What is Ozone?

Overview

Students watch videos and review articles related to ozone as a pollutant at ground level, and how ozone impacts environment, then provide their understanding in groups.

Materials Required

Choose one of the following options to use with students.

• Google slides version
• Poster Paper
• Whiteboards

Procedure

Instructions: Use this lesson as an introduction or review for ozone. Students may work individually or with groups of 2 or more.

1. Students will access either a video or an article. These can be assigned, or the students can be given a choice from the resource links listed.
2. Students add details to the document of your choice that they have learned from the resource (Google slides, whiteboards, or poster paper). The videos are of a similar level of difficulty, while the articles would be more challenging. The expectation is a contribution to a document. 
3. After students document their findings, lead a class discussion reviewing what was discovered from each resource. 
   • What is similar? 
   • What is different or new as you go through? 
4. If using the slides, the box will expand as they type. If students are sharing their slides with other students, they need to be sure not to overwrite their contributions.

Exit Ticket: In your own words, explain what ozone is.

Videos:

• NASA eClips: Spotlites Ozone. Source: NASA eClips. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maLRzINR4UY&t=1s)
• Tropospheric Ozone - Summers of smog. Source: National Science Foundation. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOOH1EMqhVY)
• Ground Level Ozone: What is it? Source: NCAR & UCAR Education and Outreach. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THYoUULn_2U&t=4s)

Articles:

• Satellite Tracks Ozone Pollution by Monitoring Its Key Ingredients. Source: NASA Earth Observatory (https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/91234/satellite-tracks-ozone-p…)
• Fires Increase Surface Ozone. Source: NASA Earth Observatory (https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/35750/fires-increase-surface-o…)
• Ground-level Ozone Basics. Source: United States EPA (https://www.epa.gov/ground-level-ozone-pollution/ground-level-ozone-bas…)

Answers:

Teachers who are interested in receiving the answer key, please complete the Teacher Key Request and Verification Form. We verify that requestors are teachers prior to sending access to the answer keys as we’ve had many students try to pass as teachers to gain access.

Sources:

1. NASA eClips Spotlites Ozone (2017, October 6). NASA eClips. retrieved September 6, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maLRzINR4UY&t=1s
2. Tropospheric ozone - Summers of smog. (2014, August 27). YouTube. Retrieved September 6, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOOH1EMqhVY
3. Ground Level Ozone: What Is It? (2014, July 14). YouTube. Retrieved September 6, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THYoUULn_2U&t=4s
4. Gray, E., & Carlowicz, M. (2017, November 6). Satellite Tracks Ozone Pollution by Monitoring Its Key Ingredients. NASA Earth Observatory. Retrieved September 6, 2022, from https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/91234/satellite-tracks-ozone-p…
5. Riebeek, H. (2008, October 31). Fires Increase Surface Ozone. NASA Earth Observatory. Retrieved September 6, 2022, from https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/35750/fires-increase-surface-o…
6. Ground-level Ozone Basics | US EPA. (2022, June 14). Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved September 6, 2022, from https://www.epa.gov/ground-level-ozone-pollution/ground-level-ozone-bas…

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