Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Middle School Lesson Plans - Environmental Chemistry of Lead

The Lead Placemat: Understanding Lead Exposure
Middle school students will design and construct a two-sided placemat looking at both the physical and chemical properties of lead and the adverse effects of lead on humans. The completed laminated placemat will provide information and an opportunity to incorporate interactive activities.

High School Lesson Plans - Environmental Chemistry of Lead

Take the Lead — Get the Lead Out
This lesson is for a high school environmental science or introductory chemistry class and emphasizes the leaching of inorganic lead [Pb+2] compounds as found in association with historic building sites. Students will collect soil, water, and paint chip samples from their homes and use a qualitative precipitate laboratory to locate geographic lead hot spots, correlated with the historic construction of building episodes in their community. Associated with this lesson will be the construction of a word wall detailing the physiological effects of prolonged exposure to inorganic lead, culminating in a writing assignment outlining a fictional case study of a child afflicted with lead poisoning.