What is the Quality of Air in My Community?
This question drives student inquiry through this project. As students investigate how machines function to h
elp people build large structures, they construct and develop an understanding of forces, motion, and the trade-off between force and distance that occurs when using a simple machine. Because students are investigating how they can use machines, they are naturally led to question how machines function to make their lives easier and how they can design new machines to improve their functioning.
Curriculum Unit Synopsis
In the context of learning about air pollution, the student develops an integrated understanding of science concepts such as composition of air; states of matter; chemical and physical changes; chemical reactions; atoms, elements, compounds, and mixtures. Students begin by walking through their neighboring area to notice potential sources and effects of pollution, which is referred to throughout the unit to help contextualize the more abstract scientific concepts. Students then begin in investigate the nature of air, focusing on its composition and the atoms and molecules that comprise air. Through a variety of hands-on tasks, simulations, and experiments, students gain an understanding of the particulate nature of matter. Students use this understanding to then analyze the composition of known air pollutants, investigating potential sources and analyzing their impact upon the environment.
This unit culminates with two activities, including an investigation of their own community as compared with urban areas around the nation. By examining data from the Environmental Protection Agency and comparing this data with the results of the other activity, and investigation of tropospheric (ground-level) ozone in their community, student can better understand local, regional, and global factors which influence air quality.
Conceptual understanding of these phenomena is facilitated through the use of software tools such as eChem, a tool for making visual models of molecules, and a supplemental interactive CD-ROM, which provides opportunities for data analysis and comparison with cities around the country. Through the use of Model-It, a dynamic modeling tool developed at the University of Michigan, students model their emerging understanding of factors that affect the quality of the air in their community.
Background
This curriculum unit was initially developed in 1997 in collaboration with the Detroit Public Schools, as part of the Center for Learning Technologies in Urban Schools effort. These materials have been revised based on research on classroom practice and student achievement, as well as from feedback from teachers using the materials. This unit is currently used in the Detroit Public Schools, as well as classrooms around Michigan and the world. Development of this unit was sponsored by the National Science Foundation. This unit was developed to address the curriculum standards of the Michigan Curriculum Framework, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the National Research Council.
Downloads, Workshop Information, and Resources
Download the Introduction (PDF - 356kb).
Download an information sheet, which includes the synopsis, lesson list, and standards (coming soon!)