Introduction
Air pollution is the release of pollutants into the air that affects human health around the world. It is mainly caused by the burning of fossil fuels and open fires that release harmful gases and chemicals into the air.
According to WHO, air pollution is estimated to cause seven million deaths worldwide every year. These deaths are mainly as a result of the increase in stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and acute respiratory infections.
In the recent past, the island of St. Maarten was severely affected by dump fires at the local dumpsite. It was suspected that fires were due to spontaneous combustion due to the hot weather. The smoke from the fires caused schools and businesses to close and forced both tourists and residents in the city of Philipsburg to evacuate, due to adverse respiratory health issues that could arise from the inhalation of such smoke.
While the Government has implemented temporary measures to address this issue, they are calling on you and your team of specialists to investigate and come up with a report, along with recommendations that would help to prevent future dump fires on the island of St. Maarten.
Task
You and your team of specialists will take on specific roles to conduct an investigation to find out:
- The cause of the dump fires,
- Effects the air pollution caused on the environment and the population’s health,
- Measures that can be implemented to prevent future dumpsite fires.
At the end of this investigation, you and your team will compile your gathered information and create a report, in the form of a PowerPoint presentation or a video, that explains the causes of the dump fires, how the air pollution affected the environment and population health, and propose recommendations that would prevent future dump fires.
Process
Task 1 - Air Pollution Analyst
Use the following links below to help answer the questions. You may do additional research to better answer the questions and include the links in your report.
1. What are the main causes of Air pollution
- https://www.nrdc.org/stories/air-pollution-everything-you-need-know
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2. What are the main causes of dumpsite fires?
3. What do you think was the main cause of the dumpsite fires in St. Maarten?
- https://wasteadvantagemag.com/landfill-fires/
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Task 2 - Environmental Health Specialist
Use the following links below to help answer the questions. You may do additional research to better answer the questions and include the links in your report.
1. Describe the effects that the air pollution caused by the dump fires, may have had on the health of the population.
2. Describe 3 illness that could have increased due to the dump fires.
3. Given some safety advice for the residents, in case of another dump fire.
- https://www.nrdc.org/stories/air-pollution-everything-you-need-know#sec3
- https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-matters-air-pollution/health-matters-air-pollution
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Task 3 - Waste Management specialist
Use the following links below to help answer the questions. You may do additional research to better answer the questions and include the links in your report.
1. Identify some ways to properly design and manage a dumpsite.
2. How can you prevent spontaneous dumpsite fires?
3. Make some recommendations that can help to solve the causes highlighted by the Air Pollution Analyst.
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Task 4 - Group report
You and your team of specialists will compile a report (PowerPoint or video), on the probable cause of the dump fires, the effects of air pollution on population health and recommended ways to properly manage the dump and solutions to prevent future dump fires.
Evaluation
Each member of the team will be graded using an assessment rubric that will evaluate how well that person answered the questions appointed to their task and their ability to analyze the information researched and make correlations. Your group will be further assessed based on the final report and how well it was put together.
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Total possible marks |
Marks obtained |
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Air Pollution Analyst |
Correct use of grammar. (2 marks) |
Correct use of scientific terms. (1 mark) |
Made correct correlations and interpretation. (2 marks)
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5 |
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Environmental Health Specialist |
Correct use of grammar. (2 marks) |
Correct use of scientific terms. (1 mark) |
Made correct correlations and interpretation. (2 marks)
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5
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Waste Management specialist |
Correct use of grammar. (2 marks) |
Correct use of scientific terms. (1 mark) |
Made correct correlations and interpretation. (2 marks)
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5 |
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Group Report |
Correct use of grammar and organization. (5 marks) |
Use of Scientific terms, charts, graphs and images. (5 marks) |
Made correct correlations, interpretation and recommendations (5 marks)
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15 |
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Total |
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30 |
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Conclusion
Congratulations! You and your team have successfully completed your WebQuest.
You would have gained much experience in investigative research, how to analyze and interpret data, and how to put together a solid report on your findings.
I am sure the Government will be impressed with your report and recommendations to help solve their dump fire problems.
Credits
Thanks to the following websites for making this WebQuest possible:
- https://www.nrdc.org/stories/air-pollution-everything-you-need-know#sec3
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6rglsLy1Ys
- https://wasteadvantagemag.com/landfill-fires/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dtQjGJoeeg
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tds3k97aAzo
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVBeY1jSG9Y
- https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-matters-air-pollution/health-matters-air-pollution
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIj4S74XAbQ
Teacher Page
This WebQuest is based on the topic of Air Pollution in St. Maarten. My intention is to target the 9th Grade students, as I think it will be a great activity for them to do, as they transition to the upper school level.
In completing this WebQuest, the students will:
- Be able to identify the causes of Air Pollution,
- Be able to identify the causes of dumpsite fires,
- Be able to identify health issues caused by air pollution,
- Be able to effectively carry out investigative research on a given topic,
- Be able to analyze and interpret the data they would have gathered,
- Be able to make solid conclusions and offer recommendations to help address the issue of dumpsite fires,
- Be able to compile an investigate report.