Week 3, Day 5, Week 1,2,3

DAY 5: Here to Stay

Activity 1: Persistent Pollution [4 points]

In 2016, the World Health Organisation announced that Timaru, a small town in the South Island of New Zealand, had the highest recorded levels of air pollution in New Zealand. Some of this pollution was caused by natural events (eg. fires) but most of it was produced (made) by humans.

Watch this short video on air pollution. It will tell you more about natural and human causes of pollution.

On your blog, share three new things that you learned about air pollution from this video.

1. Most air pollution is made from human activities.

2. Smog is type of air solution that reduces visibility and has serious health affects.

3. Some air pollution comes from natural sources.

Activity 2: Changing Climates [4 points]

Over the past decade, the climate in New Zealand (and around the world) has been changing. In fact, the climate has been getting warmer and warmer. While many of us like warm weather, climate change is not good news. Higher temperatures can cause glaciers to melt (leading to flooding) and increase the amount of rain that falls.

Here in New Zealand, we have noticed the change. In fact, we sometimes have torrential (huge) rain storms causing flooding, landslides and road closures. When it starts to rain really hard, Aronui and I usually hide out in our lounge and play games like Yahtzee, Monopoly and Uno. If it rains all day, we will also spend some time reading, watching movies and baking.

What about you? What do you like to do on a rainy day?  

On your blog, tell us about five things that you like to do when it is too rainy to go outside..

1. Read a book

2. Watch Netflix or Youtube

3. Help around the house.

4. Play on my Xbox and Play Station.

5.Play board games.

Activity 3: Let It Rain [10 points]

Over the past few decades, we have seen an increase in the amount of rain that falls here in New Zealand. We are lucky, however, that most of the rain that falls is regular rainwater and not polluted acid rain. Acid rain is rain that has bad chemicals (pollutants) in it. When acid rain hits the ground it can enter the water system, killing plants and animals. Click here to learn more about acid rain.

Let’s imagine that New Zealand was hit by a massive acid rain storm. Acidic rain fell for three days and three nights. When the rain fell, you stayed inside with your friends and family. When it stopped, however, you and your family decided to go for a walk outside. You opened the door and...

On your blog, write a short story about what happened when you opened the door and walked outside after the acid rain storm. To earn full points, you must write a story that is 8 – 10 sentences long.

We had been stuck inside for 3 days, it sucked because family was still at our house because it had been Christmas. Nobody could leave and we didn't have enough beds. It had finally stopped. I opened the front door and looked outside. Everything was dry, there was no colour left in anything. The sky was grey filled with dry and plain clouds. I couldn't see anything animals, I was so used to seeing a flock of birds go by, but there was nothing. It was absolutely silent outside, I could only hear the whispers of my family beside me. I lifted my head again, I saw trees with nothing on them. It was just a stick. Mountains were covered in dust and embers, it was plain. "Hurry inside Jo," mum whispered. I followed inside and shut the door behind me.