ELECTRICITY: THE POWER OF NATURAL RESOURCES 60 Minute Physical Science Lesson Science-to-Go! Program Grades: 3-7

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1 TEACHER GUIDE ELECTRICITY: THE POWER OF NATURAL RESOURCES 60 Minute Physical Science Lesson Science-to-Go! Program Grades: 3-7 Electricity: The Power of Natural Resources Description Energize your classroom with this hands-on investigation of how humans produce power! Learn how humans turn renewable and non-renewable resources into electricity by manipulating the movement of electrons. Then, use wind, sun, humanpower and batteries to create simple circuits and identify the energy transformations taking place. Objectives Observe how a simple generator uses a magnet to move electrons along copper wire. Categorize energy sources as either renewable or nonrenewable. Identify types of energy and energy transformations in student-built circuits. Ohio s Learning Standards Grade 3: Earth & Space Science Earth s Resources Earth s resources can be used for energy. Some of Earth s resources are limited. Grade 3: Physical Science - Matter and Forms of Energy Heat, electrical energy, light, sound and magnetic energy are forms of energy Grade 4: Physical Science Electricity, Heat and Matter Energy can be transformed from one form to another or can be transferred from one location to another. Grade 6: Physical Science Matter and Motion All matter is made up of mall particles called atoms. There are two categories of energy: kinetic and potential. Grade 7: Physical Science Conservation of Mass and Energy Energy can be transformed or transferred but is never lost.

2 How to Set Up Your Room Please have student desks clear before the program begins. Please provide an empty desk or small table for the museum educator to set up display items. If booking multiple programs, transitions will be easier if museum staff sets up in only one location. Additional set-up requirements: o Your museum educator will need an electrical outlet. o This program uses a power point presentation. We are able to use existing projection equipment you may have in the classroom, but we also bring our own projector along and can show the images on any blank wall. Introduce the vocabulary and additional resources provided below. Vocabulary alternative energy - energy source that is not popularly used and does not deplete natural resources or harm the environment, such as solar or wind energy (as opposed to fossil fuels). carbon - a nonmetallic chemical element that exists in many inorganic and all organic compounds circuit - a route or path that finishes at the point at which it began electricity - a type of energy created by the movement of charged particles (electrons) energy - the ability of a physical system to do work fossil fuel - any carbon-containing fuel that is created from the decomposed remains of prehistoric plants and animals nonrenewable resource - resources unable to be sustained or replenished rapidly because of limited amounts or lengthy re-growth times. nuclear - relating to, using, or producing nuclear energy through fission or fusion renewable resource - resources able to be sustained or replenished rapidly (instantly=several decades) or indefinitely, either because of inexhaustible supplies or because of new growth. solar - using the Sun s radiation as a source of energy; relating to or originating from the Sun sustainable energy - energy that is both alternative and renewable turbine - a machine in which a moving substance such as steam, water, or wind can rotate blades. This movement is transformed into electricity.

3 Extension Activities 1.Renewable vs. Nonrenewable Objectives: Understand the difference between renewable and nonrenewable resources Materials Needed: 2 types of beads, beans, Legos, candy etc. jars or containers to hold beads blindfolds paper pencil Preparation: Put 95 of one kind/color of bead into a jar Mix in 5 of a different kind/color Divide class into pairs or small groups. Give each group a container of beads, an empty container and a blindfold. One person in the group will be the grabber, another the recorder. Help your students create a table to record how many of each type of bead are pulled out during each round. Explain that we as humans use energy to light the school or our homes, to heat our homes and water, to power our cars, to cook our food, to make our clothes etc. In this activity, the amount of energy we use each year is represented by 10 beads. The 95 similar beads represent nonrenewable energy. Once they have been pulled out of the jar, they have been used up and get discarded in the empty container. The 5 different beads are renewable energy. When they get pulled out of the container, they can be put back in before the next round. Each group is to see how many years of energy they have in their jar. Have the grabber put on their blindfold. Do the first couple rounds as a class to make sure all groups understand how each round of grabbing and recording works. Have each grabber pull out 10 beads. Make sure the recorder or other members of the group are not trying to guide the grabber to renewable beads; their selections should be random. Record the information on the table. Repeat until all groups have used up their energy and no longer have enough for an entire year. Discuss the results with the class. What happened? They ran out of energy. Why? Because most of the energy we use is nonrenewable. It will eventually run out. What kind of energy was left at the end? Renewable. Why? Because those beads were put back in after every year; they will never run out. Currently in the US we get between 9-13% of our total power from renewable sources. What do students think we can do so that the jar would never run out of energy? Decrease energy use. Increase renewable energy. How do

4 students think we can achieve these two goals? Record answers on chalkboard so that you can return to these ideas after the museum visit. 2. Renewable vs. Nonrenewable Revisited Return to the discussion with students from before the museum visit about how we can never run out of energy. Do students have any new ideas? Are there any changes in energy use that you can make as a class while in school? 3. Energy Pros and Cons Assign each student or group of students a type of energy (Coal, Natural Gas, Hydrogen, Solar, Wind, Nuclear, Wood Burning, Oil, Geothermal). Provide resources during class for research, plan a trip to the school library or computer lab, or assign as homework. Each student or group should come up with a list of pros and cons for their energy and determine if it is a renewable or nonrenewable resource. Share findings in class. Discuss which types of energy can be utilized by your school. Online Resources for Teachers and Students Click the link below to find additional online resources for teachers and students. These websites are recommended by our Museum Educators and provide additional content information and some fun, interactive activities to share with your class. CMNH Educators regularly review these links for quality. Web addresses often change so please notify us if any links have issues. Cleveland Museum of Natural History

5 Educator Resource Center (ERC) The Educator Resource Center offers educator workshops, thematic teaching kits, animal dioramas, and more for loan to area teachers. Contact the ERC at for information on individual or school membership. Visit the Museum s ERC website for more information on workshops Hours o Tuesday through Friday, 2 to 5 PM o Wednesday, 2 to 6 PM o Saturday, 9 AM to 1 PM o Closed Sunday and Monday Materials for Loan If you re interested in additional resources be sure to check out the following ERC materials or browse ERC materials online at Related ERC kits for this topic include: Exploring Carbon Dioxide: Students perform a series of experiments comparing the relative concentration of carbon dioxide in gas samples, and explore the amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide contributed by various countries. Kit is derived from the Global Warming and the Greenhouse Effect GEMS (Great Explorations in Math and Science) Kit.