Career Exploration Module – DAY EIGHT
Current Events and Energy Exploration
Lesson Title
Energy in the
News
Cluster
Pathways
Energy
Essential
Question
How does a
chemical battery
work?
TEKS
Career Portals:
1.A, 1.B, 2.B,
4.F, 4.H
Prior Student
Learning
Students should
have already
been presented
the Career
Module
Introduction
Estimated time
45 minutes
Objectives
- Identify and explore career opportunities within the STEM Energy
Pathway
- Find interesting current events about the pathway and share them
Materials/Equipment/Handouts Needed
- Student handout
- Article or short two-minute (maximum) video, to be found by students,
concerning energy; items can be based on needs, how to be “more
green” in energy consumption, etc. (from articles, websites, or videos)
- Materials for Food Powered Battery activity
 Two galvanized nails
 Two heavy duty copper wires (6” each)
 Three double ended alligator clips (Red for +, Black for -)
 Three different types of food: the first one will be a potato, and
the others are “wild card” food choices
 Have multiple types of fruit, vegetables, and beverages
available for the students to select, for example: orange,
lemon, grapefruit, apple, banana, pear, potato, squash,
zucchini, soda, energy drinks, etc.
 Small disposable cups to hold beverages
 Optional: one simple low voltage LED clock to measure
voltage; a voltmeter would be even better
 To help extend the supplies, have the nails and copper wire
already in the food then have students share the items; decide
what works best for you and your budget, or students could
bring items from home for bonus points
Introduction/Engage
- Students review Career Pathway Vocabulary Activity Mat from first
day
- Review the Careers in STEM slide presentation (slides 12-13)
- Have each student show/explain their current event selection at the
start of class; this should take 20-30 minutes maximum for everyone
to explain what they selected and why
- Review terms for this lesson
Activities
- Students present energy current event they selected
- Review vocabulary terms and definitions relevant to today’s lesson
- Distribute and review hands-on career exploration activity handouts
 Food Powered Battery
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Day 8 of 10
Page 1
Lesson Closure
- Review details of the STEM Energy Pathway using questioning
techniques
- Ask students if they noticed that certain food types worked better or
worse, and why do they think that is
- Discuss upcoming career module experiences and expectations
Assessment
- The students will build three working food powered batteries
Extension
- The students will experiment at home powering different devices
Accommodations for Learning Differences
- Accommodations Manual
- Guidelines and Procedures for Adapting Instructional Materials
- Sample Curriculum Customizations for Learning Differences
- Lesson Plan/Curriculum Modification Checklist
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2015. All rights reserved
Day 8 of 10
Page 2
ENERGY CAREER PATHWAY
FOOD POWERED BATTERY
Name _______________________________________________________________
Class Period ________________ Date _________________ Score ___________ out of 100
Help, we’ve lost electricity!
We will explore what it is like to be in the Energy Pathway. People in this field often have to find
different sources of energy to create energy/power. We will simulate this by creating a battery
that is powered only by food items.
Terms
 Chemical Energy - energy stored in the bonds of chemical compounds (atoms and
molecules); it is released in a chemical reaction, called an exothermic reaction, often
producing heat as a by-product
 Electrode – a conductor that passes an electrical current from one medium to another;
this is what the design or product must do and will be graded/judged on
 Electrolyte - a liquid or gel that contains ions and can be decomposed by electrolysis
 Electrochemical - the branch of physical chemistry that studies chemical reactions
which take place at the interface of an electrode, usually a solid metal or a
semiconductor, and an ionic conductor, the electrolyte
Scenario
There has been a bad storm and we have lost electrical power for at least five days. All of the
stores have sold out of batteries. What do we do? The answer is we build a food powered
battery, using two potatoes.
The chemicals stored in many food items like the potato, can transform the electrons present in
the food to an electrochemical energy strong enough to run certain items. Our example will use
a clock. This is very similar to the process that our body uses to convert food we eat, into
chemical energy for our bodies to work.
There is a chemical reaction within the potato battery that causes the electrons to move,
creating an electrochemical battery/cell. The copper wire and the zinc, found in the galvanized
nails that we use, is what makes the electrons move inside of the potato, thus producing energy
to power the clock. For our experiment the copper wire and galvanized nails are the electrodes
and the potato the electrolytes.
Instructions
1. You will work in groups of three to four students. You will create your own clock after the
teacher demonstrates the lab or shows a video about it that was found on the Internet
2. Your teacher will remove the battery for her example clock and prove that "yes," the
potato can power the clock
3. Your group gets a set of the materials listed; you get to select your two “wild card" foods
to test this lab on
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Day 8 of 10
Page 3
Food Powered Battery, continued
Steps to Build Your Food Powered Battery
1. Mark your food sources as “1” and “2”
2. Insert a nail into each food source
3. Insert the piece of heavy copper wire as far away from the nails as you can get it in the
food source
4. Take one alligator clip/wire to connect the copper wire in food “1” to the (+) positive
terminal on the clock unit
5. Use another clip/wire to connect the nail in food “2” to the (-) negative terminal on the
clock
6. Take the last clip/wire to connect the nail in food “1” to the copper wire in food “2”
7. If you have done it right, your clock now works!
Materials
Each group receives the following materials:
 Two galvanized nails
 Two heavy duty copper wires (6” each)
 Three double ended alligator clips (Red for +, Black for -)
 Three different types of food: the first one will be a potato, and the others are your “wild
card” food choices
 Optional: one simple low voltage LED clock; a voltmeter would be even better
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2015. All rights reserved
Day 8 of 10
Page 4
Food Powered Battery, continued
Points to Ponder
 What other fruits, vegetables, and even drinks work? Test it out and see
 Did you ever hear the term electrolyte used in reference to humans before? (Hint: sports
drinks)
 What happens when you use more than two food sources? Try and see
 Can you power something other than a clock? Try it at home and see
Food #1
Perform the experiment using food #1, which will be the potato. Does the clock work? Record
your results below.
If you have access to a voltmeter, the voltage reading is = ____________________________
Food #2
Perform the experiment using food #2, which is _____________________. Does the clock
work? Record your results below.
If you have access to a voltmeter, the voltage reading is = ____________________________
Food #3:
Perform the experiment using food #3, which is _____________________. Does the clock
work? Record your results below.
If you have access to a voltmeter, the voltage reading is = ____________________________
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2015. All rights reserved
Day 8 of 10
Page 5