Activity (Hands-On)Grades 4 - 6
What Color is Your Air Today?
Visible air pollution in the sky above Denver, Colorado, on October 12, 2018.Copyright (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite) https://www.cpr.org/2020/01/16/state-health-officials-have-sent-a-clear-message-colorado-needs-better-air-quality-monitoring/
Students develop awareness and understanding of the daily air quality using the Air Quality Index (AQI) listed in the newspaper or online. They explore what engineers can do to help reduce poor air quality.
Engineers use the AQI to look for trends in air quality. With this information, they create technology to address air pollution mitigation and prevention. Engineers also suggest behavior and policy changes in response to air quality measurements.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Define Air Quality Index (AQI).
- Read and interpret a graph or data table containing AQI information.
- Create a graph of AQI information.
- Explain why we collect/report AQI and how the information is used by engineers.