Electricity Unplugged
(Investigating the parts, process, and products of making electricity)
Overview:
In this lesson, students will get acquainted (or re-acquainted) with how electricity is produced. They will have an opportunity to compare and contrast different types of electricity production systems (EP systems) and their associated parts, processes and products. As a culminating activity, students will draft a letter to the local government making recommendations about EP systems to be used in their communities. Approximately four to five 50-minute long class periods are recommended to complete this investigation.
This lesson can be implemented in a stand-alone fashion to address the basic premise of electricity production in Pennsylvania or as an introduction to a larger unit on alternative energy technology in conjunction with other lessons from the E21 website (http://www.pspb.org/e21). The E21 lessons, “Eat your Energy’s Worth” and “Walk a Mile for a Burger,” are complementary for study of energy basics and lessons found in the “Clean Energy” strand would be appropriate to extend an exploration of alternative energies.
Content Objectives
Students will know that1. Electricity can be produced from renewable and nonrenewable resources.
2. Energy resources are geographically bound.
3. Waste is produced in the production of electricity.
4. Renewable and nonrenewable resources are created on different time scales.
5. There are pros and cons to each form of electricity production.
6. EP systems have a few common components.
Process Objectives
Students will be able to1. Identify the major components of EP systems.
2. Describe the differences between renewable and nonrenewable resources.
3. Compare and contrast different electricity production methods.
4. Describe the environmental, economic, and social implications attributed to each resource used for electricity production.
5. Evaluate EP systems used in their community/region and make a recommendation about alternative energy sources.
Assessment Strategies
1. Prior knowledge assessment
2. Small and whole group discussion
3. Completion of student handout
4. Performance in letter writing activity
Materials
Per group:
• Computer with an internet connection
• Websites:
• Part 2
1. Coal Plant: http://www.its-about-time.com/investinesart/coalplantvirtualtour.swf
2. Nuclear:
a. http://www.science.uwaterloo.ca/~cchieh/cact/nuctek/fissionreactor.html
b. http://science.howstuffworks.com/nuclear-power3.htm
3. Hydroelectric: http://fwee.org/walktour
4. Wind: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/wind_how.html
Per student
• Student Handout
• Sample electricity bills (optional)
Procedures
Part 1: Student EP Systems Survey (Assessing prior knowledge) (20 minutes)
1. Explain that to explore the topic of electricity, you are going to gather information about your students’ prior knowledge by having them complete the first page of the student handout.
2. Attend to any questions that students may have about the survey and reassure them that they will learn more about any items they were uncertain about in the upcoming parts of the investigation, but resist giving students direct answers.
*The survey could also be used as a homework assignment or planning tool to identify students’ alternate conceptions or interests prior to beginning a study of electricity production.
Part 2: Electricity Production Systems (1, 50-minute Class Period)
1. State that there are many different types of resources to produce electricity. For this lesson, only four of them will be focused on: Coal, Nuclear, Hydroelectric, and Wind.
2. Split the students into groups of 4 or 5 to complete the web search.
3. Using the websites listed above and Question #1 of Part 2 in the Student Handout, have the students check off each component that they find being used in the production of electricity. The students should be able to see a trend in regards to common components in the production of electricity.
4. Make sure that the students also complete Question #2 of Part 2 in the Student Handout to take notes on the pros and cons of each type of electricity production.
Part 3: The Environmental, Economic, Social Products of Electricity Production (30 minutes and Homework)
1. Allow students to work in teams to ponder the questions in Part 3 of the Student Handout.
2. Discuss their responses as a large group to try to identify the major products or impacts of producing electricity and what that means for their communities.
3. Ask students if they know how much their family pays for electricity per month and ask them if they think that is reasonable.
4. Assign students a short homework assignment to find out more about where their family’s power comes from using the following website: http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/powpro/screen1.html.
Part 4: Electric Choice in Pennsylvania (20 minutes)
1. Review students homework assignment to find out who distributes their electricity, what type of resource is used as fuel and the emission amounts from its production.
2. Give students a short lecture on the deregulation of electricity in Pennsylvania.
3. Discuss the role of choice in influencing the future of electricity production and introduce the task for Part 5.
Part 5: Take Action-Write Your Recommendation to the Town Council (1-2, 50 minute Class Periods)
1. Drawing on their previous experiences in the lesson and daily lives, students will draft a letter to a town council person making recommendations for the electricity production system fuel of choice.
2. Students will utilize the lessons learned from Parts 2 and 3 to support their recommendation.
3. Students may proceed with this action step, as appropriate. Some performance tasks include presenting their work publicly, mailing their letters to the local government agency, hosting a forum for peers, etc.
Multimedia Resources Used in this Lesson:
Electricity Unplugged All Resources
PDF Document
Electricity Unplugged Teacher Notes
PDF Document
Electricity Unplugged Student Handout
PDF Document