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Project Overview and Objectives

This webquest was built to help students understand the importance and gravity of the acid rain problem. As a lesson under the heading, "Human Impact on Environment", students will decide for themselves whether or not acid rain is a manmade problem or a natural problem and whether or not it can be stopped. It is designed for sixth graders, but can be adapted for any grade level teaching subjects dealing with Ecology, Environment, and Pollution.

Students will use the internet as the primary resource to investigate the problem of acid rain. Other resources may, of course, be introduced, but since this is also a lesson in technology, using the computer is integral to the learning process of this particular lesson. I've have also tried to focus on acid rain in North America - the region bordering the United States and Canada, even though acid rain exists all over the world. As students in New York, we are close enough to appreciate the gravity of the damage being done.

Extensions

• When the webquest assignment is completed and graded, the students will engage in an acid rain debate. Students will be broken into different groups: committee member of the "International Commission on Acid Rain", ecologist, industrialist, or government employee. They will argue the question of whether acid rain is ever going to be solved, and if so, how to solve, or at least reduce the problem.
• Write letters to different organizations to get feedback on acid rain activity, such as the Sierra Club, the US. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Geological Survey, car companies such as Ford, Chrysler, etc.
• Do acid rain experiments in class such as this one:

1. take two identical plants
2. water one plant with water whose pH value is 7 (distilled water)
3. water the second plant with water whose pH value is 2/3.
4. predict the outcome and variables involved in the experiment
5. water each plant every other day
6. observe the changes in each plant over time
7. as a further investigation, try the same lesson with different soils or use limestone chips

• Compare acid rain and its effects to other negative (or positive) impacts caused by humans on our environment, such as oil spills or the garbage situation. You can use a venn diagram to brainstorm ideas.
• Create an Excel graph on a variety of subjects such as:

1. Acid rain levels over the last 50 years
2. Ask student survey questions about acid rain i.e. Do you think the acid rain problem can be solved? Were you an ecologist, industrialist, government employee, or committee member in our debate? Do you believe government or industry is more to blame for the acid rain problem?

For more information click on the links in the webquest, or contact Judy Toledano at jtoledano@lakelandschools.org, Lakeland Central School District.

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