Clean Air, Dirty Air

"Is all air the same? What makes air clean or dirty?"

• Picture cards (clean air scenes and dirty air scenes)
• Two sorting hoops or paper circles (one green, one brown/gray)
• Chart paper
• Crayons and paper for drawing

Teacher Says:

"We learned that we breathe air all the time. But is all air the same? Think about when you see smoke from a fire or smell something yucky. Is that good air or bad air? Today we are going to learn about clean air and dirty air."

Clean Air Pictures (Green Circle):

• Forest or park with trees
• Beach with blue sky
• Mountains with clear sky
• Garden with flowers

Dirty Air Pictures (Gray Circle):

• Smoke coming from a factory
• Cars in traffic with exhaust
• Campfire with smoke
• Dusty, hazy sky

Hold up each picture and have students decide: Clean air or dirty air? Place in the correct circle.

Make a Class Chart:

Ask students: "What things put stuff in the air that is not good for us?"

• Smoke - from fires, cigarettes, cooking
• Cars and trucks - when they run, puffs come out
• Factories - big buildings with smoky chimneys
• Dust - when things are very dry and dusty

Instructions:

1. Give each student paper and crayons
2. Ask them to draw a place where they think the air is clean
3. Have volunteers share their drawings

Common ideas: Parks, forests, beaches, mountains, their backyard

How to Play:

Teacher calls out a place. Students respond:

• Clean air: Take a big deep breath with arms up!
• Dirty air: Cover nose and say "Yuck!"

Examples: "Forest!" (deep breath) "Smoky room!" (yuck!) "Beach!" (deep breath) "Behind a bus!" (yuck!)

Review What We Learned in Unit 1:

• "Is air real?" (Yes!)
• "Is air everywhere?" (Yes!)
• "Do we need air?" (Yes!)
• "Do we want clean air or dirty air?" (Clean air!)

Students can:

• Sort pictures into clean air and dirty air categories
• Name at least one thing that makes air dirty
• Explain that we want to breathe clean air
• Draw a place where air is clean