This course provides an introduction to the atmospheric chemistry involved in climate change, air pollution and biogeochemical cycles using a combination of hands-on laboratory, field studies, and simple computer models. Lectures will be accompanied by field trips to collect air samples for the analysis of gases, aerosols and clouds by the students.

In Unit 2 of the Explore the Salish Sea curriculum, students will review the water cycle, learn the parts of a watershed, and the effects of erosion and pollution, then learn ways of purifying these waters before they enter our streams and estuaries to safeguard these ecosystems for marine life and us.
Each unit in this series contains a detailed unit plan, a slideshow, student journal, and assessments. All elements are adaptable and can be tailored to your local community.

This lab allows students to explore some of the properties and effects of water. Students may choose from 9 options to complete 3 mini lab assignments. Each lab can be completed at home, with common household materials. The properties of mechanical weathering, erosion, density, transportation of pollution, pressure, water as a universal solvent and capillary action are included. Students also have the option to design their own experiment for a property of water of their choice. A water use inventory is also included to help students understand how much water is overused and how they can decrease water waste. The water use inventory is targeted at students in Utah, but can easily be adapted to any location.***Please have your students click "File" then "Make a Copy" to access each google doc. They will then be able to add their answers to their own copy.***

Ever feel as if you are paying the price for someone else's "deal"? Perhaps you are choking on the pollution from a foundry where cheap widgets are made. That spillover effect is called an externality. There are positive ones, too.

In this interactive lecture, students watch a video clip from The Colbert Report that addresses pollution externalities. Students graph the market and use the write-pair-share technique, then brainstorm ways to move the market to the socially efficient equilibrium.

In this video from Common Ground and Cleaner Water, Tribby Vice, a Kentucky farmer, talks about the changes he has made on his farm to protect the water quality of the stream running through his property and the watershed in which he lives.

Members of the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have designed a suite of atmospheric science learning modules for middle school students. The curriculum, which implements a flipped-classroom model, is cross-referenced with Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards. It introduces students to topics such as temperature, pressure, severe weather safety, climate change, and air pollution through short instructional videos and critical thinking activities. A goal of this project is to provide middle school science educators with resources to teach while fostering early development of math and science literacy. The work is funded by a National Science Foundation CAREER award. For a complete list of learning modules and to learn more about the curriculum, visit https://www.atmos.illinois.edu/~nriemer/education.html

This six-week curriculum unit is designed for students in the second grade as they follow a water molecule through a watershed. The unit begins with Follow the Water from Brook to Ocean , a picture book by Arthur Dorros that introduces to primary-level students how water moves and how it has shaped our earth over time. The young scientists will use their skills of inquiry to understand the structure of a watershed, investigate human impact, and participate in activities and experiments throughout. Students will use journals to document their learning as they build vocabulary, identify stream order, discover how materials dissolve or not in our waters, create an aquifer, and design a game that simulates the pollution entering our watershed.

This online lesson provides perspectives from Native American community members, images, objects, and other sources to help students and teachers understand the efforts of Native Nations of the Pacific Northwest to protect and sustain salmon, water, and homelands. Scroll to begin an exploration of the Pacific Northwest history and cultures.

Air is one of Earth's most precious resources, and we need to take care of it in order to preserve the environment and protect human health. To this end, students develop their understanding of visible air pollutants with an incomplete combustion demonstration, a "smog in a jar" demonstration, and by building simple particulate matter collectors.

Students take a closer look at cars and learn about some characteristics that affect their energy efficiency, including rolling resistance and the aerodynamics of shape and size. They come to see how vehicles are one example of a product in which engineers are making changes and improvements to gain greater efficiency and thus require less energy to operate.

This is an introductory environmental health course examining population growth, environmentally-linked disease, and health concerns associated with toxic substances, food quality, air pollution, water pollution, noise, solid and hazardous waste, and pesticide use. Scientific topics will studied in a global context, and will be discussed in light of society, technological, and economic systems that impact our collective environment. Environmental issues and problems transcend geographical boundaries and academic disciplines. Therefore, students need to understand the social, economic, political issues that affect the quality and quantity of environmental resources upon which humankind depend. This course fulfills the requirements for Science, Technology and Society. It does this by examining how human activity influences the availability and quality of environmental resources and how these environmental factors influence human health at both the local and global scale.

This video segment, adapted from Need to Know, discusses how the process of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is used to extract natural gas and how the process may be polluting water resources with hazardous chemicals, leading to health concerns.

In this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, hydrogen fuel cell cars promise pollution-free driving, but will we see them anytime soon?

The following are potential questions that could be used in a gallery walk activity about climate. The questions are organized according to the cognitive level at which students are engaged, using Bloom's Taxonomy.

(Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Environment-derived gut microbes can contribute to host health. In soil invertebrates, the gut microbiome is gradually assembled from the specific soil microecological region that the host inhabits. However, the effects of environmental stress on soil invertebrate microbiomes remain unknown. To learn more, a new study sought to characterize the gut bacterial taxa of the soil invertebrate Folsomia candida in the presence or absence of environmental concentrations of soil pollutants. Sequencing revealed that exposure to the fungicide azoxystrobin (AO), the antibiotic oxytetracycline (OTC), or their mixture (AO) increased Gammaproteobacteria abundance. The Gammaproteobacteria response was closely associated with F. candida physiological and functional indicators, such as the locomotion (HAA) index and oxidative stress..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

G 201 : GEOLOGY I

DESCRIPTION
Examines the nature of Earth's interior processes from a geologic perspective. Need not be taken in sequence. Field trips will occasionally substitute for labs, with multiple options to ensure accessibility for every student.

LEARNING OUTCOMES
1. Students will develop an effective understanding of the basic concepts, processes, and analytic tools as they are currently understood in the science of geology. Students will able to articulate and describe the fundamental disciplinary models/laws/theories presented as well as the current state of supporting evidence. Within the realm of geology these include fundamental scientific theories such as plate tectonics and geologic time. These courses will expose students to a diversity of topics within the realm of geology and explore the relationships among other scientific disciplines. (ex: chemistry of minerals; fossil record of biologic organisms)
2. Through inquiry-based, hands-on laboratory activities and field experiences students will develop specific experimental skills and knowledge leading to the ability to identify, implement, and interpret scientific information as it relates to geology. Students will apply their knowledge and skills and employ logical scientific methodologies in a variety of numerical and descriptive problem solving situations.
3. Students will enhance their ability to effectively communicate scientific concepts and data via multiple means including visual, oral and written modes using activities such as poster presentations, term papers, computer graphics and modeling, test essay questions, interactive questioning and lab write-ups.
4. Students will be able to evaluate and articulate the application and relevance of specific geology topics to the world around them at a personal, community, and global level. As a result, students will understand the significant role of science and geology in particular in modern society. Moreover, students will become more scientifically literate citizens capable of formulating informed logical opinions regarding the application of science and technology to solving such problems as pollution, energy demands, minerals extraction, and geologic hazards.

Students take part in a hypothetical scenario that challenges them to inform customers at a local restaurant of how their use and disposal of plastics relates/contributes to the Great Pacific garbage patch (GPGP). What students ultimately do is research information on the plastics pollution in the oceans and present that information as a short, eye-catching newsletter suitable to hand out to restaurant customers. This activity focuses on teaching students to conduct their own research on a science-technology related topic and present it in a compelling manner that includes citing source information without plagiarism. By doing this, students gain experience and skills with general online searching as well as word processing and written and visual communication.

Students learn how the greenhouse effect is related to global warming and how global warming impacts our planet, including global climate change. Extreme weather events, rising sea levels, and how we react to these changes are the main points of focus of this lesson.

For the first time in history, the global demand for freshwater is overtaking its supply in many parts of the world. The U.N. predicts that by 2025, more than half of the countries in the world will be experiencing water stress or outright shortages. Lack of water can cause disease, food shortages, starvation, migrations, political conflict, and even lead to war. Models of cooperation, both historic and contemporary, show the way forward. The first half of the course details the multiple facets of the water crisis. Topics include water systems, water transfers, dams, pollution, climate change, scarcity, water conflict/cooperation, food security, and agriculture. The second half of the course describes innovative solutions: Adaptive technologies and adaptation through policy, planning, management, economic tools, and finally, human behaviors required to preserve this precious and imperiled resource. Several field trips to water/wastewater/biosolids reuse and water-energy sites will help us to better comprehend both local and international challenges and solutions.