Teaching Resources - Air
EPA links
Acid Rain Educational Resources
epa.gov/acidrain/education
Experiments and activities,
basic acid rain concepts, and things you can do about acid rain.
Air Graphics Zip Code
Locator Grades
6-8,Grades
9-12
epa.gov/air/data
The AirData Web site gives you access to air pollution data for the entire
United States. Want to know the highest ozone level measured in your state
last year? Ever wonder where air pollution monitoring sites are located? Are
there sources of air pollution in your town? You can find out here! AirData
produces reports and maps of air pollution data based on criteria that you
specify.
Air
Quality IndexGrades
K-5
epa.gov/airnow/aqikids
AIRNOW Grades
9-12
epa.gov/airnow
Get up-to-the-minute information about air pollution in your community. Includes
maps, forecasts, and information about the health effects of air pollution.
A
Citizens Guide to Radon Teachers
epa.gov/radon/pubs/citguide.html
The complete guide to taking action to lower the radon level in your home.
It offers strategies for testing and discussions of what steps to take after
you have tested, discussions of the risk of radon and radon myths.
Effects of Acid Rain Grades
6-8,Grades
9-12
epa.gov/acidrain/effects/index.html
Fact sheets answering what is acid rain, what are its causes, and what are
its effects on our planet.
Climate Change Grades
6-8, Grades
9-12
epa.gov/climatechange/
Detailed information about climate change concepts and developments: what it
is, what it can do, and what's being done about it. Access the Greenwire news
service for Climate Change news and the U.S. Greenhouse Gas Inventory.
Indoor
Air Quality Tools for Schools K-12
epa.gov/iaq/schools
This site provides information on indoor air quality in school buildings and
how to order the Tools for Schools Action Kit. The kit shows how to carry out
a practical plan of action to improve indoor air quality at little or no cost
using common-sense activities and in-house staff.
The Inside
Story Grades
6-8, Grades
9-12
epa.gov/iaq/pubs/insidest.html
This brochure provides basic facts about pollutants found inside our buildings
and homes and helps you decide what actions to take to reduce the level of
indoor air pollution.
Mixing Ratios or Parts per Million, Billion Teachers
www.ucar.edu/learn/1_5_2_24t.htm
This serial dilution activity will help middle school or high school students understand the concepts of parts per million and parts per billion. There's also a student guide.
On
the Trail of the Missing Ozone Grades
6-8
epa.gov/ozone/science/missoz
Ozone Depletion Grades
9-12
epa.gov/ozone/science/
Find links to articles that give overviews of ozone depletion, shorter pieces
that focus on specific aspects of ozone depletion, international organizations
that issue regular updates, as well as images and animations of ozone levels
and ozone depletion.
Ozone:
Good Up High, Bad Nearby Grades
6-8, Grades
9-12
epa.gov/oar/oaqps/gooduphigh/
Ozone acts as a protective layer high above the Earth, but it can be harmful
to breathe. This publication provides basic information about ground-level
and high-altitude ozone.
Plain
English Guide to the Clean Air Act Grades
6-8, Grades
9-12
epa.gov/air/caa/peg/
A brief introduction to the 1990 version of the Clean Air Act, to help you
understand what is in the law and how it may affect you.
Project
A.I.R.E. K-12
epa.gov/region01/students/teacher/airqual.html
The units in this package encourage students to think more critically and creatively
about air pollution problems and the alternatives for resolving them. Topics
covered include: air quality, rainforests, radon, the creation of environmental
laws, the greenhouse effect, and ozone. Grades K-12.
RadTown USA Grades
9-12
RadTown USA is a virtual community that aims to educate students about the sources of radiation in our daily lives.
Sunwise Schools Program Grades
K-5, Grades
6-8
epa.gov/sunwise/
SunWise Partner Schools sponsor classroom and school-wide activities that raise
children's awareness of stratospheric ozone depletion, UV radiation, and simple
sun safety practices. For grades K-8. The SunWise
Toolkit is free to registered schools.
Your
Car and Clean Air (PDF, 3pp, 69K, About
PDF ) Grades
9-12
epa.gov/otaq/consumer/18-youdo.pdf
A fact sheet that answers some common questions about reducing emissions from
private vehicles--cars are a major source of air pollution in the United States.
External links
Air Defenders - the
Quest for Clean Air Grades
6-8
www.airdefenders.org
Learn how burning garbage in the open air causes pollution and health problems.
This site is aimed at students 10 and up. It presents alternatives to open
burning (recycle, trash dump, reuse, compost). Students earn their Air Defender
badge while pursuing their quest to clean the air and protect community health.
Air
Pollution, What's the Solution Grades
6-8, Grades
9-12
www.k12science.org/curriculum/airproj
This site offers a comprehensive Web-based curriculum unit on air quality,
ozone and particle pollution. Intermediate grade students explore EPA's Web
sites on air quality as they discover the scientific and health related concerns.
Your students will also gain Web browsing skills as they complete this interactive
and fun program. Grades 6-12.
American
Lung Association State of the Air report Grades
9-12
lungaction.org/reports/stateoftheair2004.html
Want to learn about the air quality in your community? Read the 2004 American
Lung Association's 'State of the Air' report to find out more.
Clean
Air Campaign Clean Air Lesson Plans Grades
K-5, Grades
6-8
www.cleanaircampaign.com/Kids-Schools/Lesson-Plans
Creative, interactive lessons which provide both students and educators with
a comprehensive look at air quality. Subject areas include Health, Physical
Science, Life Science, Earth Science, Social Studies, Language Arts and Chemistry.
Curriculum meets the Georgia Performance Standards but is adapable for other
areas.
Dr. E's Energy
Lab Grades
6-8
www.eere.energy.gov/kids/
Come learn about different types of Energy at the Department of Energy's e-lab.
Easy Breathers Grades
9-12
www.easybreathers.org/
Pollution emissions from transportation are a major ingredient in global warming,
stratospheric ozone depletion, asthma, ground-level ozone (a.k.a., smog) formation
and other problems. We're responsible for these emissions. The way we choose
to get around today impacts our world tomorrow - the land, the water, and the
air. A group of high school students, teachers, and a professional video crew
got together to produce this site. So check it out, already!
FT Exploring Science and Technology Grades
6-8, Grades
9-12, Teachers
www.ftexploring.com
Learn what energy is, how it's created, and how it's used. Explore how energy, as food, moves through Earth's ecosystems. Find out how energy makes life possible and how we can use energy better.
Global
Warming Facts and Our Future - Koshland Science Museum Grades
6-8, Grades
9-12
www.koshlandscience.org/exhibitgcc/
Explore the latest scientific information on global warming. Discover how a
warmer climate might affect your life and what could be done to minimize the
potentially harmful effects of climate change.
In the Air curriculum K-12
www.intheair.org/
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency funded the Missouri Botanical Garden's
EarthWays Center to design and develop a full spectrum of environmental education
materials ao airborne toxics issues in their communities. The goal is to increase
knowledge about air pollution and to make connections between behaviors and
air quality. Five modules are available (K-3, 3-6, 6-8, 9-12 and adult).
Indoor
and Outdoor Air Pollution Grades
6-8, Grades
9-12
www.lbl.gov/Education/ELSI/pollution-main.html
This basic primer on air pollution covers the types, causes and effects of
pollution in our atmosphere.
Nature Net Grades
6-8, Grades
9-12
www.nature.nps.gov/
Detailed materials about natural resources that the National Park Service maintains,
including biology, geology, air, and water. Check Links to Learning for environmental
education resources from different Parks.
NOAA Education Web
site Grades
6-8, Grades
9-12
www.education.noaa.gov/
Explore this site to find the information you need to teach students about
weather, climate change, and oceans. You'll find activities, background information,
and much more!
North Pole
Ozone Game Grades
6-8
kids.earth.nasa.gov/games/toms/
Science with NOAA Research: Teacher Information Grades
9-12
www.oar.noaa.gov/k12/html/teacherinfo.html
Online science lessons for students and teachers. Covers earth systems that have to do with the oceans and lakes: storms, El Nino, the atmosphere, fisheries.
Smog City 2 Grades
6-8
Visit Smog City, where your choices, environmental factors, and land use contribute
to air pollution. You're in control so your visit can be a healthy or unhealthy
experience depending on the decisions you make.
For a basic understanding of ozone pollution, try the original Smog City
www.smogcity2.org
www.smogcity.com
What
on Earth? (water, soil, land quiz) Grades
6-8, Grades
9-12
gaia.hq.nasa.gov/quiz/quiz_start-template.cfm
What's Up
with the Environment Grades
9-12
www.thirteen.org/edonline/wue/
If you need a single lesson or a longer term project, visit this site for extensive
and multimedia background information and plans for projects about water, land,
air and energy. Students can explore environmental issues, formulate and find
answers to questions about the environment, and explore "Cool Careers" for
ideas about an environment-related job.