LESSON TWO
2
Exploring Our Past to
Power Our Future
Overview
This classroom lesson begins with a review of renewable and nonrenewable energy sources as students share what they learned from
reading the Nonrenewable Energy Sources booklet (from Lesson One).
Following the discussion, the class is divided into three eJourney teams.
Each team is assigned a different renewable energy — solar power,
LESSON TWO
wind power, or hydropower – to be their path of discovery in the
eJourney. Each team then receives their eJournals to prepare and review
before their eJourneys. After assembling their eJournals, teams must
read the introductory pages of their eJournals. The teacher then gives
each team their special “PATHCODE” which they will need to begin
2
their eJourney. Following a class discussion on the use of computers,
students take the eJourney to discover the renewable energies of wind,
water and sun.
Lesson 2: Exploring Our Past to Power Our Future
30
eJOURNEY
MODULE FOR GRADES 4 - 6
LESSON TWO
2
Core
Concepts
Natural resources are raw materials and
energy obtained from the environment for
human purposes. Natural resources can be
generally categorized as nonrenewable or
renewable. Nonrenewable natural resources
are not replenished through natural cycles
or are replenished extremely slowly, on a
geologic time frame, and are thus strictly
limited in quantity. Nonrenewable energy
resources include fossil fuels, such as coal,
oil, and natural gas, and nuclear fuels.
Renewable natural resources are replenished through natural cycles, on a human
time frame, but are still finite. Fossil fuels –
coal, oil, and natural gas – are nonrenewable energy resources. Fossil fuels developed as a result of the decomposition and
compression, under many layers of sediment, of plants and animals that lived hundreds of millions of years ago.
Lesson 2: Exploring Our Past to Power Our Future
eJOURNEY
MODULE FOR GRADES 4 - 6
31
LESSON TWO
2
Learning
Objectives
Arizona Department of Education
ACADEMIC STANDARDS
Science
SC04-S4C3-02
After completing this lesson, students will be
able to:
Language
Arts
R04-S3C2-02; W04-S3C2-01;
R05-S3C2-02; W05-S3C2-01;
R06-S3C2-01; W06-S3C2-01
Differentiate renewable resources from nonrenewable resources.
Workplace
Skills
4WP-E3-02; 7WP-E1-01
Technology
1T-E2-02
Describe the formation of fossil fuels.
Construct a simple booklet using one-sided print
copy.
TIME NEEDED
One Class Period for Lesson
One to Two Class Periods for eJourney
Lesson 2: Exploring Our Past to Power Our Future
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eJOURNEY
MODULE FOR GRADES 4 - 6
LESSON TWO
Advance
Preparation
2
MATERIALS
Student eJournals: Wind Power eJournal,
Hydropower eJournal and Solar Power
eJournal
Student Handout: How to Construct Your
eJournal
staplers
GENERAL PREP
make copies of each of the eJournals:
Wind Power eJournal, Hydropower eJournal
and Solar Power eJournal (Note: Make
enough copies of each type of eJournal to
ensure that each student has their own
eJournal for their particular path, Students
will be assembling their own eJournals.)
make three copies of the handout: How
to Construct Your eJournal (Note: More
copies can be made but students will be working in their teamss to assemble their eJournals
so they can share copies and help each other.)
Special note about computer set-up for
the eJourney: The eJourney will need to
be installed on all computers used to
play the program. To install the eJourney,
use the CD-ROM, provided. Instructions
for installation will appear when the
CD is inserted. Once installed, the
eJourney can be run without the CD-ROM
disc. The eJourney is best viewed with
Internet Explorer version 5 and also
requires the Macromedia Flash Plug-in
version 7.0.
make arrangements for the class to use
the school’s computer lab (Note: Depending on the number of computers available
students may work alone or in pairs. Student
pairs must be on the same team. Most students
should be able to complete their eJourney path
in 1 to 2 class periods.)
Lesson 2: Exploring Our Past to Power Our Future
eJOURNEY
MODULE FOR GRADES 4 - 6
33
LESSON TWO
2
Suggested
Procedure
1
Conduct a class review on the content of the booklet Nonrenewable
Energy Sources – Powering Our Past and Present, What About Our Future?
(from Lesson One). Ask students to share what they learned about
the different nonrenewable energy sources. A discussion might be
led using following questions:
What nonrenewable energy sources were described in the booklet? (coal, oil,
natural gas and uranium)
Which energy sources are fossil fuels? (coal, oil, and natural gas)
How were fossil fuels formed? (decomposition and compression of animals
and plants that lived millions of years ago)
What makes a resource nonrenewable? (cannot be replenished by natural
cycles)
What is a renewable resource? (one that is replenished by natural cycles)
What are some renewable energy resources? (water, wind, and sun)
2
Explain to students that they are going to continue exploring renewable energy resources as they go on a computer-based journey,
called the eJourney. In the eJourney, they will travel through time to
learn how we have used renewable energy in the past and present.
3
Divide the class into three teams of students.
Explain that each team will explore a different
renewable energy path of the eJourney. The paths
are solar power, wind power and hydropower.
Assign a path to each team. (A random drawing
might be best but teams may have different
preferences.) Allow the teams to sit together
for the remainder of this lesson.
Lesson 2: Exploring Our Past to Power Our Future
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eJOURNEY
MODULE FOR GRADES 4 - 6
LESSON TWO
2
4
Hand out the unbound Wind Power eJournals to the wind team, the
Hydropower eJournals to the hydro team, and the Solar Power eJournals
to the solar team.
5
Pass out a copy of How to Construct Your eJournal to each team. Explain
that students should follow the instructions provided to assemble their
own eJournals.
6
Give teams time to construct their eJournals. Allow them to work as a
team for this activity. Since each team has only one copy of How to
Construct Your eJournal, they will need to work together, share information and help each other. This will also give them time to bond as an
eJourney team.
7
Remind students that they must read the first two pages of their
eJournals (Greetings eJourney Travelers! and Important Reminders)
in order to receive their PATHCODE to take the eJourney. The
PATHCODE is each team’s secret code to access their particular
path of the eJourney. Encourage them to read through the entire
eJournal to get an idea of the kinds of information they will need
to record during their eJourneys. When they have read and signed
their eJournals and everyone on a team is ready, they should show
the teacher their eJournals to receive their PATHCODE. Remind
them to write their PATHCODES in their eJournals.
The PATHCODES are as follows:
For the hydropower path: hydroe1
For the wind power path: winde1
For the solar power path: solare1
(Note that these are all lower-case with no spaces.)
(continued)
Lesson 2: Exploring Our Past to Power Our Future
eJOURNEY
MODULE FOR GRADES 4 - 6
35
LESSON TWO
2
Suggested
Procedure (continued)
8
Once all the teams have their PATHCODES, conduct a brief discussion
on the use of the computers and (if necessary) protocols of the computer lab. It is expected that there will be a technician with students in the
lab to get them started and help them with any unfamiliar applications.
Before going to the computer lab, remind students of the following:
1. Students should be sure to read the entire orientation screen before taking
the eJourney.
2. The eJourney is intended to be challenging for students. Directions are
sometimes in the form of a simple question. Students should explore all
screens carefully for “hot” spots with additional instructions. After the
first few screens, the procedures for searching for and collecting items
should be clear.
9
Have students take the eJourney! Remind the students to bring their
eJournals with them to the computer lab. They should be sure to fill in
all the blanks for each eEra. They will use the information from their
eJournals for their final classroom lesson. Good luck!
Lesson 2: Exploring Our Past to Power Our Future
36
eJOURNEY
MODULE FOR GRADES 4 - 6