Resources for Teachers
Download flyer
on educational programs here (PDF file).
|
 |
|
APCD invites teachers to apply for air pollution education grants.
Pictured on right, Second District Supervisor Janet Wolf (center), a
member of the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District Board,
awarded four grants to teachers at the recent Santa
Barbara County Education Office Recognition Dinner. Teachers (from left)
include George Flores of Pioneer Valley High School (Santa Maria), Teri
Briggs of Goleta Family School, Stephen Ryan of Pioneer, and Rosalind
Robertson of San Marcos High School (Santa Barbara). Not pictured:
Kristen Lewis of El Camino Middle School in Lompoc. |
 |
Grants, awarded through the County Education Office, are to
develop curricula incorporating lessons on our atmosphere, air pollution, and
global climate change. Apply online here:
http://www.sbceo.org/~impact2/ProjectGrants.htm. For more information,
contact Mary Byrd at the APCD at 961-8833,
or Louise Fisher, Director of Teacher Programs at the SBCEO at 964-4711 ext. 5281.
About the 2007 Grant Projects:
CO2 Science: Is Carbon Dioxide a Harmful Air Pollutant? In this
project, George Flores and Stephen Ryan at Pioneer Valley High School in the
Santa Maria Joint Unified School District help students learn about air
pollution, and lead them in research on carbon dioxide, measuring and recording
levels of CO2 at various locations, identifying its impacts, and finding ways to
minimize its release.
Safe Lives: Global Climate Change, Air Pollution, and the Human Role
In this project, Teri Briggs at Goleta Family School in the Goleta Unified
School District teaches students about air pollution and global climate change,
and effects on the community and the world. Lessons include attention to
disaster preparedness, safety issues, and ways students can decrease their
personal contributions to air pollution.
Solar Energy: Air Quality Outreach and Education In this project,
Rosalind Robertson at San Marcos High School in the Santa Barbara High School
District, teaches students about air pollution and solar energy, and the
benefits of renewable energy, with lessons including use of a solar water pump,
and interviews of local energy experts.
Global Warming Science Fair In this project, Kristen Lewis of El Camino
Middle School in the Lompoc Unified School District leads students in
development of science projects that showcase solutions to reduce harmful air
pollution, culminating in display of projects at a science fair in 2007.
Check out info on Global
Climate Change on this site.
| Wheel of Change
APCD offers countywide classroom presentations for K-12th grades
and college classes with lessons on our atmosphere, air pollution, global climate change,
and what we can do to make a difference.
Presentations can be tailored to the particular focus and level of
the class, and can include a game using the Wheel of Change (pictured
here with APCD Public Outreach Intern Lexie Brown).
To schedule a presentation, contact Mary Byrd
at the APCD at 961-8833. See presentations and teacher resources on
this page. |
 |
APCD also makes presentations for clubs and afterschool programs, and attends
science nights and other school events.
Teachers Guide offers resources and
presentations for use in classrooms, as well as information about the "Learning
about Our Air" CD available free to Santa Barbara County educators.
Safe Routes to School
discusses efforts to encourage kids to bike or walk to school (or carpool or take
the bus).
Air Pollutants
& Your Health describes the pollutants of greatest concern in Santa
Barbara County, and their health effects.
Daily Air Quality Index
provides the AQI for
air throughout Santa Barbara County.
Ozone data shows levels of
ground-level ozone measured
at county monitoring stations, updated hourly on this website.
Toolkit to Reduce Diesel Emissions at
Schools provides resources for schools to hear about effects of diesel
exhaust pollution, and reduce emissions.
For presentations, teachers notes, and additional resources
see the Teachers Guide page on this website.
Additional resources are listed below.
Air Quality and Air Pollution
Videos (VHS and DVD) are available free in English and
Spanish from the California Air Resources Board, click on the title to go to
the order page on the state's website:
"A Breath of Air: What Pollution is Doing to Our Children," and
"With Every Breath: Health Effects of Smog".
Lessons and activities for K-12 from Project A.I.R.E. (Air
Information Resources for Educators) are available for download (free) from the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency website.
Air
Pollution: What's the Solution?
activities from the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency curricula help students learn about
ground-level ozone.
The National Science Teachers Association includes lesson plans
and activities to teach air quality concepts for grades 9-12 in a book called
Investigating Air has (see NSTA Science Store).
Air Care Air Quality Education Program
from Think Earth
includes a curriculum for middle school www.EDSpecialists.com.
The California Air Resources Board website's
Know Zone
page includes information on air pollution, lesson plans, and resources for
students: www.arb.ca.gov/knowzone/knowzone.htm.
Alternative transportation
Safe Routes to School
Lesson Plans for
the Classroom , developed by Marin County teachers, includes
plans for
multiple grade levels. (For more on the Safe Routes to School program locally, see
this page.)
For more information on local programs encouraging alternative
transportation, see Traffic Solutions' webpage here:
www.trafficsolutions.info.
Additional alternative transportation resources and links are on
this page:
www.italladdsup.gov/resources/
Car Care for Clean Air
The National Safety Council's
Cleaner Cars Module
encourages responsible car care habits for future drivers. Fact sheets and other
resources are also available on this page of the agency's website:
www.nsc.org/ehc/airqual.htm.
| Community events such as Earth Day offer an opportunity to
showcase environmental education projects.
Shop teacher Mike Shallenberger (right) was honored with an air
pollution education grant from the APCD and the Santa Barbara County
Education Office. He and his students
at La Cumbre Junior High School in Santa Barbara converted a diesel Mercedes to run on
100% waste vegetable oil from a local restaurant. The students added a
second fuel system to the car, with a tank in the trunk for the
vegetable oil, a filtering system, and a hot-water circulation system. Said one student: “Before
this project, I never knew that a car could run on vegetable oil.
I learned a lot about how cars work, too.” The project was showcased at
the South Coast Earth Day Festival. For information on countywide Earth
Day events, see this page. |
 |
The CREEC Network (California Regional Environmental
Education Community Network) has information about environmental education
resources for teachers, including a Resource Directory for Region 8 (Santa
Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Ventura, and Kern Counties). See www.creec.org/region8.
 US EPA's Office of
Environmental Education - Kids' page, teachers' page, regional programs,
students' page.
School Health page from California Air Resources Board - environmental
health conditions at schools and resources to reduce pollution.
How
Your Lungs Work (American Lung Association)
UCI Science Education Programs
Science education programs for teachers and students developed by UC Irvine.
Rocky Mountain
Institute pages for students and teachers on energy.
Also see the Students and
Related Links pages on this website for additional
links to air pollution and other environmental resources.
 Return to
Kids
& Teachers
|
