Air Quality Workshop for Teachers: A Toolkit for Facilitators

This Toolkit is designed for anyone who would like to conduct an air quality workshop for teachers. The materials are taken directly from the workshop provided each year by the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. The goal of the workshop is for K-12 teachers to gain a better understanding of air quality and air pollution issues, experience hands-on activities, and gain insight into topics such as global warming and climate change, calculating a carbon footprint, and the health effects of air pollution. The knowledge gained will support the teacher’s classroom instruction and in turn will motivate and increase student’s interest in air quality.

What’s In the Toolkit?

WORKSHOP TOOLS

PROPERTIES OF AIR

It is recommended that you have students understand and explore the properties of air before introducing a discussion on air pollution. The air around us in its stationary form occupies space, exerts pressure, expands when heated, has weight and contains oxygen. These hands-on investigations can be set up in four stations and teachers can rotate through the stations every 10 to 15 minutes.

AIR QUALITY

These lessons give students an overview of air quality and air pollution including the components of air, the six criteria pollutants and the major sources and health effects of air pollution.

OZONE

Ozone is a gas that occurs both in the Earth's upper atmosphere and at ground level. Ozone can be "good" or "bad" for people's health and for the environment, depending on its location in the atmosphere. These lessons guide the students understanding of ground level ozone and the associated health effects.

PARTICLE POLLUTION

Particle pollution (also called particulate matter or PM) is the term for a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets found in the air. Some particles, such as dust, dirt, soot, or smoke, are large or dark enough to be seen with the naked eye. Others are so small, they can only be detected using an electron microscope. These lessons will give students in K-12 an opportunity to collect particles and identify the most likely nearby sources.

OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES

LUNG CAPACITY

CALCULATING YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT

ENVIRONMENTAL EXTRAVAGANZA

This is designed to give the teachers an opportunity to see a brief overview and demonstration of six hands-on activities. The teachers are divided into small groups and each group rotates every 10 to 15 minutes.

POWER POINT PRESENTATIONS

ONLINE RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS

The online resources are designed for students and teachers in K-12. These websites include information on the Air Quality Index, air quality, the sources of air pollution and much more. Many of the resources offer narration, animated characters, music, and interactive games making them fun, engaging and hands-on.

AIR QUALITY RESOURCES

These air quality resources are designed to help all members of the general public gain a better understanding of air quality and air pollution issues.

A&WMA ACKNOWLEDGEMENT