Lesson 1 Plan

Energy in Our Lives

Purpose:

This lesson will introduce students to the topic of energy— its different forms and sources and how we use it to sustain our way of life.

Concepts:

1. Energy is defined as the ability to do work.
   
   
2. There are two basic types of energy (potential and kinetic).
   
   
3. There are many different forms of energy (chemical, mechanical, electrical, etc.).
   
   
4. Energy in the form of electricity is essential to our standard of living.
   
   
5. Every energy source used to generate electricity has both benefits and problems.
   
   
6. There are many ways each of us can conserve energy.

Duration of Lesson:

One to two 50-minute class periods

Objectives:

After participating in this lesson, students will be able to

1. define energy;
   
   
2. explain the difference between kinetic and potential energy;
   
   
3. describe the different forms of energy (e.g., mechanical, radiant, thermal, electric, and chemical);
   
   
4. describe the difference between renewable and nonrenewable energy sources;
   
   
5. explain the ways in which electricity is produced and distributed in the United States;
   
   
6. describe the role of electric utilities in the United States.

Skills:

Listing, describing, discussing, explaining, reading, summarizing, researching

Vocabulary:

Electric utility, electricity, electron, energy source, fossil fuel, kinetic energy, mechanical energy, nonrenewable energy source, photosynthesis, potential energy, renewable energy source, turbine

Materials:

Reading Lesson: “Energy in Our Lives”
Activity Sheet: “Energy and Conservation”
Transparency: “Share of Electrical Generation by Power Source”

Suggested Procedure:

1. Allow 15 to 20 minutes for reading the lesson titled “Energy in Our Lives.”
   
   
2. Show the transparency “Share of Electrical Generation by Power Source” and describe the different sources for generating electricity in the United States.
   
   
3. Show students data about your particular state’s electrical generation mix.

Note: If you have access to the Internet you may obtain this information at:

http://www.ocrwm.doe.gov/info_library/newsroom/photos/photos_natlmap.shtml

Click on a particular state to obtain a recent chart of that state’s electric generation mix.

In addition, this information can be obtained from your local electric utility or by calling 1-800-225-6972.

4. Engage students in a discussion about the benefits and problems associated with each energy source.

For example:

Energy Source	Benefit	Problem
Coal	a) domestic reserves	a) domestic reserves
	b) relatively economical	b) air pollution (acid rain) and greenhouse gases
		c) limited supply
Nuclear	a) concentrated energy source	a) uranium hazardous to mine
	b) no significant emissions	b) radioactive waste
	c) domestic reserves of uranium	c) public perception of risk
		d) foreign sources
		e) non-renewable
Hydroelectric	a) renewable	a) building dams affects rivers and floods land
	b) economical	b) few sites for dams
	c) clean	c) supply affected by weather
Oil	a) can be used when other sources not available	a) limited supply
		b) foreign dependence available
		c) air pollution and greenhouse gases
		d) expensive
		e) alternate uses (e.g., transportation)
		f) non-renewable
Alternative (wind & solar)	a) renewable	a) supply affected by weather
	b) clean	b) uneconomical and impractical for large-scale production
Natural Gas	a) domestic reserves	a) limited supply
	b) clean burning	b) non-renewable
		c) CO2 gas (greenhouse gases)

5. Discuss the importance of energy conservation. The United States consumes the largest amount of energy per capita on a worldwide basis. Its total annual energy consumption was 90.8 quadrillion Btus or 95.8x109 Giga Joules in 1995, which corresponds to a per capita annual consumption of 369 million Btus or 389 Giga Joules (a barrel of oil or 440 lbs. of a typical bituminous coal contains 5.6 million Btu or 5.9 Giga Joules).
   
   (It’s more than just saving money on your electric bill. Saving energy helps the environment, our economy, and our national security [less dependence on oil from other nations].)
   
   
6. Inform students that they will be assessing the energy usage of an electrical appliance in their home or school and ask them to choose an item (computer, copy machine, video game, refrigerator, light bulb, stereo, television, stove/oven, dishwasher, washer, dryer, microwave oven, hair dryer, curling iron, water heater, furnace, air conditioning unit, etc.).
   
   
7. Ask students to research how much energy it takes to use their item for an hour as measured in kilowatts (kilowatts per hour, or Kwh). Most product manuals such as washers, dryers, and refrigerators give energy usage in Kwh. Also, most brand name products have Web sites where energy usage figures can be found. Another source for this information is from your local power company. (If you are conducting this lesson over two days, give this step as a homework assignment.).
   
   
8. After students have acquired the energy-use data for their items, break students into groups. Have each group complete an Energy and Conservation activity sheet. Within their groups, students should list the information for each person’s item in the first three columns. Still within their groups, have students brainstorm ways they could conserve energy in reference to each item (4th column) and estimate the resultant savings in kilowatts (5th column).
   
   
9. Have a spokesperson for each group share the group’s completed activity sheet with the rest of the class.
   
   
10. Ask students for suggestions on how they themselves can conserve energy, emphasizing that if everyone took some measure, it would result in huge savings in our nation’s total energy use. (You may want to ask students to commit to one energy-saving behavior for one month and to calculate the savings.)

Note: For further information on teaching the subject of energy, see the National Education Energy Development Project (NEED) Web site at http://www.need.org/. “NEED” is a nonprofit education association dedicated to promoting a realistic understanding of the scientific, economic, and environmental impacts of energy so that students and teachers can make educated decisions.

Teacher Evaluation of Student Performance:

Participation in class discussion and group activity will indicate understanding.