Primary
ENERGY:
A FINITE
RESOURCE
Equipment and Resources
Learning Objectives
Key points
The history of
energy, fossil
fuels, renewable
energy, depletion
of resources, life
after oil.
Learn about the history of the use of
energy sources by human beings
Tell the difference between renewable
energy resources and fossil fuels (nonrenewable energy resources)
Understand that there is inequality
regarding access to energy across the
world
Realise the significance of the end of
fossil fuel reserves
10 x items that have a link to energy (e.g. toy
car, wood, water, light bulb, battery, food, etc)
1 x Energy Quiz per pupil (Resource sheet 1)
A film- depending on age group:
Clip- Where Does Energy Come From-. http://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUa7I7D_myU
School house rock- Energy blues video- http://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wX2wrXwe8ZM
1 x History of Energy Worksheet per pupil
(Resource sheet 2)
15 chairs and 15 candles
5 posters each with the name of one of the
continents: Africa, Asia, South America, North
America and Europe
A world map (optional)
ACTIVITIES
1
ACTIVITY
SHEET
INTRODUCTION
3
20m Items Linked to Energy
Activity
40m The History of Energy
Place all the different energy related items on a table.
Ask a volunteer to pick an item and tell the class
what its link with energy is.
Repeat until all the items have been explained.
2
NO1
energy
20m What’s that?
Individually, pupils fill out a copy of the Energy
Questionnaire about what they know about energy
(see Resource sheet 1).
As a class, go through the correct answers for the
questionnaire.
Watch one of the suggested short films above (up
to 10 mins) available on YouTube which traces the
history of the use of energy by human beings.
In small groups of 5-6, pupils must put the
different energy sources used by human beings in
chronological order, and write a short description
of how they are used (see Resource sheet 2).
As a class, go through the answers.
Emphasise that the use of fossil fuels is relatively
recent, however it would be very difficult for us to
change as they are such a big part of our daily lives.
Discuss with pupils how energy is produced in the UK.
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Primary
ENERGY:
A FINITE
RESOURCE
ACTIVITIES (CONTINUED)
4
ACTIVITY
SHEET
NO1
Activity
30m The Inequalities across the World
Conclusion
Introduction
Discuss with the class where energy resources
come from.
Discuss with the class whether all countries have
the same access to energy and whether they
consume as much energy as the UK.
Ask the class what would happen if
everyone lived like North Americans? Pupils
should understand that if everyone lived
like a North American we would need 7
planet earths to support us, yet we only
have one!
The objective is to identify that there are
inequalities across the world.
5
Activity
The Chair Game
Put up the posters of the continents on the
walls in different parts of the classroom. You can
remind children, using the world map, where each
continent is.
Ask 15 pupils to spread themselves between the
posters, representing their estimate of the spread
of population across the continents.
Ensure correct distribution as follows: (1 pupil =
approx. 400 million people) Europe = 2 pupils,
Africa = 2 pupils, Asia = 9 pupils, South America =
1 pupil, North America = 1 pupil
Ask the remaining 15 pupils to distribute the
chairs to represent the raw materials consumed
by each continent.
Ensure correct distribution as follows: Europe = 4 chairs,
Africa = 1 chair, Asia = 5 chairs, South America = 1 chair,
North America = 4 chairs
Ask the class to distribute the 15 candles to represent
the electricity consumption in each continent. 1 candle =
175 billion kWh.
Ensure correct distribution as follows: Europe = 3
candles, Africa = 0 candles, Asia = 3 candles, South
America = 1 candle, North America = 8 candles
Game was invented by Iteco chairs. (http://www.iteco.be/)
and Students Association and Development (http://www.
etudiantsetdeveloppement.org /)
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