Air Quality Lesson Plan
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Provided by: UCI Science Project|Published on: May 22, 2024
Lesson PlansScientist Reviewed
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Scientist Reviewed This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- In this lesson, students will use maps, graphs, and data from California to investigate the connection between air quality, wildfires, and location.
- Students will develop questions about the causes of poor air quality, use fire and smoke maps to determine the impact of wildfires on air quality, analyze the increase in droughts and wildfires due to anthropogenic climate change, and analyze box plots to compare the air quality in different communities.
Subjects: Science, Mathematics
Authors: UCI Science Project
Region: North America, USA - West, United States, California
Languages: English
Teaching Materials
Positives
- Students do a lot of collaborative thinking in this lesson, helping them develop their ideas and questions.
- The option for a final project is very open-ended, making it adaptable for students of all learning styles and needs.
Additional Prerequisites
- The CaPMSE Storyline link has been deleted.
- Some of the activities require the use of student devices. Teachers can achieve some of these activities with sticky notes or journals if students do not have devices.
- The link for "what pollution is" on Day 2 is broken.
Differentiation
- After discussing how air pollution impacts communities differently, teachers can segue into the topic of environmental racism and practices like redlining.
- Teachers can make more math connections by generating specific questions for students to answer about the graphs and demonstrate their graph analysis skills.
- In health class, students can research the impacts of air pollution on children's health and create infographics to demonstrate their learning.
Scientist Notes
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
About the Partner Provider
UCI Science Project
UCI Science Project is grounded in research-based educational practices and understands the paradigm shifts needed for the Next Generation Science Standards. Our goal is to support educators as transformative leaders who build capacity in their schools through empowering learning experiences. We are firmly committed to addressing racial, social, and environmental injustices through collaborative efforts that position educators as agents of change for community action.
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
