RIMINI ITALY We have a problem!
The parking entrance and exit from school is full of cars!
By what means of transport pupils go to school?
We have some possibilities: the car, bus, bike or walk.
So we make an inquiry about it in our class. We subsequently expanded the survey to all classes 1st, 2nd and 3rd. To make it easier to read the informations we used histograms and circolar diagrams.
Those who use the machine more among boys of 1st, 2nd or 3rd? To compare more easily we calculated the percentages.
During Holydays we the tipes of lichens growing on the trees. Lichens absorb a great part of nutrients from air so they are indicator of air quality. There is more growth and more variety where air quality is good. In particular crusty lichens grow more where air is not so clean while leafy lichens prefer clean air.
We visited a air quality mobile laboratory of ARPA (regional environmental agency)
We discovered that the weather influence the air quality in town. So we learn about clouds. Students had the task to look at the sky and observe the clouds! This is their work of observation!
And you? How do you go to school?
2017
This year 1st, 2nd and 3rd students are all investigating an aspect of air pollution.
We start reading newspaper articols about smog in our region (emilia Romagna) and our city. The good weather with no rain has made the problem worst. The level of PM10 are too high and dangerous for children and old ones.
We watched the movie "A unconvenient truth" 1st, 2nd and 3rd class together,
and "Before the flood" with the 3rd class only.
Here a photoreportage of climate changes in Italy! Yes we'ra already leaving the effect of warming.
http://www.parallelozero.com/reportage/italy-climate-change-439-0
Here the padlet were collect the researches of 3rd class students
https://padlet.com/prof_deruvo/globalchanges
Each class is investigating an aspect related to air and pollution:
1st class is doing experiments to understand better what's happen in the atmosphere.
We try to observe atmospheric pressure using a large newspaper page and a long ruler.
This is our wind spiral for the radiator.
How the level of water grow when land ice falls in the sea? And when sea ice melts? We experiment it with ice cubes and glasses!
These are the experiments we made with 1st class students to understand weather and climate.
https://padlet.com/viserba_deruvo/climate
2nd class students researched about air pollutants and their effects on human health.
Here are their researches
https://padlet.com/prof_deruvo/airpollution
3rd class is studying the global warming phenomena, it's causes and it's effects.
We also start to investigate how students go to school
and we discover already two issues:
Here are the graphics about how students go to school:
Talking together I understood that they don't use bicicles much because they're stollen easily.
They come to school by car because their parents go to work by car and pass the school, but some time they go back home walking or using the bus. 3rd class students are more indipendent in their way home! That's good! They organize themselves in groups too. It's an experience to tell.
Here are the distances from school, not so far as you can see for 3rd class students.