Description

Lesson Overview: From a lab demonstration or video, students learn how smoke disperses (or doesn’t), depending on atmospheric conditions. They learn how smoke affects visibility and human health, especially if it sticks around for days or weeks instead of dispersing into the upper atmosphere. Finally, they apply health guidelines regarding smoke to the issue of protecting students’ breathing while planning athletic events on smoky days.

Lesson Goal: Increase students’ understanding of smoke from wildland fires, how it disperses, its effects on human health, and how we can protect ourselves from its effects.

Objectives:

• Students can interpret data on inversions and air quality during a wildland fire.
• Students can make a decision about how to protect respiratory health during sports events.