Environmental Health Risk Inventory

Laurie Cantwell

Geoscience Education Web Development Team at Montana State University

This activity is part of the On the Cutting Edge Exemplary Teaching Activities collection (view details)

This activity was selected for the On the Cutting Edge Exemplary Teaching Collection

Resources in this top level collection a) must have scored Exemplary or Very Good in all five review categories, and must also rate as "Exemplary" in at least three of the five categories. The five categories included in the peer review process are

Scientific Accuracy
Alignment of Learning Goals, Activities, and Assessments
Pedagogic Effectiveness
Robustness (usability and dependability of all components)
Completeness of the ActivitySheet web page

For more information about the peer review process itself, please see https://serc.carleton.edu/teachearth/activity_review.html.

Initial Publication Date: March 28, 2006 | Reviewed: September 11, 2015 (see revision history: 2 events)

Summary

In this activity, students perform an environmental health risk inventory of a selected locale. Students will address anthropogenic and natural health risks of an area using data collected from various online mapping tools and databases.

Environmental Decision-Making, Environmental Ethics/Values | College Lower (13-14), College Upper (15-16) | Public Policy and STEM, Environmental Justice, Ethics

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Topics

Environmental Decision-Making, Environmental Ethics/Values

Grade Level

College Lower (13-14), College Upper (15-16)

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice

Public Policy and STEM: STEM disciplines can strengthen data-based decision making in the public sphere. Environmental Justice: Environmental burdens and benefits should be shared equitably between all communities. Ethics: All students deserve guidance on how to move through their environment, community, and discipline in an ethical manner.

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Context

Audience

This activity is designed for an undergraduate environmental geology course for non-majors, but it can be modified for a variety of levels.

Skills and concepts that students must have mastered

Students should have some understanding of the mapping tools and databases available on the web. In addition, students should understand the process of completing an environmental health inventory. These skills and concepts will be addressed within this activity.

How the activity is situated in the course

The activity can be used as a stand-alone exercise or a culminating project.

Goals

Content/concepts goals for this activity

Students will learn about different types of environmental health risks and how they can assess the health risks in their own neighborhoods.

Higher order thinking skills goals for this activity

Students will learn to critically evaluate the data they generate, identify the environmental health risks of an area and formulate a summary of their results.

Other skills goals for this activity

Students will learn to produce maps, graphs and data tables using online mapping tools and databases.

Description of the activity/assignment

To complete this activity, students can follow the instructions and the tutorial in the Environmental Health Risk Inventory website. In doing this, they will gain an understanding of how to use on-line tools and databases as well as the processes of compiling an environmental health risk inventory for a specific locale. In the activity, students will address the question: "how healthy is your neighborhood?" Students will address anthropogenic and naturally-occurring health risks in their hometown or neighborhood by using data collected from online mapping tools and databases. Students will also complete a reflective summary based on the data that they collect.

Determining whether students have met the goals

Students should print out and hand in the maps and databases they produced using the online tools and databases. They should also complete a summary and assessment of the environmental health risks in their neighborhood.

More information about assessment tools and techniques.