Gold Seal Lesson:
Alternative Power Sources

Copernicus Education Gateway

 

Subject:

Science

Grade:

 

 

5-8

 

 

ICLE Standards:

 

 

Students will demonstrate an understanding of how natural resources are used to generate power.

 

 

Performance Task:

 

 

For this task, you are to pretend that you live in a town that has been destroyed by torrential rains and mud slides. You have to relocate to another area. The state you live in has donated land at a higher elevation on which you and your neighbors can rebuild. You have been asked to be a member of the committee planning your community's rebuilding. 

Your job is to recommend an alternative source of electricity to your community's Planning Board. Will it be solar power, wind power, or some other power? 

Form a committee with two of your classmates to make a recommendation. Write a report to the Planning Board, stating and justifying your recommendation. 

Include the key components that led you to make your decision.

 

 

Knowledge / Skills:

 

 

Understand how humans, through technology, cause environmental change by disrupting the equilibrium or balance of nature by introducing pollutants into the environment.  (s6)

Understand ecology as the study of the interactions and relationships of organisms with their living and nonliving environments (i.e., the ecosystem, communities, and populations).  (s13)

Participate, sometimes leading, in group meetings by contributing, taking turns speaking, and working toward a common goal.  (ela20)

Use expository writing skills in subjects other than English language arts.  (ela58)

 

 

Rubric:

 

 

4 Points  =  Students work cooperatively as a team with all team members sharing equally in performing the task. They include in their report the attributes that would determine why they chose the power source they did and the key components that led them to make their decision. The report is written in a clear, concise manner and uses good English structure.

 

 

3 Points  =  Students work cooperatively as a team, but not all members share equally in performing the task. They need some coaching in describing the attributes needed to determine why their power source is the best choice. The key components that led them to make their decision are not succinctly stated. The written report is fairly clear and concise, but does not read smoothly. It demonstrates weak written communication skills.

 

 

2 Points  =  Students have difficulty working as a team. Although they are not uncooperative, they tend to work as individuals. The students are very vague about why they chose their power source and give a poor description of the components needed for their energy source. The written report is unclear and not convincing. It is poorly constructed and shows little, if any, written communication skills.

 

 

1 Point  =  The students do not cooperate on the task and at times are uncooperative with each other. They demonstrate little team work skills. They show no understanding of an alternative power source and how it could be used. Their written report is poorly constructed and meaningless.

 

 

Keywords:

 

 

LIFE SCIENCE
ECOLOGY
ENERGY
EARTH SCIENCE
LANDFORMS
TECHNICAL WRITING
TEAM WORK

 

 

Grades:

 

 

Kg [] - 1 [] - 2 [] - 3 [] - 4 [] - 5 [X] - 6 [X] - 7 [X] - 8 [X] - 9 [] - 10 [] - 11 [] - 12 []

 

 

ICLE Application:

 

 

D

 

 

 

 

 

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