Curriculum Module-Environmental Science

Overview of NASA/STEP Curriculum Module-Summer 1998

I. Title of Module:

Environmental Science

II. Author(s):

Jean Ahern/Nora Dinneen

III. Grade Level:

High School 9-12

IV. Nature of The Students:

Urban Minority

V. Purposes:

To provide students with enough background information on chemicals and environmental issues that effect their lives.
To promote the use of scientific thought and principles through experimentation and interpretation.
To correlate the events that occur in the classroom and their environment.
To examine methods of solving some of our environmental problems today i.e. toxic waste disposal, garbage crises, quality of our drinking water and chemicals in our home.
To make students aware of their accountability for the role that they play in our environment and to help them make informed decisions on the choices they make in the future.

VI. Overview: This program will look at four major environmental issues that effect our society today.

Students will be assigned the roles of environmental health and safety engineers, who investigate the safe removal of toxic waste from and electroplating process.
Student will analyze the properties and function of the ingredients of household chemicals and factors associated with their safe use and disposal.
Students will be challenged to look at the mounting garbage crises which has been caused by our throwaway society and examine solutions to these problems.
Students will discover the quality of their own drinking water for what it reallyis.

VII. Curricular Content Development

Science content knowledge.

The student will be provoked to use their background knowledge to develop concepts in biology, chemistry, earth science and environmental science.

Technological and Societal Context of inquiry.

The technological concepts of this course involves many hands on activities that involves the use of scientific procedures, some of which include (a) electroplating (b)Filtration (c) pH measurements (d) model designs etc. The use of a VCR will also be included to expose student to some societal issues.

VIII. Teaching and Learning Approaches

For most hands-on activities students will work in small groups of 2 or 3 to carry out their mode of scientific inquiry.
The use of whole class discussion will be used to extract information and develop possible solutions to various issues.
A field trip will be used to help enhance the concepts discussed and modeled.
Inquiry Skills

Scientific Thinking

Ask questions about natural phenomena; objects and organisms; events and discoveries.
Uses concepts from New Performance Science Standards (1997)1-4 to explain a variety of observations and phenomena.
Uses evidence from reliable sources to construct explanations.
Evaluates different points of view using relevant experiences, observations, and knowledge; and distinguishes between fact and opinion.
Identifies problems; proposes and implements solutions; and evaluates the accuracy, design, and outcomes of investigations.
Works individually and in teams to collect and share information and ideas.

Scientific Tools & Technology

Uses technology and tools (computers, rulers, balances, thermometers, watches, magnifiers, and microscopes) to gather data and extend the senses.
Collects and analyses data using concepts and techniques in Math such as average, data displays, graphing, variability, and sampling.
Acquires information from multiple sources, such as experimentation, print, and non-print sources.

Scientific Communications

Represents data and results in multiple ways such as numbers, tables, graphs; drawings, diagrams, and artwork; and technical and creative writing.
Uses facts to support conclusions.
Critiques a written and oral explanations, and used data to resolve disagreements.

Scientific Investigation

An experiment, such a conducting a fair test.
A systematic observation, such as a field study.
Invent a design, such as a building model, or scientific apparatus.

NASA/STEP Module - Environmental Science- Lesson 1/Day 1 & 2: Disposal of toxic waste

Objectives:

To differentiate between toxic waste and non-toxic waste.
To simulate a factory production of a toxic waste.
To test and evaluate means of toxic waste disposal.

Skills to be developed: Following this activity the students will be able to:

Read and expedite lab instructions on their own
Understand the process of electroplating
Make decisions on the treatment of and disposal of toxic waste having carried out the following experiments on waste disposal (i) Successive dilution (ii) reclamation of copper using metal replacement (iii) precipitation

Concepts:

formation of ions (chemical bonds)
electrolytes
nonelectrolytes
process of electroplating
successive dilutions
filtration
precipitation
different ways to express concentration
endothermic and exothermic reactions

Teaching and Learning Approaches:

Students will carry out experimental work in groups of 2 or 3
Class discussion will be used to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of their findings.

Materials and Resources:

Complete sets of equipment and chemicals provided by CEPUP (Chemical Education for Public Understanding Progrm) are available for use by each groups of students.
Prepared student activity booklets are distributed to each student to record their work.
Chalkboard to explain concepts and record class results
VCR

Activities and Procedures:

NASA/STEP Module - Environmental Science- Lesson 1/Day 1 & 2: Disposal of toxic waste

Chronological Time Sequence (number of minutes to be used in each activity)	Type of Student Organization (whole class, small group, pair, individual)	Student Activity	Teacher Activity
Day 1 30 mins	Whole class	Listen, Ask Questions, Share Ideas	Enlightening students on the environmental problems that exist today, to make them aware of their responsibilities.
50 mins	Group of 2 or 3	i) Students will explore the behavior of ions in solutions in order to understand the process of electroplating. They will test various chemicals such as (a) Water (b) Salt(s) (c) Sugar(s) (d) Salt(aq) (e) Sugar(aq) (ii) They will use a concentrated copper chloride solution in plating copper onto paper clip (iii) For the purpose of this activity the students will use the plating solution as the simulated toxic waste. They discuss ways in which it can be disposed of safely and economically	Teachers are constantly monitoring and interacting with students as they perform their experiments. They ensure that proper safety procedures are followed, and that students use the proper techniques in using the equipment. The students are constantly challenged to explain every result in their experimental work.
20 mins	Group of 2 or 3	Clean up	Proper disposal and clean up of materials discussed and carried out.
15 Mins	Whole Class	Participation in class discussion on the possibilities of waste reclamation as a method of waste disposal	Lead discussion and pose challenging questions
30 mins	Group of 2 or 3	Students use the waste copper chloride solution from the 1st experiments and examine the possibilities of reclaiming and selling the copper using aluminum metal	Distribution of materials and overseeing students as they carry out the experiment.
10 Mins	Group of 2 or 3	Clean up
30 Mins	Group of 2 or 3	Students now examine 3 other metals besides aluminum to remove the copper from the waste solution. They examine the cost and safety issues of each type of metal. The students are challenged to look at many factors when making decisions.	(a) Distribution of materials (b) Monitor experimental work to ensure proper procedures are carried out (c) Challenge students as they make their decisions.
Day 2 15 mins	Whole class	Discussion on the possibility of dilution as a method of toxic waste disposal. Students are reminded that levels exceeding 5ppm cannot be dumped in the sewer system.	Share ideas with students.
40 mins	Groups of 2 or 3	Students use the 50,000ppm used copper chloride solution from the pervious electroplating experiment, and examine serial dilution as a possible method of waste disposal. Using a 1-9 successive dilution, they will determine the amount of water needed to dilute 1 liter of 50 thousand ppm to 5 ppm. They will then examine the advantages and disadvantages of this process	Distribute materials and monitors students as they carry out the experiment and calculations. Assistance is given whenever needed.
10 mins	Groups of 2 or 3	Students will follow teachers instructions for proper clean up.	Direct students on correct clean up procedures.
15 mins	Whole class	Class discussion on the concepts of precipitation as a method of waste disposal	Lead discussion
40 mins	Groups of 2 or 3	(1) Students experiment with different solutions and find when added the toxins waste from Day One's experiment that they form a precipitate. (2) This precipitate is filtered and the filtrate is tested for its toxicity (3) The results of the filtrate test are used in discussing which solution is most effective in reducing the toxicity of the waste.	(a) Distribution of materials (b) Monitoring experimental work (c) Interacting with students constantly challenging them to explain their results.
10 mins	Groups of 2 or 3	Students return all materials and equipment to main station.	Overlook progress. Help with clean up.
10 mins	Whole class	Students watch a short video on the discovery of a barrel of toxic waste and how it is treated by a HazMat team.	Lead Discussion
10 mins	Whole class	Discussion on overall activities	Lead Discussion

NASA/STEP Module - Environmental Science - Lesson 2 / Day 3 & 4 : The Waste Hierarchy. Where is "Away"

Objectives:

Students will find out what happens to the materials society calls "waste"
They will determine how much and what type of trash they dispose of on a weekly basis.
Students will examine various ways of waste disposal (a) landfills (b) dumps (c) Incineration (d) Source reduction (e) Dilution

Skills to be developed:

Following these activity students will be able to
Develop a hierarchy of values for waste disposal
Recognize the differences between the various methods of waste disposal.
Make informed decisions of how and where they dispose of their waste.

Concepts:

Mass/volume relationship
Acid interactions
Combustion
Oxidation
High temperature incineration vs. burning

Teaching and Learning Approaches:

Chalkboard will be used to explain concepts and discuss class results.
Students will work in groups of 2 or 3, carrying out various experiments which will allow them to explore the operations of various waste disposal systems.
A video presentation will be shown to students to compare high heat incineration to low heat incineration.

Materials and Resources:

A set of equipment and chemicals provided by CEPUP (Chemical Education for •Public Understanding Program) will be distributed to each group of students.
Activity sheets which allow students to record data and answer questions.
VCR for Video presentation

Activities and Procedures:

NASA/STEP Module - Environmental Science - Lesson 2 / Day 3 & 4 : The Waste Hierarchy. Where is "Away"

Chronological Time Sequence (number of minutes to be used in each activity)	Type of Student Organization (whole class, small group, pair, Individual)	Student Activity	Teacher Activity
Day 3 40 Mins	Whole Class	Class Discussion based on what happens to the waste our society generates	Discuss the garbage crisis with students
30 Mins	Individual Students	Using a survey, students examine the amount of trash they discard and compare it to the national norms.	Teacher will record class data on the board and discuss the implications of their results.
20 Mins	Whole Class	Incineration is discussed as a method of waste disposal. The pros and cons of this process are examined.	Monitors discussion and poses challenging questions to students
40 Mins	Whole Class	Observe Incineration demonstration and pose questions. Students observe and question the formation of Acid Rain	a. A low temperature incineration of hazardous waste is demonstrated for students. b. The two by products are collected. c. The smoke is combined with water to simulate the production of acid rain
20 Mins	Whole Class	a. Using a video presentation, students compare high heat Incineration to the low heat classroom demonstration. b. Students hold a discussion to determine if burning is a reliable source of waste disposal	Participates in discussion
Day 4 20 Mins	Whole Class	Landfills are discussed as an alternative to Incineration as a method of waste disposal Students explore major issues of the NIMBY Syndrome (not in my back yard)	Interacts with students during discussion
50 Mins	The class is divided into two sections containing groups of 2 or 3	Section 1: Students will design a model of an unregulated dump and explore the effects of leachate on ground water. Section 2: Students will design a Model of a Sanitary landfill and explore the effects of leachate on groundwater.	Monitoring students as they carry out experimental work.
20 Mins	Whole Class	Students share their results with other groups and discuss the major issues of land based solid waste disposal.	Challenging students through questioning as they compare and contrast the effects of their models.
15 Mins	Whole Class	Clean up of all materials used in activity	Helping student in the clean up of all equipment

NASA/STEP Module - Environmental Science - Lesson 3 / Day 5 & 6 - Tap Water Tour/MRF Field Trip

Objectives:

To test water samples from our homes for pH, chlorine, iron, copper and hardness.
To compare and contrast water from different sources i.e well water vs. fresh water.
Students will travel to a recycling facility and get an educational tour of the operations of this facility.

Skills to be developed:

Students will be able to understand the daily operations of a recycling plant.
Explain the significance of various water sources

Concepts:

Chemical concepts of dissolving
concentration
dilution reaction
pH
water hardness
corrosion
disinfection
distilled water
indicator
evaporation
water conditioners

Teaching and Learning Approaches:

Students perform hands-on experiments in groups of 2 or 3.
Class discussions will be used to evaluate results and daily define concepts
Oral and visual presentations used to expose students to a daily working recycling process.

Materials and Resources:

Hand-outs for each student for recording of data.
Chalk board for recording of class results and definitions of scientific concepts.
LaMotte tap water tour kit.
Posters.

Activities and Procedures:

NASA/STEP Module - Environmental Science - Lesson 3 / Day 5 & 6 -

Chronological Time Sequence (number of minutes to be used in each activity)	Type of Student Organization (whole class, small group, pair, individual)	Student Activity	Teacher Activity
Day 5 2 Hours	Whole Class	Students listen to presentation regarding recycling. Ask questions.	Listen to presentation
40 Mins	Whole Class	Students listen and answer questions.	a. Teachers ask thought provoking questions to assimilate information for definitions of scientific concepts. b. Introduction to tap water tour and definitions of concepts.
25 Mins	Groups of 2 to 3	Students perform pH test on their tap water sample. Results obtained are compared to pH chart displayed.	Monitor students experiments and assist with any difficulties. Discuss class results.
Day 6 15 Mins	Whole Class	Students assist teachers in production of samples which shows how the addition of various substance can alter the pH value of water.	Teacher constantly challenge students to explain observations and results.
40 Mins	Groups of 2 to 3	Students perform hardness and bubble test on samples of tap water and distilled water	Teachers interact will students and discuss their interpretation of their result.
15 Mins	Whole Class	a. Students observe preparations of reference chlorine solution samples b. They define the words dilute and concentrated.	Teachers make reference chlorine samples and elicit information from students regarding dilute and concentrated solutions.
20 Mins	Groups of 2 to 3	Students perform chlorine test and compare results with reference samples	Analyze results with students.
20 Mins	Groups of 2 to 3	Perform iron test on tap water and compare results with reference samples	Prepare iron reference samples
15 Mins	Groups of 2 to 3	Perform copper test on tap water and compare results to chart posters	Interact with students discussing results.
5 Mins	Groups of 2 to 3	Clean up	Help in clean up
15 Mins	Whole Class	Discuss conclusion from experiments.	Lead discussion

NASA/STEP Module - Environmental Science - Lesson 4/Day 7 & 8: Household Chemicals

Objectives:

To investigate the effects of using different concentrations of certain household chemicals.
To compare and contrast the differences between detergents and soap.
To investigate an approach used to test consumer products.
To analyze a cleanser, to determine each component and explain its role in cleaning.
To show students that optimum results are obtained only through using specific proportion of chemicals.
To design a system for safer labeling of household hazardous substances.

Skills to be developed:

Following these two days of activities students will be able to:
Read and expedite lab instructions on their own.
Understand the importance of how carefully package directions should be followed.
Apply the "Rules for the Safe Use of Household Chemicals".
Observe the effects of a detergent and a soap in soft and hard water on mixtures of oil.
Simulate on approach used to test consumer products.
Formulate a safe labeling system.

Concepts:

Students will become familiar with the following concepts
Chemicals can be made unsafe if used incorrectly.
Properties of soap and detergent in soft and hard water, emulsification, and water hardness.
Soap and detergent are used to clean fabrics in hard and soft water.
Chemicals interact in specific proportions more is not always better.
Household Cleansers contain a mixture of soap, detergent and abrasives.

Teaching and Learning Approaches:

Students will perform experiments in groups of 2 and 3.
Class discussions will be used to develop concepts, analyze results and critique conclusions.

Materials and Resources:

Student Activity sheets provided for data entry
Materials and equipment will be provided for each group of students using CEPUP Household Chemical Kit.
Chalkboard for display of class results and data charts.

Activities and Procedures:

NASA/STEP Module - Environmental Science - Lesson 4/Day 7 & 8: Household Chemicals

Chronological Time Sequence (number of minutes to be used in each activity)	Type of Student Organization (whole class, small group, pair, individual)	Student Activity	Teacher Activity
40 Mins	Whole Class	Class discussion to develop concepts and to examine properties of household chemicals.	Leads discussion to develop conceptual definitions.
45 Mins	Whole Class and Groups of 2 or 3	Students a) investigate the effects of various concentrations of chlorine bleach on food coloring. b) study the effects of using different amounts of bleach and of prewashing to remove food	Distribution of materials and aid in experimental activities Challenging student to question the observations made during experimental work.
30 Mins	Groups of 2 or 3	Complete Survey and form group decisions on each statement made in the Survey. Compare decisions with lists of Safety Rules for use of household chemicals.	Monitor students as they complete survey. Participate in discussion.
40 Mins	Groups of 2 or 3	Students observe the effects of soap and detergent in soft and hard water on mixtures of oil. They will	Distributes materials and assists students when needed.
40 Mins	Groups of 2 or 3	Students investigate the cleaning ability of a detergent and soap using soft and hard water.	Distributes materials and interacts with students as they perform experiments.
30 Mins	Groups of 2 or 3	Analyze a cleanser to identify each component and determine its role.	Monitor students as they perform activities.
30 Mins	Groups of 2 or 3	Combine chemicals in various ratios to obtain optimum results.	Assist students and challenge them to question their observations.

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Last Updated July 21, 1998 by Roz Krakowsky
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