FINDING AN ALTERNATIVE TO BURNING FOSSIL FUELS
Nicole Mastrantonio
I.S. 62
Introduction
Fossil fuels are burned to aid industry, generate electricity, and for transportation purposes. Examples of fossil fuels are coal, oil, and natural gasoline. It takes millions of years to create fossil fuels. They are the remains of microscopic organisms that lived in Earth’s oceans millions of years ago. As time went on, heat and pressure turned these organisms into oil and natural gas. Coal is created through a similar process from the remains of plants. You can watch a video on this process here. While the burning of fossil fuels makes lives easier, it also causes many problems.
The burning of fossil fuels releases CO2 (carbon dioxide) into Earth’s atmosphere. It is highly speculated that this release of CO2 is directly related to climate change and to global warming. Another problem with the burning of fossil fuels is that they are a non-renewable resource. This means that once they are used, they cannot be replenished or replaced. Due to this fact, the supply of fossil fuels has all but dried up. They are becoming more and more difficult to find, causing the price of fossil fuels to rise significantly.
The Task
1) Students will watch the following video clip to see other energy sources:
2) Students will work in teacher assigned groups of 2-3 to create a PowerPoint Presentation using the Science Public Policy Analysis format. This format, along with a detailed explanation of the steps, can be found here.
3) Students will create a poster highlighting the solution from Step #6 in the
PPA. Poster must include a detailed explanation of how the alternative energy
resource will work, as well as pictures/diagrams to support it.
The Process
Step 1 – Define the problem(s) with the burning of fossil fuels.
Step 2 – Gather evidence that supports these problems.
Step 3 – Identify the causes that lead to these problems.
Step 4 – Evaluate the current alternatives to burning fossil fuels.
Step 5 – Develop your own alternative solution to burning fossil fuels.
Step 6 – Select the best alternative from step 5.
Evaluation
Students’ work will be evaluated according to the following rubric:
|
Category: |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
|
PPA |
Includes at least 1 slide for each step. |
Included each step of the PPA, but with some minor errors. |
Included some steps of the PPA with many errors. |
Neglected to follow the PPA format. |
|
Poster |
Includes detailed explanation of alternative energy source. |
Includes explanation of alternative energy source with some inaccuracies. |
Poor explanation of alternative energy source with little details. |
No explanation of alternative energy source. |
|
Group Work |
All members took part in the PPA and the poster. |
All members may have participated, but did not share work equally. |
Some members participated; work was not shared equally. |
Little to no group work evident. One person may have completed all the work. |
|
Spelling & Grammar |
No spelling or grammatical errors. |
1-2 spelling/grammatical errors. |
2-4 spelling/grammatical errors. |
5 or more spelling/grammatical errors. |
Conclusion
Congratulations! You have completed the Web Quest! You now have an understanding of the negative impact of burning fossil fuels, as well as the knowledge of using alternative energy sources. As the future of this planet, it is up to you to take care of it!!
Standards
Science:
Standard 4, Key Idea 6: - Human decisions and activities have had a profound impact on the physical and living environment.
ELA:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.4 - Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.7 - Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and refocusing the inquiry when appropriate.
