Struggling to Breathe in 48217, Michigan's Most Toxic ZIP Code

• This article addresses issues of environmental racism in Detroit, Michigan, by explaining the negative health impacts of the toxic chemicals released by factories in the area.
• The environmental justice movement is highlighted as an important approach to alleviating environmental racism and creating healthier communities.

Positives

• The article provides historic insight into the changes that have taken place in the community over time, which has led to the issues they are facing today.
• The article illustrates environmental racism and the need for environmental justice.

Additional Prerequisites

• Per the scientist notes, it will be helpful to discuss the difference between facts and opinions with students.
• Providing students with some background on environmental racism and environmental justice can also help students better understand the article.

Differentiation

• The article includes links to additional studies and information. Teachers can assign groups of students to explore one of the resources and report back key information to the class.
• The article can be read independently, in small groups, or aloud as a whole group to best meet the needs of your students.
• Social studies, civics, or history classes can further explore the many different government organizations and policies mentioned in the article to learn their history and assess their effectiveness.
• In science classes, students can research how the chemicals discussed in the article impact the environment and climate.
• In language arts classes, students can distinguish which claims are well supported by evidence and which are not, and discuss bias in the article.

This resource addresses the listed standards. To fully meet standards, search for more related resources.