conservation of energy resources assignment

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• Energy Conservation: Considering Sources, Cost and Impact

Lesson Energy Conservation: Considering Sources, Cost and Impact

Grade Level: 4 (3-5)

Time Required: 30 minutes

Lesson Dependency: None

Subject Areas: Physical Science, Science and Technology

NGSS Performance Expectations:

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Curriculum in this Unit Units serve as guides to a particular content or subject area. Nested under units are lessons (in purple) and hands-on activities (in blue). Note that not all lessons and activities will exist under a unit, and instead may exist as "standalone" curriculum.

• What Is Energy? Short Demos
• Energy Detectives at Work
• Wasting Energy at Home
• Greenewables: Making Renewable Energy Poster Presentations
• Design a Net-Zero Energy Classroom

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We use energy every day. Engineers consider the effects of this energy use on our environment and are developing alternative energy sources and ways to conserve energy. Solar and wind power are two forms of energy developed by engineers that have a very small impact on the environment. The development of compact fluorescent light bulbs and better insulation for our homes are two ways engineers are helping us conserve energy.

After this lesson, students should be able to:

• Define and describe renewable energy.
• Explain that energy in its various forms can affect everyday objects and is involved in everyday events.
• List several ways to conserve energy.

Educational Standards Each TeachEngineering lesson or activity is correlated to one or more K-12 science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) educational standards. All 100,000+ K-12 STEM standards covered in TeachEngineering are collected, maintained and packaged by the Achievement Standards Network (ASN) , a project of D2L (www.achievementstandards.org). In the ASN, standards are hierarchically structured: first by source; e.g. , by state; within source by type; e.g. , science or mathematics; within type by subtype, then by grade, etc .

Ngss: next generation science standards - science.

International Technology and Engineering Educators Association - Technology

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State Standards

Colorado - science.

Students should know the definition of energy and some of its various forms.

Who remembers what energy is? Who can describe it for me? (Possible answers: The ability to do work, to make things happen, and to cause changes.) What are some different types of energy? (Possible answers: Electrical, light, chemical, thermal, mechanical, solar, sound, wind, hydro [water], nuclear, etc.)

Sources of energy can be put into two categories; nonrenewable energy and renewable energy. Nonrenewable energy is any type of energy that can be used up. In other words, sources of energy that are used faster than they can be created. Nonrenewable energy sources include oil [petroleum], natural gas, coal, and uranium [nuclear]. Renewable energy is any type of energy that can be renewed in a short amount of time, or is being continually replenished or regenerated . These types of energy are not used as fast as they are created. Renewable energy sources include solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, ocean and hydro (water). Refer to the activities Greenewables: Making Renewable Energy Poster Presentations and Design a Net-Zero Energy Classroom to have students explore the applications and variables of renewable energy through literacy and design examples. 

So, how much energy do we actually use? We use energy when we use lights, showers, cars or heat buildings, run appliances , or manufacture clothes and toys. We also use energy when we exercise (jogging, aerobics), play sports or walk to class. Energy conservation is when we do something to reduce the amount of energy we use, such as turning off the lights, taking shorter showers, or riding a bike (instead of going by car) to school. Conservation of energy helps to slow down the use non-renewable resources, such as the gas it takes to power a car. Do you think energy is expensive? How much does it cost to get energy? How much does it cost to use energy? We are going to look at the price of driving a car, using a light bulb and heating a home and figure this out!

Driving Example

How much does it cost to drive a car?

Does your family or someone you know drive a car to work? The average U.S. adult drives 15,000 miles (24,140 kilometers) per year and pays more than $2 per gallon of gas. Gas mileage is different for each type of car so how much you pay for fuel to drive your car may change a lot (see Table 1)! An example calculation for a sport utility vehicle (SUV): 19 mpg x $2 per gallon x 15,000 miles per year = $1,579 per year just to drive the car to work. Wow!

(For more information about vehicle gas mileage, refer to the U.S. Department of Energy's Fuel Economy website, http://www.fueleconomy.gov). Mechanical engineers who design cars look for ways to balance the desire of car owners for larger and more powerful vehicles, while minimizing how much gas a car requires to operate. The class of gas/electric hybrid vehicles are a step closer in finding this balance.  Purely electric vehicles utilizes electricity instead of gasoline or diesel to power the car.  It is also another step toward balancing performance and minimizing usage of resources.

Light Bulb Example

How much does it cost to light a light bulb?

All light bulbs are not the same. Have you noticed different types of light bulbs? Some are round. Some are spiral. Two types of light bulbs include incandescent light bulbs (the traditional light bulb) and compact fluorescent light bulbs (a light bulb that uses less energy). How do they work? While the same amount of light comes from a 100-watt incandescent light bulb as a 32-watt compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL), each requires different amounts of energy to work. Of the energy put out by an incandescent light bulb, 85% is in the form of heat, not light (that is why they are always hot to touch). Giving off unwanted heat is wasteful compared to fluorescent light bulbs, which give off less heat. This means that fluorescent light bulbs require less energy to give off the same amount of light as incandescent light bulbs. They also cost different amounts of money to use. For example, if your utility company charges $0.04 per Kilowatt hour (kWh), then it costs $4 to operate the incandescent light bulb for 1,000 hours ($0.04/kWh x 1000 kW/W x 100-watt bulb x 1,000 hours) and $1.28 to operate the CFL for 1,000 hours ($0.04/kWh x 1000 kW/W x 32-watt bulb x 1,000 hours). So, why don't we just use compact fluorescent light bulbs? Well, they initially cost more to manufacture and buy at the store.

Sometimes lighting accounts for more than 30% of a building's energy consumption. This is why engineers are always devising new building systems and illumination (lighting) technologies, such as compact fluorescent light bulbs, to decrease the energy use of buildings. Lighting engineers also examine window placements so that sunlight can be used to naturally light our schools, offices and homes instead of electricity and light bulbs.

Home Heating Example

How much does it cost to heat your home?

When it is cold outside, everyone must use some kind of energy to heat their homes. What type of energy heats your home? (Possible answers: Gas, electricity, oil, firewood.) A utility company sends you a bill to pay for the energy you use. (Bring in an example of your home energy bill or ask for example bills from your local utility company or for your school.) For example, the gas bill for a 2,500 square foot house might have a heating bill of $250 per month, which adds up to $3,000 per year! Could you reduce your heating bill by wearing a sweater?

Energy efficiency and building systems engineers work to help homeowners and businesses conserve energy and save money on the cost of heating and cooling buildings. They look around a building and make suggestions for changes that would decrease the amount of energy being used. Often, a change in the heating/cooling systems or lighting in a building can help conserve a lot of energy. For example, it conserves much energy if you do not heat, cool or illuminate a building when people are not using it, usually at night and during the weekends and holidays. Engineers also create appliances (such as washing machines and furnaces) that use less energy (increased efficiency), so as technology improves, replacing old appliances with newer ones often helps to conserve energy. Students can learn more about energy efficiency by acting as engineers with the Wasting Energy at Home activity; followed by the experimental Stop Heat from Escaping: Testing Insulation Materials activity.

U.S. Energy Graphs

Show students the attached U.S. Energy Graphs to provide a larger context on historical energy consumption and production, a break down by type of energy produced, and historical per person consumption levels.

Lesson Background and Concepts for Teachers

Historically, U.S. consumers continually increase the amount of energy they use, especially electricity. Because of the decreasing amounts of nonrenewable fossil fuel resources, energy conservation has become a necessity. Engineers continually develop new technologies that are energy efficient and use alternative sources of energy for electricity production. Energy conservation does not mean "saving" energy, since energy cannot be created or destroyed. Conservation of energy really means how efficiently we use energy — how we can convert one form of energy into another without a large loss of usable energy.

This lesson is designed to help students understand where energy is wasted and where energy can be conserved. Later lessons examine specific types of renewable and nonrenewable energy sources in more depth.

For classroom, use the attached U.S. Energy Graphs , provided by the U.S. Department of Energy ( https://www.eia.gov/kids/ ). The first graph illustrates the energy flow in the United States in 2018.  It shows production by resource and consumption by sector.  It also shows imports and exports.  The next graphs are of U.S. energy production by resource, in 2020 and then historically since 1973.  The last set of graphs show energy consumption by source and sector in 2019, historically and per capita by state.  The U.S. Department of Energy website also provides an Energy Kid's Page with excellent information on renewable and nonrenewable energy sources, https://www.eia.gov/kids/ .

Watch this activity on YouTube

• Greenewables: Making Renewable Energy Poster Presentations - In this literacy activity, students form expert engineering teams working for a (fictional) alternative energy consulting firm. Teams produce poster presentations making a case for their specialty alternative energy technology.
• Design a Net-Zero Energy Classroom - Students create concept designs for net-zero energy classrooms on paper by pasting renewable energy and energy-efficiency items into and around classroom sketches. They learn how these items—solar panels, efficient lights, computers, energy meters—work together to create learning environments that produce as much energy as they use.

What does it mean if energy is "renewable?" (Answer: Renewable energy can be re-used or is not used up.) What does mean if energy is "nonrenewable?" (Answer: Nonrenewable energy is used up faster than it is created. It will run out and be gone forever in that form.) What are some examples of renewable and nonrenewable energy sources? (Answers: Renewable energy sources include solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, hydro and ocean. Nonrenewable energy sources include oil [petroleum], natural gas, coal, and uranium [nuclear].)

Can you name one way that you could conserve energy in school or at home? (Possible answers: Turn off lights, wear warmer clothes and turn down the heat, carpool or bus to school.)

appliance: An instrument or device designed for household use, especially one operated by electricity.

energy: The ability to do work.

energy conservation: The wise and efficient use of energy resources, resulting in reduced energy usage.

fossil fuel: Nonrenewable energy sources, such as petroleum, coal, or natural gas, which are derived from living matter of a previous geologic time and used for fuel.

kilowatt hour : (kWh) A unit of energy. 1 kWh = the work done by a power of 1,000 watts operating for one hour.

nonrenewable energy: Energy from sources that are used faster than they can be created. Sources include oil [petroleum], natural gas, coal and uranium [nuclear].

regenerate: To re-grow or replace.

renewable energy: Energy that is made from sources that can be regenerated. Sources include solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, ocean and hydro (water).

therm: A unit of heat. (British thermal unit or BTU) For example, used to measure the amount of heat resulting from burning natural gas.

Pre-Lesson Assessment

Brainstorming: As a class, have students engage in open discussion. Remind them that in brainstorming, no idea or suggestion is "silly." All ideas should be respectfully heard. Take an uncritical position, encourage wild ideas and discourage criticism of ideas. Have them raise their hands to respond. Write their ideas on the board. Ask the students:

• What are different types of energy?
• From where do we get energy?
• What does it cost us to get and use energy?

Post-Introduction Assessment

Using Energy Game: Divide the class into three student teams. Select a member from one team to name one type of energy and the way s/he uses it. For example, Chris uses chemical energy from food to play kickball. Another student may use electricity from a nuclear power plant to listen to music; or use a light-sensitive photo-electric cell in a solar-powered calculator to convert sunlight directly into electricity to do her math homework; or use big, south-facing windows to heat a room; or use roof-top solar panels to heat swimming pool water. Continue this process for each team, making sure to select a new team member for each round. For each new idea, award that team one point. If a student is unable to come up with a new idea, the team does not get a point. If many team members are passing, have them identify a way they use energy and let their teammates help them determine the energy source. Play as long as you want.

Lesson Summary Assessment

Make It Real Discussion: Solicit, integrate and summarize student responses on the concepts taught in this lesson. Ask questions related to the vocabulary words (What does energy conservation mean?), confront the students with some topic issues (Why is solar energy a nonrenewable energy?), or solicit their opinions (How do you think that our country could change from using nonrenewable to renewable energy?).

Lesson Extension Activities

Have the students calculate how much their family spends a year buying gasoline. A car's gas mileage (kpg or mpg) can usually be found in the owner's manual, by calling a dealer or looking on the Internet. Or, over the course of a few weeks, have students calculate a car's exact mileage by keeping track of the distance traveled and the gas purchased.

Have the students calculate how much money they spend to light one room in their house for a day. Have them survey how many light bulbs are in the room, the wattage of each bulb, and how many hours the light is on for the day. Provide an accurate local electricity cost per kWh for the students to use by calling your local utility company or looking at a monthly utility bill.

Students are introduced to the correct technical vocabulary for lighting, which is different than layperson's terms. They learn about lamp (light bulb) technology and how to identify the various types of lighting in their spaces. They are also introduced to lighting controls as a means for saving en...

Through an introduction to the design of lighting systems and the electromagnetic spectrum, students learn about the concept of daylighting as well as two types of light bulbs (lamps) often used in energy-efficient lighting design. Students learn how the application of something as simple, and free,...

Students complete three different activities to evaluate the energy consumption in a household and explore potential ways to reduce that consumption. The focus is on conservation and energy efficient electrical devices and appliances. The lesson reinforces the relationship between power and energy a...

Dictionary.com. Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. Accessed September 21, 2005. (Source of vocabulary definitions, with some adaptation) http://www.dictionary.com

Dr. E's Energy Lab . Updated September 18, 2003. Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy. Accessed September 21, 2005. http://www.eere.energy.gov/kids/

Energy Kid's Page , U.S. Department of Energy. Accessed September 21, 2005. (Highly recommended for energy sources, renewable/nonrenewable energy information, energy uses, science of energy and saving energy) http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/

Fuel Economy . Updated January 10, 2005. Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Accessed September 21, 2005. (Resource to find and compare cars for gas mileage, greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution ratings and safety information) http://www.fueleconomy.gov

Power Kids: The Future of Energy . Online Customer Information Center, Milton Hydro, Ontario, Canada. Accessed September 21, 2005. (Practical information for kids on energy sources and conservation ideas) http://www.miltonhydro.com/kids.html

Waterman, Jim. BCN Environment Center . Boulder Community Network Environment Center. Accessed September 21, 2005. http://bcn.boulder.co.us/environment

Contributors

Supporting program, acknowledgements.

The contents of this digital library curriculum were developed under grants from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), U.S. Department of Education and National Science Foundation (GK-12 grant no. DGE 0338326). However, these contents do not necessarily represent the policies of the Department of Education or National Science Foundation, and you should not assume endorsement by the federal government.

Last modified: January 28, 2021

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Conservation of Energy & Resources

Grade 5: Understanding Earth and Space Systems

Hands-On Kits

Call Number: TBD

Covers the following:

Strand A: STEM Skills and Connections

Strand E: Conservation of Energy and Resources

This kit has students identify various forms of energy including how energy can be transformed or stored. They will identify renewable and nonrenewable sources of energy, and examine the long-term impacts of human uses of energy on both society and the environment.  Materials are provided for five activities. 

• How this Kit Meets Expectations

Lesson Plans

• Conservation of energy Call Number: Floor 1, School Textbooks, Q 161.2 .G745 2009 Publication Date: 2009 GTK Press Science & Technology Teacher's Guide is shelved with this student text.

Energy Busters: Home Energy Conservation from  AAAS ScienceNetLinks

"This lesson is designed to help students look at their personal use of energy, and determine practical ways they can cut back on their energy usage."

Ontario Ecological Literacy Resource

Energy conservation learning activities by grade.  Developed by the Toronto District School Board.

Energy Lessons from Alliant Energy Kids

These teaching units will help you and your students explore energy in inquiry-driven, hands-on ways.

Conservation of Energy & Resources Activities from STAO

This integrated set of activities strives to incorporate learning out of doors, environmental connections to the grade 5 science topic of Conservation of Energy and Resources as well as big ideas from the Social Studies Grade 5 strand of Role of Government and Responsible Citizenship.

Online Video

How Batteries Work

"Why do batteries lose capacity, and how do our batteries even store so much charge in the first place? Adam Jacobson gives the basics on batteries."

Energy and Different Forms of Energy with Examples

"There are various forms of energy. Some of them are heat energy, light energy, electrical energy, chemical energy, sound energy, mechanical energy, potential energy, kinetic energy, and nuclear energy."

Renewable vs. Nonrenewable Resources

"This video covers what fossil fuels are, sources of non-renewable energy, and sources of renewable energy."

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John Deere Officially Opens New Manufacturing Facility in Russia

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Apr 27, 2010, 09:00 ET

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MOSCOW , April 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Deere & Company (NYSE: DE ) officially opened its new manufacturing and parts distribution facility south of Moscow today in Domodedovo. The John Deere Domodedovo facility is the company's largest single investment to date in Russia . The facility will manufacture agricultural, construction and forestry machinery as well as distribute service parts in the region.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030326/JOHNDEERELOGO )

" Russia has a tradition of embracing advanced equipment and modern agricultural and forestry management practices," said Deere & Company chairman and CEO Samuel R. Allen at the facility's grand opening ceremony. "These are critical to the health and development of large-scale farming and forestry. They also tend to be a good match for the capabilities of John Deere products."

The new facility at Domodedovo is open just nine months after John Deere first announced its plans at the Russia - U.S. Business Forum last summer. Deere received strong cooperation from the Russian Federal government, the Moscow Oblast, and the community of Domodedovo to open the factory within this short time frame.

Allen noted that most of the world's available arable land is already being farmed, that clean water is becoming increasingly scarce, and that infrastructure is needed in many parts of the world to bring crops and forestry materials to market.

" Russia has great advantages in all these areas and the potential to become one of the world's major food-producing regions," Allen said.

At the opening ceremony for the John Deere facility, Allen said Russia 's future holds "truly immense potential as a major provider of the renewable resources so vital to the world's economic and social well-being."

He added that Deere's future plans in Russia are supportive of the Russian government's objectives to boost the output of grains and other renewable resources and to make the farm and forestry sectors more commercially vibrant.

Deere has said that the new Domodedovo facility will include a new EurAsia Parts Distribution Center and manufacture products for the company's two major divisions, including large tractors and combines for use in agriculture and a series of products for use in construction and forestry. Both the parts distribution and manufacturing capabilities will help John Deere serve customers in Russia and throughout the Commonwealth of Independent States and in other nearby markets.

In his remarks at the grand opening, Allen said, Deere first sold products in Russia 100 years ago. Now, he said, in addition to the new Domodedovo location, John Deere has a manufacturing site in Orenburg, offices in St. Petersburg and Moscow and over 70 sales and service locations located in Russia .

John Deere is a world leader in providing advanced products and services for agriculture, forestry, construction, lawn and turf care, landscaping and irrigation. John Deere also provides financial services worldwide and manufactures and markets engines used in heavy equipment. Since it was founded in 1837, the company has extended its heritage of integrity, quality, commitment and innovation around the globe.

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