Activity Introduction

Quick summary: Students will complete a NAPLAN-style test practice paper. They will complete a reading task to learn how Hydro Tasmania generates energy from water.

Activity developed in partnership with tasmania_hydro_200x84_300pxl

Hydro Tasmania has been at the forefront of clean energy innovation for one hundred years. It is Australia’s largest producer of clean energy – generating hydro and wind power – and the largest water manager. Hydro Tasmania has 55 major dams, operates 30 hydropower stations and has built some of Australia’s largest wind farms.

Hydro Tasmania also sells energy in the National Electricity Market through its retail business Momentum Energy, and sells its expertise internationally through its consulting business Entura. Visit the Hydro Tasmania website to learn how the business is working towards Australia’s clean energy future.

Learning goals: This lesson is designed to provide valuable practice for NAPLAN*, the national literacy test held in years 7 and 9. It features reading and visual texts with comprehension and language questions that require students to find facts, interpret meaning and apply text-processing strategies.

General capabilities: Literacy, Critical and creative thinking, Ethical understanding.

Cross-curriculum priority: Sustainability OI.8.

Australian Curriculum content description:

Year 9 English

  • Use comprehension strategies to interpret and analyse texts, comparing and evaluating representations of an event, issue, situation or character in different texts (ACELY1744).
  • Apply an expanding vocabulary to read increasingly complex texts with fluency and comprehension (ACELY1743).
  • Explore and explain the combinations of language and visual choices that authors make to present information, opinions and perspectives in different texts (ACELY1745).

Syllabus Outcomes: EN5-1A, EN5-2A.

Topic: Hydro Tasmania, Energy.

Time required: 60 mins.

Level of teacher scaffolding: Medium – oversee activity.

Resources required: Internet access, Student Worksheet (one copy per student OR computers/tablets to access the online worksheet). If working from a printed worksheet, students will need a 2B pencil to fill in answers.

Digital technology opportunities: Digital sharing capabilities.

Homework and extension opportunities: Includes opportunities for homework and extension.

Keywords: Energy, hydropower, Hydro Tasmania.

* This lesson plan is not an officially endorsed publication of NAPLAN’s creators and administrators – the ACARA body – but is designed to provide practice for the Australian Curriculum’s compulsory NAPLAN testing scheme.

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

Overarching learning goal: By participating in this activity students will research energy sources and show their findings in an informative table.

Teacher background information: Energy is the lifeblood of our modern life. It gives us light and keeps our food fresh. It powers our industry, fuels our cars, and charges our iPhones. Our energy is produced by burning fossil fuels and this has a range of environmental, social and economic impacts. One of the most significant is the emission of greenhouse gases. A solution is the transition to clean energy sources. The brilliant thing is that we have huge amounts of free, renewable and clean supplies of natural energies. These include sunlight, wind, running water, oceans and underground hot rocks.

According to the Clean Energy Australia Report 2013:

  • 14.76% of Australia's electricity came from renewable sources in 2013: enough to power the equivalent of almost 5 million homes.
  • Wind turbines provided enough energ
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Student Worksheet

Thought starter: How many different types of renewable energy are there?

Instructions to students

In this lesson, you will complete a NAPLAN* style practice test. The test is in multiple choice, matching and short answer formats.

Part A. Multiple choice: Look at the Reading Text (including a diagram). Complete the statements by shading (in PENCIL) one answer circle. If you make a mistake, erase it and shade the correct one.

Part B. Matching: Draw lines between the two lists to make information pairs.

Part C. Short answer: Respond to the Reading Text.

When the class has finished, swap tests and mark the answers (out of 40). Allocated marks are noted.

Reading text

An introduction to Hydro Tasmania and hydropower

Hydro Tasmania provides electrical energy for the people of Tasmania, Australia’s island state. The word ‘hydro’ means ‘water’. Hydro Tasmania has thirty hydropower stations in Tasmania and a wind farm on an island in Bass Strait. Hydro Tasmania operates two wind farms o

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