“Noise Pollution”

 

South Bronx High School

Shirley Siegel

Sbrsiegel@aol.com

Environmental Science

Special Education

 

 

 

Introduction:

Lucky you! You have been selected to be president of the Bronx.  You (and your trusted advisors) will explore the types of noise that your community is exposed throughout the day.  You are also going to help solve the problem of noise pollution for your community. Your samples will be collected at South Bronx High School at predetermined times and the results will be recorded.  

Good luck with the information that will be collected. 

The future of the Bronx depends on you!

The future of our ears is in your control!

 

 

Task:

Your group needs to prepare a report.  Each individual in the group will be responsible for 1-2 pages on noise pollution and your  assignment findings, and your proposed solution. The report will also include a graph or chart reflecting your findings. You will also give a 5-minute oral presentation to your class.

 

You will need to include answers to the following questions:

 

1.     What is the current community problem?

 

2.     What is the evidence?

·        What types of noise are we exposed to?

·        What is the level of noise that we are exposed to during the day at 701 St. Ann’s Avenue?

 

We will monitor the noise by using a hand held monitoring system. This is a way to record the amount of noise at various times during the day.

 

3.     What are the causes of these noises?

 

4.     What are the existing policies used to protect the community?

 

5.     What are some policies you can create to correct the problem?

 

6.  You decide –which policy do you feel is the best?

 

 

Process:

 

DAY ONE:

Students will be introduced to the concept of decibels and hearing loss.  Students will discuss if they know of anyone who has suffered a hearing loss and how this has affected their life.

 

DAY TWO:

Students will learn how to operate a decibel meter and record data.

 

DAY THREE:

Students will learn the difference between charts and graphs. Students will also choose their project partner.

 

DAYS FOUR through TEN:

With a partner, students will collect information from the TASK. Students will then decide to record data in a chart or a graph. Students will also document source of the noise(s).

 

DAYS ELEVEN and TWELVE:

Student presentations and report findings.

 

 

Resources:

 

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/ppae/ppae3.html

 

http://www.nonoise.org/

 

http://www.encyclopedia.com/articles/09313.html

 

http://www.nycosh.org/

 

http://www.quiet.org/faq.htm

 

http://fridge.arch.uwa.edu.au/topics/acoustics/sound/hearing.html

 

http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/bigear.html

 

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/sound/dbcon.html#c2

 

http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/kids/index.htm

 

 

Evaluation:

 

How well did you learn?

Did you follow directions?
Did you cooperate with your partner?
Did you use your resources?
Did you complete your chart or graph?
Did you present your report to the class?

 

Your report should have included the following:

 

·       Your findings from your assigned TASK

·       Your data in the form or a chart or graph

·       In addition, you will give an oral presentation to your classmate

 

YOU WILL BE GRADED ACCORDING TO THE FOLLOWING:

YOUR GOAL = A SCORE of 5

 


1


2


3


4


5

Following Directions

I did not listen to the directions, so I did not know what to do.

I did not follow the directions.

I was frequently off task.

I followed the directions but I had to be reminded to stay on task.

I followed the directions and stayed on task while I was working on my project.

I followed all the directions and I helped other students who didn't know what to do.

Cooperation

with

partner

We played around instead of working on our project.

We could not agree on what we should be doing, so we wasted time.

We were able to work together to complete our project.

We worked together on the poem but did not share the responsibility of presenting.

We worked, together on the poem and shared the responsibility of presenting.

Use

of

resources

I was unable to find the information I was looking for.

I was able to find some of the information needed to complete my poem.

I was able to find most of the information I needed to complete my poem.

I was able to find all the information I needed to complete my poem with help from others.

I was able to find all the information I needed to complete my poem independently.

Completion

Of report

 

I am just beginning to understand the task. My work is incomplete.

I worked on my poem, but only included (2-3) pictures or pieces of information.

I completed (4-6) pieces of information on my poem.

I included all 8 pieces of information.

My pictures were rushed.

I included all 8 pieces of information.

My pictures were carefully detailed.

Presentation

of

report

I was unable to participate in the presentation.

I participated in the presentation but could only remember (2-3) pieces of information.

I participated in the presentation and included (4-6) pieces of information.

I participated in the presentation and included (7-8) pieces of information.

I participated in the presentation and exhibited confidence in knowledge of all the material presented.

 

 

 

CONCLUSION:

 

You have all just investigated a problem that faces our society today by acting as public policy analysts. You are now capable of investigating other problems that you are interested in and finding ways to solve the problem.

Your written reports will be posted on the bulletin board outside our class. Your oral presentations have been video taped and will be shown at an assembly.

After completing this project you will have met the following

 

New York State Standards:

 

Scientific Thinking

S5c    *Uses evidence from reliable sources to develop descriptions, explanation, and models.   

S5f    *Works individually and in teams to collect and share information and ideas.

 

Scientific Communication

S7e    *Communicates in a form suited to the purpose and the audience.

 

Math, Science and Technology

Math, Science, and Technology Standard #6- Learning the relationship between math, science, and technology and apply these relationships to other areas of learning.

 

Math, Science, and Technology Standard #7- Apply the knowledge and thinking skills of math, science, and technology to address real life problems and make informed decisions.

 

English

English Standard #1- speak, listen and read for information understanding

English Standard #3- speak, listen and read for critical analysis

English Standard #4- social interaction

 

Reading

E1c    *Read and comprehend informational materials.

Writing

E2a    *Produce a report.