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Don't Throw Away Your Refrigerator
Provided by: MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative |Published on: January 16, 2024
Lesson Plans
89101112
Synopsis
- This teacher guide includes six activities to accompany a TIL podcast episode regarding the danger of refrigerants in our landfills, especially as they leak from dumped refrigerators.
- Students will read about the Montreal Protocol, analyze data on temperature anomalies and the presence of refrigerants in the atmosphere, evaluate the influence of molecular structure on a chemical's ability to trap heat, and contribute to a citizen investigation of refrigerants in local supermarkets.
Subjects: Earth and Space Sciences, English Language Arts
Authors: MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative
Region: Global
Languages: English
Teaching Materials
Positives
- The podcast, although presenting possibly upsetting information for sensitive students, ends on a positive note.
- The web page includes a complete transcript and background resources for teachers to deepen their understanding.
Additional Prerequisites
- Students can stream the podcast via many clickable apps included on the page.
- Students should have some prior knowledge of greenhouse gases and the greenhouse effect.
- Because the vocabulary is rigorous, a definition list will be appropriate.
Differentiation
- English teachers can have students create a T-chart of the positives and negatives of both refrigerators and air conditioners as they listen to the podcast. Then, they can create academic paragraphs based on their notes.
- The United Nations is mentioned, so Social Studies teachers can have students research other measures the UN has taken in response to climate change.
- Art teachers can utilize the information as a basis for a unit on art as social action. Students can listen to the podcast, complete the investigation activity, and then create posters and digital ads as a call to action regarding safe ways to dispose of refrigerators.
Scientist Notes
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
About the Partner Provider
MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative
Founded in 2014, the Environmental Solutions Initiative (ESI) is MIT’s institute-wide effort to mobilize the substantial scientific, engineering, policy, and design capacity of the MIT community to contribute to addressing climate change and other environmental challenges of global import. ESI pursues multidisciplinary research, education, events, and partnerships to help move society toward an environmentally and socially sustainable future. Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts on MIT’s main campus, ESI is powered by a lean staff working closely with students and faculty across the full spectrum of disciplines. Led by architecture professor John E. Fernandez, a leading scholar in the emerging field of urban metabolism, ESI is advised by students, faculty, alumni, and thought leaders from many sectors of society.
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