Deterioration of heritage due to air pollution

Art | Foreign language | History | Mother Language

Pedagogic content

  • Air pollution.
  • Deterioration of monuments and historic buildings.
  • Solutions to the problems generated to heritage.

Pre-requisites

Basic skills on History of Art.

New competencies targeted

STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO:

  • Investigate and look for examples of the effect of the increase of air pollution levels on the heritage.
  • Use the obtained information properly and reflect in the text commentary or picture analysis their comprehension and considerations to the proposed problem.
  • Express themselves correctly.

DESCRIPTION

PREPARATION:
#1

Looking for information on the effects of pollution on the heritage (bibliography, specialized journals  etc.)

#2

Select from five up to ten images that exemplify the subject (Cathedral facades affected by car soot etc.)

#3

Select from two up to five text excerpts (newspaper articles or a specialized book on the subject) that reflect the issue of heritage affected by air pollution.

IMPLEMENTATION:
#1

The teacher will explain to the students about the issue: the effect of pollution on the conservation and preservation of heritage. The polluted air of the cities, loaded with particles and gases, gradually destroy the materials of historical monuments; rain acid and soot are the main destroyers.

#2

The teacher will choose the images or texts that he will consider appropriate (about 5 pictures and about 2 or 3 excerpts) to be distributed among 20-25 students.

#3

Once the students have been assigned the task (text commentary / picture analysis) they will begin to do their individual task:

  • Gathering information.
  • Drafting the text commentary, taking into account the information collected.
#4

Handing in the assignment to the teacher for checking, which will include a short summary of the information consulted and how it have been used.

#5

A debate or round table among the students, moderated by the teacher, where they will present the results and conclusions of their research.

Additional Info

Type of Activity: Gathering information, Handing in the assignment to the teacher, Individual task, Text commentary on Art History (text or picture)
Target Audience: From 17 years old
Place: Classroom
Material need: Mobile phone
tablets
computer
internet access and digital whiteboard
Textbook
journals
Duration of Activity: PREPARATION:
  • Gathering information to present the subject to the students: 1 hour.
  • Looking for excerpts or pictures to work on the topic: 1 hour.
IMPLEMENTATION:

1 class session: The teacher raises the question to be treated and assign the task (1 hour). Homework. 1 class session: discussion or presentation of the tasks and results by the students (1 hour).

Authorship and ressources conditions to use: Technical staff in Environmental education at Sustainability and Environment department of Consell de Mallorca. No registration or authorization for use is required.
Links:

https://unece.org/environment/news/air-pollution-puts-cultural-heritage-risk

Air pollution is ruining Europe's ancient monuments
Note by Author:

In order to meet the objectives of the task and to consolidate the key competences, it is important that the students become aware of the degradation/destruction of the Mediterranean Heritage because of the high levels of air pollution, which especially affects large cities (due to the increase of the road traffic, acid rain, gases…) which entails a high cost in restoration works and protection. Regarding methodology, the teacher will give an introduction to the students concerning the issue and will provide them with guidelines to elaborate the task and all this will be concluded with the exchanging of results and assessments on the proposed topic.
Topic of this Experiences: Cultural Heritage
Additional resources: Pdf Version