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Teacher resources

Resources to support schools in the teaching and learning about environmental issues.

The resources cover:

  • local and regional air quality, and
  • climate change topics:
    • enhanced greenhouse effect
    • global warming
    • energy
    • waste
    • environmental impact
    • Ecological Footprint.
    • manuals
    • EPA online tools

Manuals

Download the AirWatch manuals to assist in the classroom. The manuals provide a comprehensive range of sequential lessons and activities on local air pollution topics and climate change issues:

Primary school's manual – Who cares about the air? pdf document

 

Section Title Contents
1 Teacher information Welcome to AirWatch
2 Let's check out the air! Clean air, Air – is it there?, Pushy air!, The atmosphere
3 What's in the air What's in the air, changing the air, more about the air
4 Polluting the air Adding to the air, pollutants, collecting particles, types of pollutants, moving pollutants
5 Understanding weather How hot is it? Wind direction, wind speed, clouds and temperature, weather check
6 Household emissions Woodsmoke, woodsmoke and health, what wood? Woodheaters, household heating, household energy consumption, greenhouse emissions and your home, reducing home greenhouse emissions, how about at school? Look at alternatives
7 Cars – a big headache Car exhausts, summer smog – photochemical smog, family cars, car logs, smoky vehicles
8 What can I do? What do you know? Visual air quality (VAQ), using the car less, green transport day, green transport plans, at home and at school, what can I do?

Secondary school's manual – Clean air – What's in it for us? pdf document

 

Section Title Contents
1 Teacher information Welcome to AirWatch, monitoring, website information, about air quality, air pollution and weather measurements
2 Student introduction Student survey, our views, about air pollution, air pollutants, greenhouse gases
3 Air and weather Elements of weather, weather data, the weather map, weather and air pollution, inversions, air movement, measuring winds aloft
4 The burning question Winter smog, particles in the air, car exhausts, smoky vehicles, monitoring particulates, visual air quality, Woodheaters and woodsmoke, woodsmoke and health
5 Cars – a big headache Summer smog, monitoring nitrogen dioxide (NO2), car usage, car logs, vehicle counts, travel patterns, smog and health
6 Pollen Pollination, monitoring pollen, forecasting tomorrow's pollen count, pollen count record sheet, sample pollen count record sheet, the pollen calendar, pollen identification photographs, filter holder modification and pollen stain, resources/reading material
7 Other local air pollution issues Sulfur dioxide (SO2), indoor air pollution, allergens in the home, dust mites, smoking, asthma and smoking, toxic air pollutants, exposure to toxic air pollutants
8 Global air quality Greenhouse effect, carbon dioxide (CO2), enhanced greenhouse effect, global warming and climate change, ozone
9 Energy Fossil fuels and energy, household energy, your household energy use, green energy, energy efficient house design
10 Time for action Community survey, check it out, what can I do? Be keen, go green
11 Teacher resources Sample program, test items, appendix 1: nitrogen dioxide (NO2), Appendix 2: air quality record sheet, appendix 3: Types of air pollution, appendix 4: Measuring winds aloft, Appendix 5: tethered balloon data table, appendix 6: The tethered balloon system, glossary

VCE resource manual – Environmental science unit 4

Ecological sustainability

Area of study - 1: Pollution and health
Air pollutants and health
Topic Contents
Topic - 1 Introduction

Why investigate air pollution?

What are the physical and chemical properties of your selected pollutant (nitrogen dioxide/particles)?

How might its physical and chemical properties influence its role as an air pollutant?
Topic - 2 How does air pollution affect human and environmental health?
Topic - 3 Hazards and risks
Topic - 4 Who and what is susceptible to air pollution?
Topic - 5 What are the sources of nitrogen dioxide/particles?
Topic - 6 What natural ways are nitrogen dioxide/particles removed from the air?
Topic - 7 How are nitrogen dioxide/particles transported in the air?
Topic - 8 Do nitrogen dioxide, particles or other air pollutants persist or accumulate?
Topic - 9 What is toxicity and how is it measured?
Topic 10 – What are the exposure issues for nitrogen dioxide/particles?
Topic - 10 What are the exposure issues for nitrogen dioxide/particles?
Topic - 11 Why are particles seen as an emerging health risk?
Topic - 12 What monitoring programs are in place for air pollutants?
Topic - 13 What roles do the air state environment protection policies (SEPPs) and EPA play in monitoring air quality?
Second hand data: reading air monitoring data from EPA website
Topic - 14 What factors reduce the risk of nitrogen dioxide/particles pollution?
Topic - 15 What are some other strategies/actions for reducing air pollution?

Area of study - 2: Applied environmental science
Managing air quality
Topic Contents
Topic - 1 Why and how should air quality be managed?
Topic - 2 Life cycle analysis (option 1 – vehicles; option 2 – wood heaters)
Topic - 3 Environmental risk assessment and environmental impact assessment
Topic - 4 Environmental management systems and plans
Topic - 5 Regulatory frameworks
Topic - 6 Role of community, media, interest groups, etc.
Topic - 7 Sample scenarios for investigating local air quality
Topic - 8 Individual actions to reduce pollution from cars
Topic - 9 Evaluating EPA's Draft Air Quality Improvement Plan
Topic - 10 Developing an environmental management plan for local air quality

EPA online tools

EPA's website has free tools available for students: