Focus Plan
Texarkana Independent School District
GRADING PERIOD: / IPC – 6th six weeks, Chemistry – 1st six weeks / PLAN CODE:WRITER: / L. Petty / COURSE/SUBJECT: / 11th grade science
GRADE(S): / 11th / TIME ALLOTTED FOR INSTRUCTION: / 2 class periods if students do presentations
TITLE: / I’m Full of Energy
LESSON TOPIC: / Economic and environmental impacts of energy sources.
TAKS OBJECTIVE: / Objective 5
The student will demonstrate an understanding of motion, forces, and energy.
FOCUS TEKS AND STUDENT EXPECTATION: / 11.6 The student knows the impact of energy transformations in everyday life. The student is expected to:
(D) investigate and compare economic and environmental impacts of
using various energy sources such as rechargeable or disposable
batteries and solar cells
SUPPORTING TEKS AND STUDENT EXPECTATIONS:
CONCEPTS / ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS/GENERALIZATIONS/PRINCIPLES
The student will understand that
Energy / Energy is used in all facets of life.
Present / The most common type of energy used in the world today is fossil fuels.
Alternatives / There are many types of alternative energy sources, both renewable and nonrenewable.
Feasibility / Some energy sources can only be used in certain areas.
Environment / Some energy sources are damaging to the environment so the benefits have to be weighed against the risks.
I. SEQUENCE OF ACTIVITIES (INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES)
A. Focus/connections/anticipatory set
Show a brief video on pollution (like acid rain or the greenhouse effect), or one on alternative energy sources
or even the Lorax by Dr. Seuss.
B. Instructional activities
(demonstrations, lectures, examples, hands-on experiences, role play, active learning experience, art, music, modeling, discussion, reading, listening, viewing, etc.)
1. Lecture
Go over vocabulary list.
C. Guided activity or strategy
Go over grading rubrics for project. Assign partners. Take students to library for brief presentation on
materials available in the library.
D. Accommodations/modifications
Students requiring accommodations may be given a copy of the Instructor’s Copy – Vocabulary.
E. Enrichment
Students requiring enrichment should be given the additional assignment of reporting on which energy
source or combination of sources would work best in Texarkana. They may also be given the vocabulary as
an assignment prior to the activity.
II. STUDENT PERFORMANCE
A. Description
Complete I’m Full of Energy research project and possibly presentation using grading rubrics.
B. Accommodations/modifications
Students requiring accommodations may work with a peer tutor.
C. Enrichment
Students requiring enrichment may serve as a peer tutor and may also be given the more difficult energy
sources. They should also have an additional section of the report on which source or sources would work
best for Texarkana.
III. ASSESSMENT OF ACTIVITIES
A. Description
Grade student reports and/or presentations. A rubric is attached for each.
B. Rubrics/grading criteria
Use grading rubric.
C. Accommodations/modifications
Students requiring accommodations may need leniency or help filling out the summary worksheet if it is to
be graded.
D. Enrichment
Students requiring enrichment should also be graded on the depth of explanation of Texarkana sources and
how feasible their ideas are.
E. Sample discussion questions
1. What is one major problem with choosing an alternative energy source? Most common will be cost and
that they can’t be used everywhere.
2. Which sources of energy increase greenhouse gases? fossil fuels and biomass
3. Many people feel that we should more nuclear power plants. One problem with that is that more areas are having earthquakes because too much oil and water are being removed from underground. How could this cause a problem? Damage to a nuclear facility could cause ground and air contamination as well as a possible meltdown (the theoretical situation where the nuclear material literally melts through the surface of the earth).
4. What is one advantage of using biomass besides that it gives us energy? It also gets rid of wastes.
5. One major use of fossil fuels is gasoline for cars. What other methods can be used to run cars? Electric cars are possible, so any method that can produce electricity can fuel cars. Solar can directly fuel cars.
IV. TAKS PREPARATION
A. Transition to TAKS context
1. The design of energy-efficient buildings sometimes includes the use of solar panels to provide a portion of
the needed electricity. How does the use of solar panels have a realistic positive effect on the
environment?
(a) Using solar panels reduces the consumption of fossil fuels burned to produce electric power.
(b) Solar panels harvest energy from the sun that would otherwise be wasted.
(c) Using solar panels eliminates the consumption of fossil fuels burned to produce electric power.
(d) Solar panels capture energy that would otherwise contribute to global warming.
2. Some communities take advantage of renewable energy resources. Wind generators located in west Texas
provide electricity to many energy consumers.
When does using wind generators to produce electricity make economic sense?
(a) Wind generators are cost-effective sources of electricity when located where neighbors will be
unaffected by their noise.
(b) Wind generators are cost-effective sources of electricity when located where they will not interfere
with microwave communication.
(c) Wind generators are cost-effective sources of electricity when located in areas where they do not
damage the habitats of native organisms.
(d) Wind generators are cost-effective sources of electricity when located in areas that have strong and
consistent winds.
B. Sample TAKS questions
Spring 2003
1. Which of these activities can help conserve natural resources?
(a) Recycling cardboard boxes
(b) Washing small loads of laundry
(c) Driving large cars
(d) Building wooden fences
Spring 2004
2. In West Texas and Southern California, high winds drive turbines that generate electricity. One advantage
that wind energy has over energy generated from solar cells is that wind energy ____.
(a) is plentiful everywhere
(b) can be generated at night
(c) produces cleaner energy
(d) is free of environmental hazards
V. KEY VOCABULARY
acid rain greenhouse gases
alternative energy source nonrenewable
global warming renewable
VI. RESOURCES
A. Textbook
None needed.
B. Supplementary materials/equipment
Transparency master – Vocabulary
Instructor’s Copy - Vocabulary
Report Rubric
Presentation Rubric
Summary Worksheet
Instructor’s Copy – Summary Worksheet
Teacher Background Information
C. Technology
General information sites – many of which are collections of specific sites:
http://www.solarenergy.com
http://www.darvill.clara.net/altenerg/index.htm
http://www.hubbertpeak.com/youngquist/altenergy.htm
http://egj.lib.uidaho.edu/egj09/youngqu1.html
http://curtrosengren.typepad.com/alternative_energy/
http://library.thinkquest.org/22361/
http://www.earthsci.org/teacher/basicgeol/alt_energy/alt_energy.html
http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/renewable/wind.html
VII. FOLLOW UP ACTIVITIES
(reteaching, cross-curricular support, technology activities, next lesson in sequence, etc.)
A. Lecture
Go over main points using Summary Worksheet.
B. Next lesson in sequence
IPC – Pollution
Chemistry – Objective 7 – The student knows the variables that influence the behavior of gases.
VIII. TEACHER NOTES
Before class:
1) Run off copies of the rubric for each student.
2) Set up teams so that students who need accommodations are with peer tutors.
3) Decide whether to randomly select sources or assign them.
4) Schedule time in the library and ask the librarian to do a brief presentation on sources for those students who may not have used the library.
During class:
1) Schedule students for their presentations.
2) Monitor students while on the computer for inappropriate websites.
3) Make sure students have transparencies or anything they need for their presentations.