Lesson 4: Renewable Energy at Your School!

After learning about different types of renewable energy, students will make a recommendation about which source would be appropriate for their school.

Length of Lesson:

Subject Area(s):

Science, Language Arts, Technology

Objectives

Students will:

Determine the difference between renewable and nonrenewable energy sources.
Explain the benefits to the environment of using renewable energy.
Identify the advantages and disadvantages of different forms of renewable energy.
Recommend one type of renewable energy for their school.

Materials

Computer with Internet access; 30 pennies; plastic pinwheels; a stopwatch; a radio; access to someone with knowledge of school’s current energy sources (optional)

Background Information

Just about everything we do requires energy!

Energy is divided into two groups—renewable (an energy source that can be replenished in a short period of time) and nonrenewable (an energy source that can be used up without the ability to recreate in a short period of time).

We get most of our energy from nonrenewable energy sources, which include the fossil fuels—oil, natural gas and coal. Renewable energy sources include solar energy (from the sun), wind, geothermal energy (from the earth’s heat), biomass (from wood and other plant matter), and hydropower (from water). Renewable and nonrenewable energy sources can be used to produce secondary energy sources including electricity and hydrogen. We use all these energy sources to generate the electricity we need for our homes, businesses, schools and factories.

There are advantages and disadvantages to using both renewable and nonrenewable energy sources. Nonrenewable sources are typically less expensive and they don’t require specific actions like sunlight or wind in order to work. But releasing them can be damaging to the environment and they will run out. Nonrenewable energy sources are environmentally friendly and essentially limitless but they can be more costly.

The United States uses a lot of energy—in fact, the average American consumes six times more energy than the world average. Efficiency and conservation are key components of energy sustainability—the concept that every generation should meet its energy needs without compromising the energy needs of future generations. In order to create energy sustainability—and be environmentally responsible—it’s important to research and implement renewable energy technologies into our lives.

Procedure

Note: Before beginning the lesson, hide 30 pennies around the room.

As students enter the room, have the radio playing a station or song that students likely listen to. Ask students to explain how the radio is currently getting its energy (it can be battery or electricity). Ask students what would happen if the batteries “died” or the electricity went off. (The radio would stop working). Has a limit or change in energy source ever stopped something from working in students’ lives? Explain.
Tell students that you have hidden pennies around the room that represent an energy source for the radio. Every 10 pennies will make the radio play for one minute. Challenge students to find the pennies and play the radio for one minute each time 10 pennies are found. (The pennies will be harder and harder to find as students continue the exercise). Once all 30 pennies are found—or when students give up—turn the radio off.
Next tell students that the radio will be powered by a different energy source. Distribute the plastic pinwheels and tell students that the radio will play as long as the pinwheels are moving. Have students create a strategy to keep the radio playing. After 10 minutes (or until students get tired!), stop the exercise.
Discuss:
- Once the pennies ran out, what happened? Could they be renewed?
- What about the air on the pinwheels? Did that run out? Could it be renewed?
- What if the pennies as an energy source caused damage to the environment but were inexpensive? Would they use them?
- What if the pinwheels as an energy source cost three times as much but did not cause damage to the environment? How would that impact their decision to use them?
- In what way did this exercise represent our current energy sources?
Explain, or have students explain, the differences between nonrenewable energy sources and renewable energy sources. Why is it important for us to use renewable energy in this country? Why don’t more people use renewable energy? Do students know if renewable energy is used in your community? What about your school?
Divide students into groups of three or four. Tell student groups to imagine that their school has been selected as a pilot school for renewable energy sources. Each group has been asked by the principal to make a recommendation about a renewable energy source that would be appropriate for your school.
Before they make their recommendation, they must learn all they can about the different types of renewable energy sources available. Have each group complete the “Energy Options” student activity sheet at the bottom of the page. They can divide the research among the group.
If possible, have students also research the current energy sources used by your school. Note: Electricity is a secondary source that we get from the conversion of other sources called primary sources. The energy sources we use to make electricity can be renewable or nonrenewable, but electricity itself is neither renewable nor nonrenewable. Therefore, if electricity is an energy source, students must conduct research to learn where that electricity comes from.
Once students have completed the activity sheet, have them report back to the class on what they learned about each energy source. Encourage students to share new information.
Based on the requirements for each type of renewable energy source, have students determine additional school-specific information they will need. For example, in order to have wind energy, there must be at least ½ acre of open land to build a wind tower and an average wind speed of 10mph.
Have student groups conduct research, interviews and/or a school survey to find out the school specific information they’ve outlined.
Finally have student groups put together all information to make a recommendation about a renewable energy source that is appropriate for your school. Their recommendation should include at least three benefits of this energy source, why it is appropriate for the school, one challenge that could be encountered and how they would recommend overcoming that challenge.

Extensions

Have students present their reports to school or district administrators, asking the administrators to select the recommendation that seems most appropriate for the school.
Have students repeat the exercise with their home as the structure.

Evaluation

You can evaluate your students using the following three-point rubric:

Three points: Students complete the worksheet using accurate information; student groups work well together to make a reasonable recommendation about alternative energy; recommendation includes specific information about why the energy source is appropriate for their school, three benefits of the energy source and one challenge to overcome.
Two points: Students complete the worksheet using mostly accurate information; student groups work well together to make an adequate recommendation about alternative energy; recommendation includes some information about why the energy source is appropriate for their school, one or two benefits of the energy source and one challenge to overcome.
One point: Students complete the worksheet using mostly accurate information; student groups are unable to work together to make a reasonable recommendation about alternative energy; recommendation includes some information about why the energy source is appropriate for their school, one benefit of the energy source and one challenge to overcome.

National Standards

This lesson plan may be used to address the National Science Education Standards listed below.

Grade Level: 5-8
Subject: Science as Inquiry
Standard: Understandings about Scientific Inquiry
Benchmark:

Different kinds of questions suggest different kinds of scientific investigations. Some investigations involve observing and describing objects, organisms or events; some involve collecting specimens; some involve experiments; some involve seeking more information; some involve discovery of new objects and phenomena; and some involve making models.

Grade Level: 5-8
Subject: Physical Science
Standard: Transfer of Energy
Benchmarks:

Energy is a property of many substances and is associated with heat, light, electricity, mechanical motion, sound, nuclei and the nature of a chemical. Energy is transferred in many ways.
Heat moves in predictable ways, flowing from warmer objects to cooler ones, until both reach the same temperature.
Light interacts with matter by transmission (including refraction), absorption or scattering (including reflection). To see an object, light from that object—emitted by or scattered from it—must enter the eye.
Electrical circuits provide a means of transferring electrical energy when heat, light, sound and chemical changes are produced.
In most chemical and nuclear reactions, energy is transferred into or out of a system. Heat, light, mechanical motion or electricity might all be involved in such transfers.
The sun is a major source of energy for changes on Earth’s surface. The sun loses energy by emitting light. A tiny fraction of that light reaches the earth, transferring energy from the sun to the earth. The Sun’s energy arrives as light with a range of wavelengths, consisting of visible light, infrared and ultraviolet radiation.

Grade Level: 5-8
Subject: Science and Technology
Standard: Abilities of Technological Design
Benchmarks:

Identify appropriate problems for technological design. Students should develop their abilities by identifying a specified need, considering its various aspects and talking to potential users or beneficiaries. They should appreciate that for some needs, the cultural backgrounds and beliefs of different groups can affect the criteria for a suitable product.
Design a solution or product. Students should make and compare different proposals in the light of the criteria they have selected. They must consider constraints - such as cost, time, tradeoffs and materials needed - and communicate ideas with drawings and simple models.

Grade Level: 5-8
Subject: Science and Technology
Standard: Understandings about Science and Technology
Benchmarks:

Perfectly designed solutions do not exist. All technological solutions have tradeoffs, such as safety, cost, efficiency and appearance. Engineers often build in back-up systems to provide safety. Risk is part of living in a highly technological world. Reducing risk often results in new technology.
Technological designs have constraints. Some constraints are unavoidable, for example, properties of materials or effects of weather and friction; other constraints limit choices in the design, for example, environmental protection, human safety and aesthetics.
Technological solutions have intended benefits and unintended consequences. Some consequences can be predicted, others cannot.

Academic Standards

This lesson plan may be used to address the academic standards listed below. These standards are drawn from Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education: 2nd Edition and have been provided courtesy of the Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning in Aurora, Colorado.

Grade Level: 6-8
Subject Area: Physical Science
Standard: Understands the Sources and Properties of Energy
Benchmark:

Understands the origins and environmental impact of renewable and nonrenewable resources, including energy sources like fossil fuels (e.g., coal, oil, natural gas).

Grade Level: 6-8
Subject Area: Physical Science
Standard: Understands the Nature of Scientific Inquiry
Benchmark:

Knows that there is no fixed procedure called "the scientific method," but that investigations involve systematic observations, carefully collected, relevant evidence, logical reasoning and some imagination in developing hypotheses and explanations.

Energy Sources
Energy Source	Brief Description	How Produced	Requirements for Using	Advantages	Disadvantages	In Our Community?
Solar
Wind
Geothermal
Biomass
Hydro

Siemens We Can Change The World Challenge