Air Quality Lesson: Atmosphere and Your Health
Lesson Plan
50 minutesGrades6, 7, 8Health
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Written by Suzanne Horsley
About this lesson
In this lesson, students explore the factors that contribute to poor air quality, play a game to facilitate understanding of air quality, and create an action plan to inspire solutions in their community.
Inquire: Students discuss what they know about air quality and what affects air quality.
Investigate: Students play a classroom game called “How’s Your Atmosphere?”
Inspire: Students watch a video summarizing what is in the air we breathe and create an action plan to address air quality.
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Everything you need to teach it
How to edit these materials (video)Teaching tips
Suggestions
- This lesson can be used in a physical education or health class on days when students need to stay indoors.
- The game in the Investigate section and the group action plan in the Inspire section can be completed on separate days or class periods.
- The Inspire section can be extended over several days, with students sharing their action plans with the class or presenting it to other classes.
- The accompanying vocabulary deck of 20 words can be used to further student learning.
- This lesson encourages student choice, active listening, and active participation.
- The How’s Your Atmosphere game is engaging, and the Game Cards give specific examples of everyday actions that can have a positive or negative impact on air quality.
- This lesson can be taught in connection with a science lesson on the atmosphere, air quality, or chemical compounds found in the air.
Prerequisites
- Teachers should understand the game and prepare the game ahead of time, including the number of groups or individual players.
- Teacher should set up the room in advance with numbered stations that will mirror those on the dice, spinner, target, etc.
- Teachers should preview additional resources or have air quality student action plans as an example model.
- Students should have a basic understanding that the earth’s atmosphere is made up of chemical compounds.
Differentiation
- Movement is encouraged but not required for this game.
- Students who need support can be paired or grouped with others who can assist and give guidance.
- Students can use their action plan to create an Air Quality Index Activity Guide using the example from Love My Air Wisconsin as an example.
- Students who experience health ailments due to air quality can be encouraged to share their personal experiences.
- Students can extend their learning by exploring how air quality affects communities differently and unequally.
From the scientist review
In this lesson, students will learn about air quality and air pollution and its impacts on the human body. They will also discuss some of the causes of air pollution and think about ways they can make changes in their life to reduce the air pollution footprint. The resources on air quality all cite where they are getting their data from. Videos and links have been reviewed for accuracy. This resource is recommended for teaching.
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About the teacher writer
Suzanne Horsley
Suzanne is a PreK- 5 Wellness teacher at Hopewell Valley Regional School District. She has been teaching for over 25 years and is the 2019 recipient of the NJ Society of Health and Physical Educators (NJSHAPE) Teacher of the Year. In addition to her teaching responsibilities, she serves on many committees in the district and is a blended and personalized learning instructional coach for district faculty. Outside of school, Suzanne enjoys running, hiking, reading and spending time with her family.
