Lesson Plan

Healing the Ozone: First Steps Toward Success

Overview

The ozone layer is a region of the Earth’s stratosphere that contains a relatively high concentration of the gas ozone (O3). This concentration allows the ozone layer to absorb most of the sun’s ultraviolet light, protecting Earth’s inhabitants from the harmful energy. In the 1970s, the threat to the ozone layer was one of the first environmental hazards that captured the attention of the general public. Scientists warned that action needed to be taken to repair the hole in the protective ozone layer to prevent millions of cases of skin cancer around the globe. Politicians, corporate leaders and scientists worked together to envision and ratify the Montreal Protocol. This collaborative effort has shown promise. This year, scientists announced that the ozone layer hole was beginning to heal. In this lesson, students will explore the scientific, political, economic and social events that led to the depletion of the ozone layer, as well as the global response.

Lesson Plan: Healing the Ozone – First Steps Toward SuccessStudent Activity: Healing the Ozone – First Steps Toward SuccessCollection: Environmental Education

Objectives

Students will:

  • Analyze data to determine trends in atmospheric ozone from 1979 to today.
  • Establish a timeline of events related to ozone depletion and repair.
  • Communicate to a wide audience the relationship between data collected and societal actions.
Subjects
  • Environment
Topics
  • Climate Change
  • 1980s America
  • 1970s America
For Teachers

Essential Questions

  • How do human actions affect the environment?
  • How can data be used to leverage action to solve political, social and economic problems?

Additional Resources

Transcript for "Healing the Ozone: First Steps Toward Success"Retro Report 
NASA Ozone Watch MapsNational Aeronautics and Space Administration 
Advanced Global and Atmospheric Gases Experiment (AGAGE)Massachusetts Institute of Technology 
U.S. Patent for Refrigerating ApparatusAlex A Mccormack 
Article: Climate Change TimelineUSA Today 

Standards (National Council for the Social Studies C3 Framework)

Gather relevant information from multiple sources while using the origin, authority, structure, context, and corroborative value of the sources to guide the selection.

Identify evidence that draws information from multiple sources to support claims, noting evidentiary limitations

Construct arguments using claims and evidence from multiple sources, while acknowledging the strengths and limitations of the arguments.

Construct arguments using precise and knowledgeable claims, with evidence from multiple sources, while acknowledging counterclaims and evidentiary weaknesses.

Standards (Next Generation Science Standards)

Substances are made from different types of atoms, which combine with one another in various ways. Atoms form molecules that range in size from two to thousands of atoms.

Each pure substance has characteristic physical and chemical properties (for any bulk quantity under given conditions) that can be used to identify it.

The structure and interactions of matter at the bulk scale are determined by electrical forces within and between atoms.

  • Analyzing & interpreting data
  • Engaging in argument from evidence
  • Obtaining, evaluating and communicating information

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Questions? Tips? Concerns? Reach out to our Director of Education, David Olson: dolson@retroreport.com