Electricity Webquest

A WebQuest for 8th grade science

Introduction

Hey Electricity Hogs!
Oh, the things we take for granted. Think about how good we have it: a heated house, hot shower, and warm breakfast on a cold, winter morning. That’s not to mention our coffee maker (I need my java), blow dryer (what will I do about my hair?!), alarm clock, and stereo. What about watching your morning cartoons, checking your email, or calling your friends to see what they are wearing? Then, there’s the warm drive to school in a car with heated seats, automatic window defrosters, and warm air blowing on our cold noses. We tend only to think about electricity and energy when we don’t have it! How about a cold shower by flashlight, no breakfast, wet frizzy hair, life without tunes, televisions, computers or phones, and a frozen walk to school? Does that sound like a fun way to start your day?

Well, have you ever thought about where electricity really comes from? What it takes to bring it to your house? How much energy do we use every day? What is the cost to our environment? Well, this amazing journey will help you answer these questions and many more. Have fun, be careful, and watch out for energy hogs and lightning strikes.

Lightning Strike Video - Very Cool!

The Task
You are to choose two of the following as your finished product for this WebQuest:

A power point presentation or a web site.
Build an electrical project or perform an electrical experiment.
Make a brochure or pamphlet explaining your selected source of energy (where it comes from, benefits/drawbacks, facts, etc).
Create an electricity game (card game, board game, or computer game).

animated light bulb Research Areas:
You will need to know the following: In other words the products above must show that you have an extensive background in the following areas:

v Renewable or Nonrenewable Energy Sources: (pick one to research)

Geothermal 1. Petroleum
Hydro 2. Natural Gas
Solar 3. Coal
Biomass 4. Uranium
Wind 5. Propane

v Electrical Power (How does it get to your house? How is it generated?)

v Fuel Efficiency (How can we use energy/fuel/electricity more efficiently? What can we do to conserve energy?)

v Rationale for decreasing our dependence on Fossil Fuels

v Electrical Safety

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The Process

v You will work together in teams of four.

v Decide which job each member of the team will be responsible for fulfilling:

1. Energy Conservation Officer: works to make sure that commercial businesses, as well as domestic properties, are as efficient as possible in how they use energy. Will be responsible for communicating Fuel Efficiency information to the group.

2. Electrical Safety Inspector: works to insure that commercial businesses comply with safety standards established by OSHA. Informs public of safety issues related to power lines, circuits, and electricity in the home. Will be responsible for communicating Electrical Safety information to the group.

3. Electrical Engineer: has an exciting career designing anything and everything that uses electricity. Responsible for designing power systems that bring electricity to our homes, and also designs all of our communications systems, electronic devices, electrical appliances, computers, and medical equipment. Will be responsible for communicating Electrical Power information to the group.

4. Environmental Engineer: Uses the principles of biology and chemistry to develop solutions to environmental problems. Involved in water and air pollution control, recycling, waste disposal, and public health issues. Will be responsible for communicating Energy Sources information to the group, as well as helping to establish rationale for decreasing our dependence on Fossil Fuel usage.

v Use the web sites and links (listed below) to help you gather information related to your finished product:

The Conservation Officer could learn valuable information from the Energy Hogs, but be very careful! You might also want to visit the Power Bandit for tips on using energy wisely. To find out ways to lower home energy bills, reduce pollution and help our environment, Join the Alliance to Save Energy. Perhaps check out Watt's New to learn 10 ways to stop wasting energy. Being Energy Efficient can, and should be, everyone’s job. Some ideas are simple, don’t cost a thing, and you can get started tomorrow.

The Electrical Engineer can team up with Alliant Energy to show us how electricity gets to our homes. Take a trip to the city of Seattle to learn more about energy and solving energy problems for the future. At the Rocky Mountain Institute, study about energy and where it comes from. Electrical Engineers are great at telling us How Stuff Works, so be sure to do your job!

For safety tips around the house, our Safety Inspector is sure to provide plenty of helpful advice, and they may even want to quiz you! The Safety Inspector can also tell you about the dangers associated with Lightning, Power Lines, & other Hidden Dangers. You can never be too safe, so it wouldn’t hurt to learn more about Electrical Safety, both inside and outside the house. Learn the Top Ten rules for Electric Safety, because being unsafe with Electricity can lead to shocking results!

The Environmental Engineer will study either Renewable or Nonrenewable energy sources. If Petroleum, Natural Gas, Coal, or Uranium is involved, we are dealing with Nonrenewable Energy. Solar, Hydro, Biomass, Wind, and Geothermal power are all Renewable sources of Energy. Breathing Clean Air and having a healthy planet Earth are important to all living things, so be sure to do your job! Figure out how much energy you use and the impact your “Footprint” on the Earth is!

v Gather all of your individual research and use as a group to complete your two tasks. Be sure to take complete notes, be on task, fulfill your individual responsibilities, and take an active role in the group project.

Evaluation

	Beginning 1	Developing 2	Accomplished 3	Exemplary 4
Power Point Presentation
Content	Includes little essential information and doesn't address issue	Includes some essential information and begins to address issue	Includes essential, accurate information and enough to give audience an understanding of the issue	Covers topic completely and in-depth, and makes a persuasive argument about their point of view on the issue consistent with their role
Organization	Presentation lacks an introduction, has little sequence and lacks a conclusion	Presentation attempts to introduce the topic, has some sequencing evident, but lacks a conclusion	Presentation has a small introduction, follows a sequence and has a conclusion	Presentation has an informative introduction, follows a logical sequence and presents a detailed, appropriate conclusion
Technical Requirements	Includes few slides and may have inappropriate use of graphics and sounds	Few slides and has adequate use of graphics and sound	Includes many slides with appropriate use of graphics and sound	Includes many diverse slides that shows exemplary use of graphics and sound
Mechanics	Includes grammatical, spelling or other errors in Text that interfere with the presentation	Includes some spelling or other errors in text that hinder the presentation somewhat	Includes few spelling or other errors in text	Grammar, spelling and other errors are not present in text
Collaborative Group Work	Cannot work with others in most situation or share decisions or responsibilities	Some difficulty in communicating ideas and taking responsibility	Communicates ideas and takes responsibility in the group	Communicates ideas with enthusiasm and takes a leadership role
Individual Responsibilities
Note Taking	Minimal or limited notes present; no evidence of citations	Note-taking completed in only written form, limited sources cited	In addition to written form, notes contain at least one other format (illustrations, graphs, maps, etc); minimum of 3 sources cited	In-depth note taking, with 2 other formats included (illustrations, graphs, maps, etc); more than 3 source cited
Time on Task	Frequently off task, fails to meet group and teacher time lines for completion of tasks	Needs some redirection to remain on task; does not complete all task on time	Remains on task through most of the project, needing minimal redirect from group or teacher; completes all task on time	on task without need of redirection from group or teacher; completes all task on time
Fulfillment of Role	Does not provide group with relevant information to assist with final presentation	Offers limited input related to role; information relevant but lacks depth	Able to provide support for theory based on quality research and note-taking; group able to incorporate information into final presentation	Completely fulfills role as “lead” scientist; in-depth research and complete note-taking provides basis for supporting theory

Conclusion

Standard 2: Students know and understand common properties, forms, and changes in energy.

Standard 5: Students know and understand interrelationships among science, technology, and human activity and how they affect the world.

Standard 6: Students understand that science involves a particular way of knowing and understand common connections among scientific disciplines.

1. Based on your research, what form(s) of energy seem to be both, the most viable and most environmentally safe? Support your response.

2. Consider the phrase, “Think Globally, Act Locally”. With regard to energy, conservation, and the environment, what action (s) can you take to live that particular phrase?

3. Based upon your research, what are 3 of the most important reasons for decreasing our dependence on fossil fuels?

4. Which of the careers involved in this Quest seemed most appealing to you? Explain.