Energy spotto - Cool Australia

Activity Introduction

Quick summary: Students go outside to observe natural sources of energy. They analysis the energy they use in their day to day life and think about the energy source.

Key lessons and understandings of activity:

Many of the things we need to run our lives, school and classroom require energy.
Most of our energy needs today come from non-renewable sources but it is possible that we can source all our energy needs from renewable sources.

Australian Curriculum Mapping

Content descriptors:

Year 3 Science

A change of state between solid and liquid can be caused by adding or removing heat (ACSSU046)
Science involves making predictions and describing patterns and relationships (ACSHE050)

Year 3 Science

Earth’s surface changes over time as a result of natural processes and human activity (ACSSU075)
Science involves making predictions and describing patterns and relationships (ACSHE061)

Syllabus Outcomes: ST2-4WS, ST2-12MW, ST2-8ES.

Topic: Energy

Year levels: 3 and 4

Indoor or outdoor activity: Outdoor

Time required: 45 mins

Learning areas addressed: Science.

Level of teacher scaffolding: Assist students with Student Worksheet.

Resources required: Student Worksheet, ipad, laptops.

Homework and extension opportunities: This activity includes opportunities for extension.

Keywords: Energy, change, appliances.

Cool Australia’s curriculum team continually reviews and refines our resources to be in line with changes to the Australian Curriculum.

Worksheets

Teacher Worksheet

Teacher preparation

Energy is the ability to make change, or the capacity to do work. Energy appears in many different forms including kinetic (movement), potential (stored energy), gravitational, light, heat, chemical, elastic and electrical. The sun is the source of all energy on Earth, it is a natural source of energy. The energy from the sun comes in the form of light and heat. Wind, tidal, and geothermal energy are also natural sources of energy, which can be replenished (renewable). Unlike burning fuels and combusting coal, these natural energy sources do not produce greenhouse gases.

Humans focus a lot on electrical energy because we require it so frequently in our everyday lives. In Australia, we make most of our electrical energy from brown or black coal. There are many problems associated with the generation of electricity in a coal power plant. One problem is that when coal is combusted it produces a large amount of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. Another problem is t

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Student Worksheet

1. Record 5 energy uses.

2. Next, you will have 5 minutes to silently tune into the natural landscape and find evidence of energy. You should use all your senses to collect this data. What do you see? What do you hear? What do you feel?

	Observations
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4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

3. Concluding questions

What evidence of energy did you observe occurring naturally?

Could these be sources of energy for us?

Why don't we use natural energy sources much?

Are these clean sources of energy ever likely to run out?

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Activity: Energy spotto