Major Project-Speaking Your Mind
This unit highlights the importance of health in a social context. The increase in knowledge in the field of chemistry has led to advances in almost every field imaginable. Agricultural practices, including the use of fertilizers and pesticides, have benefited from new discoveries in chemistry. However, there are issues of how these new chemicals impact human health. The Chicano movement and the health of migrant workers provide an engaging environmental health context to examine the relationship between health, basic chemistry, toxicology, and migration. The unit develops science and health literacy thru a variety of reading, writing, and library research activities. It culminates with an extemporaneous persuasive verbal presentation that brings together the social issues and the scientific issues related to pesticide use. Students study the research of environmental health scientists and create speeches concerning a community based health related issue that specifically targets their understanding of chemistry.