High-Adventure Science:
Will the air be clean enough to breathe?

Smog events have become less common in the United States since the Clean Air Acts went into effect. Yet there are still poor air quality events in some areas of the country. Other regions of the world have many more bad air days. What causes poor air quality? In this module students explore the question, will the air be clean enough to breathe? Students are guided through the analysis of models and real-world data as they explore the interactions of factors that affect a region's air quality.

Students will not be able to answer the question at the end of the module, but they will be able to predict the effect of human development on a region's air quality.

Teacher resources for this unit include a Teacher Edition of the module, with links to supplemental background materials, teacher tips, exemplar answers, discussion questions and sense-making activities, as well as a real-time dashboard.

To prepare to use this module with students, first run the Teacher Edition. The Teacher Edition adds a layer of teacher tips to the student version of the module, providing you with in-depth support and classroom support materials. By the end of the Teacher Edition, you will be familiar with the curriculum and uncertainty-infused scientific argumentation. We also encourage you to read all of the documents provided in the Teacher Resources section below.