Fossil Fuels
Two Weeks
Science
Lesson Plan
Teacher:
6th Grade Science
Grade:
6th Grade Science
Lesson Title:
From Dinosaurs to Electricity – Fossil Fuels
STRANDS
Energy
Forces in Nature
LESSON OVERVIEW
Summary of the task, challenge, investigation, career-related scenario, problem, or community link.
During this unit students will learn to distinguish among different types of potential energies and recognize energy transformations. Students will use the conservation-of-energy law to solve
problems and account for the loss of useful energy in the production of electricity. Students will also look at alternatives to fossil fuels. Cross-curricular connections to math include
calculations of percentages. Connections to social studies include looking at the way societies use resources and how they value and compete for resources. Connections to
ELA include analysis of nonfiction texts related to energy production and use. Career connections include careers in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and science.
MOTIVATOR
Hook for the week unit or supplemental resources used throughout the week. (PBL scenarios, video clips, websites, literature)
The science hook for this unit is a demonstration of lighting a lamp using a hand-cranked generator. Students will be able to feel how much more force is needed to turn the
hand crank in a high-load circuit versus a low-load one.
The unit hook is provided by the video Formation of Fossil Fuels at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8VqWKZIPrM. Preview the video to ensure the link still valid and safe
prior to showing it in class. The same video is available on GaggleTube.
DAY
Objectives
(I can….)
1
-
-
I can define
words that
relate to the
basics of
power
transmission
I can
determine if
a substance
is an
insulator or a
conductor
using electric
current
Materials &
Resources
Exit Ticket:
iPad
Bell Work and
Classwork:
iPads
Lab:
Pencils
circuit kits
with battery,
wires, bulbs,
Lab Quests,
probes and
resistors
NOTE – the
circuits in this lab
must contain a
resistor or lamp in
series with the
pencil
components.
Instructional Procedures
Differentiated
Instruction
Essential Question:
What are the basic properties of matter that allow us to transmit power from fossil
fuel plants to our homes?
Remediation:
Provide written
definitions.
Provide additional
explanation of
vocabulary and
labs.
Reduce the closing
written assignment.
Electricity – Moving Energy Over Long Distances
Bell Work
In iPad journals students will explain what causes electric charges to move and
what happens to them in wires.
Link to Project
Energy from coal in our region is converted to electricity at power plants. The
energy is brought to us as electricity. We begin connecting previous learning on
electricity to the use of fossil fuels to produce electricity with this lesson.
Set
Ask the class: We learned that when an electrical device is grounded, the ground
wire carries electrons into the earth – the literal ground. We also learned that
lightning – a very large electrical current – travels through the air. Why can’t we
use the ground or the air (instead of expensive wires) to transmit electricity
from a power plant? The answers and discussion should lead to the ideas of
conductors, insulators and resistance/resistivity.
Direct Instruction
Vocabulary Review
Fossil Fuel – nonrenewable energy source – coal, natural gas, oil
Insulator – substance that does not easily allow electrons to pass
through it.
Conductor – substance that readily allows electrons to pass through it.
Current – moving electric charge (charge per time)
Circuit – a closed path through which electrons can flow
Resistance – property of matter that inhibits electrical current
Lab – Insulators versus Conductors on One Object
Give lab each group a pencil and ask them to determine which components are
conductors and insulators. Each group has access to resistors, wires, a D-cell, a 3
V lamp, a Lab Quest, voltage probe and current probe. SAFETY NOTE – All test
Enrichment:
- Research to find out
what pencil lead is made
of and if it has
properties similar to
semiconductors.
Assessment
Formative
Assessment:
Bell Work
Lab
Exit
Homework
circuits must include a 10-ohm resistor or a lamp in series with the tested
object.
Students must submit evidence that the components are conductors or
insulators.
Expected results: Insulators include the eraser, paint on the shaft and exposed
wood where sharpened. Conductors include the metal eraser barrel and the
pencil lead.
Post-Lab Questioning
Review lab results and ask students: Can we make power lines out of pencil
lead? Should we make power lines out of pencil lead? (Demo – pencil lead will
burn/smoke if too much voltage is applied – this is true of power lines as well,
but they will carry a lot more current than pencil lead before they break down.
Discuss energy conversion in power lines. We convert fossil fuel to electricity,
but we lose some of that electrical power simply because we have to transmit
over wires. The wires are conductors, but have resistance, like the pencil lead,
and heat up. When fossil fuels are burned, an energy transformation takes
place – chemical potential energy to thermal energy. Eventually, the thermal
energy is transformed to electrical. And in the transmission wires, some of the
electrical energy is transformed into heat (due to resistance) and is can longer
be used.
Electronic Exit Ticket
Students will write a paragraph explaining why power lines are made of metal
instead of wood or pencil lead. They should use the terms conductor, insulator,
resistance and energy transformation.
2
-
I can define
resistance
Bell Work:
iPad
Homework
Students will design an experiment – but not do the experiment – to discover
the maximum current a pencil lead can carry. Students will submit their
experiments to Gaggle.
Essential Question:
What is resistance and how can you change it?
Remediation:
Provide written
definitions
Formative
Assessment:
Bell Work
-
and
resistivity
I can explain
why
resistance
falls when
diameter of a
conductor
increases
Exit Ticket:
iPad
Demo Lab:
Pencil Lead
Wire
Batteries
Lab Quest
Probes
Set:
iPads
Apple TV
Bell Work
Students will discuss the experiments they designed for homework and will
come up with one design per lab group, which will be used during the Set.
Link to Project
Energy transformation related to electricity and fossil fuels is the main idea of
this unit. Today’s class will demonstrate how resistivity/resistance affects heat
formation in wires (or other conductive objects), which can affect fossil fuel
consumption.
Set
Discussion of Homework
 Select one group to present their lab idea – it must contain a clear
procedure and clear variables.
 Select another group.
Modify the lab ideas, if needed, and proceed to demonstration using the
student-designed lab if possible. (Slowly increase the voltage on a piece of lead
while measuring current. Stop just when it smokes.)
Set Demo
Place a pencil lead in a circuit and increase the current until the sample just
begins to smoke. Allow students, using the vocabulary from yesterday, explain
what happened.
Place two pencil leads side by side in the circuit and apply the same current. The
lead will not smoke – it carries the current with no problem. Ask the students
why this occurred? The discussion should lead into direct instruction.
Direct Instruction
Vocabulary
Voltage – force per unit charge
Resistance – quality of wires that take energy away from current.
Resistivity – property of materials that opposes current
Energy Transformation – when one type of energy becomes another
type
Ohm – unit of electrical resistance
Direct Current – electric current that flows in one direction
Demo/Discussion Points
 Diameter of “pencil lead wire” increased when second lead
was added to first – what is conclusion?
-
Provide comparison
of water flow to
electric current to
help explain
resistance. Present
flow through
narrow and wide
channels, long and
short channels.
Enrichment:
- Explain how a fuse
works. Does it have
more or less resistance
than the rest of the
circuit?
Application
Homework





Increase diameter again by adding two more pencil leads –
maximum current will increase again
DRAW CONCLUSION – Diameter causes resistance to fall.
Show that increasing length causes resistance to rise.
Show formula for resistance: R = rL/A where r is resistivity, L is
length and A is area.
Demonstrate the use of the formula using iPad app at PHET
Colorado (HTML 5 version).
Application
Give each lab group the following questions:
 What would happen if we increased the diameter of power transmission lines?
What would happen to resistance and current in the wires? Would we use more
or less fossil fuels?
 Could we replace metal wires with pencil lead? The answer is yes – give details
on how to do this and how to control the unwanted energy transformation.
Exit Ticket
Students will explain the difference between resistance and resistivity.
(Resistance is a property of structure, R = rL/A, and resistivity is a property of a
material.) Students will submit answers to Gaggle.
Homework
Students will write a conclusion to the demo lab completed in class and submit it
to Gaggle. The conclusion must cite evidence from the experiment. (The
conclusion will clearly state how resistance decreases with increasing diameter
and increases with increasing length.)
3
-
-
-
I can define
conservation
of energy
I can
demonstrate
how
conservation
of energy
works
I can follow
and account
for energy
Bell Work:
iPad
Essential Question:
How does the Conservation of Energy law work?
Set:
Simple circuit
with bulb.
Bell Work
Students will consider the transformations of energies when electricity is used
light a bulb. Students will summarize the energy transformations. Students will
compare the transformations of energy when organisms consume producers
and other consumers in an ecosystem and follow the energy through the eco
system. Students will submit work to Gaggle.
Direct Instruction:
Simple circuit
with bulb
Set
State that dinosaurs power the lights in the room and in our homes. Instruct
students to look at their energy transformations to see where dinosaurs fit in.
Remediation:
Provide written
definitions
Provide flow
diagram for
conservation of
energy discussion
Enrichment:
Research and
discuss
conservation of
energy on the sun.
Formative
Assessment:
Bell Work
Lab
Homework
through a
series of
transformati
ons
Direct Instruction
Conservation of Energy means that the total amount of energy that goes into a
system comes out of the system. Discuss examples that students worked on
earlier:
Electric light (incandescent bulb is best to consider)
o Electric energy in (evidence is current and voltage)
o Light out (evidence we can see)
o Heat out (evidence we can feel)
o Evidence that electric energy was used is the voltage drop
across the light. (Voltage, or electric potential, is energy per
charge.)
o Conservation Law says that total in equal total out, no energy
is lost
 Electric Energy in = Light output + Heat output
Vocabulary Review
Volt – unit of electric potential
Potential Difference – difference in voltage between two points
Voltmeter – device for measuring voltage differences between two
points (has two leads, not one)
Series Circuit – there is only one current path through the circuit and
components occur one after another.
Thermal energy – heat energy due to motion of atoms and molecules
Application - Dinosaurs
Have students research in detail the origins of coal (or oil and gas) and construct
a diagram of energy transformations using iPads. (Diagrams should start with
the sun, go to plants, to dinosaurs, then to the potential energy of coal…)
Discuss the origin of coal (or oil and gas). Emphasize the now-extinct ecosystem
that depended on the sun.
Close
Outline how energy flows from the sun, through an ecosystem and into chemical
potential energy. Use 1 MJ from the sun, 100 KJ in producers, 1000 J in
consumer, 10 J in secondary consumer and finally 1 J in coal. Obviously, these
numbers do no demonstrate conservation of energy. Students will do this for
homework.
Homework
Students will use the closing scenario and explain where the energy went in
each step of the journey from the sun to coal and how much was lost. The
numbers are consistent with known behavior of ecosystems. Most of the
energy is lost as heat in the ecosystem. It is possible that advanced students
may argue that ancient ecosystem were more efficient or less efficient. Just
make sure students are able to defend their numbers for conservation of
energy. Students will submit their analyses to Gaggle.
4
- I can define
potential energy,
chemical potential
energy and kinetic
energy.
- I can identify
energy
transformations in
a demo example
and in a power
plant.
Set:
iPad
Bell Work:
iPads
Set:
Match
Candle
Guest Speaker:
Power plant
engineer that
deals with fuel
and/or power
production.
Essential Question:
How does chemical potential energy become electrical energy?
Bell Work
Have students in table groups develop make a slide-show summary (three or
four slides) of energy conversion at a power plant. Groups will be selected later
to present their findings.
Link to Project
Students will be required to present details of energy transformations at power
plants in the project.
Set
Show a match and candle to the class. Energy is stored in both. Strike the
match and light the candle. Stored energy is now being converted to heat and
light.
Direct Instruction
Vocabulary
Potential Energy – stored energy
Chemical Potential Energy – energy stored in molecules (food and other
nonfood carbon compounds, like coal, gas and oil)
Kinetic Energy – energy of motion
Conservation of Energy – energy input = energy output, no energy is
lost or created
Combustion – conversion of carbon to energy and by products
Friction – resistance to motion that transforms kinetic to heat
Discussion
Show all the energy transformations that take place in order to light the
candle. Start as far back in the chain as you want. Present part of each
line and let students fill in the gaps.
1. Light leaves sun
2. Producers use light to make food (CPE)
Remediation:
Provide written
definitions and
examples.
Provide energy flow
templates for demo
and power plant.
Enrichment:
- Research the basics of
potential energy in
Uranium
(nonrenewable, just like
coal) and explain how it
differs from the
potential energy stored
in fossil fuels.
Formative
Assessment:
Bell Work
Homework
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Human eats plant and converts food to (CPE)
Human uses CPE to create KE when match is moved
Friction converts KE to thermal energy
Thermal energy ignites the chemicals (CPE) in match
The flame converts wood in match (or material in wick) to
heat and light.
Guest Speaker
Have a guest speaker from a power plant speak about the process of converting
a fossil fuel (in this case, coal) to electricity. The speaker should focus on energy
transformations.
Close
Review the major points of the talk with the students and bring out energy
transformations and have students consider the law of conservation of energy.
5
- I can define
gravitational
potential energy,
kinetic energy and
elastic potential
energy
- I can calculate
GPE and KE from
measurements
- I can interpret
lab measurements
in terms of the
Law of
Conservation of
Energy
Bell Work:
iPad
Set:
Hard rubber ball
Lab:
Lab Quest
2 Light gates
per set up
meter stick
foam or soft
material to
catch ball
scale
Homework
Write a summary of the talk and create a detailed flow chart showing the energy
transformations in the process of converting coal to electricity. Students should
show where energy leaves the system and how much of the beginning energy
contained in coal is present in the final electric current.
Essential Question
What evidence do we have that conservation of energy is true?
Bell Work
Students will create a lab so that energy can be measured before and after
energy is transformed from GPE to KE. Measurement of mass and height are
required for GPE and measurement of mass and speed are required for KE. Give
students this information and ask them to design a lab setup that allows these
measurements. They must also identify the independent and dependent
variables for the experiment. The experimental question can be summarized:
Does changing the initial GPE of an object affect it’s final KE just before it hits
the floor? Wording the question this way is consistent with the way we have
been wording scientific questions and will allow students to come to the point
quickly and focus on understanding the measurements.
Link to Project
The Law of Conservation of Energy is central to understanding energy flow from
fossil fuels to electricity.
Remediation:
Assist with
calculations
Provide diagram of
energy
transformations
Group with peers
capable of assisting
with data collection
Enrichment:
Have students
determine how
much energy the
ball lost when it hit
the table and
rebounded
Formative
Assessment:
Bell Work
Direct
Instruction
Lab
Homework
Set
Drop a hard rubber ball from shoulder height and catch it on rebound. Ask if the
energy was conserved. The answer is no, because it did not bounce back to its
original height. Ask: Where did the ball lose energy? Many students will say on
impact. Ask them to prove that it doesn’t lose energy before impact.
Direct Instruction
Vocabulary Review
Gravitational Potential Energy (GPE) – potential energy of an object due
to its height above the ground
Kinetic Energy (KE) – energy due to motion
Elastic Potential Energy – energy stored due to stretching or
compressing objects
Pre-Lab Math and Units Review
GPE = mgh, where m = mass, g = 980 cm/s*s and h = height
KE = (1/2)mv2, where m = mass and v = speed
We are using cgs units, so mass is measured in grams, height in cm and
speed in cm/s. The energy unit for cgs is the erg. Remind students that
this a very small unit compared to the joule.
Discuss lab setup examples from the Bell Work and bring out the following
ideas:
1. GPE is the independent variable (we will control speed)
2. KE is the dependent variable
3. Measure mass and height at the first height
4. Calculate GPE
5. Drop the ball
6. Measure speed using a light gate
7. Calculate KE
8. Set up for second, third and fourth heights, all 10 cm shorter than the
previous setup, and repeat.
Lab
Students should execute the lab using meter sticks, golf balls, foam landing pads,
light gates and Lab Quests. Data should be recorded in a T-chart. Each data
point should be confirmed by repeating the drop three times.
Assist students with calculations. Don’t let them miss the point (energy is
conserved in the fall) by becoming distracted or discouraged by the math.
Close/Ticket Out
Each student will write a conclusion to the lab and submitting it to Gaggle. The
conclusion should state energy is conserved in the fall – that GPE is turned to KE.
6
- I can apply the
Law of
Conservation of
Energy.
- I can conduct
research and
organize
information.
- I can identify and
explain energy
transformations.
Set:
Apple TV
iPads
Research:
iPads
Homework
Each student will explain what happens to the KE of the rubber ball at impact
(show the energy transformation) and why the ball does not bounce back as
high? The conclusion should also state what happened to the missing energy
and the Law of Conservation of Energy can be used to understand the bounce of
the ball. The assignment should be submitted to Gaggle.
Essential Question:
How is oil transformed into electrical energy?
Bell Work
Explain how burning coal to make electricity is similar to dropping a ball and
noting that the ball does not come back up to the original height. (Useful energy
is lost in both cases. The Law of Conservation of Energy allows us to easily
understand energy flow in both cases.)
Link to Project
During the project days students will be evaluating all fossil fuels as energy
sources and will have to identify energy transformations.
Set
Display the link that shows what oil is used for: http://www.rankenenergy.com/Products%20from%20Petroleum.htm. Point out that even though
less than half the barrel is used to make gasoline, we will focus on oil as an
energy source. Oil is also crucial to many products we are familiar with.
Direct Instruction
Give students the following list of questions and have them conduct research
using iPads or MacBook Airs to answer them. The goal of the research is to
understand the pros/cons of using oil as an energy source and to understand the
energy transformations associated with using oil as an energy source.
Questions
1. How is oil found?
2. How is oil removed from the ground?
3. How is oil transported to refineries?
Remediation:
Assist with
selection of web
resources
Provide a research
outline
Enrichment:
Determine the
relative energy
values of coal and
oil. Which one
stores the most
energy on the
earth?
Formative
Assessment:
Bell Work
Research
Homework
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
What is refining?
How is oil used as an energy source?
What energy transformations occur in its use?
Where is oil used to generate electricity?
Compare oil to coal in the generation of electricity.
What environmental concerns are associated with using oil a fuel in
generating electricity?
Close
Show students that coal- and oil-based power plants are very similar. The
differences occur in the boilers, where adaptations must be made to optimize the
different fuels. Differences also occur in pollution controls. Coal tends to be less
clean than oil when it is burned.
Homework
Students should complete research and answer any questions that were not
answered in class. The research notes should be stored on the iPad and available
upon demand.
7
- I can apply the
Law of
Conservation of
Energy.
- I can conduct
research and
organize
information.
- I can identify and
explain energy
transformations.
- I can draw
conclusions based
on evidence.
Set:
Apple TV
iPads
Essential Question:
How is natural gas transformed into electrical energy?
Research:
iPads
Bell Work
Have students look basic facts about natural gas: what it is and how much
energy each cubic foot contains. They should estimate or look up what the
energy in one cubic foot of gas can do. Can it boil a gallon of water? Can it boil
a quart of water? Can it heat a building or a birdhouse? They should record
their findings on their iPads.
Link to Project
During the project days students will be evaluating all fossil fuels as energy
sources and will have to identify energy transformations.
Set
Display the image that shows the formation of natural gas (THE IMAGE is on the
right, second from top): http://geology.com/articles/oil-and-gas-investments/.
Gas and oil are related and are found together under the earth.
Direct Instruction
Give students a list of questions, like yesterday, and have them conduct research
Remediation:
Assist with
selection of web
resources
Provide a research
outline
Enrichment:
Determine the
relative energy
value of natural gas
compared to coal
and oil. What
percent of fossil
fuel energy is
stored in natural
gas?
Formative
Assessment:
Bell Work
Research
Homework
about natural gas using iPads or MacBook Airs to answer them. The goal of the
research is to understand the pros/cons of using natural gas as an energy source
and to understand the energy transformations associated with using natural gas
to produce electricity. Like oil, natural gas is not primarily used as a fuel for
producing electricity.
Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
How is natural gas found?
How is natural gas removed from the ground?
How is natural gas transported?
Does natural gas have to be processed before it is used as fuel?
How is natural gas used as an energy source?
What energy transformations occur in its use?
Where is natural gas used to generate electricity?
Compare natural gas to coal and oil in the generation of electricity.
What environmental concerns does using natural gas create?
Close
Show students that natural gas burns clean. Look a diagram of the methane
molecule and show what happens in the burning process.
Homework
Students should complete research and answer any questions that were not
answered in class. The research notes should be stored on the iPad and available
upon demand.
8
Project Day 1 – See Unit Plan
9
Project Day 2 – See Unit Plan
Project Day 3 – See Unit Plan
10
Identify what you want to teach. Reference State, Common Core, ACT
College Readiness Standards and/or State Competencies.
STANDARDS
Standard 10 – Energy
Conceptual Strand 10
Various forms of energy are constantly being transformed into other types without any net loss of energy from the system.
Guiding Question 10
What basic energy related ideas are essential for understanding the dependency of the natural and man-made worlds on energy?
Grade Level Expectations:
GLE 0607.10.1 Compare and contrast the three forms of potential energy.
GLE 0607.10.2 Analyze various types of energy transformations.
GLE 0607.10.3
Explain the principles underlying the Law of Conservation of Energy.
Checks for Understanding
0607.10.1
Compare potential and kinetic energy.
0607.10.2
Create a poster that illustrates different forms of potential energy.
0607.10.3
Design a model that demonstrates a specific energy transformation.
0607.10.4
Explain why a variety of energy transformations illustrate the Law of Conservation of Energy.
State Performance Indicators
SPI 0607.10.1
Distinguish among gravitational potential energy, elastic potential energy, and chemical potential energy.
SPI 0607.10.2
Interpret the relationship between potential and kinetic energy.
SPI 0607.10.3
Recognize that energy can be transformed from one type to another.
SPI 0607.10.4
Explain the Law of Conservation of Energy using data from a variety of energy transformation
Standard 12 - Forces in Nature
Conceptual Strand 12
Everything in the universe exerts a gravitational force on everything else; there is an interplay between magnetic fields and electrical currents.
Guiding Question 12
What are the scientific principles that explain gravity and electromagnetism?
Grade Level Expectations:
GLE 0607.12.1
Describe how simple circuits are associated with the transfer of electrical energy.
GLE 0607.12.2
Explain how simple electrical circuits can be used to determine which materials conduct electricity.
Checks for Understanding
0607.12.1
Prepare a poster that illustrates how electricity passes though a simple circuit to produce heat, light, or sound.
0607.12.2
Determine a material’s electrical conductivity by testing it with a simple battery/bulb circuit.
0607.12.3
Compare and contrast the characteristics of objects and materials that conduct electricity with those that are electrical insulators.
State Performance Indicators
SPI 0607.12.1
Identify how simple circuits are associated with the transfer of electrical energy when heat, light, sound, and chemical changes are produced.
SPI 0607.12.2
Identify materials that can conduct electricity.