This PowerPoint resource is an engaging middle school science lesson that explores renewable and non-renewable energy sources, their applications, and their environmental impacts. It emphasizes critical thinking about energy choices and their advantages and disadvantages.
Key learning objectives:
- Identifying renewable and non-renewable energy sources and describing how they work.
- Evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of each energy source.
- Understanding the environmental impact of fossil fuels and the role of greenhouse gases in global warming.
Resource features:
The lesson begins with a starter activity that reviews prior knowledge of energy stores, transfers, efficiency, and power calculations. Students also solve a simple power equation to activate their understanding of energy concepts.
Core topics include:
Renewable vs. Non-Renewable Energy:
Renewable: Solar, wind, geothermal, hydroelectric, tidal, wave, and biomass energy.
Non-Renewable: Fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) and nuclear energy.
How Each Energy Source Works:
Explains the basic mechanisms of energy production for each source, such as solar panels converting sunlight into electricity or turbines generating energy from wind.
Advantages and Disadvantages:
Includes pros and cons of each source, such as reliability, environmental impacts, and cost. Examples:
Solar: Renewable but weather-dependent.
Fossil Fuels: Reliable but produce carbon dioxide and contribute to global warming.
Greenhouse Gases and Climate Change:
Highlights the greenhouse effect, its role in maintaining Earth’s temperature, and the negative impacts of increased carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels.
Interactive activities:
Completing tables to compare the pros and cons of energy sources.
Assigning energy sources to suitable locations based on real-world scenarios (e.g., a desert for solar panels, offshore for wind turbines).
Answering reflective questions like:
“What makes geothermal energy renewable?”
“Why is nuclear energy considered non-renewable?”
The plenary consolidates learning with questions to summarize key concepts and encourages students to think critically about energy sustainability.
File details:
This editable ‘.pptx’ file aligns with middle school science curricula. Updated in January 2025, it includes structured content, real-world applications, and interactive tasks, making it an essential resource for teaching energy resources and their environmental implications.
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