• Understand the nature of particulate matter
• Be able to explain how particulate matter affects human health through its impact on the lungs and other body systems
• Know some of the man-made and environmental sources of particulate matter
• Be able to explain some ways to reduce particulate matter

Per class

• Two dusty erasers
• Video camera & VCR
• Computer with Internet access and video projection device
• (optional) a used car air filter to compare with the unused ones the groups will have (most oil change stations will have used ones around - just ask).

Per student team/group of 2

• Stopwatch, or clock with second hand

• Calculators
• Strips of paper the size of a ruler: one flat, and one that appears shorter because it has been folded repeatedly fan-style.
• An unused (new) car air filter (these are available at most oil change stations for approximately $15).
• Computer station with Internet access (ideally)
• 1 piece of poster board
• Poster-making materials (markers, magazines to cut pictures from, glue stick, rulers, scissors, etc.)

Not Specified

• Air Matters Assessment  (View)
• Getting to Know PM  (View)
• Poster Planning  (View)
• Surface Area  (View)
• The Dust Cloud Activity  (View)

• Bronchial Tubes - the primary divisions of the trachea that lead into the lungs
• Bronchioles - the small, thin, walled branches of the bronchial tubes; these terminate in the alveoli
• Alveoli - tiny air sacs in the lungs where the transfer of oxygen and carbon dioxide takes place
• Particulate Matter - minute, separate particles suspended in the air

Set-up Directions:

Prior to the class, the teacher will need to set up group stations for each group of 3-4 students. Each station should have a stopwatch (or watch with second hand) and a calculator (scientific calculator not necessary).  Ideally, the class would take place in a computer lab with at least one computer station per group of 2 to 3 students. Prior to class, bookmark the following Web sites on each computer station:

http://www.epa.gov/airnow/aqikids/air.html http://www.epa.gov/airnow/aqikids/index.html http://www.epa.gov/airnow/aqikids/air3a.html  http://www.epa.gov/airnow/aqikids/air6a.html. 

If a computer lab is not available, printing the information from the above sites (see also "Student Sites" under "Technology Resources") and copying it for distribution will also work. Each student will need a copy of the Getting to Know Particulate Matter Activity Sheet and the Dust Cloud Activity Sheet.

Note: if many of your students suffer from allergies or asthma, you may wish to proceed to the section on the Dust Cloud Activity and perform the videotaping prior to class. If the dust cloud demonstration will be filmed during class, set up the video camera. Focus the camera on the point where the dust cloud will appear after two erasers are clapped together. The camera should be slightly closer than the closest student seat.  Have a plain, dark background (such as a blackboard or black cloth).  Desks may be arranged so that the dust cloud will not reach students (but they should still be able to see it).

Teacher Presentation & Motivation:


Activity 1 - Getting to Know Particulate Matter
Have students go to the EPA Explorer's Club Web site at http://www.epa.gov/airnow/aqikids/air.html. Students should follow the directions on the Getting to Know Particulate Matter Worksheet to complete the activity.  After they complete the activity, students can click on the "games" link at the EPA site to play educational games about air quality index.

Activity 2 - Dust Cloud

For this activity, each student will need a copy of the Dust Cloud Activity Sheet.  Each group of 2-3 students will need a stopwatch or watch with a second hand.  (If these are not available, a classroom clock with a second hand will also work.)

Ask students where they think dust comes from and how long they believe it stays in the air.  As a demonstration, students will make a timed observation of a settling dust cloud.

Note: Students with asthma or allergies may need to either sit farther away, or cover their nose and mouth with a cloth.

Set up a student with the video camera to film the demonstration. Check that the camera is focused on the point where the dust cloud will appear after two erasers are clapped together. Students should be seated so that one person in the group can observe the dust cloud while another student is watching the time.  The student holding the stopwatch should ask the observer to note the condition of the dust cloud when one minute, two minutes, and so on have passed, using the space allotted in the Dust Cloud Activity Sheet. Observations will vary and may include statements like, "cannot see through cloud, cloud is partially cleared, able to read writing behind cloud, etc.," though they should give some idea of how much dissipation has occurred since the last timed observation. When the observer believes that the dust cloud has cleared, the timer should note the time in seconds. When the last group has recorded a time, allow the camera to continue to run at least another 2-3 minutes.  During this time, students can re-check that they have recorded thorough observations in the space provided.

Then replay the tape, directing groups to record the same timed observations in the separate space provided. When students are finished observing the dust cloud tape, ask groups to share the time they recorded under "dust cloud cleared" for both off-camera and on-camera observations.  Record each group's time on the board, then have students use all of the times recorded to find the average. Explain that this number will serve as the class's "overall timed observation" for the time it took the dust cloud to clear. (If you are using only the taped version of the dust cloud for your class, have students watch the tape through twice and record times for each viewing.)

As a class, discuss any notable comparisons between what the students observed in person and what they observed by watching the replay. Students may have observed that the dust cloud seemed to take longer to dissipate when viewed "in person," because the video quality didn't capture the dust particles in as much detail as the human eye. Discuss with students how long some of the dust particles hung in the air, even after the cloud seemed to have dissipated. (Students might recall seeing a shaft of light from a window with dust particles floating in it.) Students should recognize that while many particles settle fairly quickly, because some particles are very small or even microscopic, they are light enough to stay suspended in the air a long time.

Wrap Up:
Explain that today, the class learned about particulate matter and some of its sources, and they observed a cloud of particulate matter to see how long it took to dissipate.  Ask students to consider the potential impact of the dust cloud they observed on the classroom environment. Did the dust settle on the floor and over the desks, leaving a residue?  If the dust had been toxic, what impact might that have had on students' health? What about the particulate matter that didn't settle out of the air? Could it be circulated to other classrooms? What impact might that have on people's health?  Explain that tomorrow, the class will explore these questions on a broader scale, looking at the ways in which particulate matter in the air we breathe impacts human health.

Set-up Directions:

Prior to the lesson, the teacher will need to set up the classroom. There should be an Internet-ready computer and video projection device so that students may view the streaming Internet video on the respiratory system.  Go to  http://www.brainpop.com/health/respiratory/respiration/index.weml on the Web browser program so that the video will be ready for viewing. 

In advance, prepare group kits of materials needed for second activity, Surface Area.   Each group of 2-3 students will need a metric ruler, two identical rectangular strips of paper, one of which has been folded "fan-style," and a new (unused) car air filter. Ideally, each group would have a filter, but if these are difficult to obtain, using one at a designated station where groups can rotate through and do their measurements will work also.  Also, if no stopwatches are available, any timepiece that will measure seconds will work. Each student will need a copy of the Surface Area Activity Sheet. 

Teacher Presentation & Motivation:
To introduce the concepts of this lesson, ask students to describe the "job" that the lungs have as part of the body.  Keep a "brainstormed" list of their descriptions to review again at the close of the lesson.  Have students use Think-Pair-Share to list some times when they encountered air that was difficult to breathe. What were the circumstances?  (i.e., in a smoky room, too near a campfire or bonfire, near road construction, etc.) What does it feel like to breathe that kind of air? (i.e., it smells bad, it hurts to breathe, it might make your head hurt, etc.) Make a list of student responses on the board.  Then ask, "what do you think happens to particulate matter when we breathe it in?"  After collecting student responses, explain to students that when particulate matter enters the lungs, it can come into contact with the lung tissue and have health effects.  The health effects particulate matter has depend on what kind of particles it is made up of.

Activity 1 - Lung Video

Focus for Media Interaction
Focus for Media Interaction: The focus for media interaction is a specific task to complete and/or information to identify during or after viewing of video segments, Web sites or other multimedia elements.
The focus for media interaction is a specific task to complete and/or information to identify during or after viewing of video segments, Web sites or other multimedia elements. The focus for media interaction for the lung video is for students to learn about the lungs and how they work.
Viewing Activities
What will your students be responsible for while viewing this piece of multi-media or video?
Write the words "diaphragm," "alveoli," "trachea," and "oxygen" on chart paper or the blackboard. Explain that the class will be viewing a short video that explains how the lungs work, and that the words on the board will help us describe the parts of the lung and what they do.  Play the video through once, and click on stop when Tim says "But wait, there's more."  (You will only use the first part of the video.)  Tell students, "I'm going to play that through again more slowly.  We will stop at a few places to define the words on the board."

* Oxygen:  Play the video until Tim says "your body takes it in all the time in a process called breathing." Click on Pause.  Refer to the words you've written on chart paper or on the board.  Ask students, "Which one of these is something the body needs that only the lungs can give?"  After students identify the correct word, have them describe what oxygen is and does.  Record the responses on the board under the word "oxygen" (phrases like "an invisible gas," "something the body has to have," etc. are helpful).

* Diaphragm: Resume playing the video until Tim says "This creates empty space in your lungs, which fresh air rushes in to fill." Repeat the process used with the word "oxygen" to help students define the diaphragm muscle and what it does.

* Trachea and Alveoli: Resume playing the video until Tim says, "But wait, there's more." Help students define the trachea and alveoli and what they do.
Post Viewing Activities
How will students utilize the information they gathered while viewing the multi-media or video?
Review with students the basic tree-like structure (from the trachea to the alveoli) that makes up the lungs. Let students guess the size of the lungs ("they are about as big as?"), then let them know their lungs are about the size of two footballs.

Activity 2 - Surface Area Activity

For this activity, each group will need the two strips of paper, one of which has been folded fan-like, a metric ruler, and an unused car air filter. 

Have students determine the surface area of the flat (unfolded) strip of paper by multiplying its length by its width (in centimeters). Each group should make a prediction about the area of the strip of folded paper WITHOUT flattening it.  Have them share their predictions. Have students flatten the second strip of paper, and then determine its area.

Then, have students take apart the car air filter and determine its flattened surface area.  Discuss how the surface area is increased by the folds and by the texture of the surface (not smooth and flat, but bumpy, so it catches even more particulate matter). Inform students that if their lungs were just hollow sacks, they would have only about 2 square feet of surface area.  Instead, because of their "tree-like" structure, lungs are more like sponges than sacks.  Encourage students to compare this information with what they found about the flat and folded strips of paper and the car air filter.

Have students complete the following calculation:
The lungs have more than 600,000,000 alveoli, each of which has a surface area of about 0.000001 square feet.  What is the surface area of the lungs?

Amazing Fact:  The surface area of the lungs is about 25 times that of the skin!

Wrap Up:
Summarize the lesson by asking students to review the results and conclusions from each activity.  Remind students of the ways they described the lungs at the beginning of the class.  Ask them to reconsider the job the lungs are doing. What makes this job particularly tricky? How does increasing the surface area of a filter help make the filter more effective? How might particulate matter "clog" the filter and cause other health effects?  Why might the extraordinary surface area of the lungs be helpful?

Set-up Directions:
Prior to the lesson, the teacher will need to make "poster-making" stations for each group of 2 or 3 students.  Groups will need 1 piece of poster board, markers, rulers, scissors, glue stick, and any other materials you wish to provide (magazines for picture cutouts, etc.).  Each student will need a copy of the Poster Planning Worksheet.

Teacher Presentation & Motivation:
Have students refer back to their answers on the Getting to Know Particulate Matter Activity Sheet from Day 1.  Collect several students' answers to question 5 ("Describe 3 ways to reduce particulate matter pollution") and list them on the board, chart paper, or transparency.  Discuss some of the ways particulate matter pollution can be reduced with the class, then point out that the first step toward implementing these methods is to increase public awareness.  Explain that today, groups will be making posters to increase public awareness of the particulate matter pollution problem.  (Leave the list of ways to reduce particulate matter pollution up as groups work.)

Activity 1 - Making Public Awareness Posters

Hand out a Poster Planning Worksheet to each student.  Have students work in their groups to "brainstorm" what their group's poster might look like, using the worksheet as a guide.  Emphasize that each student should be responsible for at least one section of the poster.

Assign each group to a poster-making station.  Have groups use the ideas they gathered in the planning session to make a public awareness poster about particulate matter.  Each student in the group should be responsible for at least one section of the poster.

Activity 2 - Sharing Posters
Have each group briefly share their poster with the class.  As they do so, make sure to comment positively on what stands out about each group's poster.

Wrap Up:
Close the class by summarizing your comments about the posters and discussing ways that they might be used to inform the public about particulate matter.