them to understand that prior to all of our modern day communication systems, most advertising was done using handbills, signboards, and posters. Share the fact that while each of these types of communicating information is still being used in some form today, the poster is the most popular of the three.

Inform the class that they are being asked to make posters that can be displayed in this classroom next year to advertise this service project just completed. The poster should serve as an effective way to promote and motivate students to become involved in this service project next year. Assign students to groups of three. Give each group an assortment of art materials for poster making and a poster or a large piece of paper. Tell the students that the poster is to convey the following information:

The name of this service project (and the date, if known)
The focus of this service project (what is supposed to happen?)
The motivations for being involved in this service project (why participate?)
The anticipated outcome(s) of this service project (what difference will it make?)

If time permits have each group show and talk about their completed poster. Collect the posters for display.

Tell the students that most people don’t have a lot of trouble making a decision to do or not do something. However, very few people give much thought to why they make the decisions that they do. Each of us has a personal style when it comes to making decisions. Have the students take an involvement style test that will help them better understand how they think when confronted with the need to make a decision, like whether or not to become involved in a project or activity. Have the students select from among the animal character-types listed below, which one they most closely resemble when it comes to making a decision to involve themselves in a project or activity:

A turtle: Usually I’m not too willing to stick out my neck
A possum: Usually when I’m asked to something I play “dead”
A porcupine: Usually when I’m asked to do something, I get “bristle-ly”
A snail: Usually when I’m asked to do something I am pretty slow to commit.
A sheep: Usually I just follow the crowd and do what they do.
A St. Bernard: Usually, I’m pretty helpful but only when I’m really needed.
A Giraffe: Usually, I need to see the big picture before I am willing to commit
A Hawk: Usually I have excellent instincts and hit the target on the fly.
An Owl: Usually, I weigh the pros and cons before I act
A Mule: Usually, I need someone to force me to do something
A Beaver: Usually I just dive in and go to work before I’m even told to do so.
An Ostrich: Usually I bury my head hoping I won’t have to decide.

(Suggest that if there are other animal character-types not listed here that even more closely represent ones involvement style, to feel free to use that animal character type instead.

Have the students group themselves by their selected involvement style. (NOTE: Include a miscellaneous group for those without a match or be prepared to mix and match groups so no one is alone.) In these groupings, have the students share what it’s like for them to make decisions using their involvement style and under what conditions might they change their typical involvement style and why? Reconvene the class and lead a discussion concerning the involvement styles of the students when making the decision to become involved in this service project? How was their involvement style typical of or different from their usual involvement style? For each involvement style, what might be the best approach to take when trying to promoting this service project next year?

ACTIVITY FOUR:
Take a few minutes for students to share why (what were their motivations) they decided to get involved in this Event. Then read the five scenarios below and tell the students that they will be asked to make a decision about which scenario they would respond to/help out with’ if required to select one of the five:

Scenario One: The Appadoca’s home has recently burned leaving the entire family of five virtually homeless. A volunteer agency, that helps families relocate after a disaster, has decided to build the Appadoca’s a new home. They are in need of people to help out on Saturdays with a variety of skills.

Scenario Two: Mr. Sang is in the hospital recovering from an injury he experienced while using a piece of equipment at the local lumber company. Mrs. Sang finds it very difficult to visit her husband in the hospital because she has no family in the area to help her take care of her three small children. The local faith-based organization has asked if anyone would be willing and able to baby sit the children for two hours one night a week so Mrs. Sang can run her errands and visit her husband in the hospital.

Scenario Three: The local soup kitchen is in need of cooks and servers on Friday nights from 5-7 p.m. for the month of October. In filling out their schedule with their regular volunteers, they discovered that not enough volunteers are available in October.

Scenario Four: A local agency, that supplies volunteers to help the elderly who are still living in their own homes with fall clean-up, are in desperate need of leaf-rakers and people who can do light odd jobs that help prepare these older people’s homes for the winter months ahead. They ask if anyone in the community might be able to help out on the Friday following Thanksgiving.

Scenario Five: A local Salvation Army has put out a request for ‘bell ringers’ for the 4-6 p.m. time period each Tuesday between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve.

Have the students select the one scenario that they feel they would most likely ‘respond to/become involved in’ and then have them jot down on paper three reasons why they selected the scenario they did. Designate five different areas in the classroom and have the students move to the designated area that corresponds with their selected scenario. In the groups, have the students take turns reading the reasons why they selected the scenario that they did. Have them look for similarities and differences in motivation.

OPTIONAL: Rearrange the groups so that there is at least one representative of each scenario selected. (Obviously it is highly unlikely that this will all come out even.) In these mixed groups, once again have the students share their selected scenario and the three reasons why they selected the scenario they did. Once again look for similarities and differences.

Have the students share their conclusions during a whole group discussion. Encourage the class to explore answers to the following questions: Were the motivations for being involved in the same scenario always the same? Were the motivations for being involved in different scenarios always different? Did the motivations cover such things as Feelings? Abilities? Impacts? Convenience? How did the motivations involved in this scenario activity compare to those talked about earlier in relation to our recent service project?

ACTIVITY THREE:

Bibliographical References:

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. "What is Asthma?" http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Asthma/Asthma_WhatIs.html
Health and Energy. "Air Pollution Causes and Effects" http://healthandenergy.com/air_pollution_causes.htm
Natural Resource Defense Council. "Asthma and Air Pollution" http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/fasthma.asp
Natural Resource Defense Council. "Indoor Air Quality in Schools" http://www.nrdc.org/greensquad/library/air_indoor.asp for each learner

Lesson Developed By:

Lydia Alvarez
University High
Newark, NJ 77108

Handouts:

Handout 1Print Handout 1

Environment Stewardship: What Can Be Done?

Group Member Names___________________________________________

Discuss in your group what our class can do (possibly with the help of other students and community members) to reduce air pollution in our school and/or community. Identify at least three ideas (specific actions, campaigns, advocacy, research, etc.).

From among the ideas listed above, select one that your group thinks we could do now to improve the air quality in our school and/or community. Write the idea below.

List two strengths of this idea--why it would be a good choice for us.

List two challenges of this idea--why it would be a difficult choice for us.

Suggest two ways you think we could effectively share our ideas with others to raise awareness and to get their support and help.