Introduction

Why are trees dying? How come there are no fish in the lake? Why does the paint on my Dad's car look so bad? Where does that terrible rotten egg smell come from in our school yard every Spring? Why do so many people suffer from asthma? Acid rain is causes many of the serious environmental problems facing us today. You will be finding out about acid rain and trying to suggest some solutions to the problem.

A local citizens' group has hired your team  of experts to investigate acid rain. You will take on the role of either a Chemist, Ecologist, Health Scientist, or Economist and examine the issue from that viewpoint. Your team will create a web site, newletter or powerpoint presentation describing the problems caused by acid rain and recommending ways of tackling them.

First, decide on your roles. Use the questions under each role to guide you in your research. You are responsible for your section of the report; the team as a whole must decide on how to combat acid rain.

CHEMIST

• What is acid rain?
• What chemicals make rain acidic, and how does it happen?
• Where do these chemicals come from?
• How do we measure the acidity of rain and what is pH?
• What is the pH of normal rain, and at what level does the pH become dangerous?
• What can power stations and industry do to reduce acid rain?
• What can we do to reduce acid rain?

BIOLOGIST

• 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?
• 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

• 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

• Does acid rain affect buildings?
• 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 cars, trains, buses, and other means of transport?
• What does the effect of acid rain cost us in terms of money?
• What are the economic effects of acid rain on fisheries, forestry, and agriculture?

While you are researching think about possible solutions to the problems caused by acid rain. You must be prepared to offer solutions in your specialist area to help write the final team section of your report.

Please do NOT search for 'Acid Rain' using a search engine - these sites have been chosen, after hours of searching, as the most suitable for the task.

1. Decide who will take each of the four roles. Do some "brainstorming" on acid rain in order to come up with ideas for the focus of your "web report". Develop a plan of action to decide the organization, contents, and "look" of your web report/project.
   
2. Using the sites listed in the Resource section to find answers to the questions listed under your role. As you will be creating a web report, find some pictures that you can use to help illustrate the causes of acid rain and the problems that it creates.
   
3. Take notes as you do your research. Bookmark any sites that you find useful so that you can refer to them again quickly if necessary. Keep in mind the rules defining plagiarism. Plagiarism occurs when you steal or use the ideas or writings of another and present these writings or ideas as your own. You are not allowed to borrow passages from books, or articles, or Web sites without identifying them - so include a bibliography at the end of your work.
   
4. Draft report: make sure that you introduce your section so that the reader knows what you are writing about. Remember that you are writing a report about the problems caused by acid rain and not just a set of answers to a series of questions. Be aware of your audience - don't include information that you don't really understand. It will simply cause confusion.
   
5. Once each "scientist" has completed his/her section, meet with your group and present your draft findings. This is the time that you can ask the other members of your group for advice on revising your writing. Write your final draft.
   

Decide, as a group, your opinions about acid rain. Decide on the recommendations and conclusions that your report will present. Decide who will be responsible for writing this section, and who will put all the pieces of the report together.

Once finished, you should have a much clearer idea of the problems caused by acid rain. You may feel that we should be doing more to solve this environmental issue. A good starting point would be to write a letter expressing your concerns to your Member of Parliament or to the local council.