Systems and Scale | Community Connections: Activity 1

Students use unit ideas to gather the information they will need to make their infographic.

Resources Provided

Combustion in our Community Worksheet (1 per student)
Assessing Combustion in our Community Worksheet

Setup

Print one copy per student of Combustion in our Community Worksheet. Prepare a computer with an Internet connection and a projector to show the government energy website.

Directions

1. Introduce students to uses of combustion in their community.

Have students read the Worksheet introduction and answer the questions in section I.A. For question 1, it may help students to draw the structure of methane (a central carbon bonded to 4 hydrogen atoms). Discuss their answers. Focus on their precision of language. Their word choice should not imply that energy is being used up during combustion. Rather energy is changing forms.

Have students answer questions 2 and 3 to the best of their ability.

Homework: Have students talk with family members to make sure their list is complete and accurate.

2. Students research the main energy sources for their state.

Project https://www.eia.gov/state/. Click on your state, then the “Consumption by source” tab and scroll down to bar graph of energy sources. Have students fill out the table in Section B. Use the “Electricity” tab to show the energy sources used to produce electricity in your state. Discuss students’ responses.

Possible discussion questions: Which sources does our state use that do not involve combustion? What portion of our state’s use do they account for? How do you think our energy sources might be different from those of states in other regions? Why do you think our state’s energy profile looks like this?