ACID RAIN RESEARCH PROJECT
This project is a culminating activity for the Chemistry section of the Grade 10
science program.
You are expected to work in groups of 3 and carry out an extensive research on
acid rain. Your research would be conducted through out the chemistry unit and
you would be asked to give a progress report every week.
Group Members: 1. ____________________
2. _______________________
3. ____________________
Submission date: _________________________________________________
The Task
Your group has been hired to investigate acid rain. You will take on the role of a
Chemist, Ecologist, Health Scientist, Economist or Politician and examine the
issues from that perspective.
Your group will research and investigate the problems caused by acid rain and
recommend ways that these problems can be alleviated.
Use the questions appearing under each role to assist you in your research.
CHEMIST
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What is acid rain?
What chemicals make rain acidic, and how does it happen?
Where do these chemical come from?
How do we measure the acidity of rain?
What is ph?
Describe the pH range and list various things that correspond to the
various pH levels.
What is the pH of normal rain, and at what level does the pH become
dangerous?
BIOLOGIST
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What effect does acid rain have on trees and soil?
How does the effect of acid rain on trees and soil affect us?
What happens when lakes and aquatic systems become acidic?
How does acidic water systems affect us?
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Are the aquatic systems in our area being affected by acid rain? If
yes, to what extent?
What are the danger signs of the effect of acid rain on aquatic
systems?
HEALTH SCIENTIST
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How does acid rain affect humans?
What are some of the direct effects of acid rain on humans? Are
there any health problems associated with acid rain?
What are some of the indirect effects of acid rain on humans? Does
acid rain affect our sources of food, water, and air.
What are the consequences of the effects of acid rain on people?
ECONOMIST
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Does acid rain affect building materials?
Does acid rain have an effect on architecture?
What does acid rain do to our roads, highways, and bridges?
What is the effect of acid rain on things made from metal such as
automobiles, trains, buses, and other means of transportation?
What does the effect of acid rain cost us in terms of money?
What are the economic consequences of acid rain on fisheries,
forestry, and agriculture?
POLITICIAN
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Should we push for legislations that reduces acid rain?
Does acid rain originate outside our borders?
Should we work with governments of neighboring countries to get
them to pass legislation related to acid rain?
Will acid rain legislation on industries affect the price consumers pay
for goods produced by these industries?
If we pass legislation on industries, how flexible can we be on
timelines for their compliance?
Feel free to investigate other questions associated with these roles that are of
interest to you.
Project submission:
In your group of 3, you are to each choose one of the above roles for
investigation, as well as investigate a fourth role as a group.
Your final product for submission will consist of 2 parts.
Part 1 – Report
While you collect research in the 4 areas you have chosen, it is expected that
you will be making notes, summarizing information, and recording where you
found the information. You will have to submit this information in some sort of
binding (duotang, spiral binding, etc). Your submission should be broken up into
5 sections – 1 for each area of research, and a works cited sections. This must
be completed in the APA format.
At the beginning of your report, you must also include a log indicating when your
group met (perhaps as a calendar), who research which individual roles, and who
contribute what information to the group research.
Part 2 – Presentation of your choice!
For the area that you researched as a group, you will create a detailed
presentation on Acid Rain from that point of view. This can be in the form of a
presentation (PowerPoint, commercial, skit) information display board, brochure,
or another form approved by your teacher. The presentation should contain
pictures, graphs/charts and/or a video to keep the presentation interesting and
captivating. Each presentation should include an explanation of how the topic is
related to acid rain.
Sources of Information:
Sources of information may include libraries, newspapers and magazines,
internet, television and documentary videos, and interviews or written materials
obtained from local utilities or industries. Check out Environment Canada and the
Department of Environment and Public Safety for more information on the topic.
Evaluation
There will be an individual as well as a group mark associated for each project.
SNC 2D
CHEM Culminating – Acid Rain Research Project
Group member
Communication
Inquiry
Communication
Knowledge/Understanding
Application
Presentation
Inquiry
Report
This rubric is subject to minor changes at the
teacher’s discretion!
Criteria
A1.3 – Identify and locate print,
electronic and human sources that
are relevant to research questions
A1.7 – Select, organize and record
relevant information on research
topics from various sources,
including electronic, prim, and/or
human sources, using recommended
formats and an accepted form of
academic documentation
Remedial
Nothing
submitted
A1.11 – Communicate ideas, plans,
procedures, results, and conclusions
orally, in writing, and/or in electronic
presentations, using appropriate
language and a variety of formats
C1.1 – Analyze, on the basis of
research, various safety and
environmental issues associated with
chemical reactions and their
reactants and/or products
C2.1 – Use appropriate terminology
related to chemical reactions
Knowledge/Understanding
Application
Level 3
Three types of sources are
used. Less than two examples
of each are used
A proper works cited is
submitted for each source of
information.
Level 4
Three or more types of sources are used.
For 3 of those types, there are 2 examples
of each.
A proper works cited is submitted for each
source of information. It is in APA format
The presentation was not
very engaging. It involved
some reading off papers.
The presentation was
interesting. It included
diagrams, people speaking and
information in other formats
The presentation was GREAT. It included a
wide variety of means to get the information
across
The presentation
seriously lacked
information
The presentation
addressed information in a
superficial manner. It
lacked detail
A lot of good information is
presented regarding the topic
of Acid Rain and its effects on
the environment
The presentation was very informative and
captivating.
The presentation
was not done
Key terminology
related to acid rain
was never used
Key terminology related to
acid rain was rarely used
Key terminology related to acid
rain was often used correctly
Key terminology related to acid rain was
always used correctly
C2.2 – Construct molecular models
to illustrate the structure of molecules
in simple chemical reactions and
produce diagrams of these models
There is no
diagram of a
molecule in the
presentation
The presentation included
a diagram of a molecule
found in acid rain, but it
contains errors or is a poor
diagram
The presentation included a
diagram of a molecule found in
acid rain
The presentation included some diagrams
of molecules found in acid rain
C3.3 – Describe the types of
evidence that indicate chemical
change
C3.4 – Write word equations and
balanced chemical equations for
simple chemical reactions
The effects of
acid rain are not
mentioned
Word and
balanced
chemical
equations do not
appear in the
presentation
The use of the
pH scale is not
discussed in their
presentation
The presentation
included a diagram
of a molecule
found in acid rain,
but it contains
errors and is a
poor diagram
The effects of acid
rain are mentioned
The effects of acid rain are
discussed
The effects of acid rain are
discussed in depth
Word and/or
balanced chemical
equations appear
in the presentation
but are incorrect
Word and/or balanced
chemical equations
appear in the presentation
Word and balanced chemical
equations appear in the
presentation
The effects of acid rain are discussed in
depth, and are shown through chemical
changes
More than one word and balanced chemical
equations appears in the presentation
The use of the pH
scale is mentioned
in their
presentation
The use of the pH scale is
discussed in their
presentation superficially
The use of the pH scale is
discussed in their presentation
C3.7 – Describe how the pH scale is
used to classify solutions as acidic,
basic, or neutral
Level 1
1 source is used
for all the
information.
Information is
referenced, but it
lacks organization
or form
Level 2
Less than three types of
sources are used.
The presentation
was not done
The presentation
was too brief,
seemed to lack
preparation
The presentation
was not done
Nothing
submitted
A proper works cited is
submitted for most of the
sources of information.
The use of the pH scale is discussed in
their presentation in depth