Unit+-+Developing+ideas

    **Unit Summary ** Decisions about energy use affect the quality of life on our planet, both now and in the future. It is an important part of our discussions about living in environmentally sustainable ways. As we continue to rely on finite resources as sources of energy to power our life style, all users of energy must make choices about how much energy they use as we work together to a more sustainable future.  In this unit students will study the concepts of sustainability together with non-renewable and renewable sources of energy, energy transfer, transformation and measurement. Our work on sustainability extending from the global to the local perspective . Students will investigate and use new and existing technologies, recommend actions that may reduce carbon emissions and inform their wider community about the sustainable living and the use of energy. The inquiry-based learning approach taken in this unit consists of first-hand investigations of a range of inquiry questions. There are internet research projects, directed investigations and student-designed practical investigations. Scientific evidence can assist students to make informed decisions and suggest ways to work towards a more sustainable world.  **Curriculum-Framing Questions **  **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Unit Questions ** <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Why is the sustainable use of energy important? <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">What can we do to reduce our energy use? <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Content Questions ** <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">The questions which we set might include the following: <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Why is the sustainable use of energy important? <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13pt;">What is sustainability? <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Why should we live in sustainable ways? <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Do we live in sustainable ways? <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Why do we need to use less electrical energy? <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Where does our energy come from? How is our energy use connected to carbon emissions (and climate change?)? <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">What are my personal carbon emissions? <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13pt;">What are renewable and non renewable sources of energy? <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">What are some benefits and consequences of using various energy sources? <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">How do different energy sources contribute to carbon emissions (and climate change?)? <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Which particular energy sources should be used (in a model community) and why? <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13pt;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">What can we do to reduce our energy use? <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">How do we use electrical energy in <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13pt;">our community- school and home <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">? <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13pt;">How can we be safe with electricity? <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">How do we measure how much electrical energy we use? <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">How can we investigate scientifically the impact of one electrical energy reduction strategy? <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">What personal choices can we make to reduce <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">how much electrical energy we use (and result in lower carbon emissions)? <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">How can we communicate our ideas? <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">What personal behaviours have I changed? <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> **<span style="color: #0860a9; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Prerequisites ** <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Prior experience with using technology for research, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> and for representing, analysing and communicating <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> information is helpful. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Previous cooperative learning and scientific method/process investigations would be beneficial. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Prior understandings of electrical energy transfer and transformations e.g. simple closed circuits is an advantage. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Understandings of carbon dioxide and the impact of it upon greenhouse and ultimately upon climate change <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> **<span style="color: #0860a9; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Content Descriptions / Big ideas ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Working towards a sustainable future requires that w <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">e all make informed choices about the use of electrical energy and thereby assist in reducing <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">carbon emissions. <span style="color: #0860a9; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="color: #0860a9; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> **<span style="color: #0860a9; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Understandings ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Sustainability is a matter of thinking globally and acting locally - changing the way we act to support the natural systems at work on our planet <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Sustainability means giving future generations a world that is as rich as the one we have inherited <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Sustainable practices will ensure energy for the future and will extend our existing energy resources. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Energy is an essential resource. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">There are a variety of resources that provide us with energy, some of these resources are renewable; others are non-renewable. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Energy consumption affects our world. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Burning <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> fossil fuels for energy can release greenhouse gases/carbon emissions that create global changes that lead to climate change. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">The use of energy resources (e.g. coal, oil, wind, sun) has particular costs and benefits (social, environmental -carbon emissions) which can be measured. <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Renewable sources of energy, including water, solar and wind, and can be transformed into electrical energy <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Electrical energy can be transferred and transformed and measured. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Working towards a sustainable future requires that w <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">e all make choices about reducing the use of electrical energy and thereby assist in reducing <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">carbon emissions <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">There is an interconnectedness between Australia and global environments and individuals and groups can act in an ecologically responsible manner. <span style="color: #0860a9; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="color: #0860a9; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> **<span style="color: #0860a9; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Inquiry skills ** <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Students will pose meaningful questions that can be investigated and apply different inquiry methods (eg fair testing, survey, secondary sources). <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Students will use a variety of sources to develop the questions which they will explore around sustainability and energy <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Students will investigate practical ways for individuals, households or their school to conserve electrical energy resources <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">and make judgements based on the results of observing, questioning, planning, predicting, testing, collecting, recording and analysing data, and drawing conclusions. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Students will c <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">ommunicate their findings and recommendations to an audience. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> ** <span style="color: #365f91; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Values ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Students will argue a position on whether or not particular energy sources should be used in a community. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Students will develop responsibility as consumers to conserve and manage energy resources in ways that are fair to both present and future generations <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Students will communicate (and justify?) their beliefs and <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> decisions about reducing the use of electrical energy in their community-school & home. <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Students will <span style="color: #141413; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">appreciatiethe environment, one’s personal relationship with it and one’s responsibility for its future; <span style="color: #00804d; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="color: #141413; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Students will recognise the interdependence of people and the environment; showing commitment to ecologically sustainable development and lifestyles; <span style="color: #00804d; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">and <span style="color: #141413; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">being environmentally responsible. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">
 * <span style="color: #0860a9; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">This page is an attempt to compile and organise the key ideas to date. None of these ideas are set in stone – they are just a rough first attempt to mould the ideas we have developed with our two dream teams. **

** <span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">ICT **<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Students will use a range of technology, to conduct web research, collect measurements of electrical energy usage, present experimental results using spreadsheets, graphing programs and digital cameras and communicate their findings e.g. using interactive whiteboards, PowerPoint presentations <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> ** <span style="color: #365f91; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Key Vocabulary ** <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Alternative energy, behaviour, carbon, climate change, communities, consequences, conservation, decisions, electrical energy, emissions, ethics, fossil fuels, generation, greenhouse gases, hydroelectricity, power, network, renewable, non-renewable, resource, responsibilities, solar, sources, storage, sustainability, technology, transfer, transformation, values, wind. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> ** <span style="color: #365f91; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Subject Areas ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Science (Earth, Physical, Environmental) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">HSIE <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">English <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Mathematics <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13pt;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"> ** <span style="color: #365f91; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Unit Design ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The unit will consist of a logical sequence of activities that is consistent with the 5Es, a constructivist model of teaching and learning. Teaching and learning progresses through five phases Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate and Evaluate. It may well be that there is an integration of Science, HSIE English and Mathematics in each alliteration of the 5Es teaching learning model. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Staying with an inquiry approach, I have analysed the backward mapping responses on our wikispace and have generated a list of content questions (as above). I then aligned them into the 5Es teaching learning model. What do you think? Please see 5Es summary page.

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