Air Pollution Experiment SYNOPSIS Students will test different areas to assess levels of air pollution.

OBJECTIVES Students will be able to describe some of the variables that may lead to increased levels of air pollution. VOCABULARY air pollution the introduction of chemicals into the atmosphere of particulate matter, or biological materials that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms, or damages the natural environment (from Wikipedia) MATERIALS index cards (several per student or group) petroleum jelly knives (or something to spread the petroleum jelly with) duct tape and masking tape scissors one Ziploc-style bag per group DISCUSSION PRIOR TO EXPERIMENT Talk to the students about air pollution, where it comes from in their community (e.g., vehicle exhaust, local factories), and how they know it is present (e.g., personal experience asthma, soot in window panes of house, see pollution emanating from vehicles, smell it, see it especially during sunsets). Tell the students they are going to conduct an experiment to determine where air pollution is found. They will decide which areas they want to test, collect data, and then analyze it. PROCEDURES 1. Divide students into cooperative learning groups of three to four students or have them work individually. 2. Tell each group to decide which areas they would like to test. For example: a wall outside the classroom, a wall near the schools parking lot, a tree next to a park, the interior of their classroom, the interior of their home, the family car, their bicycle, or their bike helmet. To

increase the accuracy of the experiment, and avoid the loss of data,each of these areas should be tested with three to five data collection tools. 3. Each group will also create a control for their experiment. Preparing the data collection tool 4. Label each index card with the location where it will be placed. 5. Smear petroleum jelly on the middle area of an index card. The air pollution particles (those that are visible) will stick to the petroleum jelly.Experimental Procedure 6. Once the students have prepared their index cards, they should make observations of the appearance of the petroleum jelly. 7. They should make a hypothesis that answers this question: Which area will have the most air pollution stick to the petroleum jelly? 8. The students should then tape the index cards to the areas being tested for air pollution. 9. The control is placed inside of a Ziploc-style bag and put inside of a drawer or cabinet. 10.Students can determine when they will make observations of their index cards. For instance, they could make observations every two days for two weeks, or once each week for three weeks. When they make their observations, they can take photographs of the index cards to document the amount of particles sticking to the petroleum jelly, they can examine them with magnifying lenses, or note the percentage of the area with particles attached. (Divide area into a 10 x 10 grid and count how many squares have particles.) The controls should also be observed on the same schedule as the cards in the exposed areas. Students should write the data in their science journal. 11. Once the designated data collection time has been reached, the index cards, including the control, are gathered and brought into the classroom for further analysis. 12. They should be able to determine which of their cards has the most air pollution particles on it. 13. Have them reflect on their hypotheses (made in #7) and determine if it was correct. 14. Discuss or have them write down the results of the experiment. 15. Discuss or have them write down their conclusions and reflections. Why did some of the cards collect more pollution than others? Can they do anything to change the amount of air pollution particles in that area (e.g., close the window to the classroom or their home, ride their bikes on streets with less traffic)? CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING Have the students write a paragraph describing some of the variables they tested through their experiment that may lead to increased air pollution.