OVERVIEW, RATIONALE, LEARNING OUTCOMES
Unit Overview: What is the focus of this unit study?
This unit study is intended to teach sixth-grade students the fundamental information necessary to perceive the world's modern resources through the lens of sustainability. Specifically, this unit study focuses on fossil fuels, including the following: the various types of fossil fuels and their respective uses; how fossil fuels are extracted; how fossil fuels affect our planet; the consequences of the combination of fossil fuels and sunlight on Phoenix's climate; and lastly, a look at the question 'should we continue to use fossil fuels?'.
Day 1: The various types of fossil fuels and their respective uses.
Day 2: How are fossil fuels extracted
Day 3: How do fossil fuels affect our planet
Day 4: The impact of sunlight, fossil fuels, and global warming.
Day 5: Should we continue to use fossil fuels?
Rationale
Modern energy resources are firmly rooted in the extraction and usage of fossil fuels, in their various forms. Students, as the future stewards of our planet, will inevitably be in charge of managing human resources and balancing human needs with those of the environment. Building knowledge about the most powerful energy resource in current use, fossil fuels, will allow students to knowledgeably affect the planet in positive ways. This unit study, by focusing not only on fossil fuels, but also on their impact on Phoenix's climate, will instill in students the interrelatedness of multiple different systems, specifically energy and climate. Doing so will serve as to lay the groundwork for future lessons and units that fall under the overall umbrella of sustainability.
Learning Outcomes for this unit study:
This unit study is intended to teach sixth-grade students the fundamental information necessary to perceive the world's modern resources through the lens of sustainability. Specifically, this unit study focuses on fossil fuels, including the following: the various types of fossil fuels and their respective uses; how fossil fuels are extracted; how fossil fuels affect our planet; the consequences of the combination of fossil fuels and sunlight on Phoenix's climate; and lastly, a look at the question 'should we continue to use fossil fuels?'.
Day 1: The various types of fossil fuels and their respective uses.
- The first day will set the stage for the entire unit. The lesson will begin with an introductory video which depicts the various forms of fossil fuels, including an online demonstration of how fossil fuels were formed from the remnants of long-dead organisms. Each form of fossil fuel will be described in a presentation, and then students will be broken into three groups to study the usages of each fossil fuel in-depth. All three groups will use a poster-board and markers/crayons/colored pencils/etc. to create a visual that shows the uses of their respective fossil fuel. After each group has done their research and made their poster, they will each take turns reporting back to the whole class, presenting their findings and their poster. This day is essentially designed to build a foundation for understanding the general background knowledge of fossil fuels. Students should know after this day the difference between each fossil fuel and describe a use for each one.
Day 2: How are fossil fuels extracted
- The second day will build off of the knowledge and vocabulary used on day one to explain how each fossil fuel is physically extracted from the planet via short video. Students will be expected to know how each fossil fuel is extracted. Videos will be shown first on natural gas and oil, after which students will discuss with partners the content of the video and the process of extraction for each fossil fuel. Students will then attempt to predict how coal is extracted before watching a video on coal mining. At the end of this day, students will engage in a science lab using chocolate chip cookies and toothpicks to develop an understanding of the costs that come from coal mining.
Day 3: How do fossil fuels affect our planet
- The third day will have students reflect on what they have learned and explain any background knowledge they have on how fossil fuels impact our planet. Students will watch a video on the effects caused by pollution and plastic in our environments. Groups will be formed for each fossil fuel, where students will research the impacts fossil fuels have on our planet. Every student from each group will be responsible for typing one piece of information they found into a Google doc that will be shared throughout the whole class. Students will take notes in their science notebooks on the positive and negative impacts of fossil fuels, as given in a powerpoint presentation. Students will then complete a word search using vocabulary words specific to this unit. Lastly, students will write a short paragraph in their science notebooks, outlining one positive and one negative impact fossil fuels have on the planet.
Day 4: The impact of sunlight, fossil fuels, and global warming.
- The fourth day will focus on the way fossil fuels impact Earth's climate. Students will be introduce to the concepts of global warming and the greenhouse effect through multiple videos. A presentation will be given that talks about how fossil fuels impact the carbon cycle and the negative impact the greenhouse effect could have on life on Earth. Students will be asked to create a diagram of the greenhouse effect in their science notebooks.
Day 5: Should we continue to use fossil fuels?
- The fifth day will focus on a classroom debate. Students will be broken into two sides, one in favor of fossil fuels, the other in favor of renewable energy. Each student will spend some time on a computer/tablet individually researching their side of the argument, utilizing a set of seven resources set up in a Google doc for the class to use, so that no student has to do any web-searching and will be sure to have academic sources to rely upon in the debate. Each student will have to fill out two t-charts on the pros and cons of fossil fuels as well as the pros and cons of renewable energy. This information will be used in the debate, done after the research, where every student will be required to speak at least once. After the debate, there will be a reflection paragraph where students will discuss their opinion on the debate and whether or not they switched sides.
- A full and complete lesson plan will be provided for this day on the Day 5 page.
Rationale
Modern energy resources are firmly rooted in the extraction and usage of fossil fuels, in their various forms. Students, as the future stewards of our planet, will inevitably be in charge of managing human resources and balancing human needs with those of the environment. Building knowledge about the most powerful energy resource in current use, fossil fuels, will allow students to knowledgeably affect the planet in positive ways. This unit study, by focusing not only on fossil fuels, but also on their impact on Phoenix's climate, will instill in students the interrelatedness of multiple different systems, specifically energy and climate. Doing so will serve as to lay the groundwork for future lessons and units that fall under the overall umbrella of sustainability.
Learning Outcomes for this unit study:
- List and describe the various types of fossil fuels.
- Explain the ways fossil fuels are used and extracted.
- Describe the ways fossil fuels affect our planet (both positively and negatively).
- Explain how the combination of fossil fuels and sunlight affect the climate of Phoenix, AZ.
- Be able to answer, with proper support, the question, Should we continue to use fossil fuels?