Mapping Air Pollution in Oakland, CA
Lesson Plans
Grades6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12Biology, Health
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 →
Provided by ACE
What it is
- In this lesson, students will learn about air pollution associated with vehicle traffic, watch a short video, answer questions, and complete a heat map of Nitric Oxide (NO) air pollution in Oakland, CA.
- The resource discusses how air pollution affects some communities more than others and how regulatory decisions can affect which communities are affected by certain types of pollution.
Teaching tips
Positives
- This resource is great for virtual learning as it includes a video and Google Doc for students.
- The lesson plan is very detailed and comprehensive, so minimal planning is required.
Additional Prerequisites
- Teachers need to make a free account to access the materials.
Differentiation
- The Google Doc can be modified for English language learners or students at different ability levels.
- Science students could use this resource to augment a lesson about diffusion, as the heat map activity shows students the patterns of diffusion and the changing concentration of nitric oxide with increasing distance.
- Social studies and civics classes could use this resource to highlight the benefits of environmental regulations for community health.
- Other resources about environmental pollution include this article and this video.
From the scientist review
In the activity, colors used in drawing the isolines for each interval for the production of a heat map are appropriate. This resource is recommended for teaching.
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