Comenius Project Changing with the ClimateBarcelona October 2011

GOALS OF THE PROJECT         Increasing students’ consciousness and knowledge about climate change        Fortifying their autonomy and responsability         Enlarging their scientific skills         Reinforcing their cooperative skills

STRATEGY Peer education: upper secondary school students will teach lower secondary school pupils how to manage a chemistry lab experiment on climate change; after the lab experience they will discuss together about it; finally the younger students will write a scientific report assisted by their peer mentors.School subjects involved in the project : chemistry, biology, geography, english

METHODOLOGY step one :

  upper secondary school students will write a PPT on laboratory safety and general rules

lower secondary school students will study with their teacher the subjects involved in the laboratory

step two :   upper secondary school students will prepare the layout of the report that will be

filled in by younger students once the lab experience is completed l lower secondary school students will read newspapers articles and books on

climate change step three:

U upper seconday school students will prepare cards on the elements and compounds involved in the lab experience, they will also train for leading a discussion on climate change

  lo lower secondary school students will formulate questions to ask their older peers

products will be exchanged through the blog : 

After the first three steps students will meet in the chemistry laboratory step four :upper seconday school students will explain the rules of conduct and safety that must be observed in a chemistry lab, will manage the laboratory, will act as mentor to their younger peers, will answer questions and evaluate the activitylower secondary school students will perform the lab experiments and fill in the scientific report  step five :upper secondary school students will create a leaflet ( both in Italian and in English) to promote the experiencelower secondary school students will create a power point ( both in Italian and in English) on the experience

A movie will be shot inside the chemistry laboratory to promote the experienceA discussion will follow the chemical experience 

PROCEDURE:1 Pour 15 ml of water in 2 flasks;2 add drops of methyl orange in 2 flasks and shake;3 insert sulfur burned in a flask with the wand and wait for it to finish burning;4 when the sulfur is exhausted, stopper the flask and shake;Compare the 2 flasks.

The chemistry laboratory  Acid rain is rain with a pH lower than that of natural rainfall.the main substances responsible for acid rain are sulfur and nitrogen oxides. Their presence in the atmosphere is partly natural. However, human activities have increased their amount in the atmosphere. 

We demonstrate in the chemistry laboratory that sulfur oxides are responsible for acid rain