Investigating Environmental Health Risks

Middle School Module

Investigating Environmental Health Risks is a SEPUP module designed for use in grades 8–12. The module contains a series of 8 activities that provide approximately 3 weeks of instruction.

This module focuses on environmental health risk concepts such as sampling, testing for contaminants, parts per million, and acute vs. chronic toxicity. Students explore risks associated with everyday activities and those associated with the environment, such as the clean up of Superfund (toxic waste) sites. They test black-eyed peas for simulated pesticide residue and model how substances are tested for acute and chronic toxicity. Students then read about and evaluate evidence related to two environmental health risks. Students are assessed on their ability to use evidence and identify trade-offs when making a decision.

Each module includes a Teacher’s Guide containing reproducible student pages and a kit containing the equipment required to conduct the activities with five classes of 32 students. The Teacher’s Guide provides specific strategies to facilitate and assess student learning.

What else would you like to know about this module?

• Table of contents

• Equipment kit contents

• Sample activity from the SEPUP Module Waste Disposal: Computers and the Environment (165K pdf)
  (To read pdf files, get Acrobat Reader from www.adobe.com)

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Module Overview

Table of Contents

Kit Contents

Ordering Information