Lesson 14.3: Chemicals, the Environment, and Your Health

Overview

This lesson focuses on understanding how chemicals can harm the environment and human health. This lesson also provides the information and opportunity to develop skills related to health promotion when encountering products that may contain harmful chemicals.

Learning Targets

  • Describe what a toxic chemical is.
  • Identify four personal care products that might contain toxic chemicals.
  • Identify three common toxic chemicals in household items.
  • Explain what to do if you are exposed to toxic chemicals.

Preparation

For the Warm-Up Activity: Write the journal question on the board, or identify (and copy as needed) the worksheets you plan to use:

For the Content Focus: Open the Lesson 14.3 PowerPoint slides, or make copies of the Lesson 14.3 Note-Taking Guide.

For the Lesson Focus: Copy the Lesson 14.3 Making Responsible Decisions Skill-Building Challenge Worksheet.

Warm-Up Activity

Select a warm-up activity to help get your class focused and on task.

  • Journal Question: Have you ever considered whether the personal care products you use are safe? How would you feel if you found out that your shampoo, soap, or sunscreen contained dangerous ingredients? Would you try to change the products you use?
    • Option: Write or project the question, and have students respond in their journals as they enter class.
    • Option: Have students discuss the question with a partner or in a small group.
  • Vocabulary Review: Have students work individually, in partners, or in small groups to complete the Lesson 14.3 Vocabulary Review Worksheet.
  • Quiz: Have students complete the Lesson 14.3 Quiz to assess their prior knowledge.
    • Option: Collect the quizzes, and use them alongside posttests to demonstrate student learning.
    • Option: Have students share their answers with a partner, and then go over the answers together as a class.

Lesson Content

Review the content from the textbook lesson.

Option: Use the Lesson 14.3 PowerPoint slides to review the chapter content.

Option: Have students use the Lesson 14.3 Note-Taking Guide to review chapter content.Ask students to work alone, in pairs, or in small groups. Review the questions as a class if time permits.

Lesson Focus: Making Responsible Decisions

  1. Provide each student with a copy of the Lesson 14.3 Making Responsible Decisions Skill-Building worksheet.
  2. Review the directions for the worksheet with students.
  3. Point out the checklist on the bottom of the page. If students have completed the task correctly, all of the components on the checklist should be present in their story.
  4. After providing students time to write their short story, ask for volunteers to read their story to the class or collect the student’s short stories and read two or three aloud to the class unanimously. As students listen to the short story, ask them to identify whether all the elements from the checklist are present in the stories they hear.

Challenge Activity

Have students who need an additional challenge work on the following critical-thinking task.

Why do you think chemicals are used in personal care products, such as shampoo, if they are known to be potentially dangerous? Do you think products containing potentially dangerous chemicals should be sold in the United States? Explain your response, using specific examples when possible.

Reflection and Summary

Review the critical content from today’s lesson. Review the learning targets, and ask students to answer each question posed.

Can you…

  • Describe what a toxic chemical is?

    A toxic chemical is any chemical that can cause death, make you pass out for a period of time, or cause permanent harm to humans or animals.

  • Identify four personal care products that might contain toxic chemicals?

    When you breathe, bathe, eat, drink, and use personal care products, such as shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant, sunscreen, and makeup, you are exposing yourself to chemicals that could affect your health.

  • Identify three common toxic chemicals in household items?

    Common toxic chemicals are lead, BPA, and mercury.

  • Explain what to do if you are exposed to toxic chemicals?

    Tell your doctor, school nurse, or a trusted adult, or call the Poison Control Center.

Assessment

Complete one or more of the following assessment tasks for this lesson.

  • Quiz: Have students take the Lesson 14.3 Quiz.
  • Vocabulary Review: Collect the Lesson 14.3 Vocabulary Review Worksheets, and evaluate them for accuracy
  • Note-Taking Guide: Collect the completed Lesson 14.3 Note-Taking Guides, and spot check one or more items for completion and accuracy.
  • Skill-Building Worksheet: Have students submit the Lesson 14.3 Making Responsible Decisions Skill-Building Challenge Worksheets, and use the Decision-Making Holistic Rubric to evaluate their skill development.
  • Journal Question: Ask students to respond to the journal question again, adding information they learned from today’s class. Require a one-paragraph response that uses proper grammar.

Take It Home

Pick out three personal care products in your home. Study the label and ingredients. Compare the ingredients in the product to the toxic ingredients listed in this chapter. Identify each item as safe, potentially dangerous, or dangerous.