TEACHER RESOURCE GUIDE
Prepared for:
Prepared by: Teacher Resource Guide The Solar Schools Teacher Resource Guide is designed to lay the groundwork for a series of activities that encourage learners to explore solar energy, energy conservation and the enmeshed topics of climate change and environmental stewardship.
Please make use of the activities in this guide however you see fit. Adapt them, modify them, extend them as needed! If you have any feedback on how this resource can be improved, please let us know at [email protected] or [email protected].
About Solar Schools Canada Solar Schools Canada (“SSC”) is a registered charity that assists public schools to develop and fund solar energy projects in order to prevent emissions, reduce school operating costs, and enhance education by using the projects as a learning tool. For more information, please visit www.ssc-esc.ca.
About Clean Foundation Clean Foundation (“Clean”) is a registered charity which provides the knowledge, tools and inspiration needed to encourage the individual actions that contribute to a positive environmental shift, including through the provision of environmental education. For more information, please visit clean.ns.ca.
Acknowledgement Clean and SSC wish to acknowledge the financial support of the Province of Nova Scotia, represented by the Department of Energy and Mines, in creating this Guide. TEACHER RESOURCE GUIDE
1 Table of Contents
1. Introduction 3
2. Format 3
3. About Solar Photovoltaic Panels 4 How they Work Benefits
4. Approach and Rationale 5
5. Curriculum Alignment 5
6. Concepts and Principles 8
7. Inquiry-based Education 9
8. Grade-level Learning Plans – Primary to Grade 6 10
9. Lesson Plan Index 17
10. Lesson Plans 20
11. Appendices 81 TEACHER A Additional Resources B Materials C Incorporating Indigenous Perspectives
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2 Introduction
This Solar Schools Teacher Resource Guide (the “Guide”) contains resources designed to lead teachers and students in exploring science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics (“STEAM”), climate, sustainability and energy subject matter through leveraging school-based solar projects to create situated, hands-on learning opportunities for students. We designed this Guide for schools that have developed their own solar photovoltaic (“PV”) projects. However, the resources, lesson plans and other materials contained in this Guide are equally suitable for any school, educator or student interested in learning more about solar energy, sustainability and environmental stewardship.
More broadly, the resources, lesson plans and other materials contained in this Guide are designed to encourage students from Primary to Grade 6 to develop an abiding love and respect for nature, a sense of environmental stewardship, and a sense of individual empowerment to protect and preserve the environment. By fostering these attitudes, we hope children will genuinely care about making changes in their world and feel empowered to take action as children and throughout their lives.
Format
The first section of this Guide contains introductory materials designed to assist students to understand solar technology and its use in mitigating our carbon footprints and accelerating the transition to a more sustainable and socially equitable society.
The second section of this Guide contains a series of solar and sustainability focused unit plans, lessons and activities designed to meet general and specific curriculum outcomes. Many of the lessons and activities contain modifications and/or extensions, permitting them to be used by a range of ages and learning abilities. Although, these resources have been created to align with the Nova Scotia Provincial Learning Outcomes framework, the lessons and activities may be adopted for a variety of different educational contexts, inside and outside of Canada. TEACHER
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3 About Solar Photovoltaic Panels How they Work
Solar photovoltaic (PV) modules or panels work by allowing photons, or particles of light, to knock electrons free from atoms, generating a flow of electricity. In fact, the word “photovoltaic” literally means to convert sunlight into electricity. Solar panels are comprised of many, smaller units called PV cells. Many PV cells linked together make up a solar panel. Panels are designed to supply electricity at a certain voltage, such as a common 12 volts system. The current produced is directly dependent on how much light strikes the panel.
Each cell is made of two pieces of a semi-conducting material (often silicon). To work, photovoltaic cells need to establish an electric field. Much like a magnetic field, which occurs due to opposite poles, an electric field occurs when opposite charges are separated. To create an electric field, manufacturers add other materials to the silicon, giving each end a positive or negative electrical charge (boron and phosphorus are two commonly used materials).
When a photon of light hits the electric field, it knocks an electron out of that field and onto metal conductive plates on the sides of the cell that collect the electrons and transfer them to wires. At that point, the electrons can flow like any other source of electricity.
Benefits
Three of the primary benefits of solar energy are as follows:
Renewable. Because solar energy involves converting sunlight into electricity, it is a truly renewable resource. Solar energy is available everyday, in all areas of the world. As long as we have the sun, we cannot run out of solar energy. Contrast this with conventional energy sources, such as coal, oil, natural gas or nuclear, among others, which rely on non-renewable and finite resources to create electricity.
Did you know? 173,000 terawatts (trillions of watts) of solar energy strikes the Earth continuously. MIT Scientists suggest that this energy is 10,000 times greater than the Earth’s total energy consumption. The Sun’s potential to supply all of the Earth’s energy needs is therefore tremendous. The challenge lies in harvesting, storing and deploying that energy and in a sustainable, equitable and cost-effective manner.
Zero Emissions. Solar energy does not create emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide or other greenhouse gases (GHGs) in order to generate electricity. Contrast this with conventional energy sources, such as coal, oil, natural gas, which generate GHGs as a by-product of the
combustion process used to generate electricity. Although manufacturing and decommissioning of TEACHER solar PV panels creates some pollutants (e.g., arsenic, cadmium, selenium), research suggests that emissions of such pollutants are manageable and comparatively lower than emissions generated by conventional energy sources. In fact, scientific studies estimate that the life-cycle GHG emissions of solar energy are between 0.025 and 0.050 kg of CO2e per kWh of electricity, compared with an estimated 0.9 to 1.1 kg of CO2e for coal-fired electricity – making coal-fired electricity more than 28 times more emissions intensive than electricity produced by a solar PV system. RESOURCE GUIDE
Did you know? A 100 kW solar panel system will prevent the release of nearly 1,400 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions, equal to: removing 297 passenger vehicles from the road annually; avoiding burning 1,530,516 pounds of coal; or, preserving 1,648 acres of forest annually.
1. Excluding high latitude areas such as the Arctic and Antarctic during certain periods of the year. 2. David L. Chandler, “Vast amounts of solar energy radiate to the Earth, but tapping it cost-effectively remains a challenge” (October 26, 2011). 4 Cost Reductions. As the capital costs of solar energy continue to fall globally, the technology has become increasingly cost effective and competitive relative to conventional energy sources. Once installed, solar energy is low maintenance and does not require input or fuel costs. This means that once an individual or organization installs their own solar installation, they can produce their own electricity independently and reduce the amount of money spent purchasing electricity and reallocate those savings to other areas.
Did you know? A 100 kW solar panel system will reduce school operating costs by approximately $400,000 over 25 years. If re-invested in education, that amount represents the salary of 8 new teachers, providing over 13,440 hours of additional student assistance.
Independent Inquiry: Exploring the relationship between solar energy and social development. Explore what happens when you pair solar energy with organizations doing important work in the community. For example, what happens when you develop a solar energy installation on a homeless shelter, school or community centre? How can those organizations reallocate the cost savings associated with reduced electricity bills to create broader community benefits? What are examples of social organizations embracing solar or renewable energy in your community, or around the world, that demonstrate the shared environmental and social value that these pairings can create?
Curriculum Design: Purpose, Rationale & Approach
The paragraphs below detail the purposes, outcomes, rationale and approach that we have employed in designing the unit plans, lessons and activities contained in this Guide.
Purpose 1. Leverage school-based solar projects to enhance education in STEAM, climate, sustainability and energy subject matter.
Outcome. Leverage school-based solar projects as a hands-on learning tool in order to enhance education in STEAM, climate, sustainability and energy subject matter in a manner that is curriculum-aligned and interdisciplinary.
Rationale. Teachers can choose to leverage school-based solar projects to explore how abstract STEAM, climate,
TEACHER sustainability and energy concepts can be tangibly applied to real world problem solving. Rather than studying meteorology from textbooks alone (e.g. Nova Scotia Grade 5 Science Learning Outcome: Learners will investigate weather), teachers can lead students in collecting and analyzing weather data and explore how and why weather patterns impact solar energy generation (See Lesson 20: Solar Output Activity). Rather than exploring the concept of sustainability in the abstract (e.g. Nova Scotia Grade 6 Social Studies Learning Outcome: Learners will compare sustainability practices between Canada and a selected country), teachers can lead students in exploring their role of their school-based solar project as an example of a sustainable action project (See Lesson 11: Sustainability RESOURCE GUIDE Problem Solvers). Why is this important? Academic literature consistently confirms the positive relationship between hands-on and problem-based learning and educational outcomes related to student creativity, critical-thinking, engagement, initiative, motivation, problem-solving and scholastic achievement.
Approach. The unit plans, lessons and activities contained in this Guide have been designed to feature hands-on and problem-based learning carried out in an environment based context, which leverages school “surroundings and community as a framework within which students can construct their own learning, guided by teachers and administrators using proven education practices”.
3. United States Environmental Protection Agency, “Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator”. 4. Estimates based on Nova Scotia information, including a 43 week school year (September 3 – June 30), a 40 hour work week, and 2019 entry level 5 teacher salary of approximately $50,000.00. Purpose 2. Promote behaviour change through renewable energy education.
Outcome. Increase knowledge about the value of energy as an essential resource, the environmental and social dimensions of renewable and non-renewable energy sources, and the actions available to individuals and communities to mitigate carbon emissions through renewable energy and energy efficiency and conservation measures.
Rationale. Renewable energy education, as a subset of environmental education, has been demonstrated to encourage moderate to significant energy- and GHG-saving behaviours across the entire population, creating greater overall emissions reductions opportunities. Further, focusing renewable energy education on youth has been demonstrated to create greater overall emissions reductions as youth embrace energy- and GHG-saving behaviour, lead family, friends and community and community members to embrace identical behaviour, and embrace those behaviours into and throughout their adult lives. Renewable energy education, as a subset of environmental education, therefore plays an essential role in facilitating climate action at the individual and societal level and accelerating the transition to a more sustainable, socially equitable society.
Approach. The unit plans, lessons and activities contained in this Guide have been designed to accord with best practices for designing environmental education programming to maximize behaviour change. Specifically, we have attempted to develop a curriculum that will (a) enable students to cultivate an in-depth knowledge of relevant issues, (b) enable students to develop and practice skills of issue analysis and investigation, and (c) enable students to cultivate attitudes to citizenship and civic engagement through community outreach and action projects.
Purpose 3. Enhancing empowerment for positive environmental and social change.
Outcome. Equip students with the attitude, skills and tools necessary to effect positive environmental and social change in their communities.
Rationale. We do not only want to equip students with an understanding of the key contemporary challenges confronting our society, we want to equip students with the attitude and tools to do something about them. Why? Because the solutions to the complex challenges confronting our society will only arise through informed and committed action on a global, national, regional, local and individual scale. Citing the Report of the Working Group on Environmental Education, “Schools have a vital role to play in preparing our young people to take their place as informed, engaged and empowered citizens who will be pivotal in shaping the future of our communities, our province, our country and our global environment.”
Approach. The unit plans, lessons and activities contained in this Guide have been designed to progressively facilitate action through conveying relevant information, building understanding, improving skills and ultimately facilitate sustainable actions. The resources integrate problem-solving, hands-on learning, cooperative learning and teamwork, fostering leadership, entrepreneurship, teamwork, interpersonal communications and individual TEACHER resiliency skills among participating students.
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5. Gerald A Lieberman & Linda L Hoody, Closing the Achievement Gap: Using the Environment as an integrating context for Learning (San Diego: State Education and Roundtable, 1998) 6. Gerald A Lieberman & Linda L Hoody, Closing the Achievement Gap: Using the Environment as an integrating context for Learning (San Diego: State Education and Roundtable, 1998). 7. Cornelius, M. et al. (2014) “Increasing energy- and greenhouse gas-saving behaviors among adolescents: a school-based cluster-randomized controlled trial” Energy Efficiency 7 217-242 at 217 [Cornelius et al., 2014]. See also Craig, C. A. & Allen, M. W. (2015), “The impact of curriculum based learning on environmental literacy and energy consumption with implications for policy” Utilities Policy 35 41-49. 8. Cornelius et al., 2014 at 235. 9. Report of the Working Group on Environmental Education, Shaping Our Schools: Shaping Our Future: Environmental Education in Ontario Schools (June 2007). 10. Monroe, M., Andrews, E., & Biedenweg, K. (2007), “A framework for environmental education strategies”, Applied Environmental Education and Communication, 6, 205‐216. See also Bray, B. & Cridge, A. G. (2013), “Can Education Programmes Effect Long Term Behaviour Change”, International Journal of Innovative Interdisciplinary Research, 2:1, 27-33. 6 Note on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
More broadly, the purpose, rationale and approach of this Guide aligns with the spirit of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, adopted on September 25th 2015 to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all as part of a new sustainable development agenda.
To achieve the goals, the United Nations states “everyone needs to do their part: governments, the private sector, civil society and [individuals]”. Their success therefore depends on educating all citizens – especially children – about the underlying issues and actions available to address them. The Global Goals addressed through this learning plan framework include: Goal 7 – Affordable and Clean Energy; Goal 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities; Goal 13 – Climate Action, among others. Appropriately employing solar PV systems to stimulate discussion of these topics will better position students to participate in their communities with the knowledge, perspective and skills necessary to understand and develop solutions to contemporary environmental and social challenges as active, engaged and empowered citizens. TEACHER
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7 11. United Nations, “The Global Goals for Sustainable Development” Concepts and Principles
Concepts
The unit plans, lessons and activities contained in this Guide engage with the following concepts:
• Ecological footprint and climate change • needs and wants of living things, human impact on Nature, social and community action • Energy Literacy • Energy and electricity • Generating energy – renewable and non-renewable • Energy consumption • Sustainability • Netukulimk, ecology, interconnectiveness, stewardship
You will notice some words and concepts that may be unfamiliar in this renewed curriculum document, such as interconnectiveness, Netukulimk, Etuaptmumk (two-eyed seeing). We encourage you to refer to Appendix C for additional reading on this topic.
Principles of Energy Literacy
The following are the specific learning objectives encapsulated by the unit plans, lessons and activities contained in this Guide. The lessons engage with the principles progressively, building on and supporting student exploration of the concepts across grade-levels and subject matter areas, with more emphasis on all principles by the end of Grade 6.
1. The natural world (living things and the environment) are interconnected. 2. Living things need energy. 3. Needs and wants can hurt the environment but we can take care of the environment to keep it healthy (esp. air and water). 4. We are all responsible to be stewards of the Earth. 5. Energy takes many forms, including sunlight and electricity. 6. Some sources of energy can be harmful to the environment by releasing too much carbon. 7. Plants use light energy to make food. 8. Sunlight provides heat and energy that can be harnessed. 9. Sunlight availability changes throughout the year. 10. Photovoltaic solar panels can generate energy from sunlight. 11. Energy generated through renewable energy sources have a low carbon footprint.
12. Monitoring energy consumption can yield insights about energy efficiency. TEACHER
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8 Inquiry-based Education
Educational reform has embraced inquiry-based education for its ability to inspire, to create innovative, curious thinkers. This shift away from the banking model of education, that relies on the passive acquisition of facts, signifies a shift towards the adoption of a transformative and constructive educational approach, whereby authentic engagement and meaningful learning can be fostered. By posing questions that might not necessarily have answers, learners become adept at solving problems and a sense of their own agency in their learning.
Inquiry-based Learning Plan
At each grade level, suggested inquiry questions are introduced within the framework for each grade and possible resources are indicated. This framework provides the context and objectives for learning at each grade level, and shows the linkages in Science and Social Studies, with suggested lessons and activities. These individual lessons (2-4 suggested within the learning plan at each grade) are inter-disciplinary in nature are often appropriate for a range of grade levels and are not necessarily stand-alone: as such, these lessons can be revisited through the lens of various subjects as a feature within the school year planning. This approach facilitates adaptation to multi-level classrooms, at a school-wide initiative and can be adapted to the needs of learners.
The lessons at each level begin with an engagement phase, an inquiry/research/experimentation phase followed by an action or reflection phase. Some lessons may be best organized as whole class activities, some as stations in small groups using a workshop approach, while others may be best seen as data collection that happens for a couple of minutes every day over several months followed by analysis.
Each lesson includes suggested assessment and potential modifications inclusive of other grade levels and learning needs. The lesson plan framework focuses on outcomes in Science and Social Studies, and for each lesson, extensions in other disciplines (Mathematics, Art, Music, Physical Education, French, etc.) are included, where appropriate. We encourage teachers to work together to incorporate an authentic interdisciplinary approach with themes that strengthen conceptual knowledge and skills and competencies across disciplines and grade levels.
Each lesson has the same structure: Title, Objective(s), Concepts and Keywords, Materials, and Activities (list). Any potential modifications for other grade levels or opportunities for cross-curricular extensions would be included in Notes at the end.
These activities are aligned with the Nova Scotia Department of Education and Early Childhood Development 2019 Streamlined Curriculum outlines the Science and Social Studies Outcomes for P-6, and the 2015 WNCP Mathematics curriculum. While the language may be specific to Nova Scotia, including competencies and skills, the activities are broadly applicable and may be adapted to learning experiences in other provinces. TEACHER
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9 Grade Primary - Living Things and our Environment
Science Outcome Social Studies Outcome Guiding Questions Activities- Literacy Math Learners will… Learners will…
P Compare living Investigate how What do we see, hear, Literacy Story books, things through the cooperation is an smell, feel outside in learning names of plants senses important part of being a nature? (Develop an and animals; drawing group member appreciation/relationship about nature; making with nature using senses) observations about nature using the senses and What is energy? multiple perspectives
How can we work (Two-eyed Seeing - together to help the Etuaptmumk) environment? Math Counting, sorting, Classification
Primary Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3
Theme Engagement Experiencing Energy Exploration Observing living things Action Taking care of the Earth
Guiding What is energy? What do we see, hear, smell, How can we work Question feel outside in nature? together to help the environment?
Lesson(s) 1 Experiencing Energy 4 Connecting with Nature 5 Citizen Naturalist 2 Mr. Golden Sun 6 Sun Art 3 It All Starts with the Sun TEACHER
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10 Grade 1 – Interconnectiveness and Change
Science Outcome Social Studies Guiding Questions Activities- Outcome Literacy Math
Learners will… Learners will…
1 Analyse daily and Implement age- How does the Literacy seasonal change in appropriate actions for environment change over Story books, learning names the environment; responsible behaviour time? of plants and animals; in caring for the drawings about nature and Analyse environment; How are we connected to caring for the environment; interconnectiveness the natural environment? spending time learning how of living things and Analyse the difference to make observations about the environment between needs and How do our choices daily and seasonal changes wants (needs and wants) in nature have an impact on the (Etuaptmumk) environment? Math What does it mean to care Counting, sorting, for the environment? Classification, data collection (tally)
1 Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3
Theme Engagement Energy, Growth Investigation Connections Action Taking care of the Earth and Change
Question(s) How does the environment How are we connected to How do our choices (needs and change over time? the natural environment? wants) have an impact on the environment? and What does it mean to care for the environment?
Lesson(s) 2 Mr. Golden Sun 3 It All Starts with the Sun 7 Renewable and Non-renewable
TEACHER 5 Citizen Naturalist 4 Connecting with Nature Energy 6 Sun Art 8 Understanding the Grid 9 Energy Needs and Wants (and Going Camping)
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11 Grade 2 – Sustainability and Energy in the Environment
Science Outcome Social Studies Guiding Questions Activities- Outcome Literacy Math
Learners will… Learners will…
2 Analyse Investigate how How do animals grow, Literacy interconnectiveness decisions are made as change and use energy? Story books, learning names of air and water in consumers; of plants and animals the environment How is sustainability (Mi’kmaw Analyse ways for (renewable energy Visit local farm, solar, wind perspective); supporting sustainable choices) connected to air, power, smart buildings development in local water and animal growth? Analyse animal communities Math growth and the How can we make Comparing numbers – scale; environment consumer decisions Patterns in growth; that support sustainable Recording measurements development (energy)?
2 Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3
Theme Engagement Animals use Observing Action Taking care of the Earth Energy Interconnectiveness
Question How do animals grow, How are the air and water How do our consumer choices change and use energy? interconnected, and how (needs vs. wants) affect the are they important to us? air and water, or animal growth in the environment, inclusive of Netukulimk (and sustainability)?
Lesson(s) 3 It All Starts with the Sun 4 Connecting with Nature 7 Renewable and 10 My Animal Uses Energy 5 Citizen Naturalist Non- renewable Energy
6 Sun Art 8 Understanding the Grid TEACHER Also, 9 Energy Needs and Wants *Dept of Agriculture Chick 11 Sustainability Problem Hatch program Solvers 12 Energy Superheroes
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12 Grade 3 – Plants and Sustainability
Science Outcome Social Studies Guiding Questions Activities- Outcome Literacy Math
Learners will… Learners will…
3 Analyse plants in the Implement strategies How do plants use light Multiple Perspectives environment; that promote positive energy? (Two-eyed Seeing - interactions in the Etuaptmumk) Construct a structure community; How can we address the -Three sisters story in response to a UN global goals? design challenge Investigate the rights Community Action plan and responsibilities of How can we grow food citizens in a democracy sustainably for us and our Soil and plants – agricultural neighbours? practices and our food – Investigate decisions School cafeteria and waste/ that affect social, social, Awareness campaign - food production, Planting mental and emotional Food rights/community tree/garden challenge health gardens • Healthy food choices Visit local farm, solar, wind • School cafeteria and power, smart buildings waste Solar car construction How can we solve a challenge design challenge? How do the shapes and Math – measuring and materials we use influence geometry (shapes) the properties of the structure?
3 Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3
Theme Engagement Energy Exploration Energy and Society Community Action Taking and the Environment care of the Earth TEACHER Question How can we use the energy How can we address the UN How can we grow food from the Sun? global goals? sustainably for us and our neighbors?
Lesson(s) 4 Connecting with Nature 7 Renewable and 15 Community Action project 5 Citizen Naturalist Non-renewable Energy 17 Build a Passive Solar House RESOURCE GUIDE 6 Sun Art 8 Understanding the Grid (greenhouse) 10 My Animal Uses Energy 9 Energy Needs and Wants 13 Indicators of Energy: 11 Sustainability UV-Sensitive Beads Problem Solvers 14 Harnessing the 12 Energy Superheroes Sun’s Energy 16 Build a Solar Powered Car
13 Grade 4 – Light Energy and Habitats
Science Outcome Social Studies Guiding Questions Activities- Outcome Literacy Math
Learners will… Learners will…
4 Investigate Investigate the What features of local Literacy properties of light relationships between habitats are important Winter and summer solar and how light is used humans and the for animals and plants’ output (Seasonal change) physical environment. survival? How do weather and habitats (Etuaptmumk) Investigate local and climate change the natural habitats; Earth? Energy and Light- Energy consumption Analyse What is light and how can interconnectiveness light be used to produce? Community Action of and within local (Solar energy intro) Project – Climate Change natural habitats; education to the community What is our relationship Investigate how with the Earth? Climate and habitat – Earth surface How can we take care of humans and animals changes over time; the Earth? Campaign/ project Math Measurement, Data collection
4 Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3
Theme Engagement Animals Observing Action Taking care of the Earth use Energy Interconnectiveness
Question What features of local What is light and how can What is our relationship with habitats are important light be used to produce the Earth? for animals and plants’ energy? How can we take care of the survival? How do weather Earth?
and climate change the TEACHER Earth?
Lesson(s) 4 Connecting with Nature 8 Understanding the Grid 6 Sun Art 5 Citizen Naturalist 13 Indicators of Energy: UV 9 Energy Needs and Wants 10 My Animal uses Energy sensitive Beads 11 Sustainability 14 Harnessing the Sun’s Problem-solvers Energy (plants) 12 Energy Superheroes RESOURCE GUIDE 16 Build a Solar Powered Car 15 Community Action Project 17 Build a Passive Solar House 18 Construct a Solar-Powered Oven 19 Make a Human Sundial 20 The Albedo Effect, Jr. 21 Sun Protection Investigation
14 Grade 5 - Weather, Seasons, and Geography
Science Outcome Social Studies Guiding Questions Activities- Outcome Literacy Math
Learners will… Learners will…
5 Investigate weather Investigate the stories How are sunlight and the Environmental stories from and how it impacts of various explorers, weather related and how do many cultures – including daily life inclusive of…; they change over the year? indigenous and other perspectives Test how physical Investigate how How is weather different Ex. Muin and the Seven Bird and chemical change environment influenced than climate? Hunters (Mi’Kmaw story) affect the properties the development of an of matter ancient society How does the climate Phenology focus -citizen (Geography) and geography of an area science determine how habitable it is? Math Measurement, Data literacy How do physical and chemical changes affect the properties of matter?
5 Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3
Theme Engagement Human survival Observing Light Energy Action and climate Citizen naturalist Data Collection
Question How does the weather How do physical and chemical How does weather change and geography of an area changes affect the properties over time, and how is this determine how habitable of matter? related to climate? it is?
Lesson(s) 4 Connecting with Nature 6 Sun Art 15 Community Action Project
TEACHER 5 Citizen Naturalist 13 Indicators of Energy: (weather and climate data focus) (phenology focus) UV sensitive Beads 19 Make a Human Sundial 14 Harnessing the Sun’s 16 Build a Solar Powered Car 22 Solar Output and Weather Energy (plants) 17 Build a Passive Solar House 18 Construct a Solar-Powered Oven 20 The Albedo Effect, Jr. RESOURCE GUIDE 21 Sun Protection Investigation
15 Grade 6 - Electricity and Renewable Energy, Sustainability and Biodiversity
Science Outcome Social Studies Guiding Questions Activities- Outcome Literacy Math
Learners will… Learners will…
6* Test the flow of Compare sustainability How do we investigate Design Challenge: electrical energy practices between electricity and energy? through various Canada and a selected How can we monitor our Use UV light to power NASA materials; country; energy consumption? expedition
Evaluate renewable Implement age How do countries Math and non-renewable appropriate actions compare with Canada Number sense: Calculations- sources of energy that demonstrate with regards to renewable percentages, measurement, responsibility as global energy and other time; graphing variable Analyse the citizens sustainability practices? (light intensity/solar output) biodiversity of over time life in nature How do changes in the and significant environment affect the relationships within organisms that live there? the natural world.
6 Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3
Theme Engagement Exploration Action Biodiversity Electricity and Renewable Taking care of the Earth and non-renewable sources of energy
Question How do changes in the How do we investigate How do countries compare environment affect the electricity and renewable with Canada with regards to
organisms that live there? and non-renewable energy? renewable energy and other TEACHER sustainability practices?
Lesson(s) 4 Connecting with Nature 16 Build a Solar Powered Car 11 Sustainability Problem 5 Citizen Naturalist 17 Build a Passive Solar House Solvers 6 Sun Art 18 Construct a 12 Energy Superheroes 14 Harnessing the Solar-Powered Oven 15 Community Action Project Sun’s Energy (plants) 22 Solar Output and Weather RESOURCE GUIDE 21 Sun Protection Investigation *Clean Energy School Workshop (circuits)
16 LESSON PLANS TEACHER RESOURCE GUIDE
17 Lesson Name Description Subject(s) NS Aligned Pages Grade Level(s)*
1 Experiencing Activity that ask students to Science P-2 20 Energy describe energy and to use their senses to observe energy around them
2 Mr. Golden Sun Activity to promote investigation Science P-2 22 of light from various sources and understanding about the processes that use the sun’s energy
3 It All Starts with the Kinesthetic activity to demonstrate Science, P-2 23 Sun the flow of energy from the sun to Physical plants, animals, and humans while Education working on their gross motor skills in catching
4 Connecting with Outdoor activity to experience Science, P-6 25 Nature nature and use their senses to describe their experience
5 Citizen Naturalist Activity to make observations about Science, P-6 26 an ecosystem, identify species Math to an age-appropriate level, and collect data to deepen awareness
6 Sun Art Creating art on fabric, canvas Science P-6 30 or paper using sunlight and surrounding natural objects
7 Renewable and Introduction for younger students (P- Science, 1-2 32 Non-renewable 2) to renewable and non-renewable Social Energy energy, including a song! Studies
8 Understanding the Fun outdoor activity where students Social 1-3 34 Grid cooperate to distribute limited Studies
electricity resources TEACHER
9 Energy Needs and Discussion about needs and wants, Social 1-4 36 Wants leading to classifying various items Studies and energy uses
10 My Animal Uses Investigation into animals’ energy Science 1-2 39 Energy needs and animal adaptations RESOURCE GUIDE
11 Sustainability Exploration of the meaning Science, 2-6+ 42 Problem Solvers of sustainability from multiple Social perspectives, including Netukulimk Studies
12 Energy Brainstorming energy wasting Science, 2-4 44 Superheroes activities, finding solutions and Social then creating an Energy Superhero! Studies
18 13 Indicators of Using ultraviolet sensitive beads to Science 3-6 47 Energy: UV- investigate that light is a form of Sensitive Beads energy
14 Harnessing the Experiment to investigate how Science 3 49 Sun’s Energy energy affects plant growth, when plants receive differing amounts of energy
15 Community Action Activity using UN Global Goals Social 3-6+ 52 Project as a catalyst in identifying a local Studies community issue that they want to help solve
16 Build a Solar Activity to design, build, test, and Science 3-6+ 60 Powered Car race model cars that are powered by mini solar PV panels and batteries
17 Build a Passive Learners use recycled materials to Science, 3-6+ 62 Solar House design and build a passively heated Social solar house Studies
18 Construct a Solar Class activity to use recycled Science 4-6+ 69 Oven materials to construct an outdoor oven powered by sunlight
19 Make a Human Outdoor activity to track the Science 4-5 71 Sundial movement of the sun by creating a human sundial (gnomon)
20 The Albedo Effect, Experiment to test the effect of Science 4-6+ 73 Jr. dark and light colours on melting ice in the sun (albedo effect)
21 Sun Protection Devise an experiment to test the Science 4-6+ 75 Investigation efficacy of various sunscreens with varying SPF levels
TEACHER 22 Solar Output and Activity collecting and interpreting Science 5-6+ 77 Weather weather data and compare with energy production data collected from solar panels
*Note: While these lessons were designed and aligned with Nova Scotia Science and Social Studies Curriculum RESOURCE GUIDE outcomes, students and teachers from other provinces in Canada and internationally will find many activities in this collection of lessons to complement their learning about sustainability and renewable energy.
When a ‘+’ is added to the end of the Grade range, this indicates that it can be adapted for older students. Many of the activities for Grade 6 can be modified to extend learning into middle school with additional depth, and using more mathematics to analyze data, incorporating resources such as stories to enhance literacy.
19 LESSON 1 Experiencing Energy Gr. P-2
Prep Time Activity Time Location none 10-20 minutes Indoor and Outdoor Activity
Objectives
Learners will describe energy in their daily lives and its origins, and will recognize that it can be used and made. Energy has 5 different forms: Light, heat, motion, sound and growth. They will experience forms of energy in the environment around them and describe them using their senses.
Concepts and Keywords
Energy, energy use
Materials
• Whiteboard or easel pad • Markers
Activities
1. Warm-up: Begin with a few minutes of dancing or movement: sing Head and Shoulders and do the actions, or put on the chicken dance, or even play a warm-up game. 2. Ask students where the energy to do these activities comes from. How do we use up our energy? What
other kinds of energy can they think of? Make a list or concept map of their ideas on the whiteboard. TEACHER 3. Ask students to describe what else has energy. How do we know? 4. What is energy? How can we observe energy with our senses? • Go outside and ask kids: • to feel the wind on their face or water running over their hands (Motion), • to look at the light of the sun (Light) • to feel the warmth of the sun on their skin (Heat). • to feel the flow of running water on their hands (Motion), and RESOURCE GUIDE • to hear the sound of the water. • to notice living things use energy to move and grow (Animals use food energy or plants use the sun’s energy). 5. Ask kids to describe how energy feels to them. Ask learners to create drawings or write simple statements about energy in their lives.
Source: National Energy Education Development Project “The Sun and its Energy”
20 Additional Information about Energy
While motion, growth, light and heat are obvious examples of energy, the following supports an understanding of how sound is also a form of energy.
A sound is anything that can be heard. Music, the barking of a dog, the wailing of a siren, and the voice of a friend are all sounds.”,
What makes sound? For a sound to be made and heard, three things need to happen. First, an object vibrates. A vibrating object makes tiny, very fast back-and-forth movements. For example, when a musician strums guitar strings, they vibrate. The vibration moves the surrounding air and produces waves of sound. Second, the sound waves pass into a medium. A medium is any substance through which the waves can travel. Sound waves may travel through many mediums.
Source: Brittanica Kids TEACHER
RESOURCE GUIDE
21 LESSON 2 Mr. Golden Sun Gr. P-2
Prep Time Activity Time Location Fast 30-45-minutes Indoor or Outdoor Activity
Objectives
Learners will be able to describe light from various sources and understand the processes that use the sun’s energy. Learners will also describe how the absence of the sun would affect their lives.
Concepts and Keywords
Light as energy, sunlight and artificial light, life on earth requires light
Materials
• Whiteboard or easel pad • Markers • Music player and speakers (optional)
Activities
Have a class discussion about the sun with the class. This can begin by playing Raffi’s “Mr. Golden Sun” for younger students.
Questions for students and discussion points may include: TEACHER • How is day different than the night? • How do we see at night? Explain that we must use artificial light to see at night, but sunlight allows us to see during the day. • Why does it get colder at night? • How are the lengths of day and night different in the summer compared to the winter? • Is it warmer on sunny days or cloudy days? Why? • Do need sunlight to see? What are other sources of light? RESOURCE GUIDE • What would be like to live without a sun, or with two suns? What if Earth was closer to the sun?
Turn off the classroom lights and have students try to read or identify an object by sunlight. Now close the blinds and have them try.
As you have the discussion, on a whiteboard, create a mind map with the sun in the center and have students volunteer all the things they know about the sun. Each idea can be joined to the center by one “ray” of the sun. The map should look like a sun upon completion!
22 LESSON 3 It All Starts with the Sun Gr. P-2
Prep Time Activity Time Location 5 minutes 15 minutes Indoor or Outdoor Activity
Objective
Almost all the energy on earth originates from the sun. Energy flows from the sun to plants to animals. Students will describe and demonstrate the flow of energy from the sun to plants, animals, and humans while working on their gross motor skills in catching.
Concepts and Keywords
Energy, flow, transformation
Materials
• String or a soft ball • Name tags or cards
Activities
Tell students that they will be showing how almost everything on earth gets energy from the sun.
Ask students to come up to front of class for a demonstration. TEACHER Give each student a role. They can place a card with their role on their shirt. One student is the sun. The sun tosses a tennis ball to another student to show the transfer of solar energy to plants. The energy flow continues as the energy is transferred from one thing to another by eating it, or the transformation into another energy form. Explain that plants use the sun’s energy to make their own food and grow larger. You will also need to explain that oil and other fossil fuels are made from plants but require millions of years to form.
RESOURCE GUIDE Examples
Sun--- Plants--- Mouse--- Snake--- Hawk--- Mushrooms
Sun--- Plants--- Oil--- Cars
Sun--- Plants--- Cows--- Meat---- Humans
Sun--- Solar PV panels--- Electricity--- Lightbulb
And more!
23 Modifications
- Use balls of yarn instead of tennis balls to show the flow of energy from the sun, passing it around between students.
- With older students discuss the type of energy that is transferred and created with each flow.
Resources for Additional Information
Nelson Literacy 1 Cross-Curricular Kit: Energy in Our Lives Nova Scotia Book Bureau # 1000665
“Who Likes the Sun?” by Etta Kaner
“Why Should I Save Energy?” by Jen Green
“Energy Makes Things Happen” by Kimberly Bradley
Source: National Energy Education Development Project (NEED) Primary Energy Infobook Activities TEACHER
RESOURCE GUIDE
24 LESSON 4 Connecting with Nature Gr. P-6
Prep Time Activity Time Location none Frequently, 10-20 min. or longer Outdoor Activity Objectives
Learners will experience nature and use their senses to describe their experience, being aware and observant.
Concepts and Keywords
Nature, living things, non-living things, beauty/appreciation of nature, patterns
Materials
• Drawing supplies • Science journals
Activities
This activity should be done often, even daily, as a separate activity from their playtime outside. The goal is to be observant and aware. Learners will describe their feelings, their impressions, the sounds of the wind, animals and birds they notice, rocks, tree logs, or even traces of humans (litter).
Ask “When we go outside and we’re quiet what do we hear?” A class could go for a walk, walking slowly and trying to be as quiet as possible to hear the birds and other animals. Or they could sit quietly in their schoolyard.
TEACHER The class should sit together after their time outside to share a story to describe what they saw, smelled, heard, and felt. Did they think something was beautiful or ugly? How did it make them feel? Did they see a special insect or other animal? Did they see any patterns in the forms of the trees or plants, or a special rock? Learners can make an entry in their science journals, as a drawing or a story to record their experience.
Extensions and Modifications RESOURCE GUIDE
Special objects (rocks, fallen leaves, feathers, pinecones, etc.) can be collected to make art. See lesson 6 for incorporating this with Sun Art / Nature Paper.
This lesson could be modified for older students, where it is carried out as a silent activity, and students sit alone for a short time with a notebook to record their thoughts, feeling and observations while sitting in a special spot.
Another modification could be Camera, where children will work in groups to appreciate the visual beauty of nature by selecting a scene or viewpoint of a natural setting. One learner in the small group will close their eyes, and the members of their group will choose a beautiful scene. They lead the child (carefully with their eyes closed) to the special spot and ask them to open their eyes for only 5 seconds. They need to be very observant and use their memory to recreate the scene! They close their eyes again are lead back to the start. From memory, they must draw the scene, and then describe it and reflect on it. 25 LESSON 5 Become a Citizen Naturalist Gr. P-6
Prep Time Activity Time Location 10 minutes 30-45 minutes Indoor and Outdoor Activity Background
By becoming a citizen naturalist and observing the species around us, students will develop a deeper connection with nature and become aware of any changes taking place. There are many ways to study nature. This activity has students observe an ecosystem, identify species to an age appropriate level, and collect data. Counting, tallying and writing skills will be practised.
Get learners to begin thinking about what scientists do to track climate change. One way to know how life is being affected by climate change is to observe and count the species around us.
First Nations connection- orienting to a place (observe nature from the four cardinal directions) and changing positions (observing nature from eye level)
“The four (or more) cardinal directions generally serve as allegories for sacred orientations to places in Indigenous traditions. Each has associated plants, animals, and natural phenomena. And each of the plants and animals represents a perspective, a way of looking at something in the center that humans are trying to know.” –Gregory Cajete Objective
An outdoor activity where students will become a citizen naturalist by observing their surroundings, collecting data and reporting.
Concepts and Keywords TEACHER Data collection, citizen science, Etuaptmumk (two-eyed seeing), collaboration, appreciating and observing the natural world
Materials
• Pencils RESOURCE GUIDE • BLM and clipboards, or science journals • Hula hoops or pieces of string cut to length of 150 cm, 1 per group (to form a circle, smaller may be better for younger students, depending on species density within the sample size (i.e. will they be counting hundreds of blades of grass?)
26 Activities
Introduction Guiding Questions for younger learners: • Ask learners What do scientists do? A scientist is a person who tries to understand our world, or how things in our world work. Some scientists study the natural world (like bees, weather, oceans, or plants). • Ask learners What is a naturalist? A naturalist is a scientist who studies nature. Naturalists are experts in natural history. They study not only living things, such as plants and wildlife, but non-living things, such as minerals and fossils. • Ask learners How do naturalists study nature? By looking at it, writing down what they see, counting, and talking about it.
Guiding Questions for older learners • What causes climate change? Air pollution that contributes to greenhouse gases from driving, burning fuels to heat buildings, electricity from fossil fuels, throwing away garbage, etc. • What are the effects from climate change that we are aware of? Temperature changes over time, plant and animal species dying, loss of habitat and food sources, more rainfall, more flooding, more droughts, etc. • How do scientists monitor the effects of climate change? Counting the number of species in a particular area, tracking changes in life cycles, collecting rain, monitoring temperature, etc.
Warm up
Read a storybook about protecting nature with the class (see resources), or watch a short video about this topic. Discuss as a class, discuss the area they are visiting. Have any of the learners visited the area before? Does anyone have any stories?
On a sunny day, head outside with students. Explain that they will be naturalists today, observing and recording what they see. This can be done in a wooded area, a field, a beach, even their playground, as long as there is nature to observe.
Connect
Start by asking the students to find an object, such as a tree, a flower, rock, pine cone, leaf, etc. Tell them to quietly observe (without touching, if possible) their object from the four cardinal directions (north, south, east and west), and from above and below if possible. Ask them how changing their view changes what they see.
Now ask students to lie down so they are eye level with the ground and try to imagine they are insects. What does their world look like as an insect? What are your senses telling you in this position? What can you see, smell, hear, and feel that is different from when you were standing up. TEACHER Record
Now have the students break up into groups of 2-4. Each group will get a hula hoop (length of string). They should spread out and lay down (or toss) their hoop. This is their sample for data collection.
Then they will use the Naturalist Observation BLM to record their data. For younger students, they can draw a RESOURCE GUIDE picture of the species or object and try to write the name, then count the number they see or do a tally. Older students can write the name or the species, do a tally and write down the final count. Instruct students to count everything in their sample space. Rocks, insects, leaves, grass, garbage, etc.
27 Analyze
When data collection is complete, hold a discussion about their observations.
• What did you observe the most of? • What did you see that was surprising? • What questions are you left with, or what else would you like to know? • How can we monitor changes over time? • How can observation help us monitor climate change?
Notes:
Extensions and Modifications
• Monitor several times throughout the school year and compare data collected. • Extension for older students- extrapolate! How many hula hoops could you fit into the area you sampled? How would you calculate the total number of a certain species by using the data you collected? • Hold a school-wide data collection event. • Modification- The Connect, Record, and Analyze activities can be done on different days. • Create a field guide for the local park or woods area, with names for the animals and plants. Publish it online for the community. • Participate through Citizen Science websites: Pollinator project, Project budburst, etc. • Refer to the following for more information: https://greenteacher.com/developing-a-sense-of-place- through-native-science-activities-2/ TEACHER
RESOURCE GUIDE
28 Become a Citizen Naturalist
Name or draw what you see Tally TEACHER
RESOURCE GUIDE
29 LESSON 6 Sun Art Gr. P-6
Prep Time Activity Time Location 15 minutes 30-45-minutes Indoor and Outdoor Activity Objective
Students will use sunlight and surrounding nature to create art on fabric, canvas or paper. Students will create a design or pattern using collected objects from nature. They will develop an appreciation for the beauty of shapes found in nature and the power of the sun.
Concepts and Keywords
Solar energy, light, heat, absorption
Materials
• Natural objects such as collected leaves, flowers, or flower petals that can be pressed flat • Method 1- White fabric or small art canvasses and Acrylic paint or fabric paint • Method 2 - SunArt (also called Nature Art paper), basin with water and line and clothespins for hanging wet
Activities
Tell students that they will be using the power of the sun to make some beautiful artwork today. Explain that the sun’s rays provide us with heat and light, which is called solar energy. Today you will use that solar energy to help create a special painting. TEACHER First, leaves, flower petals, and any other natural items must be collected. A nature walk is a perfect opportunity to do this. Dried leaves and flowers tend to not lay flat because of their crisp edges, so fresh is recommended for this project. Try not to pick or disturb living plants, just collect fallen items!
Method 1 - If you are choosing to do this project on something that will be washed, such as a tea towel, t-shirt, or tote bag, use fabric paint. Otherwise, acrylic paint will work. If fabric will be used as the canvas, make sure it will lay flat, it might need to be ironed first. Any double layered fabric pieces will require a piece of cardboard placed RESOURCE GUIDE between the layers to prevent paint bleeding.
After collecting materials, distribute pieces of white fabric or small art canvasses to students and have them choose a colour(s) to use. They will paint the surface of their canvas and place leaves and other materials collected on the wet paint, ensuring it is nicely flattened for clearly defined edges. After the leaves are positioned, students will place their art pieces in the sun, whether outdoors (watch out for wind) or near a sunny window. After 2-3 hours, the paint should be dry. Students will remove the leaves and reveal their masterpieces.
Tell the students that with the help of solar energy, the leaves absorbed the pigments from the paint, leaving their design behind!
30 Note: Light energy from the sun provided energy for an absorption process to occur as the paint also dried. The leaves absorb particular pigments from the paint, leaving the design behind.
Modification
Use coloured construction paper, and adhere the leaves using rolls of tape, sticky tack, or other removable glue. Place the artwork in the sunlight for several hours until the construction paper has faded and remove the leaves and adhesive.
Method 2 – Using cyanotype paint and paper, or SunArt paper
Paper is coated in iron-based chemicals that are sensitive to light. When light waves touch the paper, a chemical reaction takes place that causes a colour change. By placing objects on the paper, light is blocked from hitting it, but will change the surrounding areas, creating a silhouette. Submerging your paper in water stops the process and fixes the silhouette on paper.
Learners will first design the layout of their art and then in a shaded area will carefully place objects on the exposed paper. This must be done quickly because even indirect light may start to create the chemical reaction. The students expose their paper with objects on top to sun until it starts to change (approximately 2 minutes, but this may vary depending on the sunlight intensity). To stop the colour change reaction, the students will quickly remove the objects and move their drawing into a basin of water, soaking it for a minute. Then the paper is hung up to dry.
Extensions
Mathematics: Use natural objects (plant leaves and flowers, cones, twigs, shells, etc.) and examine natural patterns and shapes. Are there symmetries? Do some shapes repeat? Can species of plant have different symmetries? Any evidence of complicated geometry or repeating patterns at different levels of scale? TEACHER
RESOURCE GUIDE
31 LESSON 7 Renewable and Non-renewable Energy Gr. 1-2
Prep Time Activity Time Location none 20 minutes Indoor Activity Objective
An introduction for younger students (P-2) to renewable and non-renewable energy, including a song!
Concepts and Keywords
Renewable energy, non-renewable energy, resources
Materials
• Whiteboard or easel paper • Markers • Projector (optional)
Activities
Begin by asking students to brainstorm all the different ways we get energy. Record answers on a whiteboard or big piece of paper. If they need more prompting, ask:
• Where do people get energy to talk, think, play, brush our teeth, etc?
• Where do cars get their energy? TEACHER • Where do we get the energy to power electronics, like the TV and lights? • Where do we get energy to power flashlights, toys, and remote controls?
Now introduce the concept of renewable and non-renewable energy. What does renewable mean? Say that renewable means we will always be able to find more of this energy; it will never run out. Non-renewable means that once we use it up, it’s all gone! RESOURCE GUIDE
Show students pictures (via projector or print them out) of renewable and non-renewable energy types (Ex. Refer to https://www.need.org/files/curriculum/guides/PrimaryEnergyInfobookActivities.pdf). Ask them to identify what type of energy it is and whether it is renewable or non-renewable. Have students brainstorm and give their ideas as to why it is renewable or not.
Types of renewable energy: Wind, Solar, Tidal (ocean currents), Biomass, Hydro
Types of non-renewable energy: Nuclear, Coal, Oil, Natural Gas
32 Sing the Renewable Energy song with actions!
Teach students the actions first:
Solar energy- Raise arms above head to make a circle (the sun) and sway side to side
Wind energy- Propel arms around in circles like a windmill
Tidal energy- Move hands and arms in a wave motion
Hydro- Wiggle fingers with hands up above head and move hands down to the ground, like a waterfall
Biomass- Hold nose (because production often involves converting waste into energy)
(To the tune of The Wheels on the Bus)
Chorus: Clean energy is good for us, good for us, good for us Clean energy is good for us Renewable energy!
The sun in the sky goes shine shine shine Shine shine shine shine shine shine The sun in the sky goes shine shine shine Solar energy!
The wind in the air goes whoosh whoosh whoosh Wind energy!
The waves in the sea go crash crash crash Tidal energy!
The water in the dam flows down down down Hydro energy!
Biomass energy uses our waste, uses our waste, uses our waste Biomass energy! TEACHER Resources
Nelson Literacy 1 Cross-Curricular Kit: Energy in Our Lives Nova Scotia Book Bureau # 1000665
“Who Likes the Sun?” by Etta Kaner RESOURCE GUIDE
“Why Should I Save Energy?” by Jen Green
“Energy Makes Things Happen” by Kimberly Bradley
Source: National Energy Education Development Project (NEED) Primary Energy Infobook Activities
33 LESSON 8 Understanding the Grid Gr. 1-3
Prep Time Activity Time Location 5 mins 15-30 mins Outdoor Activity Objectives
A fun outdoor activity where students cooperate to distribute limited electricity resources. Student appreciation of a community’s energy needs, discussion of optimizing personal energy use to promote sustainable development.
Concepts and Keywords
Sustainable energy consumption, community development, compromise, democratic decision-making power grid, energy, daily physical activity, collaboration
Materials
• Bucket • Water • Cups of various sizes, 1 per student • Marker for numbering cups • Numbered slips of paper for assigning cups
Note: Invite students to bring in cups of various sizes from the recycling. Ensure that you use a marker with non-toxic ink and reused paper. TEACHER Preparation
1. Ensure that the bucket contains less water than all the cups when full. 2. Number cups using a permanent marker. 3. Create numbered slips of paper that correspond to the cups. 4. Place the slips of paper in a hat or sack for drawing. RESOURCE GUIDE
Activity
1. Fill bucket with water. 2. In an outdoor space, explain that the water in the bucket is the amount of electricity available to the community, and the cups represent buildings that need electricity to function. Some cups are bigger to represent larger needs. 3. Have students draw numbers and pick a cup. 4. Explain that small cups are households, but big cups are services that use lots of energy like hospitals, factories, government buildings, etc.
34 5. In the first round, have a student use the bucket to try to fill everyone’s cup. Explain that spillage is wasted electricity from things like heat, inefficient generators, cloudy or windless days, etc. 6. In the second round, allow students to try to figure out how to distribute the water. 7. Regroup and discuss what happens when small cups don’t get enough electricity vs. large cups. Students should be thinking about how households can make do with less electricity compared to hospitals or other “important” buildings. 8. In the third round, allow students to figure out how to distribute water again, hopefully prioritizing important services.
Modification
Initially provide enough water to fill all the cups but implement a time limit so that more water is spilled during distribution. Empty cups back into the bucket and distribute the cups each round and/or reduce the time limit. Eventually, there will not be enough water to fill all the cups because of all the “electricity” that was “wasted”.
Extension 1
Calculate the volume of water needed to fill all cups and determine the volume of water available.
Extension 2
Correlate the volume of water needed to a given quantity of megawatts or kilowatts. Determine how many PV panels it would take to fill every cup in the “community”.
For example: Each household cup holds 250ml of water and represents 20kW of electricity. Each ml represents .08kW or 80 watts. The bucket can hold 12000ml of water, or 960kW (rounded up this could be a megawatt as if the community was sharing a single large wind turbine or a solar farm that takes up 2 acres). In this example, there should be some “cups” that are at least a full litre, or the bucket should hold less than 12 litres. TEACHER
RESOURCE GUIDE
35 LESSON 9 Energy Needs and Wants (and Going Camping!) Gr. 1-4
Prep Time Activity Time Location None 20-30 mins (P-3) Indoor Activity Objective
A discussion about needs and wants, leading to classifying various items and energy uses. Learners will see that most of our energy use falls under the ‘want’ category.
Concepts and Keywords
Energy, needs, wants, sustainability
Materials
• Paper and writing utensils • Whiteboard, if desired
Activity
Start by asking the class to explain the difference between a ‘need’ and a ‘want’. A need is something an organism requires to live a healthy life. Basic needs for humans are: air, water, food, clothing and shelter to survive. A want is something, well, you want! It’s nice to have it, but it isn’t necessary for survival. You need food but you want ice cream. You need water but you want fruit punch! TEACHER
Ask students to come up with ideas for things they want. Make a list on the board or a big sheet of paper. Next, ask students for ideas of things they need. What do some people need, but not others?
Now for energy needs and wants: ask students about the following items on the list. They all use energy in some way, but how many of them do we actually NEED? Tell them to put one hand in the air if they think it is a WANT and two hands up if it is a NEED. Discuss why some students might think certain items are a need and not others. RESOURCE GUIDE
• Ipad • Computer • Treadmill • Microwave • Refrigerator • Speed boat • Gas for car • Electric toothbrush • Batteries • Cell phone • Toaster • Wind • Heat for a warm house • Barbeque • Healthy food • Video games • Watch • Sunlight to grow plants • Blender
36 Modification for older students
Divide students into teams of 2 and have them choose an item, and debate whether it is a want or a need. One group member will debate for “Want” and one for “Need”. Try to come up with reasons some people might have, even if they personally don’t agree!
Extension
A great way let kids see how reliant we are on energy is to talk about camping. Ask students if they have ever gone camping in a tent. What do they do to prepare? What do they bring? How do they cook? What kinds of activities can you do while camping? What kinds of energy won’t be available? What kinds will?
The worksheet below may be used for older students, while all ages can draw a picture of a campsite with their energy modifications! TEACHER
RESOURCE GUIDE
37 BLM - Going Camping!
Write or draw a picture in the spaces below.
How we do it at home: How we do it while camping:
Cooking
Sleeping
Getting around
Playing
Lights
Bathing
Washing dishes
Draw a picture of your campsite: TEACHER
RESOURCE GUIDE
38 LESSON 10 My Animal Uses Energy Gr. 2-4
Prep Time: Activity time: Location: 20 minutes 1 hour, several occasions Indoor Activity Objective
To discover through observation how animals need energy and how they are adapted to use energy. Learners will be able to write or draw observations of animals’ energy needs and animal adaptations.
Concepts and Keywords
Energy needs, adaptation, Electricity, Life cycle
Materials
• Bug boxes • Magnifying glasses • Science journals • Terrarium or see-through habitat (e.g. empty aquarium)
Activities
1. Choose an organism to observe (caterpillar/butterfly, household or classroom pet, etc.) 2. Observe how it is moving. What is it doing? Is it carrying anything? If so, how is it carrying its load?
TEACHER 3. Identify four stages of the animal’s life cycle. List or draw the stages in your science notebook. 4. In your science journal, draw diagrams or your animal from many viewpoints. Write down questions you wonder about your animal. For example, how do ants carry things many times its weight? How can cats jump so high? 5. Answer the following questions (in science journal or use BLM): a. A picture of my animal (drawing) b. A day in the life of ______(describe what your animal does during a day) RESOURCE GUIDE c. Here are some things I wonder about my animal… d. How does your animal use energy? e. Does the animal use electricity for any part of its life cycle? f. Who uses more energy: me or my animal? g. What evidence is there to support my answer?
Source: Energy and Me Curriculum Resource Science 2 and 3
39 My Animal and Energy BLM page 1
A picture of my animal
A day in the life of ______(describe what your animal does during a day) TEACHER
RESOURCE GUIDE
40 My Animal and Energy BLM page 2
Here are some things I wonder about my animal…
How my animal uses energy
Does my animal use electricity for any part of its life cycle?
Who uses more energy: me or my animal? TEACHER
What evidence is there to support my answer?
RESOURCE GUIDE
41 LESSON 11
Sustainability Problem Solvers Gr. 2-6+
Prep Time Activity Time Location 5 minutes Several 30-45-minute periods Indoor and Outdoor Activity Objectives
In this activity learners will explore the meaning of sustainability from multiple perspectives. The 1992 Brundtland report defines sustainability as: “Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” We can also consider the Mi’kmaw concept of Netukulimk, which is a way of seeing the world where all is connected and we live in harmony with nature.
Learners will discuss and brainstorm different sustainability practices that can be applied at home and school (water use, waste reduction, energy conservation). In partners or small groups, they will brainstorm a solution to a sustainability problem, then create a poster showing their solution. In a large group they will share their knowledge through a sharing circle.
Concepts and Keywords
Sustainability, energy conservation, waste reduction, Netukulimk
Materials
• Computer and projector • Flip chart paper and markers or crayons TEACHER Activity
1. Defining Sustainability
Ask students- What is sustainability? How can we balance our wants and needs without taking too much? Write their ideas on the flip chart or whiteboard. RESOURCE GUIDE
Say that sustainability has to do with how fast we use up the earth’s resources and how much waste we produce. Say that we are using up the Earth’s resources faster than the Earth can keep up with- water, air, trees, oil, minerals, etc. Next, watch UN Global Goals Sustainable Development Animated short https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTamnlXbgqc
Any new ideas to add to the whiteboard after watching? Discuss: Is our life sustainable here in Nova Scotia? How is it different in other parts of the world? Show example of lifestyles in a couple other areas of the world.
42 2. Connections with Netukulimk
The Mi’kmaw concept of Netukulimk is an important connection to make at this point. Watch the film produced by NFB Ocean School about Netukulimk produced in collaboration with Elder Albert Marshall, Producer Cathy Martin and artist Shaela Kinting in the resource found here: https://help.oceanschool.nfb.ca/home/educational-resources/inquiry-tools/netukulimk-lesson
Invite students to sit in a circle to discuss what they have learned. Ask students: Why is this concept important? How are Netukulimk and our previous definition of sustainability similar or different? What else are you wondering about?
3. Solving the problem
Have students come up with their own definition of sustainability, and together, discuss about ways we can all make improvements in our home, school, and community.
Say: Now that we understand sustainability better, how can we be more careful? How can we better take care of the Earth?
Record their ideas and create pictures, or a mural with ideas to be more sustainable every day. Post definitions on the wall in the classroom or hallway!
Possible ideas • Conserving energy in the classroom • Reducing waste in students’ lunches • Saving water at home and school • Reducing garbage produced from a birthday party • Low waste holidays • How to buy less • Eating less meat (convincing someone to make a habit change)
Have students implement a class-led community action project (Refer to Lesson 15).
Background Information
“Sustainability is an economic state where the demands placed upon the environment by people and commerce can be met without reducing the capacity of the environment to provide for future generations. It can also be expressed in the simple terms of an economic golden rule for the restorative economy: leave the world better than
TEACHER you found it, take no more than you need, try not to harm life or not of the environment, make amends if you do.” Paul Hawkin’s Ecology of Commerce
Refer to Appendix C for resources on including Indigenous perspectives into environmental teachings including Natural Curiosity (2nd Edition) by D. Anderson, J. Comay and L. Chiarotto, OISE Press, Toronto
RESOURCE GUIDE
43 LESSON 12 Energy Superheroes Gr. 2-4+
Prep Time Activity Time Location 0-5 minutes 30-60 minutes Indoor activity Objectives
Students brainstorm energy wasting activities and then find solutions. They will then create an Energy Superhero complete with special energy saving powers.
Concepts and Keywords
Energy use, finding solutions, youth empowerment, sustainability
Materials
• Whiteboard and markers • BLMs (optional)
Activities
Have students brainstorm a list of different ways energy is wasted. This can be done on a whiteboard as a class, or in small groups using the BLM included below.
Some examples to get started could include: • Leaving the car running while waiting for someone
• Keeping the fridge door open while you decide what to eat TEACHER • Running the taps while brushing your teeth • Leaving the TV on when not watching it • Driving to a nearby place instead of walking • Taking more food than you can eat and throwing the leftovers in the garbage
Once they have made a list, have them come up with solutions to the problems. How can we save energy this way? RESOURCE GUIDE
Next tell students to think of one or more of their energy wasting problems and come up with a superhero who will solve this problem:
• What is your superhero’s name? • What problem does she/he solve? • What superpowers does she/he have? • Draw an illustration of your superhero in action!
Dress up as your energy superhero for a show & tell activity. Encourage students to recognize that they can be their own energy super heros each and every day.
44 BLM: Energy Wasters
Brainstorm as many energy wasters as you can think of: Write the solutions to the energy wasting problems: TEACHER
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45 BLM: Who’s that Energy Superhero?
Name of superhero:
Super energy saving powers:
Draw your Superhero in action! TEACHER
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46 LESSON 13 Indicators of Energy: UV-sensitive Beads Gr. 3-6+
Prep Time Activity Time Location 5 mins 15-30 mins Indoor and Outdoor Activity Objectives
Learners will investigate that light is a form of energy that can cause changes in the properties of materials. Learners will notice that bright light creates a larger colour change in the UV detecting beads, and therefore notice that UV-light in the sunlight can be more intense outside than inside, and that this effect varies depending on weather conditions.
Theory
A chemical in the plastic bead reacts with light such that inside at ambient light, it is whitish and opaque, in the dark it glows yellowy-green, and in the full sun, it turns the brightest colours. Note that the intensity of the sunlight determines the intensity of the colour. On a cloudy day or early in the morning, the colour will be more pastel, compared with noon time direct sun, the brightest version of the bead’s colour. As such, its colour is an indicator of light and UV intensity. Observation of its colour can help guide discussion of energy in the sunlight.
Concepts and Keywords
Ultra-violet (UV) light, Indicator, colour change, intensity
Materials TEACHER • UV-sensitive beads (links at the end of the lesson) • Embroidery floss, keychains, tape and scissors • Optional: Pasco PasPort General Science probe (light intensity)
Activities RESOURCE GUIDE
• Exploration
Students should take the beads out of a dark bag and see the colour change when placed in bright light (near a UV lamp or flashlight) indoors. Then the beads should be taken outside in full sunlight to see how they change to bright colour. Then place them back inside to demonstrate that they change back to white when away from sunlight.
47 • Craft/Art
Learners can make bracelets or keychains that they can attach to their backpacks with the beads. Using embroidery floss, students can use creative colour combinations with the UV sensitive beads, interspersing them with regular coloured beads, making colourful patterns that shift depending on the light conditions. Students can make regular and repeating patterns (Math).
• Light intensity – connecting bead colour with Pasco probe readings
Another use of the beads is to indicate light levels that can be compared to the measurements observed with the Pasco PasPort General Science probes/sensors, the Pasco weather station or the standalone Pasco light intensity meter. The light intensity could be correlated with a colour brightness and then used to visually indicate if light levels when growing plants under different light conditions (Is a plant is receiving adequate sunlight?). These beads detect and respond to UV light intensity for use in experiments with plants (Grade 3 – Harnessing the Sun’s Energy).
• Further classroom ideas for Ultraviolet light detecting Beads: http://cdn.teachersource.com/downloads/lesson_pdf/UV-AST.pdf TEACHER
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48 LESSON 14 Harnessing the Sun’s Energy Gr. 3+
Prep Time Activity Time Location 60 minutes Several 30-45-minute periods Indoor and Outdoor Activity Objectives
Learners will design an experiment to investigate how energy affects plant growth, when plants receive differing amounts of energy.
Concepts and Keywords
Energy, plant growth, experimental design, variables, controlled and experimental variables
Materials
• Seeds • Soil • Plant containers • Graduated Cylinders • Ruler • Pasco General Science probe (optional) • UV-sensitive Beads (optional)
Activities
TEACHER 1. Plant two identical seeds in identical containers using the same amounts of soil. Use a ruler to fill the soil to the same height in each container, and measure the same amount of water into each container after planting the seed.
2. Learners should record their experimental set-up (controlled variables) in their science journals. In the experiment, the controlled variables are the things that will be kept the same throughout the whole experiment: the containers, the amount of soil, the amount of water, the time of watering, and the type of seed. RESOURCE GUIDE
3. This activity can be done with the whole class, in partners or individually. Learners must keep their chosen set-up constant throughout the experiment.
4. Place one container in direct sunlight on the windowsill. Place the other container away from the light in a darker part of the room. Sprinkle several UV-sensitive beads around the base of each plant. Make sure that the container has a waterproof label that indicates the group or student name.
49 5. The variable being measured is the amount of sunlight received by each plant. You can use the Pasco General Science Probe attached to your device with the downloaded app to measure the amount of light received by the plant, and each learner should record the measurements in their journal. At the same time, note the colours of the beads at the base of each plant (bright, pastel, white, etc). Note that the Pasco probes was purchased for each elementary school in NS. To obtain Pasco probes, refer to Appendix C for more information.
6. Have students make a chart of their observations of the plant, the light conditions (bright, direct light, or cloudy, dark, etc.) or intensity (measurement with probe) and the colour of the UV-sensitive beads, and the time of watering. They may copy the headings into their science journals to record their observations, or may use the BLM included.
7. Use these observations to decide on the impact of light on plant growth. Draw a chart (bar graph) for each plant to compare growth over time. TEACHER
RESOURCE GUIDE
50 BLM: Harnessing Energy Observation Chart
Week 1 Height (cm) Day and Time Observation
Plant 1
Plant 2
Week 2 Height (cm) Day and Time Observation
Plant 1
Plant 2
Week 3 Height (cm) Day and Time Observation
Plant
Plant 2 TEACHER Week 4 Height (cm) Day and Time Observation
Plant 1
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Plant 2
51 LESSON 15 Community Action Plan Gr. 3-6+
Prep Time Activity Time Location 10 mins Repeated classes of approx. 45 Outdoor and Indoor Activity minutes Objectives
How can we use our understanding of the Global Goals to improve our community? Learners will use the UN Global Goals as a catalyst in identifying a local community issue that they want to help solve, and to create an action plan to get started.
Specifically, learners will:
• Understand and learn about their community • Create a community map • Examine cause and effect relationships in the community interview • Identify an issue of importance for a change project • Demonstrate critical thinking skills in finding a solution to their community issue
This lesson is adapted from Turning Learning into Action through the World’s Largest Lesson site of the UN Global Goals. Please refer to this link for further important resources. http://cdn.worldslargestlesson.globalgoals.org/2018/06/Turning-Learning-Into-Action-Community-Mapping-For- The-Global-Goals-.pdf
At each Grade level there may be topics that suit your Science outcomes. For instance, in Grade 3, this can be focused on sustainable production of healthy food by constructing a greenhouse and/or garden to supply food to the cafeteria for healthy lunches. In Grade 5 this could be an outreach project on weather events and climate TEACHER change to younger students and the community. In Grade 6, a renewable energy project would be most applicable. Regardless, this action should be large in scope, yet achievable, and relevant to be motivating and meaningful for your students.
Concepts and Keywords RESOURCE GUIDE
United Nations, Global Goals, Sustainable development, community, change project, action plan
Materials
• Access to Internet, tablets or devices for research • Chart paper • Journals for notetaking
52 Activities
Read through the whole lesson plan before beginning. Students will need to have an awareness and understanding of the UN Global Goals - a link to World’s Largest Lesson Part 1 animation which introduces students to the Global Goals can be found at https://vimeo.com/138852758 here.
1. Watch the video: World’s Largest Lesson Animation (Part 3) (5 minutes) Feel free to stop it when needed to prompt discussion. Take a few minutes afterwards to review the key messages and to answer any questions.
2. Connect the Global Goals to Students (10 minutes) Tell children: Now we are going to do some of the things that Astro Girl suggests. Watch the film again and use it to prompt discussion here and in step 3.
Stop the film when the narrator says “The best place to start is with the person you know best - YOU.” Use this to prompt a classroom discussion, Why might the best place to start to take action for the Global Goals be you? Explain that this is a “Thinking Question” - a question which has no right or wrong answers, it just asks people to think about an answer and be able to justify their opinion.
Continue playing the film and stop it again when the narrator says “What are you like as a person, what do you care about, what’s really important to you?” Tell students to spend some time thinking about these questions. Then ask students to share if any of them have already made personal changes that help to support the Goals. These can be small personal changes that students may not realise are already helping to achieve the Goals!
3. Participate in a Community Walk (1 hour) Tell students how personal changes can have an even bigger impact when looking at our community as a whole. That’s why Astro-Girl suggests the next step to creating a change project is to go out into our community with the Global Goals in mind. Ask students to think about the word community. What do they think it means? Who lives in their community? Invite students to Think, Pair and Share on some ideas. Remind students that animals and the environment are also part of our community - why might this be important to think about?
Before going outside, ask students to spend some time discussing their community - are there any issues and problems they think exist already? If so, who is most affected by this? What has been done already to try and improve this? What Global Goal does this issue link to?
Tell students the aim of going outside on a walk is to to understand your community from a Global Goals point of view and to determine what works well in it and already contributes to the Goals and what could be improved.
TEACHER To make the walk the most productive you will need to provide some structure.
Consider if you would like to focus on a theme or specific Global Goals. Ask the class if there is any specific theme they would like to investigate.
Generate some questions that you want students to answer on their walk. Refer to Notes (page 56) for some ideas or challenge students to create their own questions and write these on their Community Walk RESOURCE GUIDE Activity sheet (Appendix 1) before setting out.
Clearly communicate any rules for the walk and the expectations of student behaviour.
Whilst on the walk ask students to record their answers and observations on their Community Mapping sheet. Remind them about the Global Goals as they walk. You could ask them to imagine they are looking at their community through Global Goals glasses - which of the Global Goals can you see present in your community? Which ones are missing? If they want to record what they see with photographs make sure that they ask permission if they take photos of people.
Ensure students complete point 3 of their Community Walk Activity Sheet. Something I’d really like to see changed in my community (Appendix 1) - as this will provide the initial discussion point for identifying the community issue.
53 4. Map their community and identify an issue (45 minutes) Once back in the classroom, ask students to discuss their answers to point 3 on their Community Walk Activity Sheet. What are the student responses? Did anyone else have the same response?
What other things did students notice? What did they identify as working well in their community? Did they see any Global Goals already working in their community? Which Goals could be improved?
Explain to students that they are going to map their community to better understand it and to identify any issues within it. Students may want to draw their own map by hand or use Google Earth to plot key areas. For younger age groups, give an individual building, infrastructure or environmental feature to draw. These can then be joined up together to create a collaborative class map of the community.
Throughout the activity, prompt students that the purpose of the activity is to identify an issue they would like to focus on to design a change project.
Guidance on how to decide on the issue for the Community Action Plan
• Ask students to think if this is an issue that they really care about and if it is important to them. • Estimate how many people are affected by this issue and how many people could be impacted by the resolution of the issue. • What would the effects of the resolution of this issue be? • Does this issue affect all members of the community? Animals, environment and people? • Is there anyone else already trying to solve this issue? • Do other community members want this issue to solved? • What other questions/criteria do students think need to be asked to identify an issue?
5. Seeking advice on the issue (45 minutes) Once a community issue has been identified divide students into groups to research individuals or community members that students would like to interview to learn more about the issue.
Things for students to think about when deciding who to interview:
• Who does this problem affect? • Who will be impacted by this change project? • Which figures of authority locally might have advice on this issue or might be able to help? • Are any other organisations already working on this issue? • Who needs to be involved in the change project process? • How will students contact their interviewee?
Remind students of the line from the animation that explains “Sometimes it’s the quietest voices who have
the best ideas” - is there anyone else we could ask? TEACHER
Hand out Appendix 2 for students to think about and complete the questions they want to ask their interviewee.
After the interview, come back together as a class and discuss what students have learnt. Are there any changes that students will have to make to their change project now they have heard another perspective? Have students’ opinions about the issue changed? RESOURCE GUIDE
Make a note to keep the interview notes - quotes can be useful in persuading other people to help you.
6. Generate ideas and Getting Creative (45 minutes) Now that the issue has been identified and advice has been sought from a diverse range of community members, it’s time for the students to generate ideas on what action they can take.
Ask students What are some of the skills that we have in the class? How can we utilise these to create an action project? Divide the class into small groups to generate ideas on how to solve their community issue.
54 Explain that the young girl in the animation offers a plate of Global Goal cupcakes as if they are a plate full of ideas! Students should work individually to generate as many ideas as possible in 5 minutes. Ask them not to evaluate either their own ideas or those from other people. The point is to generate ideas not to judge them as this will limit their creativity.
Next ask students to discuss in their groups all the ideas individuals came up with. Encourage them to be open minded and not defensive about their own ideas and help build on others’ ideas to make them better. Ask groups to narrow down their selections and choose their favourite idea to present to the class.
Ask each group to present their answers to the following questions:
• What does your idea involve? • Can we implement this idea on our own? • How many people do we estimate will be impacted by this idea?
Each group will then present their top idea to the rest of the class who will hold a class vote to decide which idea to move forward with for their Action Plan.
Finish this section by working as a class to define the problem they are aiming to solve using less than 20 words. Follow this by describing their idea or solution in less than 20 words.
7. Creating an Action Plan (45 minutes) Once students have decided on their idea to solve the community issue, students will need to gather everything they have learned together to create the Action Plan.
Ask the class to describe what it will it look like once we’ve achieved this? Then as Astro-Girl says we are going to have to work backwards. Ask a series of questions to students, these can either be answered individually, by the whole class or you may assign a question to each group:
1. Who do we need to help us with this action plan? 2. What do we need to do? 3. What skills do we have already that can help us and what else do we need? 4. How will we know if our plan is working? - what will we see and hear from people?
8. Sharing your Action Plan (10 minutes) Sharing your action plan is the first step to making it happen.
Explain to students that when the governments from 193 countries met in New York in 2015 to agree on an action plan to make the world more equal, fairer and just; they called it the Global Goals and they made
TEACHER it public and told the world about it. Explain that by making this plan public, students are taking their first step in making change happen.
Take a photograph of the completed Community Action Plan Activity Sheet and ask students to upload it onto the World’s Largest Lesson Map https://worldslargestlesson.globalgoals.org/map/index.html.
RESOURCE GUIDE
55 Community Walk - Notes Ideas for Providing Structure to the Community Walk
This lesson involves taking students outside on a community walk to better understand and identify the problems within it.
• Decide on a physical boundary you would like to set for your class if you are taking them on a community walk. The size of which might depend on where you live, the age of students and ease of access to it. • Plan and familiarize yourself with the community walk route before taking students. • Plan how much time it will take, how many adults you will need to come with you and what students may need to bring with them for the walk. • Complete a risk assessment for the community walk • Seek guardian/parent permission for students to participate on the community walk if this is not already covered by your school safeguarding policy.
In order to help students decide on their Goal focus for their action plan we have divided the Goals into two categories - a People focus or Planet focus. Within each focus there are a suggested list of issues that students might identify in their communities. These are not intended to be prescriptive.
Planet Focus (encompassing Goals 11,12,13, 14, 15) Issues that students might want to focus on here include: Climate Change, Severe Weather, Ocean acidification, Renewable Energy, Over-consumption (food, plastic, natural resources), Overfishing, Endangered Animals, Deforestation, Air Pollution
People Focus (encompassing Goals 1,2,3,4,5 & 10) Issues that students might want to focus on here include:
Poverty, Inequality, Homelessness, Malnutrition, Refugees, Water Access, Sanitation, Gender Inequality, Child Marriage, Child Labour, Education, Health Care
Further Resources for a Community Walk & How to Map It
• For a more detailed approach to a Community Project visit the Jane Goodall Institute Canada https://janegoodall.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/JGICommunityMappingGuide-1.pdf • For a one week lesson plan from Design for Change on how to implement a change project: http://cdn.worldslargestlesson.globalgoals.org/2016/06/Design-for-Change-One-Idea-One-Week.pdf • Visit the Design For Change website (http://www.dfcworld.com/SITE) for examples of action projects that students have already started
• Using Google Earth https://earth.google.com/web/ can be a great way for students to digitally TEACHER explore their community • Students can also create detailed digital maps of their community through the Google Maps portal. • For video tutorials on how to use Google Maps for this see here: https://sites.google.com/mrpiercey.com/resources/geo/my-maps
Tips and Rationale for Teaching Outside RESOURCE GUIDE
Before going on the community walk, check the weather forecast to know what to bring on the walk. Suggested resources to bring with you and students are: Maps and plastic pockets (in case of rain), Basic first aid kit, Spare hats, Water, Risk assessment, Spare student activity sheets, Clipboards, sign in sheet, spare socks and gloves, sunscreen and bug spray, backpacks, cameras or camera phones - it’s very useful to take photos of specific areas of the community for students to refer to once back in the classroom.
56 Community Walk Resources - Questions
Here are some suggested prompt questions to ask to bring a more focused approach to the student community walk.
Who lives in our community? Do you ever do any work or play with other schools in your local area? How many people do you see? Does everyone have enough to eat? Does everyone have somewhere safe to sleep? Are all children going to school? Does everyone have a safe access to school? Are there clear signs on the roads? Can everyone access the public transport? Are all people treated equally in your community? Are there any areas which you usually avoid going to? Are there any resources that the community possesses that could be better utilised to meet the needs of the community members? What issue do you think is the most important to solve? Why? Is there anything else you notice? Can you see any birds or animals? Can you see any trees? Can you see any natural flowing water? Can you see any bins for recycling waste? Can you see any rubbish? Who is responsible for collecting the litter? Is it easy to find clean water? What does your school do with leftover food? Does everyone have access to safe outdoor space to play in? Is there somewhere outside where you can play with your friends? Are there any areas that animals don’t go to? Why is that? What issue do you think is the most important to solve? Why? Is there green space and parks available? Do people look happy? Does everyone have a space to play outside? Can you see any renewable energy sources? TEACHER
RESOURCE GUIDE
57 Appendix 1: Community Walk
Take this sheet with you when you go on your community walk. Here you can record your observations and answer the questions you set yourself. Your walk may even prompt some further questions you want to ask. You can note these down below.
Questions we want to ask Observations
1. General notes/observations:
2. Things I really like about my community: TEACHER
RESOURCE GUIDE
3. Something I’d really like to see changed in my community:
58 Appendix 2: Interviewing a Community Member
1. Do your research on your interviewee - do some background research on her/him so you know some information about them before they come in. This will help you to feel more confident and prepared and the interviewee will know you are serious. 2. Have a list of interesting questions - think about what you want to find out from your interviewee. What kind of answers are you going to get if you just ask closed questions (questions that only require a yes or no answer). Make sure you have lots of open-ended questions - these are more interesting and provide more opportunity for the interviewee to speak. Open-ended questions start with “How” or “Why” or phrases like “What do you think about…” 3. Listen and be confident to go off script! - It’s really important to listen to your interviewee as one of their answers might lead you to thinking of a new and interesting question on the spot. 4. Recording responses - Think about how you are going to record the answers to your questions. Are you going to write them down? Are you going to use your smartphone or a tablet?
My top questions to ask:
1
2
3
4
5
Notes to record responses to questions: TEACHER
During the interview:
RESOURCE GUIDE
After the interview:
Are there any changes you would like to change about your idea after the interview?
59 LESSON 16 Build a Solar Powered Car Gr. 3-6+
Prep Time Activity Time Location 60 minutes Several 30-45-minute periods Indoor and Outdoor Activity Objectives
Using the Solar Car kit and recycled materials, learners will design, build, test, and race model cars that are powered by mini solar PV panels and batteries.
Concepts and Keywords
Solar energy, energy transformation, renewable energy, engineering design, electricity, technology, construction, solar PV panel, race car
Materials
• Solar panel • Wheels (CDs, pop bottle tops, etc.) • Motor • Glue/glue gun • On/off switch (optional) • Tape • Rubber band and pulley or gears • Scissors • Axle housing (eye screws, straw, etc.) • Chalk • Axles (dowel, skewer, etc.) • Tape measure • Chassis (pop bottle, can, toy, etc.) TEACHER Preparation
Students can bring in recycled or found materials leading up to the project. (More preparation may be needed once solar car kit materials are finalized)
Activities RESOURCE GUIDE
Basic Solar Car Assembly Instructions
1. Measure and mark the location of the axle housing. Make sure they are evenly spaced and parallel with the edges of the chassis. Ensure your axle fits into chosen housing. 2. Attach the axle housing to the chassis. 3. Insert the axle and make sure it can spin freely. 4. Attach wheels to axles. Pieces of straw can be used as spacers if necessary, to keep the wheels in the correct position. 5. Mount the gear or pulley on the front axle.
60 6. Attach the motor to the chassis making sure any pulleys are aligned and have enough tension and gears mesh. 7. Mount on/off switch and connect to the motor. 8. Attach the solar panel to the chassis and connect the wires to the switch. The solar panel can either be flat or positioned at an angle. The panel could also be mounted on the chassis using a ball and socket connection so it could be rotated to optimize the angle. 9. Decorate the car as desired.
Test Solar Cars Take the vehicles outside and test. Use chalk to make a start and finish line.
Honours may be awarded go to fastest, distance travelled, and best design.
Modification For older learners or those who would like more of a challenge, have them test different variables to see what makes their car go the fastest. Testing different chassis and wheel sizes will allow them to optimize their car. Test on cloudy vs sunny days or use a powerful light indoors to see how the car’s performance is affected.
Use mirrors to try to reflect sunlight onto solar PV panel if car rolls into a shaded area.
A strong LED flashlight can also be used to power the cars if access to bright sunlight is not possible. TEACHER
RESOURCE GUIDE
61 LESSON 17 Build a Passive Solar House Gr. 3-6+
Prep Time Activity Time Location 60 minutes 60 minutes on several occasions Indoor activity (and recycling collection) Objective
In this activity learners become engineers and will use recycled materials to build a passively heated solar house. They will use thermometers to measure the temperature of their house and determine what aspects of their designs resulted in the most efficient passive heating. They will present their house and findings to the class.
Concepts and Keywords
Solar energy, energy transformation, passive solar design, engineering design, construction, albedo
Materials
• Collected recycled materials for house construction (have students begin collecting a week in advance, ideas are given below) • Pencils • Compass • Thermometers or Pasco probes
Activities TEACHER Explain to learners that solar energy reaches the earth in the form of heat and light. We can feel the sun’s warmth and see its light (but don’t look at the sun!). Solar PV panels are a form of active solar design that use sunlight and convert it into electricity that a building can then use for heating or powering other electric devices. Solar cells on PV panels convert sunlight into electricity. Solar cells can be assembled into solar panels or modules. By orienting the panels strategically to face the sun we can use solar energy for longer during the day. At night, or on cloudy days, PV panels cannot produce as much electricity. RESOURCE GUIDE
Passive solar design also uses the sun’s energy. But instead of turning it into electricity, buildings are designed to attract and retain the sun’s heat in the winter and keep the house cooler in the summer. The materials used in construction and size, direction of windows, location, and surrounding flora are just some of the things to consider when building a passive solar design house. (Note: Review the material included as the last page of this lesson with the class - About Passive Solar Design).
By using the sun’s (free!) energy, we don’t need to rely as heavily on fossil fuels for electricity and home heating and prevent greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere, thereby helping mitigate climate change. Have students collect and bring in materials for the project. Try to keep it to recycled materials objects which would otherwise be considered waste.
62 Some ideas include: Empty cardboard and boxboard boxes, construction paper, plastic cups, sand, stones, water, rulers, tape, plastic wrap, used (cleaned) plastic baggies, felt, light and dark paint, foliage such as bits of fallen leaves and moss, and clay.
If the activity is taking place in cooler months, then the challenge is to see who can increase and maintain the heat in their house for the longest. In a warmer month, the goal is to limit temperature increase.
In groups of 2-4 students will begin to design their solar house.
Step 1: Design
The constraints for the design can be decided on in a class discussion or implemented at the teacher’s discretion. An example is: the house must have a roof, 3 windows, a door, and be at least 20cm in length, width and height.
The first session will be to research and design their solar house.
Instruct learners to research passive solar design or distribute the background information included for them to read in class or at home. They will then design their house by drawing a plan and labelling all of the features that will assist in heating or cooling. They should determine what materials will be used in this period.
Step 2: Build
Next, learners will begin to execute their plans. With any design process, they may need to rethink their blueprints, choice of materials, and try different options, test, and try again.
Step 3: Test
Learners can test their solar houses by placing them in the sun at midday (ideally) at their desired orientation using the compasses. Make sure groups place their houses out sat the same time to ensure equal conditions! Using thermometers, they will record the initial temperature of their houses, then record the temperature every 2-3 minutes for 20 minutes. They can then (if desired) bring their houses into the shade and record the temperature every 2-3 minutes for 10-20 minutes. They should fill in the data table included with their collected data.
Step 4: Analyze and Evaluate
TEACHER Learners will then complete the Solar House analysis questions. They can present their findings front of the class.
Extensions
Older grades or students needing more of a challenge can research the sun’s angle in Nova Scotia to assist in their design.
RESOURCE GUIDE Learners may record data (Pasco General Science probes measuring temperature and light intensity) and create a line graph of the recorded temperatures and intensity in the sun and shade, if skill-level appropriate.
63 Build a Passive Solar House
Team Name:
Your team challenge is to design, build, and test a solar house from recycled materials. In colder months of the year the goal will be to increase and maintain the temperature of the house using the sun’s energy. In warmer months of the year, the goal is to keep the house at the coolest possible temperature.
When designing your house, think about the following questions:
• Where does the sun rise and set in the winter compared to the summer? How does the daily and seasonal path of the sun influence the decision of the size and location of the windows? • Could you use landscaping (such as planting trees in particular locations) to shade the house at certain times of the day? Where would be the best place to place the trees? • How can you prevent heat loss when it’s cold out? • How can you integrate ways to moderate the temperature in the house if it’s too hot inside? • Are there ways to use drapes or blinds on the windows to enhance warming or cooling? • How do certain materials differ in terms of how they hold onto heat (glass versus wood versus metal, etc.)? • How does the colour of the materials influence the heat absorbed or reflected (albedo)? (drapes, house colour, roofing colour) • How does the size and shape of the house and the size and shape of the rooms effect how heat builds up and is lost from the house?
House specifications
Include details about the materials used, a written description of the house design, and how these features will create the desired temperatures. TEACHER
RESOURCE GUIDE
64 Build a Passive Solar House – Design
In the space below, design your solar house. Make sure you write down the materials you are using and use a ruler to draw straight lines.
Design: TEACHER
RESOURCE GUIDE
65 Testing Your Passive Solar House
Temperature in the Sun
Time Temperature recorded
Starting temperature:
Temperature in the Shade
Time Temperature recorded
Starting temperature: TEACHER
RESOURCE GUIDE
66 Solar House Evaluation Questions
1. Was your solar house successful in keeping the house warm/cool? If it was not successful, why do you think it failed?
2. Did you test your materials or change your design at all? If yes, explain how.
3. If you had the opportunity to use any material in your design, what would it be?
4. What were the best features you observed from your classmates (and your house designs)?
TEACHER 5. How would you change your solar house design if you were to start again from the beginning?
RESOURCE GUIDE
6. What are the pros and cons of passive solar design? Pros Cons
67 About Passive Solar Design
Passive solar is the use of architectural elements in buildings to take advantage of natural cycles of sunlight and other elements in order to reduce the costs of building heating and cooling, without using mechanical elements. If mechanical elements, such as solar PV panels are used, then the system is termed active solar.
The following elements are considered important in passive solar design:
Building orientation: The building is oriented as close to a north-south-east-west axis as possible. This means that the longest part of the building is typically running east-west so that the south facing side gets the most exposure.
Window placement: Place few or small windows on the north side of the building, which receives no direct sunlight for a period from fall to spring here in Canada. Windows on the south side are made large in order to receive the most sunlight during the winter.
Overhangs: Overhang projections of the roof are provided over southern, and sometimes eastern and western, windows to shade them during summer months. Because the sun is at a lower angle in the sky during winter days than summer days, such structures can provide shade during the summer yet allow the sun to shine in through windows in the winter. Landscaping may also play a part in this: deciduous trees may be planted on the window side. In summer, these trees will shade the house, cooling it, while in winter they will not greatly obscure the influx of sunlight.
Building materials: Dense materials are used where the winter sun will shine on them inside the windows, to capture the sun’s heat and re-radiate it through the night. Passive solar buildings often use massive materials such as stone, concrete, and adobe. Foliage, including “green roofs” can be used to help keep a building cool.
Daylighting: Windows and indoor areas where reflection happens are placed so that they can maximize the sun’s light for interior lighting during the day. TEACHER
Adapted from “Solar Structures”- Institute of Electric and Electronics Engineers
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68 LESSON 18 Make a Solar-Powered Oven Gr. 4-6+
Prep Time Activity Time Location 60 minutes, plus collecting 4-5 15 minute periods Indoor and Outdoor Activity recycled materials throughout the day Objective
In this activity, learners will build a solar oven with their class. This simple device shows that sunlight can provide heat and that this heat can be trapped and will build up. This heat can be used to warm food.
Concepts and Keywords
Solar radiation, Heat, Albedo, Heat transfer, insulation
Materials
• Pizza boxes (delivered pizza) • Newspapers • Aluminum foil • Long object to hold open oven - • Scissors and/or box knife (adult supervision) Ruler, stick or wooden spoon • Clear Tape • Thermometer or Pasco PasPort • Plastic wrap General Science Probe • Black paper (construction paper) • Food to warm or melt!
Activities TEACHER 1. Use a box knife or sharp scissors to cut a flap in the lid of the pizza box. Cut along three sides, leaving about an inch between the sides of the flap and the edges of the lid. Fold this flap out so that it stands up when the box lid is closed.
2. Cover the inner side of the flap with aluminum foil so that it will reflect rays from the sun. To do this, tightly wrap foil around the flap, then tape it to the back, or outer side of the flap. RESOURCE GUIDE
3. Use clear plastic wrap to create an airtight window for sunlight to enter into the box. Do this by opening the box and taping a double layer of plastic wrap over the opening you made when you cut the flap in the lid. Leave about an inch of plastic overlap around the sides and tape each side down securely, sealing out air. If you use a plastic bag, cut out a square big enough to cover the opening, and tape one layer over the opening.
4. Line the bottom of the box with black construction paper—black absorbs heat. The black surface is where your food will be set to cook. How much you need will depend on the size of the pizza box you’re using to make your solar oven.
69 5. To insulate your oven so it holds in more heat, roll up sheets of newspaper and place them on the bottom of the box. Tape them down so that they form a border around the cooking area. It may be helpful to also tape the rolls closed first. The newspaper rolls should make it so that the lid can still close, but there is a seal inside of the box, so air cannot escape.
6. Insert a thermometer or the Pasco probe to measure and monitor the internal temperature.
For a link to photos of how this will look as it is being built: https://www.homesciencetools.com/article/how-to-build-a-solar-oven-project/
Using the Oven
7. The best hours to set up your solar oven are when the sun is high overhead—from 11 am to 3 pm. Take it outside to a sunny spot and adjust the flap until the most sunlight possible is reflecting off the aluminum foil and onto the plastic-covered window. Use a ruler or spoon to prop the flap at the right angle. You may want to angle the entire box by using a rolled up towel.
8. You can make toast by buttering a slice of bread then letting the sun do the rest. Cooking a hot dog or making nachos with chips and cheese are also fun treats to make in your solar oven! It would also work great to heat up leftovers. So the paper at the bottom doesn’t get dirty, put what you would like to cook on a clear plastic or glass plate. A pie plate would work well. Place the thermometer inside your oven before you close it, so you can check the temperature.
9. To take food out of the oven, open up the lid of the pizza box, and using oven mitts or potholders, lift the glass dish out of the oven.
How it Works
The heat from the sun is trapped inside of your pizza box solar oven, and it starts getting very hot. Ovens like this one are called collector boxes, because they collect the sunlight inside. As it sits out in the sun, your oven eventually heats up enough to melt cheese, or cook a hot dog! How does it happen? Rays of light are coming to the earth at an angle. The foil reflects the ray, and bounces it directly into the opening of the box. Once it has gone through the plastic wrap, it heats up the air that is trapped inside. The black paper absorbs the heat at the bottom of the oven, and the newspaper make sure that the heat stays where it is, instead of escaping out the sides of the oven.
Your solar oven can reach about 95° C on a sunny day and will take longer to heat things than a conventional oven. Although this method will take longer, it is very easy to use, and it is safe to leave alone while the energy from the sun cooks your food. We made a cheese roll up by melting cheese on a corn tortilla. It took about 45 minutes for our cheese to melt and the tortilla to become soft. The internal temperature of our pizza box solar oven was 52° C. TEACHER
Here are a few tips for having success with your solar oven:
• If you do not want to wait long to have a solar-cooked dish, try heating up something that has already been cooked, like leftovers, or a can of soup. Putting solid food in a glass dish and liquids in a heavy plastic zip lock bag works well. You can also pre-heat your oven by setting it in direct sun for up to an hour. RESOURCE GUIDE
• Other recipes you may want to try are making baked potatoes, rice with vegetables, chocolate fondue, s’mores, and roasted apples with cinnamon and sugar. Even on partly cloudy days there may be enough heat and light from the sun to slow cook a special dish. Stir liquids (if you’re cooking something like fondue, rice, or soup) every 10 minutes. You can rotate solid food every 10-15 minutes as well, so it cooks evenly.
• Reposition your solar oven when needed, so that it faces direct sunlight. You should be checking periodically on your oven, to make sure it is in the sun.
• Make sure that the foil-covered flap is reflecting light into the pizza box, through the plastic-covered window.
Source: Home Science tools https://www.homesciencetools.com/article/how-to-build-a-solar-oven-project/
70 LESSON 19 Make a Human Sundial Gr. 4-6
Prep Time Activity Time Location 15 minutes 4-5 15 minute periods Indoor and Outdoor Activity throughout the day Objective
In this activity, learners will track the movement of the sun by creating a human sundial (gnomon). They will incorporate technology by creating a time lapse video or a gif of their gnomon throughout the observation period, showing the movement of their shadows and the sun. Learners will learn about the historical use of sundials and gnomon. Learners will discuss the availability of sunlight in terms of solar energy production.
Concepts and Keywords
Earth’s movement, data recording, observation, solar energy, sundial, gnomon
Materials
• Large open paved area • Chromebooks (optional, for research and video • Chalk recording/editing) • Watch or clock • Video editing application (optional, ex. Google photos) Activities
Start with a brief introduction or review on solar energy: TEACHER Solar energy – light and heat that comes from the sun and can be used to do work. Solar energy is a form of renewable energy: an energy source that can never be used up or run out. Energy that comes from the sun, water, or wind are examples.
Tell students that humans have been using solar energy for thousands of years, and not just for keeping warm! Humans have used sundials to track time, with the earliest known sundial dating back to the ancient Babylonia, RESOURCE GUIDE 1500 BCE (or describe as approximately 3500 years ago). Once clocks were invented, sundials were still used to calibrate and reset the time as their accuracy was poor.
Tell children that they will be harnessing sunlight to transform into a human sundial.
Make a human sundial: 1. You will need a somewhat sunny, warm day for this activity. Try to start as early in the morning to have more data collection opportunities. 2. Divide students into teams of two and tell them that one person will be the acting as the human gnomon and one person will be the data recorder.
71 3. To start, go outside and tell students to find a spot on the pavement or concrete that is open in the front, back and sides. Choose a spot that will not be obstructed by the school’s shadow later in the day. 4. Have the recorder trace around the gnomon’s feet and write their name in or around the tracing so they can easily find their spot later. 5. Have the gnomon extend their arm straight up in the air, touching their ear. The recorder will then trace the outline of the gnomon’s shadow and write the time of day (e.g. 9 AM). 6. On the hour, students will come back outside and repeat step 5, for 4-5 recording sessions. Make sure the gnomon stands in the same spot each time. 7. At the end of the day, students will have a human sundial.
Explanation
As the hours pass, the Earth spins on its axis, and the sun casts a shadow from a different angle during each measurement. By recording the shadow hourly, you have created a sun clock! Because of the Earth’s path around the sun and seasonal changes in how sunlight reaches us, this sundial will not be accurate at other times of the year (that’s why it’s done in chalk!).
A gnomon is any object whose shadow is used to tell time.
Time lapse video extension
Have the recorder take a photo or record a video using a “time lapse” application of the gnomon at each hourly measurement. The have students compile the photos or videos into a program to show the movement of their shadow throughout the day.
Extension
Learners can research the history of the sundial and other stories of how ancient cultures kept time, and used the stars, sun and moon, and can they can brainstorm or research other ways we use the sun’s energy.
Resources https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDzaivKKXhk Human gnomon video TEACHER
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72 LESSON 20 The Albedo Effect, Jr. Gr. 4-6+
Prep Time Activity Time Location 15 minutes 30-45-minutes Outdoor Activity Objective
A fun science experiment where students will test the effect of dark and light colours on melting ice in the sun (albedo effect).
Learners will devise an experiment that tests the rate of melting ice on different coloured surfaces. Learners will describe the effect that the different colours have on melting rate.
Concepts and Keywords
Solar energy, Absorption, Heat, Light, Colour
Materials
• Ice cubes and clear glass or plastic containers • Coloured paper or fabric (eg. felt) Note: Students may select shades of paper which mirror actual conditions (e.g. green for forests, dark blue for ocean, white for ice caps, black for pavement). • Pasco PasPort probe - General Science (optional)
Activities
TEACHER 1. Begin by asking students if they have ever been blinded by a yard full of snow on a sunny winter (or spring… or fall) day? Now ask if anyone has ever burned their bare feet walking on a paved driveway or road on a warm summer day? What do those look like? How does it feel?
2. Now tell students that they will be going outside to do a science experiment to test the effect of colours on how fast ice melts in the sun.
RESOURCE GUIDE To set up the experiment, place a clear container on top of each piece of coloured paper. Have students arrange the set-up, but take care if glass containers are in use! The papers should be close together, but not touching each other. Take a tally of each student’s hypothesis: Hands-up if you think the ice cube on the white paper will melt fastest! Black? Yellow? Pink? Etc. The tally could be written on pavement in chalk.
Now place an ice cube (equal sized) in each container. Have students monitor the ice to determine which is melting faster. What colour wins? While students are waiting, have them cheer on the colour they guessed. Or repeat your energy-conservation chant! It could take 30 minutes for all the ice cubes to melt, so you might have time to play a round of Temperature Battles or Light Switch Tag!
73 3. When you get back inside, discuss the experiment. Ask students: why does this happen?
The sun provides us with light and heat - this is called solar energy. Solar energy is what keep the Earth warm enough for us to live.
4. What colour melted fasted? Slowest? How did the other colours fair?
Lighter colours, such as white, cause sunlight to reflect or “bounce” off back into the sky. This keeps the lighter colours, like white, cool longer. Darker colours absorb or “grab” the sunlight like a sponge and make the paper warm up, causing the ice to melt faster.
5. At the conclusion of the activity, students can be encouraged to reflect on the changing landscape of the earth, how that influences the albedo effect, feedback loops, and the types of colours (or landscape) will do the most to keep us cool (e.g. more ice, forests, reflective white rooftops, etc.).
Ask students what other examples they can think of that demonstrate this effect.
Extensions
Ask students to write about their experiment in a writing journal and illustrate with a picture.
Modification for Grade 4 - design experiment, record melting time for each colour, and enter data in table and graph the results. TEACHER
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74 LESSON 21
Sun Protection Investigation Gr. 4-6+
Prep Time Activity Time Location 15 minutes 45 minutes Indoor and Outdoor Activity Objectives
Learners will be able to describe how solar energy causes chemical changes in some objects. Learners will devise an experiment to test the efficacy of various sunscreens with varying SPF levels.
Concepts and Keywords
Solar energy causes chemical change, UV light, the scientific method
Materials
• Sun Art paper tanning oil, SPF clothing • 4-6 bottles of sunscreen with different SPF • Container of water (optional: different brands of sunscreen) sunblock, • Sunny day
Activities
Ask students what would happen if we went outside on a sunny day without sunscreen? How do we know sunscreen works? Why can sunlight burn our skin?
TEACHER Tell students about Sun Art paper (also called Nature Art paper) - Refer to Lesson 6.
Ask how they could test how well sunscreen, and other sun protection tools work using sun paper.
In small groups or partners, have them devise a testable experiment using the Sun Art paper. First, they must come up with a question, and a variable they want to test. For example:
RESOURCE GUIDE • What brand of SPF 30 sunscreen works the best? • What SPF protects us best from the sun? • Does sunscreen work better to protect us than clothing?
Have them write out their question and procedure for their experiment in their science journals or using the following BLM, then carry out the testing. At the end, ask students to write a conclusion to the experiment and think of another question for further experimentation and study.
75 BLM: Sun Protection Investigation
My Question:
My Materials:
My Procedure:
My Results: TEACHER
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One More Question:
76 LESSON 22 Solar Output and Weather Gr. 5-6+
Prep Time Activity Time Location 10 minutes 15-30 minutes Indoor and Outdoor activity on several occasions Objectives
An activity where older learners (grades 5/6) work collaboratively with younger learners (grades P-2) to collect and interpret weather data and compare with energy production data collected from solar panels.
Concepts and Keywords
Solar panels, renewable energy, light intensity, weather, data, collaboration
Materials
• BLMs (below) • Access to solar panel output data (already installed) • Pencils • Pasco probes (weather) (optional)
Activity
Younger Learners
Ask students why they think that their school has solar PV panels on the roof. How do they think the PV panels work? Ask, how does this help the environment? How does it help the school? Explain the activity they are about to do will help students at the school understand why the PV panels are an important step in sustainable development.
TEACHER Learners will collect weather data over the course of the day (or week) by filling in the BLM provided. They will check weather conditions hourly and indicate if it is mostly sunny, cloudy, or another weather event. They should circle the weather that best corresponds to their observations on the BLM. At the end of the day, they will count the total number of hours for each type of weather condition.
With the collected data, younger students will “buddy” with older students to pass along the data.
RESOURCE GUIDE Older learners
Older learners will also be collecting solar data, but they will take hourly output readings from the school’s solar panels.
They will then meet with their buddies to receive the weather data collected. They will then answer questions about solar panel output and how it relates to electricity consumption, and cost and emissions savings.
Extensions
Older learners can collect weather data over a longer period of time and compare their weather data with forecasts, or could prepare a short presentation to explain the tasks to the younger learners.
77 Solar Output and Weather – Observation Sheet
9 am
10 am
11 am
12 pm
1 pm TEACHER
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2 pm
Totals Hours of sunny Hours of sun with Hours of cloudy Hours of rain: Hours of sky: a few clouds: sky: snow:
78 Solar Output and Weather Solar Panel Electricity Production
Time kWh of Electricity Produced
9 am
10 am
11 am
12 pm
1 pm
2 pm
Total TEACHER
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79 Solar Output and Weather
Questions
1. What time of day produced the most electricity?
a. What was the weather at this time of day?
2. What time of day was the least electricity produced?
a. What was the weather at this time of day?
3. What do you notice about the weather trends and how it relates to solar panel electricity production?
4. What are the reasons for increases and decreases in solar panel productivity OTHER than weather?
5. It takes about 1 kWh to charge 10 Chromebooks for a day. How many Chromebooks could you charge with the day’s electricity production?
6. Each kWh of solar produced electricity prevents 656 grams of carbon dioxide emissions (CO2e) in Nova Scotia (as of 2019). How many grams of carbon dioxide did your school save from entering the atmosphere today?
7. If your school produced a similar amount of solar energy electricity every day, how many grams of carbon dioxide gas would you be saving from entering the atmosphere in one year? What about over the 25 year life cycle of the solar installation?
8. Electricity from the power company costs approximately 16 cents per kilowatt hour. Calculate the electricity cost savings for the day. TEACHER
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80 APPENDICES TEACHER RESOURCE GUIDE
81 APPENDIX A
Additional Resources
Recommended Storybooks and Literature
Every class should stock a storybook shelf to develop environmental awareness and foster our relationship with the Earth.
Some examples include (not an exhaustive list):
“Stella, Princess of the Sky” by Marie-Louise Gay “Alba, the 100 year Old Fish” by Lara Hawthorne “If You Find a Rock” by Peggy Christian “The Lost Words – Spell Songs” by Robert MacFarlane “The Illuminating World of Light with Max Axiom” by Emily Sohn “The Powerful World of Energy with Max Axiom” by Doug Goodkin
Teaching Children about Energy
Nova Scotia Department of Education and Early Childhood Development Curriculum Resource – Energy and Me (Grades 2 and 3) https://www.ednet.ns.ca/files/curriculum/EnergyandMe.pdf
National Energy Education Development Project (NEED) https://www.need.org/curriculum
US Energy literacy framework https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2017/07/f35/Energy_Literacy.pdf
Teaching Children about Sustainability and Stewardship
United Nations Global Goals http://worldslargestlesson.globalgoals.org/
Netukulimk (Elder Albert Marshall) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsNVewjgKxI
Natural Curiosity (Second Edition) by Anderson et al., 2017 https://wordpress.oise.utoronto.ca/naturalcuriosity/nc2/ TEACHER Ocean School – National Film Board of Canada https://oceanschool.nfb.ca/
Teaching Children About Climate Change
We all know how important it is to address climate change. It’s affecting weather, animals, wild spaces, our communities and even the economy. Talking to younger students about climate change may seem like an RESOURCE GUIDE overwhelming task. The following resources may be helpful:
Clean Foundation’s resource, “Is climate change too scary to talk about with kids” is a great jumping off point for educators and parents: https://clean.ns.ca/programs/youth-engagement/talking-climate-change-with-kids/is- climate-change-too-scary-to-talk-about-with-kids/
NASA Kids: https://climatekids.nasa.gov/menu/teach/
82 National Geographic Kids: https://www.natgeokids.com/au/discover/geography/general-geography/what-is- climate-change/
Climate change background information for teachers: https://clean.ns.ca/programs/youth-engagement/talking- climate-change-with-kids/climate-change-background-info/
YouTube video explaining climate change in child-friendly terms: https://youtu.be/Sv7OHfpIRfU
YouTube video series, “The World’s Largest Lesson” explains climate change and what young people can do to take action in the context of the United Nation’s 17 Global Goals for Sustainability.
Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBxN9E5f7pc
Part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdOQf0nOB6A TEACHER
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83 APPENDIX B Materials
General
• Science Journals (all levels) • Poster-making supplies • Craft/Art supplies - Fabric or paper of many colours, bracelet making kits • Construction materials for building – recycled materials – cardboard, kitchen towel rolls, paper, and washed plastic bottles, cans (no sharp edges), Tetra-paks, etc. • Gardening supplies and tools – soil, seeds, containers and graduated cylinders • UV sensitive (or detecting) beads - many sellers online (ex. Amazon), at roughly 15-20$ for a pack of 1000 beads of several colours that respond to light and glow in the dark • Cyanotype or Sun Art paper or paint Ex: https://ssoc.ca/products/sunart-paper-made-in-usa • Flashlights and lamps (with high lumen rating) for experimentation when there’s no sun
Technical
• Pasco Probes - In Canada: AYVA Educational Solutions https://www.ayva.ca/sci/ 1. PasPort General Science probes/sensors NSSBB 5000044 *Note: purchased for all Elementary Schools in Nova Scotia. Updated wireless versions can now be purchased. 2. Pasco renewable Energy bundle NSSBB 1003049 3. Sparkvue app (Free download) • Solar Car Kits Solar Car Kits may be purchased from several companies, including Sunwind Solar and SolarDrivem
DC motors – Yeeco Electric Torque Engines
• Optional technical materials -KillaWatt* - useful tool to examine energy demand of plug-in electrical devices -Snap Circuits (kits to teach electricity concepts – Grade 6) https://www.elenco.com/brand/snap-circuits/ TEACHER
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84 APPENDIX C Incorporating Indigenous Perspectives
We would like to begin by respectfully acknowledging the traditional territory in which we work and teach as the ancestral unceded homelands of the Mi’kmaq People.
Several of the lessons in this resource were created as a starting point for bringing contemporary Indigenous perspectives into classrooms. The lesson below is not a how-to guide for teaching the concepts of Netukulimk, Etuaptmumk and interconnectiveness. Instead, the lessons offer an encounter with Indigenous perspectives and should be considered a starting point for building a deeper understanding of this complex Mi’kmaw perspective.
We caution that Indigenous perspectives cannot be deeply reflected in a single piece of media or written document outside Mi’kmaw cultural contexts. We encourage educators to follow these suggestions from the authors of Natural Curiosity (Second Edition):
• Work whenever possible with Indigenous resource people, including Knowledge Keepers • Be upfront about what we do and do not know • Be clear that Indigenous people, cultures and knowledge are contemporary • Respect Indigenous knowledge as a precious heritage • Be aware of the complexities of real Indigenous people
We strongly recommend the educational resources, Mi’kmawe’l Tan Teli-kina’muemk Teaching About the Mi’kmaq and Natural Curiosity second edition by Anderson, Comay and Chiarotto (2018) for additional support.
TERMINOLOGY
Netukulimk
Netukulimk is a concept that explains Mi’kmaw ways of life, tying together social and economic practices with systems of governance through time. Based upon thousands of years of Mi’kmaw history and life in Mi’kma’ki and continuing to the present day, Netukulimk is grounded in interdependence, reciprocity, and gratitude (Ocean School https://help.oceanschool.nfb.ca/home/educational-resources/inquiry-tools/netukulimk-lesson).
“Netukulimk is a complex cultural concept that encompasses Mi’kmaq sovereign law ways and guides individual and collective beliefs and behaviours in resource protection, procurement, and management to ensure and honour
TEACHER sustainability and prosperity for the ancestor, present and future generations” (Kerry Prosper, pers. comm., 2011). Etuaptmumk (Two-Eyed Seeing)
“ …it refers to learning to see from one eye with the strengths of Indigenous knowledges and ways of knowing, and from the other eye with the strengths of Western knowledges and ways of knowing ... and learning to use both these eyes RESOURCE GUIDE together, for the benefit of all. Etuaptmumk - Two-Eyed Seeing is the gift of multiple perspective treasured by many Aboriginal peoples. We believe it is the requisite Guiding Principle for the new consciousness needed to enable Integrative Science work, as well as other integrative or transcultural or transdisciplinary or collaborative work.” (Elder Albert Marshall, 2004)
And according to the Integrative Science at Cape Breton University (http://www.integrativescience.ca/Principles/ TwoEyedSeeing/), all of the world’s cultures (including Western science) have understandings to contribute in addressing the challenges faced in efforts to promote sustainable communities. “One might wish to talk about Four- Eyed Seeing, or Ten-Eyed Seeing, etc., as four perspectives or ten perspectives are brought into the collaboration.”
85 Furthermore, Elder Albert Marshall indicates “the two jig-saw puzzle pieces help remind us that, with respect to Aboriginal Traditional Knowledges [Indigenous knowledges], no one person ever has more than one small piece of the knowledge.”
The National Film Board Ocean School has prepared a lesson on Etuaptmumk made with Elder Albert Marshall, Dr. Shelly Denny and Cathy Martin, the first Mi’kmaq film maker from the Atlantic Region: https://help.oceanschool. nfb.ca/home/educational-resources/inquiry-tools/etuaptmumk-lesson
Interconnectiveness
Interconnectiveness is a word introduced in 2019 into the Nova Scotia Department of Education and Early Childhood Development curriculum documents. In contrast to interconnectedness, which implies a static nature, this new word interconnectiveness is more precise, instead referring to the dynamic nature of interconnection as understood by Mi’kmaw peoples and reflected in their language. TEACHER
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86 TEACHER RESOURCE GUIDE
Prepared for:
Prepared by: