Renewable Sources of Energy
Design Guide
Designers for Learning - Adult Learning Zone
Table of Contents
Learner Audience / Primary Users
College & Career Readiness Standards (CCRS) Alignment
Instructional Strategies and Activities
Presentation / Modeling / Demonstration
Part 3: Supplementary Resources & References
Part 1: Lesson Description
Lesson Title
Renewable Sources of Energy
Abstract
Go Green! is the slogan of most adults and kids nowadays. Numerous projects are underway across the globe, some small, some huge. But what can we as ordinary citizens do? There are several new words terms like Clean Energy, Green Energy and so on. The following lesson simply differentiates between renewable and nonrenewable sources of energy. Traditionally nonrenewable sources of energy were used for all our cooking, heating, cooling and transport purposes. But recently there have been new technology developments which have made it possible for us to tap the natural sources of energy such as the Sun, Wind, Water and so on. This lesson will help adult learners differentiate between nonrenewable sources of energy and the renewable sources of energy. They will be able to identify the renewable sources of energy in their environment and how they can be harnessed for various purposes. On completion of the lesson, learners can interpret the importance of energy sources, and how they can conserve energy in their daily lives. Let us all try to contribute our share to the environment, so that future generations will live a worry free life.
Learner Audience / Primary Users
The primary users of this lesson are adult learners who have lost the opportunity to continue their education into high school or middle school because of various reasons. This lesson strives to provide them the knowledge regarding renewable sources of energy and to help them differentiate it with nonrenewable sources of energy. Many adult learners may have seen new machines and contraptions like wind mills and solar panels around them but may not know what they are for and how they function because they are more pre-occupied with their work or due to lack of time. They may not have had an opportunity to read about these new sources of energy in their children’s text books or by seeing documentaries on television. This lesson of 30 minutes will make a long story short for them, and provide a concise description of the importance of energy sources, how fast they are depleting, the need for alternative sources, renewable sources of energy and how they can conserve energy.
Educational Use
- Curriculum / Instruction
College & Career Readiness Standards (CCRS) Alignment
- Level: Adult Education
- Grade Level: D (Grades 6,7,8)
- Subject: English Language Arts / Literacy
- Domain or Strand: Strand information
- Strand: English Language Arts / Literacy lesson
- Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening
- Reading of Informational Text, Scientific and Technical text, and Writing of Scientific and Technical subjects
- Standard Description: RST.6-8.1
Language
English
Material Type
- Instructional Material - Both digital and print.
- Digital artifacts like YouTube videos, PPT slides.
- Print material for Readings, Home work and Quiz.
Learning Goals
The purpose of this lesson is for learners to be able to:
- Define what is energy and how important it is for daily life and describe how renewable sources of energy can be used for various applications. This will help them try to conserve energy.
Keywords
- Designers for Learning
- Adult Education
- Renewable energy sources
- Traditional energy sources
- Conserve energy in daily life
- Wind mill
- Solar panel
- Blended learning
- Online
- Paper-based
- Deplete
- Biomass
- Biofuel
Time Required for Lesson
30 minutes
Prior Knowledge
This lesson will be suitable for Level D which includes students of Grade 6-8. In the adult education context here, it will be good if learners have an idea of what energy means and should know about some traditional sources of energy like coal, petrol, diesel etc. Learners should know how to read and write in English of Grade 2-3 level.
Required Resources
Considering that some learners may have Internet access in the learning context and that sometimes it may not be available, the design of this lesson will be suitable for both a paper-based and online-based education. Instructors can also use a blended learning approach.
Paper-based - Some work sheets and images need to be printed in advance by the instructor. Learners may require paper, pens and pencils.
Online/computer-based - Computer, projector and screen and Internet access (Ideal learning context).
Lesson Author & License
- Lesson Author: Shamila Janakiraman
- License: Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license
Part 2: Lesson
Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson:
- Given a list of statements about energy sources, learners should be able to differentiate between nonrenewable and renewable sources of energy and select statements pertaining to each.
- Given a list (or images) of applications where energy is required, learners should be able to identify the renewable sources of energy that can be used, alternatively.
- Given a list of ways to conserve energy in daily life, users should be able to identify those which they can implement.
Lesson Topics
Key topics covered in this lesson include:
- Renewable Vs Nonrenewable Sources of Energy
- Applications of Renewable Sources of Energy
- Energy Conservation in Daily Life
Context Summary
This lesson will come under the Science curriculum for grades 6-8. This is an important lesson to learn early in life as it is the future generations that are going to face a dearth in energy resources and increased incidences of pollution and so on. Our learners are adult learners who missed an opportunity to learn about this topic. But as it is a new field of study, they have not missed out a lot. It is imperative that the adult learners realize the importance of these resources.
Relevance to Practice
Besides helping learners conserve energy resources, this lesson may give them a business idea, like getting involved in the production and supply of solar cookers, solar water heaters and panels and other smaller appliances which work on renewable sources of energy. Although not exhaustive, this lesson may serve to give an introduction. By accessing the links to more richer sources of information, learners can further augment their knowledge.
Key Terms and Concepts
Key Concepts
Energy conservation - Energy conservation refers to reducing energy consumption by using less of an energy source. Energy conservation differs from efficient energy use, which refers to using less energy for a constant service.
Renewable energy - Renewable energy is generally defined as energy that is collected from resources which are naturally replenished on a human timescale, such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves, and geothermal heat.
Nonrenewable or Traditional sources of energy - Energy sources used for a long time by humans such as coal, petroleum, etc. Tthese cannot be easily replenished. Also the sources are fast depleting due to over use.
Key Terms
Efficient
Energy
Geothermal
Panel
Replenish
Resources
Solar
Tidal
Wind Mill
Instructional Strategies and Activities
Warm-Up
Time: Maximum 3 minutes
The instructor can ask the learners to look at a set of images, showing different sources of energy, either printed out on paper or as a slide show on a big screen or on a computer monitor. If printed images are used, each students gets a printed sheet with the images and a blank space to write down what they see. The images are available as a PPT slide show in this lesson. For environments where a computer is not available, a PDF of the same set of images is also available. Answers are provided in the word document.
Time required :10-15 seconds to view one image.
**If the instructor prints out each image on separate papers, they can number them and distribute the images to the students. The images then get passed on between the students and they will write the names on the sheet of paper in the space provided. The images are not numbered purposely so that the instructor can number them as they wish. Answers for the images are provided in the Word document.
Introduction
Time: 3 minutes
The instructor asks and discusses the images shown and their relevance to the lesson. The 3 topics are given a brief introduction based on the objectives.
Teacher: (They can present the content as a lecture)
We will be discussing the following topics in class today.
1. Renewable Vs Nonrenewable Sources of Energy
2. Applications of Renewable Sources of Energy
3. Energy Conservation in Daily Life
What is energy?
In the context of our lesson, energy is the power, that we get, from physical or chemical resources for various uses. For example we need energy to make vehicles move, to heat our houses, to cool our houses, to make our appliances and gadgets work and so on.
Can you name some sources of energy?
Examples - Coal, Firewood, Oil, Gas, Sun, Wind, Water
There are two major types of sources of energy. Nonrenewable sources and Renewable (Alternate) sources of energy.
Nonrenewable sources of energy – These are the Fossil fuels we have been using for ages like coal, oil and natural gas. They provide about 85% of all the energy that we need in the United States. They are used to generate electricity and are used as transportation fuels. Because we use so much of them they are fast depleting.
How were fossil fuels formed?
Fossil fuel are formed from decayed plants and animals that have been buried for hundreds of millions of years deep beneath the earth’s surface. They were exposed to heat and pressure for so long and have been converted to crude oil, coal, natural gas, or heavy oils.
To know more about how emissions by burning fossil fuels causes pollution and global warming view the following infographic. (Instructors can suggest that learners can peruse the infographic later if needed). The infographic can be downloaded and printed out also.
http://climate.nasa.gov/climate_resources/136/
There
is a need for alternate sources of energy in order to reduce pollution and stop
climate change and various other problems. Hence the need for renewable sources
of energy.
Presentation / Modeling / Demonstration
Time: Total 9 minutes
Absorb activity - A slide show of maximum 9 slides will explain the concept of each topic. The same can be printed by the teacher if the learning environment lacks a computer and Internet access. The instructor has to read from each slide and explain, in case students can't understand.
The topics covered in the PPT slides.
- Renewable Vs Nonrenewable Sources of Energy
- Applications of Renewable Sources of Energy
- Energy Conservation in Daily Life
Guided Practice
Time: 3 minutes
Do activities - By indulging in these activities, learners will be able to integrate their learning better.
After viewing the last slide on "Energy Conservation in daily Life," the instructor should start a discussion.
- Students will give personal examples of what they do to conserve energy.
- Tell what they think is not possible in daily life.
- What they plan to do in future.
Evaluation
Match the Following -
The attached document can be printed out and given as a question paper to each student. They will identify each image and match the correct name, which is given in wrong order, by drawing lines to connect the name with the image.
**Images have been chosen to make the students think what they are before answering.
Time: 5 minutes
Application
Time: 3 minutes
Connect activities will help learners explore how to apply what they have learned, to real life. They will apply what they learned about energy conservation.
Connect Activity - Home Work:
A half size paper is given to each student. Instructor should explain to the learners that they should write down 5 sentences about Renewable Sources of Energy. They should be encouraged to try the practices mentioned in the lesson. They can be asked to stick images if they come across an advertisement or image in some newspaper or magazine. If students have Internet access they can submit the homework via Email.
If home work cannot be given, the instructor can ask the learners to write 5 short sentences about Renewable sources of energy in the class. Learners should be encouraged to implement practices at home and other places, where possible, which help in energy conservation.
Example: Segregating garbage for recycling (Cooking oil can be collected in plastic bottles to be converted to Biofuel.)
Part 3: Supplementary Resources & References
Supplementary Resources
Links to YouTube videos. As learners here may not be inclined to read, it is wise to provide videos with narration to explain concepts.
Images and videos of installations around the world.
References
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_energy
Attribution Statements
Thanks to Pixabay.com for the images which were use din the slide shows.
This course content is offered by Designers for Learning under a CC Attribution license.
Content in this course can be considered under this license unless otherwise noted. Page
(Design Guide effective March 29, 2016)