Is there new development in your area? If so, will this development contribute to pollution? Our booming economy assures expansion, but does new development always bring environmental deterioration? Is there a solution? Are plants the solution? This unit addresses a central question: Can plants erode or minimize the air pollution associated with urban expansion and development?
As the city of New Haven debates a major development proposalconstruction of a large mall next to a highwayscientists are reporting on “urban climates” and the health risks associated with urban sprawl. Can major planting efforts offset temperature increases and air pollution? Can plants produce enough oxygen to lessen increases in carbon dioxide and other gasses to minimize smog?
Upon completion of the unit, students will decide if planting is a solution. Students will participate in a mock trial, using results from research and experiments as evidence that supports their claim. Those that think plants can alleviate damage caused by a large-scale mall development, and wish to have the mall built in their neighborhood will defend plants’ as air purifiers. Those who think mall development is too much for plants to bear will prosecute mall developers as polluters who damage air quality and harm residents.
Purification v. Population: Green v. Gray is an integrated science curriculum unit written for grades 6 through 9. The unit is inquiry-based and emphasizes data capture, analysis and validation. This unit is prepared for my eighth grade Integrated/Earth Science class. Most students in my classes are aware, and in favor of, a large-scale mall development proposal that would be located right in their community. They are fans of designer label shopping and expect to work at this mall. There are many, however, who are aware of consequences of air pollution as they or a family member have asthma or other respiratory illnesses. The air quality in our city is not great; smog and low-level pollution is already a problem for many in our city.
Students first examine their local environment, particularly air pollution. They identify contributing factors, and quantify car exhaust and carbon dioxide. They examine the effects of air pollution on plants and, by extension, on other living things.
After students assess current conditions, they assess the impacts plants have on the environment. Most of these laboratory investigations will provide the “evidence” students will present in court. Necessary to evidence is examination of all the processes imbedded in photosynthesis, validation and quantification of components. Through their investigations students verify the existence of carbon dioxide and oxygen, and its transfer. They conclude light, water and nutrients are necessary for the process. Students identify the parts of plants, which are necessary for photosynthesis and trace this process.
Underlying chemical and biological principles are critical to student understanding of the functionality and importance of plants and will be presented to my students in this unit. This study will be contrasted with development’s consumption of clean air and deterioration of our atmosphere. Purification v. Population is an interdisciplinary unit in which debate, founded on research, data and modeling, provides student assessment.
This 12-week unit is divided into three major sections. The first section involves description, analysis and impact of air pollution. The second section involves investigation and understanding impact of the biology and chemistry of plants. Included in this section is detailed analysis of photosynthesis and plants’ “air purification” capabilities. Students observe plant processes through experiments and demonstrations. The final piece requires research of a current development proposalin our investigationdevelopment of the Long Wharf Mall. This section includes substantial research and data analysis. The culminating unit activity will be presented as a court case.
Purification v. Population: Green v. Gray addresses National Science Standards and Benchmarks. Furthermore, it embraces the integrated approach to Science and includes many components of the City of New Haven’s Science Standards in grades 7 through 9. Laboratory investigations are inquiry-based and reports are presented in CAPT format. Finally, the unit aligns itself with mathematics standards in grades 6 through 9; problem solving is a critical skill employed throughout the unit.
