1. L1.06 Air Pollution Lesson Outcomes How I did Targets Task 1:
APP AF1, AF2, AF3, AF5
HSW 1a, 2b, 3a, 4a, 4b
How I did
Targets
Task 1:
Describe the origin and effects of some atmospheric pollutants.
Grade C
Task 2:
Explain some of the processes affecting the composition of the air.
Grade B
Task 3:
Describe the use of a catalytic converter in removing carbon
monoxide from exhaust fumes by converting it to carbon dioxide.
Grade A/A*
Connector: (Grade D)
What are greenhouse gases and why are they important to our survival?

2. Homework Homework task: Due date: ??/??/??
Produce an article for a science journal about the increase in occurrences of asthma in the UK and possible links with air pollution. Make arguments for and against the link.
Due date: ??/??/??
Criteria for Grade C:
Criteria for Grade B:
Criteria for Grade A/A*:

3. BIG picture What skills will you be developing this lesson?
Numeracy
Literacy
Team work
Self management
Creative thinking
Independent enquiry
Participation
Reflection
How is this lesson relevant to every day life? (WRL/CIT)

4. Keywords: Acid rain Catalytic converter Deforestation Global warming
Can you explain these key words?
Acid rain
Catalytic converter
Deforestation
Global warming
Photochemical smog
Pollutant
Respiration

5. New Information for Task 1
Air pollution is the presence of substances in the air that are harmful to health or the environment.
It can be easy to spot air pollution in cities, but its effects are not limited to urban areas because air circulates freely all over the world.
Air pollution can cause the destruction of forests, death of fish in lakes and premature death in humans.
How does air pollution cause so many problems?

6. New Information for Task 1
The most common pollutants found in air are:
carbon dioxide (CO2)
sulfur dioxide (SO2)
carbon particulates
nitrogen monoxide (NO)
carbon monoxide (CO)
nitrogen dioxide (NO2)
How are these molecules produced and how do they
affect the environment?

7. Task 1 (Grade C) pollutant cause effect carbon dioxide nitric oxides
What are the causes and effects of these air pollutants?
pollutant
cause
effect
carbon dioxide
nitric oxides
carbon monoxide
sulfur dioxide
carbon
particulates

8. Task 1 Answers (Grade C)

9. New Information for Task 1
pollutant
cause
effect
combustion and respiration
Global warming
carbon dioxide
high temperature combustion
nitric oxides
acid rain and smog
carbon monoxide
incomplete combustion
lowers blood’s ability to carry oxygen
sulfur dioxide
burning coal
acid rain
burning wood and fossil fuels
deposits as soot and lung damage
particulates

10. How can I improve on task 1?
Task 1: Review
Go back to your lesson outcome grid and fill out the ‘How I did’ and the ‘Targets’ column.
Lesson Outcomes
How I did
Targets
Task 1:
Grade C
Met?
Partly met?
Not met?
How can I improve on task 1?

11. New Information for Task 2
Carbon dioxide is considered the most significant greenhouse gas.
This is because carbon dioxide can remain in the environment over a long time, from 50 to 200 years.
Any process producing carbon dioxide today could affect
the climate for hundreds of years.
Carbon is present in all living things and moves through the environment in a chain of reactions called the carbon cycle.
Levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have increased since the industrial revolution in the 19th century.
How might human activities have contributed to this?

12. New Information for Task 2

13. Do the stages of the carbon-cycle given below release or absorb CO2:
Task 2 (Grade B)
Task 2:
Look at some of the key stages of the carbon-cycle given on the right. Put them in the correct column in the table below:
Explain how the following factors affect the levels of CO2 in the atmosphere:
Increasing human population
deforestation
Do the stages of the carbon-cycle given below release or absorb CO2:
photosynthesis
combustion
decay
carbon-based rocks
oceans
respirations
Absorbs CO2
Releases CO2

14. Task 2: Answers 1.

15. Task 2: Answers
An increase in human population will result in an increased need for resources. This will result in an increased burning of fossil fuels. This will increase excess CO2 into the atmosphere.
Burning wood releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Living trees have a major impact on the atmosphere, as they produce oxygen and absorb the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. Deforestation reduces the amount of photosynthesis taking place and so increases carbon dioxide levels.

16. How can I improve on task 2?
Task 2: Review
Go back to your lesson outcome grid and fill out the ‘How I did’ and the ‘Targets’ column.
Lesson Outcomes
How I did
Targets
Task 2:
Grade B
Met?
Partly met?
Not met?
How can I improve on task 2?

17. low moderate high Task 3: (Grade A/A*)
Weather reports often include warnings about high air pollution levels. Why is this?
Normally, pollution levels in the UK are not high enough to cause problems to people’s health.
moderate
However, high pollution levels have been shown to irritate existing heart and respiratory problems. Air pollution can even cause premature death in the vulnerable or elderly.
high
People who know they are sensitive to pollutants are advised to take precautions when air pollution levels are high,
such as not to exercise outside.

18. Task 3: (Grade A/A*)
Smog is a mixture of air pollutants and particulates that is sometimes found in the lower levels of the atmosphere.
It can reach dangerous levels in built-up areas.
Smog is more common in summer because hot weather acts as a catalyst in the formation of smog components.
A large part of smog is ground level ozone (O3). This is a highly toxic gas that can damage the lungs.
Ozone is formed when nitrogen oxides and volatile organic
compounds combine with oxygen.

19. Task 3: (Grade A/A*)
Human actions can cause or reduce air pollution, which is not just a current problem.
For example, severe smog in London caused the premature death of 12,000 people in 1952.
Most of the smog was formed by high levels of particulates in the air, caused by burning wood and coal for heating.
The Clean Air Act of 1956 created smoke-free zones in cities. Power plants were moved to rural areas, reducing city smog.

20. Task 3: (Grade A/A*)
Today, the combustion of fossil fuels is a major source of air pollution and so controlling their use is important in reducing pollution. This can be done in three key ways:
Reduce the amount of fossil fuels used by taking simple steps such as changing to energy efficient light bulbs or cycling instead of using a car.
Increase the efficiency of motor vehicle engines and power plants so that less fossil fuels are required.
Use chemical reactions to remove the most harmful pollutants from motor
vehicle and power plant emissions.

21. Task 3: (Grade A/A*)
A catalytic converter is a device that is fitted to the exhaust pipe of a car to clean up exhaust fumes.
The inside of the converter has a honeycomb structure, covered in a metal catalyst, such as platinum or palladium.
This structure maximizes contact between the exhaust fumes and the metal catalyst to change the pollutants from combustion into less harmful substances. +
oxygen
carbon dioxide
carbon
monoxide
nitric oxides
nitrogen 

22. Task 3: (Grade A/A*) Task 3:
You work for a leading car manufacturer and your job is to advertise a new car fitted with the latest catalytic converter.
In your advertisement, promote how the catalytic converter works and the benefits it has to the environment and humans.
Keywords for Task 3:
smog
palladium
platinum
carbon monoxide
nitrogen oxides
exhaust
particulates

23. How can I improve on task 3?
Task 3: Review
Go back to your lesson outcome grid and fill out the ‘How I did’ and the ‘Targets’ column.
Lesson Outcomes
How I did
Targets
Task 3:
Grade A/A*
Met?
Partly met?
Not met?
How can I improve on task 3?

24. Review of lesson
What are the causes and effects of nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide?
Some of you will be chosen to feed back to the class – you have 5 minutes.

25. Technicians’ List
Task 1 :
laptops