Rationale
This unit was written for a freshman environmental science class at a neighborhood (non-selective enrollment) public school on the southwest side of Chicago. According to the 2010 Illinois School Report Card, demographics of the school include: 0.7% White, 48.7% Black, 50.6% Hispanic, and 0.1% Native American. 97.3% of the students are low-income, and the Limited-English proficiency rate, which is defined as students who are eligible for transitional bilingual programs, is 8.5%. 18.6 % of the students have an Individualized Education Plan, and the Mobility Rate is 28.4%. The attendance rate is 73%, with 38.5% reported as chronically truant. 18.6% of students will drop out.
Regardless of this, as a wise person once told me, "kids are kids." In today's society that means that social media, communication and portable music are perceived as vital to their existence. Our students just can't seem to resist the lure of mp3 players and cell phones, and I have decided to capitalize on that as a hook for the second of three units in our freshman, Environmental Science course.
The unit previously consisted of a brief introduction to mechanical, electrical, chemical, light, heat, and nuclear energy and the conversions between them. Following this, the coal power plant was studied extensively. This focus served both to introduce electricity production and to provide a channel for the exploration of the environmental consequences of our reliance upon fossil fuels. To conclude the unit, the students were asked to plan a new power plant for one of three cities: Burlington, VT; Laramie, WY; or Albuquerque, NM. One of the criteria for the plant is that it not rely upon fossil fuels. Students utilize information obtained via a geographic information system (GIS) to identify resources such as solar energy, wind, and water in each locale as well as to map population densities.
Invariably, students soon begin to question the limitations in terms of storage and transportation for options such as solar and wind power. Batteries have the potential to fill that need. However, because batteries are not a major part of most school curricula, this unit is designed to give students the background necessary to apply batteries to their unit project, as well as to attain greater understanding of science as a process and the interactions of science and society.
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