Miami Science Barge Field Trip Request Form Teacher name: Email address: Date of request: Phone number: Preferred method of contact: Email Phone Name of School: Grade Level: Class size: students Number of chaperones: Module preference: Sustainable Technology Ecology Field Trip Date Options (NOTE: Miami Science Barge is closed on Mondays): Choice 1: Choice 2: Choice 3: Additional notes (students with special needs, allergies, logistical questions, etc.):
Exploring Solar Energy Overview: Students learn the difference between renewable and nonrenewable natural resources, and how renewable resources, such as sunlight, can be used as an alternative source of energy. Science Standards: 5th Grade Big Idea 1: The Practice of Science SC.5.N.1.1: Define a problem, use appropriate reference materials to support scientific understanding, plan and carry out scientific investigations of various types such as: systematic observations, experiments requiring the identification of variables, collecting and organizing data, interpreting data in charts, tables, and graphics, analyze information, make predictions, and defend conclusions. SC.5.N.1.2: Explain the difference between an experiment and other types of scientific investigation. SC.5.N.1.3: Recognize and explain the need for repeated experimental trials. SC.5.N.1.5: Recognize and explain that authentic scientific investigation frequently does not parallel the steps of the scientific method. SC.5.N.1.6: Recognize and explain the difference between personal opinion/interpretation and verified observation. Big Idea 2: The Characteristics of Scientific Knowledge SC.5.N.2.1: Recognize and explain that science is grounded in empirical observations that are testable; explanation must always be linked with evidence. SC.5.N.2.2: Recognize and explain that when scientific investigations are carried out, the evidence produced by those investigations should be replicable by others. Big Idea 10: Forms of Energy SC.5.P.10.4: Investigate and explain that electrical energy can be transformed into heat, light, and sound energy, as well as the energy of motion. Big Idea 11: Energy Transfer and Transformations SC.5.P.11.1: Investigate and illustrate the fact that the flow of electricity requires a closed circuit (a complete loop). SC.5.P.11.2: Identify and classify materials that conduct electricity and materials that do not. Objectives Students will be able to: Identify, classify, and compare renewable and nonrenewable resources Describe different forms of renewable energy sources Identify examples of ecosystem services on the Miami Science Barge Explain how renewable energy provides a clean source of energy Model and describe how electricity travels through a circuit Construct and test a solar-powered car
Discuss the general characteristics of solar power Background Information: Natural resources are all the things we use in our physical environment to meet our needs and wants. These include things such as water, land, materials for clothing, etc. Natural resources can be sorted into two categories: non-renewable and renewable resources. Non-renewable resources exist in limited or finite quantities. Once they are used up, they are gone forever. Fossil fuels are an example of non-renewable resources. On the other hand, renewable resources are materials that can be replenished through natural and/or human processes. Examples include plants and animals or things being perpetually restored like tides and wind. Ecosystem services are the processes and resources that healthy ecosystems provide, some of which are also beneficial to humans. Ecosystem services are life-support systems for plants, animals, and humans worldwide. Many ecosystems services provide goods and services that are also vital to human health and quality of life. There are four types of ecosystem services: provisioning, regulating, supporting, and cultural services. Provisioning services are those that provide products that humans take and use. This includes things like fisheries, timber, drinking water, fuels, and plants used to make clothes, medicine or food. Regulating services are the benefits we get from the regulation of natural ecosystem processes, such as pollination, the removal of carbon dioxide and production of oxygen by plants, decomposition, and water filtration. Cultural services are the non-material benefits that people gain from natural ecosystems. Humans have always interacted with nature, which has contributed to our cultural, spiritual, and intellectual development. Examples of cultural services are learning and building of knowledge through educational opportunities, creative and spiritual inspiration, and recreational and aesthetic value. Supporting services are those that support all ecosystems, and though they may not affect humans directly, they are still extremely important as without them, the other ecosystem services would not be possible. Some examples include photosynthesis, nutrient cycling, the creation of soil, etc. The sun is a natural resource that provides a range of ecosystem services. One such service is as a source of inexhaustible energy. Solar energy is radiant energy from the sun caused by nuclear fusion in the sun s core. The sun s radiant energy reaches the earth in rays of sunlight. Solar energy in the form of heat and light sustains life on earth and is the basis for almost every form of energy we use. The sun makes plants grow, which provide energy to humans in the form of food. Plant matter can also be burned as biomass fuel or, if compressed underground for millions of years, form fossil fuels like coal or oil. Heat from the sun also causes different temperatures, which produce wind that can power turbines. More energy from the sun falls on the earth in one hour than humans consume in one year. From solar ovens to solar panels, solar energy has been harnessed by humans since the beginning of human history. As far back as the 5th century, humans were constructing homes and buildings to maximize the energy of the sun. Solar energy can also be collected, stored and put to work by converting it to pollution-free thermal (heat) energy and electricity. Unlike various forms of conventional types of energy like coal, oil or natural gas, solar energy is a renewable
form of energy. Though a variety of technologies have been developed to take advantage of solar energy in recent years, solar power accounts for less than one percent of electricity use in the United States. However, given the abundance of solar energy and its popular appeal, this resource is likely to play a prominent role in our energy future. Currently less than 1% of the world s total electricity production comes from solar power. Current and future technologies to harvest the sun s energy could substantially increase this percentage. The sun s rays can only do work during daylight hours and lack of sunlight during cloudy weather also limits solar energy use. When conditions are right, the basic method of putting the sun s rays to work is in passive heating. Here, no mechanical devices are used and heat energy moves by convection in heating homes or pools of water. Building constructions such as large windows facing the sun contribute to passive solar power heating. The sun s heat energy can actively be converted to generate water and space heating. Flat collection plates are placed on homes and buildings to face the sun s rays (directed south in the northern hemisphere). The collection plates have a transparent covering with dark metal plates beneath which absorbs heat. The heat is transferred to water in pipes below the plates. The heated water flows to storage tanks and is transported to needed areas. Heated air can also be collected and absorbed in materials such as tiles, concrete or rock beds. Circulating pumps and fans transport the air. Heat energy collection and use is limited with flat solar collection plates. Heating systems using conventional heating fuels are typically used in conjunction with solar heating. Solar cells called Photovoltaic (PV) cells convert sunlight directly into electricity. Electricity is the movement of electrons between atoms. Semiconductor materials absorb sunlight energy and create an unbalanced flow of electrons from one side of the solar cell to the other. The sides are connected with a metal material that allows the electrons to travel. The flow of electrons produces electricity. Solar cells are often used in small devises such as calculators. Numerous photovoltaic cells can be interconnected to produce more power. Electricity must have a complete path, or electrical circuit, before the electrons can move. If a circuit is open, the electrons cannot flow. When a light switch is turned on, a circuit is closed. The electricity flows from an electric wire, through the light bulb, and back out another wire. The light bulb produces light as electricity flows through a tiny wire in the bulb, gets very hot, and glows. When the switch is turned off, the circuit is opened and no electricity flows to the light. The light bulb burns out when the tiny wire breaks and the circuit is opened. Electricity coming from solar cells works the same way.
Pre-Activity: Classifying Renewable and Non-Renewable Resources Materials: Renewable/Non-renewable classification cards Scissors Construction paper Glue Renewable vs Non-Renewable Student Sheet Set up: 1. Print enough copies of the classification cards for students to be able to work in pairs. 2. If time is a concern, you can pre cut the classification cards. 3. Print enough copies of the Renewable vs Non-Renewable Student Sheet for each student. Procedure: 1. Ask students if they know what natural resources are. Explain that these are materials or things people use from the earth. 2. Introduce the terms renewable resources and non-renewable resources with the class. 3. Ask for volunteers to help explain the differences between the two and for examples of each: a. Renewable resources cannot grow back or reproduce and they usually exist in fixed amounts. They are materials that are depleted with use. Examples include fossil fuels, minerals, ores. b. Renewable resources are capable of reproducing or growing back. This is called regeneration. These resources will never run out. The ability of the environment to regenerate helps to sustain life on the planet. Renewable resources include trees and energy that comes from the wind or waves. 4. Also introduce the terms renewable materials and renewable services. a. Renewable materials refer to the living, biotic, things, such as plants and animals, that regenerate through growth and reproduction. b. Renewable services are on-going benefits provided by nature, such as energy and heat from the sun, a plant s ability to produce food, or a soil filtering pollution from water. Key services the ecosystem provides include: i. Sustaining life ii. Regulating natural processes (i.e. water and nutrient cycles) iii. Sustaining culture (inspiration from nature, educational and research activities, etc.) 5. Place the students in pairs and give each pair a copy of the classification cards and 2 pairs of scissors. a. Instruct the group to cut out the cards. b. Explain that the shaded cards with all capital letters are the main 3 categories, and that their task is to sort the remaining cards beneath each of those categories.
c. Let the students know that they should discuss the placement of each card in a category before making their final decision and be able to justify their answers. 6. After 5 minutes, review the categories and lists with the group. Write the 3 main categories on the board a. Ask for volunteers to describe which items were placed in which categories and why. b. Have the remaining students in the class agree or disagree. c. Once the entire class has come to a consensus, write the item on the board under the appropriate category. 7. Once all 12 items have been written on the board and agreed upon, give each group a sheet of construction paper and glue. a. Instruct them to attach their correct lists to the paper. b. Display the classification lists in the classroom. 8. Give each student a copy of the Renewable vs Non-Renewable Student Sheet. a. Instruct the students to look around their classroom, playground, or their homes (if assigned as homework) and identify things that are either renewable or nonrenewable. b. Once completed, as for volunteers to share. 9. Lead a discussion with the group using the following prompts: a. What are some of the impacts on the environment of using too many nonrenewable resources or polluting renewable ones? b. How might recycling help protect these resources? c. How can we as individuals help slow the depletion of non-renewable resources?
Renewable/Non-Renewable Classification Cards
Student Name: Renewable vs Non-renewable Resources Instructions: Explore your classroom, the playground, or your home to discover and record as many renewable and nonrenewable resources as you can. Renewable Non-Renewable
Field Trip Experience 1: Ecosystem Services Scavenger Hunt Materials: Scavenger Hunt Worksheet 5 Clipboards 5 Pencils Optional: 5 Ipads (To take pictures. If not available, participants or chaperones can use their own phones.) Set up: 1. Make 5 copies of the Scavenger Hunt Worksheet. 2. Assemble the clipboard, worksheet, and a pencil. Procedure: 1. Reintroduce the term ecosystem services and ask students to recall the different types of services provided by the ecosystem. 2. Review the different types of services and examples from the chart below. Type of Ecosystem Service Provisioning Services: Providing products that humans take/use Regulating Services: benefits from the regulation of natural ecosystem processes Cultural Services: nonmaterial benefits people gain from natural ecosystems Supporting Services: benefits that support all ecosystems, not just humans directly Examples Food (from plants and animals), drinking water, plant materials for clothing, timber, medicine, fuel, etc. Pollination, plants removing CO2 and making oxygen, decomposition, water filtration, erosion control, etc. Creative and spiritual inspirations, recreational activities (camping, hiking, kayaking, etc.), education, research, etc. Nutrient and water cycling, the creation of soil, photosynthesis, etc. 3. Let the group know they will participate in a scavenger hunt where they will visit the different systems present on the barge and try to identify some of the ecosystem services taking place. 4. Separate the students in to 5 groups. Give each group a clipboard. a. Instruct students that they will visit the different areas on the barge (led by their chaperones or volunteers). b. As they visit the various locations, they will try to find representatives that help to fulfill their scavenger hunt requirements. c. Optional: If ipads or phones are available, groups can take pictures to document what they find for each question. 5. After 10-15 minutes, regroup the participants to review what they have found. a. Ask each team to present and discuss their scavenger hunt answers.
b. Optional: If pictures were collected, connect the ipads to the monitor to allow groups to scroll through their images as they talk. 6. Once all 5 groups have presented, lead a discussion using the following questions as prompts: a. Were you surprised at the number of different types of ecosystem services you found represented on the Science Barge? Why or why not? b. Why might it be important for scientists to study ecosystem services? c. What would happen if these ecosystem services did not exist or if they disappeared? d. Are there ways that humans could recreate some of these services? How? e. What are some things that we can do to help protect these services?
Ecosystem Services Scavenger Hunt Team Name: Date: Instructions: Examples of ecosystem services are all around, even if you don t notice them. Work with your team to find examples of different ecosystem services on and around the Miami Science Barge. Use the graphic below to review the types of ecosystem services previously discussed. Then, read the prompts to help you conduct your scavenger hunt. (If instructed to, you can also take pictures to capture the services you find.) Be ready to defend and discuss your results with the rest of the class. source: metrovancouver.org 1. Find an example of: a. A Provisioning Service c. A Cultural Service b. A Regulating Service d. A Supporting Service
2. Find 2 plants and give an example of an ecosystem service they provide a. Plant 1: Ecosystem Service: b. Plant 2: Ecosystem Service: 3. Find some soil. Classify any biotic and abiotic components you might see in the soil. a. Biotic: b. Abiotic: 4. Find a renewable source of energy: 5. Find 3 things that can absorb Carbon Dioxide a. b. c. 6. Find an example of decomposition or a decomposer: 7. Find examples of water traveling through the water cycle: a. Explain how the water cycle provides services you rely on 8. Find 2 examples of items that can be appreciated for their beauty. a. Why do you think this beautiful? b. Why do you think this beautiful?
9. Find 3 examples of scientific research being conducted on Ecosystem Services a. b. c. 10. Find an example of filtration taking place: How many different types of ecosystem services did you spot on the Science Barge? Our team found examples of ecosystems services!
Field Trip Experience 2: Solar Vehicle Materials: Solar Car Kits 2 energy balls or energy sticks Food Light lamps Set up: 1. Create 8-10 stations, with one solar car kit at each station. Procedure: 1. If possible, turn off the lights in the room. Ask the students, How can I get electricity to the lights so we aren t sitting in the dark? Take some responses. 2. If they say flip the switch, tell them, That s correct, but what is flipping the switch actually doing? Take a few more responses. 3. Turn on the light and explain that when we flip a light switch, we are connecting all the parts together so that the electricity flows from where it is produced to our light bulb. a. This is called completing the circuit. b. If a circuit is left open, the electricity does not get to where it s supposed to. It doesn t flow. 4. Tell the students that you can demonstrate this with an energy ball/stick. a. Show the students the ball and say: i. Inside this ball is a simple circuit. On the outside are sensors. ii. When both sensors on the ball are touched, a complete circuit is formed and the ball is turned on! b. Make sure the ball/stick is on and touch the 2 sensors to show the students. Ask: How is the circuit being completed/closed? 5. Explain to the students that the circuit is completed by electrons flowing through a conductive material. What is the conductive material? (Your body). a. Let students know that we are all good conductors, as our bodies are great at passing electrons along. b. This is why we can sometimes get shocked by electric equipment or even struck by lightening. 6. Ask for 3 volunteers to help you complete the circuit. a. Ask the students to get in a circle and hold hands. b. Hold the ball between 2 of the students and ask them each to touch a sensor. c. Tell the 3rd student that he/she is a light switch, and you want him/her to turn the ball off. What should he/she do? (stop holding hands with one of the other students). d. Ask the switch to turn the light back on. (resume holding hands and completing the circle.) 7. Let s see how large we can make our circuit!
a. Invite additional students to the circle one by one. b. After each student joins the circle, reclose the circuit to see of the ball still works. c. Continue this until all students are in the circle or until the ball no longer lights. 8. Before sending students back to their seats, have them review how a circuit works to check for understand. 9. Explain to the group that we use our knowledge of circuits to help power or provide electricity to things like our houses, cars, or even toys. 10. Much of this energy comes from fossil fuels. Ask students if they remember whether fossil fuels are a renewable or nonrenewable resource. a. Remind them that fossil fuels are nonrenewable. b. Fossil fuels are being depleted at an alarming rate. According to some researchers, if consumption continues at the current rate, our fossil fuel supply could be gone before the end of the century. c. Also, the burning of fossil fuels can result in environmental damage. 11. To combat this, we must use and develop alternate forms of energy to help us power our homes without destroying the environment. a. Ask the group if they know of any alternative ways to get energy. Have a few volunteers give some responses. b. Share the following alternative sources with the group if they didn t already say them: i. Biomass Energy derived from plants and animals, most commonly wood or biofuels. ii. Wind power uses wind to spin large blades on a wind turbine to generate electricity iii. Solar energy converting energy from the sun into heat and electricity iv. Hydropower harnesses the power of flowing water to produce electricity v. Geothermal energy turns heat generated from the center of the earth into electricity by drilling sown into the Earth s crust. 12. Let the group know that today they will get the chance to explore solar energy themselves. 13. Show the group the various sources of alternative energy currently on the Miami Science Barge s, stopping at the solar panels last. Explain how each might be used to help provide energy for the entire barge. Share the following information: a. More energy from the sun falls on the earth in one hour than everyone uses in one year. b. In terms of energy generated, burning all the coal, oil, gas, and wood on earth would only equal a few days of energy output by the sun. c. Energy from the sun is an ever-present and powerful resource that people should use instead of searching for more fossil fuels. d. Sunlight is captured using photovoltaic cells. These solar cells convert the sun s energy to electricity, which in turn helps to power the Barge. 14. Explain to the students that they can also harvest this energy to power other things. 15. Break the class into pairs or groups of three and assign each to a station.
a. Instruct the students that their task is to use what they just learned about circuits and solar energy to build a solar-powered car. b. Each team will build their car using the available supplies at their station, and test to see if they constructed it correctly by racing their car. 16. Give the class 10-15 minutes to construct their cars, then let them race them against each other, using the flood light lamp if it is not sunny enough. 17. After each group has had a chance to test their solar-powered car, lead the group in a discussion using the following prompts: a. What are some of the benefits of using solar energy to power a car or a home? b. What obstacles does one need to consider when dealing with solar power? c. What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of using alternative energy sources? d. Although we know about alternative energy sources, they are not widely used. Why do you think that is? e. Would you consider using alternative energy sources to power your home? Why or why not?
Post Activity: Energy Collage Materials: Old magazines Scissors Glue Crayons, colored pencils, or markers Construction Paper Procedure: 1. Review with the students what they learned about renewable and alternative sources of energy while on the Miami Barge during their field trip. 2. Ask the students to recall the different kinds of energy that comes from the sun. 3. Introduce students to the First Law of Thermodynamics a. This states that energy cannot be created or destroyed; it only changes from one form to another. b. This means that sources of energy are materials or objects that produce energy by changing it into different forms. c. The seven forms of energy include (give examples of each): i. Mechanical energy ii. Radiant or solar energy iii. Sound energy iv. Chemical energy v. Heat energy vi. Electrical energy vii. Nuclear energy 4. Instruct students to use the available supplies to find different examples of the various forms of energy. a. Students can have as many examples as they d like in their collage, but they must have at least one example for each of the seven forms mentioned above. 5. Once everyone has finished their collage, each student should present their final project and explain how they classified the pictures into the different forms of energy.