Air pollution is a global problem, causing widespread damage to the environment, the economy, and our health. The EPA estimates that over 130 million people live in regions with polluted air, and Oceanside is no exception. Unfortunately, these air pollutants cause negative health effects; such as: respiratory damage, cancer, and birth defects. Therefore, students need to raise their awareness of how air pollution impacts their local community. Our team focused on creating an ITU centered on investigating how pollution impacts students and what actions can be taken to help reduce pollution.​



​Our Interdisciplinary Pollution ITU:​
Our ITU is interdisciplinary across multiple subjects, including science (biology), social studies, Spanish, and physical education. In this unit, students will work in teams to investigate a problem with regards to pollution at OHS, create an action plan, and design a public-service announcement (PSA) to educate their community about how to reduce pollution. Students will need to synthesize content and skills from multiple classes together in order to achieve this challenge.
• In biology, they will also learn how to collect data about pollution and design their own, inquiry-based investigation regarding air pollution at OHS.
• In social studies, students will learn how the history of human globalization has contributed to pollution since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. Students will also learn about environmental justice and how pollution is a social injustice.
• In Spanish, students will learn key vocabulary and practice conversation skills in order to be able to translate their PSAs into Spanish to spread the message to the local Spanish-speaking community. Also, Spanish and Social Studies will collaborate and co-teach several lessons to raise awareness of the impact of pollution on Spanish-speaking cultures. This is a huge issue, since many of the world’s most polluted countries are located in Central and South America, such as Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina.
• In P.E., students will deepen their understanding of how pollution can negatively impact their health. In addition, students will learn that commuting to school by foot or bike works double-duty by combining healthy exercise with a green activity for the environment. Biology will co-teach with P.E. for some of these lessons because of the natural blend of science with exercise, as well as health (P.E.) with physiology (biology).
• During the final week of the unit, all subjects will come together for several lessons to collaborate in creation of student PSAs.

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​Our unit plan incorporates student activities and instructional strategies that include:​
Cooperative Learning:
Most of our lessons include cooperative learning activities. In addition, our unit is designed to be co-taught together for several lessons during the final week. Students will form teams for the entire unit; they will have several opportunities to work together to investigate a question, form an action plan, and, finally, create a PSA.

Technology:
Students gain experience using technology in several lessons throughout this unit, such as the internet, scientific instruments, probes, and monitors. In addition, students learn how to record their PSAs and edit them in order to be broadcast on local television. Students are utilizing several different types of technology throughout this unit.​

Art:
Students will be exposed to several different art learning experiences throughout this unit. Students use a journal to reflect on their experiences throughout the unit. Students create artful posters with colorful illustrations in several lessons. Finally, students are the given the opportunity to create their PSA, choosing any format they want (stop-motion, silent picture, skit, dance, music video, etc). Originality, creativity, and imagination are encouraged.

Social Justice & Equity:
People of low socioeconomic status or of minority ethnicities are exposed to more air pollution than white, middle-class Americans. A study in 2002 reported that 71% of African Americans lived in areas that violated air pollution standards; whereas, only 58% of the white population did (the Georgia Coalition for the Peoples. “Air of Injustice”). This study also reported that African Americans are more likely to suffer from asthma than whites, a common respiratory ailment resulting from chronic exposure to air pollution. Because minorities do not have equal access to clean air, air pollution is an issue of social injustice. A large population of the student body at Oceanside High School is either impoverished or a minority. Because these groups are more at risk to be negatively impacted by environmental hazards, there is a need to educate the community about air pollution and how to prevent it.

Service Learning:
Since there is a need to raise awareness about the effects of pollution and steps that can be taken to reduce it, students will engage in a service learning project to fight air pollution in their community. In teams, students will investigate the problem of air pollution, create an action plan, and help spread the message through the community by creating PSAs to highlight their plans. OHS will collaborate with local news teams in order to broadcast the final clip on television.





​Our ITU and Adolescents:​
Through getting to know our students as unique individuals, we have learned that the majority of our students desire group activities, labs, and hands-on projects. Our students enjoy working with each other, using technology, and having some choices in the decisions they can make regarding their lessons. Our ITU plan on air pollution not only matches the needs and interests of our students, but also gives students structured learning experiences that will aid in development of critical meta-cognitive skills, such as problem-solving, logic and critical thinking. Because the region of the brain responsible for meta-cognition, the frontal cortex, continues to mature until age 25, adolescents need learning experiences to help develop this area, such as the lessons included in our ITU.  For instance our ITU includes:
• Hands on-projects (including inquiry)
• Lab activities
• Teamwork in almost every lesson
• Socratic-style class discussions
• Brief oral presentations
• Kinesthetic activities (as well as visual and auditory)
• Student choice and creativity





​Enduring Understandings:​
• Students will understand the impacts of pollution on health, the environment, society, and their local community.
• Students will understand how local air quality affects physical activity.
• Students will understand how industrialization, transportation, and other energy-consuming activities contribute to pollution.
• Students will understand that air pollution is an issue of environmental and social justice.
• Students will understand that they can take many actions to reduce pollution.
• Students will understand one way to reduce pollution in their local community is to broadcast their message to a large audience.

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​​Essential Questions:​
• Why should I care about air pollution?
• What is pollution and how is it caused?
• How does pollution impact my environment?
• How does pollution impact my health?
• How does pollution impact my local community (and how does that compare with other countries)?
• What can be done to help reduce or eliminate air pollution?
• Why is it considered a social injustice?