Activity Introduction

Quick summary: Students use their prior knowledge to organise their ideas about their reliance on energy. They sort ten energy items into columns based on necessity.

Learning goals for this activity include:

  • Students recognise the role of energy and our dependence on various energy sources.
  • Students use their knowledge as the basis of new learning and communicate effectively with others.

Australian  Curriculum Mapping

Content descriptions:

Year 9 Science

  • The values and needs of contemporary society can influence the focus of scientific research (ACSHE228)

Year 10 Science

  • The values and needs of contemporary society can influence the focus of scientific research (ACSHE230)
  • Energy conservation in a system can be explained by describing energy transfers and transformations (ACSSU190)

Syllabus Outcomes:  SC5-11PW. 

Topic: Energy

Year levels: 9 and 10

Indoor or outdoor activity: Indoor

Time required: 20 mins

Learning areas addressed: Geography, Science.

Level of teacher scaffolding: Help students value their prior knowledge.

Resources required: Writing materials or internet access for online student worksheet.

Homework and extension opportunities: None.

 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

Discuss with your students the different kinds of energy we use each day. Highlight how electricity is our main source of energy. Get students to imagine what life would be like without electricity.

Step 1: Using the Student Worksheet ‘Today’s first 10 energy items’, students think about the first 10 electrical items they used today. Get your students to think about items such as radio, lights, toaster, hot water, boiled water, vehicle, and lights.
 

Step 2: Students then categorise the use of the energy as;

1. Essential
2. Get grumpy without it
3. Convenient
4. Don’t care

Step 3: Spend five minutes using a thinking tool chosen by the students to organise their ideas about how we depend on energy such as electricity, natural gas and oil products.

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Student Worksheet

Student Worksheet: Today’s First 10 Energy Items

Part 1: Think about the first 10 electrical items you used today. Write them in the item column below.

Part 2: Categorise your items by placing a tick in the corresponding column below.

Item Essential
 Get grumpy
without it		 Convenient Don't care
 

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