Title of Lesson: Lemons Squeezed in the Sky

Teaching Date and Time: November 4th, 2015 at 9:30am to 10:20am

Length of Lesson: 50 minutes

Grade / Topic: 6th grade Earth Science

Sources of the Lesson: Pictures from: Acid rain: http://eschooltoday.com/pollution/air-

pollution/effects-of-air-pollution.html Air pollution: http://www.dailytimesgazette.com/wp-
content/uploads/2015/06/AIR-POLLUTION1.jpg Statue with acid rain damage:
http://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/principles-of-general-chemistry-
v1.0/section_08/48f34caee678e5f862723ef602d2675f.jpg Plants with acid rain: http://media-
2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/54/72754-004-B387DF74.jpg Fish with acid rain:
http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-acid-rain.htm Limestone with acid rain:
http://www.rsc.org/images/b617697f-250-for-tridion_tcm18-79622.jpg

Other information: National Geographic video: "Acid Rain: Invisible Menace"

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/videos/acid-rain-invisible-menace/ Aquatic Organisms and their
acidic pH tolerances: http://www3.epa.gov/acidrain/effects/surface_water.html Sulfur dioxide
emissions reduction video clip: http://www3.epa.gov/captrade/maps/so2.html Chapter 11: Earths
Atmosphere. Florida Earth & Space Science, McGraw-Hill. 402, Chapter 2: Adaptations to Aquatic
Environments Ecology: The Economy of Nature, Robert Ricklefs and Rick Relyea, 40.

Standards with Cognitive Complexity:

Benchmark Number Benchmark Description Cognitive
Complexity
SC.7.E.6.6 Identify the impact that humans have had on the Level 2: Basic
Earth, such as deforestation, urbanization, Application of Skills &
desertification, erosion, air and water quality, Concepts
changing flow of water.

Performance Objectives:

1. Students will be able to: measure the pH of an aqueous acidic solution

2. Students will be able to: determine what aquatic wildlife could live at the measured pH of the
solution
3. Students will be able to: demonstrate their understanding that the amount of acid rain causing
pollutants is directly proportional to the amount of fossil fuels burned over time
Concept Map:

Materials List and Student Handouts

1 gallon of distilled water

1 quart of vinegar
For each team of 3-4 students:

1 clear 16 oz. plastic cup filled halfway with the solution of Lake Haha
1 clear 16 oz. plastic cup filled halfway with the solution of Lake Soggybottom
2 strips of pH paper
1 Animal tolerance chart
1 pH color chart
For each student (Total of 20 students):

1 Activity sheet

Advance Preparations

Make 22 copies of the activity sheet (1 per student and 2 extra)

Make 8 copies of Animal pH tolerance chart (1 per lab table and 2 extra)
Make 8 copies of the pH color chart (1 per lab table and 2 extra)
Create power point and upload to thumb drive
Email power point and final lesson plan to mentor teacher
 Mix distilled water and vinegar to form two solutions with different pHs (pH strips should
clearly show Lake Soggybottom is more acidic than Lake Haha)
Fill up and label 6 of the clear 16 oz. plastic cups with the solution from Lake Haha and another 6
clear 16 oz. plastic cups with the solution from Lake Soggybottom
Place the 2 clear 16 oz. plastic cups with the different solutions from Lake Haha and Lake
Soggybottom, a pH color chart, an Animal pH tolerance chart and 3 to 4 activity sheets on each
lab table
Have Acid Rain video loaded and ready to go
Have sulfur dioxide emissions clip loaded and ready to go
Have the introduction slide (Slide 1) up

Safety

Concern: Students drinking solutions

Remind students to not drink the solutions
 5E Lesson:

Engagement Time: 10 minutes

What the Teacher Will Do Teacher Directions and Probing Questions Student Responses/Possible
Misconceptions
(What the teacher says.)

Change to Slide 2. Call on What are some ways that humans impact the
several students to name Earth?
different impacts.

Elicit answers from several Will you tell us a way (students name)? [Types of pollution,
students. deforestation, urbanization,
recycling, replanting of trees,
burning of fossil fuels]

Wait until a student As (students name) mentioned earlier, air

mentions air pollution (if it pollution is one of the many impacts humans
was one of the first impacts have on Earth.
mentioned, ask other
students about the impacts
but come back to air
pollution)

Play the National Lets look at a video that discusses one type of
Geographic 4 minute clip air pollution that causes acid rain.
Acid Rain: Invisible
Menace

http://channel.nationalgeog
raphic.com/videos/acid-
rain-invisible-menace/

Wait until video finishes and What did you notice in the video about how
then ask students questions humans contribute to acid rain?
regarding what they should
have noticed in the video.

Yes, (students name). [Automobiles, Power plants,

Burning fossil fuels]

littering

Exploration
What the Teacher Will Do
Change to Slide 5. Introduce
the days activity.
Change to slide 6.
That is true. Automobiles and power plants
burn fossil fuels such as gasoline and coal that
release the pollutants that cause acid rain.
What did you notice in the video about how
the fish were affected by the acid rain?
Will you tell us (students name)? [Killed fish, harmed fish]
Made the fish smaller
Time: 15 minutes
Teacher Directions and Probing Questions Student Responses/Possible
Misconceptions
The fish in the video were harmed because
they could not withstand the change in the pH
of the stream after acid precipitation. pH can
be measured with little strips of paper that
change color according to amount of acid
present. The color of the strip is compared to
a color chart like the one on the PowerPoint,
which allows you to determine a specific
number for the pH of the liquid you dipped
the strip into.
Today, you will be investigating two different
lakes to see which one is more acidic. You will
also be testing to see what kinds of animals
can survive in your lakes, and which ones
cannot. Your lakes will all have power plants
nearby and you will determine which power
plant is burning more fossil fuels.
Please remember that the solutions are made
with water AND vinegar and should not be
consumed.
At this time turn over your nametag and go to
the assigned lab table, and remember to bring
a pencil with you. Do not start until instructed
 to do so.

Wait until all students are You may now begin the activity. Make sure
seated. you have your own activity sheet.

Circulate asking probing Which is more acidic, a low pH or a high pH? [low pH]
questions.
High pH

Whats the pH range that a frog can survive in [pH of 4 to pH of 6.5]

as shown in the chart?
Nothing shown in the chart

Whats the pH range that a mayfly can survive [pH of 5.5 to pH of 6.5]
in as shown in the chart?
pH of 4 to pH of 5.0

If mayflies are a food source for the frogs, [The frogs wouldnt survive
what would happen to the frogs if the pH was because mayflies, their food
4.5? source, wouldnt be able to
survive in that area]

Nothing because they can

survive in water with a pH of
4.5

How does the power plant make rain acidic? [by releasing pollutants,
burning fossil fuels, burning
coal]

Elaborate on last question if What kind of pollutants? [pollutants from burning coal,
necessary. pollutants from burning fossil
fuels]

Power plants release acid rain.

What is another type of organism other than [Plants]

animals that you can find in or around bodies
of water? rocks

What do you think would happen to plants [they could be harmed, they
when there is acid rain? could be killed]

Plants probably are not

harmed.
When theres 5 minutes left Marco! Polo!
for the activity, get the
students attention.

You have 5 minutes to finish up answering the

questions on your worksheets and to clean up
your area. Please have one person from each
table dispose of the liquids into the sink. After
your area is clean, bring your activity sheets
back to your seats.

Explanation Time: 25 minutes

What the Teacher Will Do Teacher Directions and Probing Questions Student Responses/Possible
Misconceptions

Once all of the students are Which lake was more acidic, Lake Haha or Lake
seated, get their attention if Soggybottom?
necessary and change to
Slide 6.

What were your results, (students name)? [Lake Soggybottom]

Did anyone determine that Lake Haha was Students raise hands
more acidic?

Lake Soggybottom was the more acidic one,

but the pH strips can be hard to interpret
because the colors for different levels of acidic
pH are so similar.

Correct! Who would like to tell me the pH they

got for Lake Soggybottom?

Yes, (students name). [answers will vary]

Which animals survived in Lake Haha?

(Students name) [Answers will vary depending

upon each groups
interpretation of the pH strip]
 Which animals survived in Lake Soggybottom?

(Students name) [Answers will vary depending

upon each groups
interpretation of the pH strip]

Why were some organisms unable to survive

in the lakes?

(Students name) [pH was too acidic, water was

too acidic, they couldnt
tolerate the pH the water was
at]

The factory is too close to the

lake.

Slide 7 To better understand why a low pH harms

some organisms, we can compare pH to
temperature. In the winter time, what clothing
do you pull out of the closet?

Yes, (students name)? [A jacket, a sweater, pants]

Have you ever been caught outside not

dressed well for the cold temperatures?

Yes, (students name). [Yes or no]

Imagine you put on your warmest winter [No]

clothes, do you think they would keep you
warm in Antarctica?
Yes

The temperature in Antarctica might be too

low for us to survive very long without shelter
and a heat source. We can take measures to
protect ourselves from the cold, but the same
is not true for aquatic animals in a lake with
low pH. If the pH becomes too low, the
environment becomes too extreme for them
to live a healthy life or even live at all.

Slide 10 Who will tell me what fossil fuels are?

 Yes, (students name). [a nonrenewable resource
formed from the remains of
prehistoric organisms]

Correct! These once living organisms had both

nitrogen and sulfur in their proteins.

After being highly compressed underground

for thousands or millions of years, fossil fuels
can be used as an energy source. However,
when we burn fossil fuels, the sulfur and
nitrogen from ancient proteins are released
into the atmosphere as pollutants. These
pollutants, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides,
combine with oxygen or water in the
atmosphere to become sulfuric acid and nitric
acid.

Slide 11 Which lakes neighboring power plant burned [Lake Soggybottom]

more coal?

Slide 12 Where is it absolutely necessary to have a

constant supply of electricity?

(Students name) [Hospitals, schools]

Movie theaters

Hospitals always need electricity, and they

require it from power plants. As seen in the
video about the national park, power plants
can cause acid rain.

What are some suggestions that would allow

for a continued supply of electricity with fewer
harmful pollutants?

(Students name) [Wind power, Hydroelectric

dams, Nuclear power]

Use less electricity

All of your answers are very good, but

consider Gainesville, Florida: there are no
nuclear power plants, and perhaps the rivers
 are not big enough for a hydroelectric dam.
Gainesville Regional Utilities uses fossil fuels
when generating electricity. What can be
done to ensure they do not release too many
pollutants?

Do you have an idea, (students name)? [Limit how much coal is

burned, Filter the pollutants so
they are not released to the
atmosphere]

Buy electricity from other

cities.

What would happen to the pH of Lake

Soggybottom if the power plant nearby
started burning less coal?

(Students name) [The pH would go up]

The pH would go down

Nothing would happen to the

pH of the lake.

If the power plant near Lake Soggybottom

burned less coal, do you think it could produce
enough electricity to meet demand of the
homes, schools, and hospitals it serves?

(Students name) [Yes, no, maybe, I do not know]

Can anyone add to the response of (students

name)?

What do you think, (students name)? A second student gives his

opinion about what the
previous student said.

Slide 13 Who receives an allowance at home? Students raise hands.

(Students name), as long as you do all of your [Yes or no]

chores, do you receive the amount of money
each time?
Briefly explain the U.S.
government's program for
limiting sulfur dioxide and
nitrogen oxides emissions.
Explain and show the EPA
video clip that depicts
changes in atmospheric
sulfur dioxide since 1990.
http://www3.epa.gov/captr
ade/maps/so2.html
The United States Environmental Protection
Agency gives power plants allowances for
sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. For power
plants, these allowances are limits; once a
power emits the maximum amount of sulfur
dioxide and nitrogen oxides, it should not
release any more. Basically, a power plant has
a limit for its emission of the pollutants that
cause acid rain. To avoid a penalty for
exceeding the limit, a power plant can buy
unused allowances from a different plant, or
use saved up allowances from previous years
when the power plant did not emit its limit.
Check out this clip that shows the reduction of
sulfur dioxide in the air from 1990 to 2009.
The green dots are power plants that emit
sulfur dioxide. The larger the dot, the more
sulfur dioxide is emitted. The shaded regions
of America represent the amounts of sulfur
dioxide detected in the air. Referring to the
scale on the left side of the video, blue-green
is no sulfur dioxide and dark red is the highest
amount. No color shading over some parts of
the country means no sulfur dioxide
measurements are included in this clip.
What happens to the green dots between
1990 and 2009?
(Students name) [They get smaller]
They disappear
What does it mean if the green dots shrink?
(Students name) [Less sulfur dioxide is being
emitted]
The power plant is producing
less electricity.
Why are the red shaded regions turning yellow
or green?

(Students name) [Less sulfur dioxide is detected

in the air]

Less acid rain is falling.

Today you have measured the pH of acidic

water and determined how a sample of
aquatic animals would be affected by the
presence of acid. Fossil fuels used in power
plants and automobiles are the culprit in acid
rain formation, but as evidenced by the efforts
of the Environmental Protection Agency, steps
can be taken that reduce acid rain causing
pollutants.