Introduction
The oldest coal mines in the United States are located in Midlothian, Virginia. They were open pit mines and, beginning in the 1730s, represent some of the first industrial sites in all of North America.1 Nearly 300 years later, roughly one third of Virginia’s energy is provided by coal, with another third coming from natural gas.2 As the coal industry wanes, there is renewed interest and technological effort being put into the extraction of oil and natural gas from the Marcellus Shale, which exists in the far western and southern portions of the state, as well as potential hydrocarbon and uranium extraction from Triassic Era basins found in the more populous Piedmont region of the state.3 If trends hold, it appears that coal will continue to drop in use, with natural gas, nuclear, and other forms of energy production moving in to replace it.
In this curriculum unit, my goal is to provide my students with the means to research the origins of the fossil fuel and renewable resources present in Virginia, how they are extracted and used, and what could be the future of energy generation for the state. In three sections of roughly one week each, students will: 1) research how coal and natural gas were formed in shallow equatorial seas of Carboniferous-period Virginia and compare the energy emitted from different grades of coal, 2) learn about mining and usage techniques through a series of field trips to local coal mines and power plants, finally engaging in a debate on the pros and cons of hydraulic fracturing (fracking), and 3) predict what types of energy generation will best meet the needs of our state in the decades and centuries to come, culminating in an attempt to model different renewable forms.
Educational Setting
Lucille Murray Brown Middle School (LMB) is a Title I school located in the south side of Richmond, VA. One of the most populous schools in the city, LMB also boasts some of the greatest ethnic and socio-economic diversity in the city, due largely to a magnet program that takes in an additional 75 students per year from every zone in Richmond. LMB uses the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum for every classroom, which focuses on providing a full picture of the content to students, allowing them to view a subject through multiple lenses and from multiple perspectives. Next year will be the 2nd year that LMB is whole-school IB. A more in depth discussion of the IB method can be found in the practices section below, following the background.
My earth science students are high achieving students, about half of whom come from the magnet pool and half from the neighborhood pool. The students, roughly 100-125 per year, represent the City of Richmond well in terms of ethnicity (roughly 55/45 black/white) and socio-economic status (everything from low to upper-middle). As a rule, my students are highly motivated, either through intrinsic drive to succeed or an extrinsic desire to please (or to not displease) their parents. While talkative and easily distracted, like any middle schooler, these students are eager for challenges and bring a great amount of creativity and energy to most tasks, especially any task that they feel has relevance to their lives. They love group work and excel when given leeway to research and design in their own ways. That being said, they are quick to dismiss anything they view as “busy-work” or irrelevant. Many do not have easy access to computers and the internet at home. As such, I like to keep most of the research and formatting aspects of lessons and projects within the classroom.
My classroom is situated with 6 science tables, oriented as diamonds in relation to the front and back of the room. Ideally, each table would have 4 students, although the reality is more like 5 or 6. Regardless, this arrangement is great for group work. Students can either work in 6 larger groups, or 12 smaller groups, depending on the nature of the activity. The tables are attached to the floor, however, which limits my ability to change the orientation. The classroom is supplied with a fume hood and a sink in the back of the room
Rationale
In our seminar, we have spent time discussing the pros and cons of sources of energy that are currently available as well as those that are, at this stage, theoretical. Additionally, our main piece of reading – The Quest - addressed the economic, geopolitical, and technological history of the fossil fuel race. Counter to much of the narrative regarding fossil fuels that I have heard, scientists and statisticians who study this topic have shown that, far from being in any danger of running out of fossil fuels, we have barely scratched the surface of what is beneath us. As extraction technology advances, it seems likely that we will be able to access stores that have been previously considered out of reach – oil from the deep ocean, gas and oil that are trapped in rock layers, etc.
This is not necessarily a comforting prospect, however, as this increased access will result in the continued burning of fossil fuels, the continued addition of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, and the continued intensification of the greenhouse effect. Above all else, this seminar has stressed to me that there is a great need for renewable energy and carbon-neutral fuels, as well as the social and political will to compel industry and government to make this a priority. With all this in mind, I was inspired to design a unit that focuses on the history of energy generation in Virginia, and the potential we have for moving away from the legacy of coal and, to a lesser extent, natural gas.
Middle and high school students are, for the most part, blissfully ignorant about the source or mechanisms by which energy is extracted, processed, and delivered to their devices. I have found that many of my students, when exposed to the supply chain of their beloved electronics, view them through a different and more informed lens. As a former environmental educator, I work hard not to color the information with any particular agenda, only to help them become informed members of society.
As I stated above, most middle schoolers, and people in general, do not spend much time contemplating the sources of their electricity and energy and even less time on the consequences associated with them, from extraction to waste removal and every step in between. I believe that a well-informed person is the most useful member of society. If I can help my students discover the facts regarding Virginia’s energy sources and solutions, it will be an accomplishment. Additionally, it appeals to me because this content fits so well with so many different aspects of the Earth Science curriculum, and I am excited by the idea of a single strand that reappears throughout the year, tying one sub-category of earth science (ES) to another so neatly.
Unit Summary
The fossil fuel resources, specifically coal, found in Virginia result from large scale sedimentation and burial of organic matter mostly during the entirety of the Carboniferous Period (~359 – 299 mya). At that time, the land that would become the East Coast of the United States was a sub-equatorial rainforest The coal, mentioned above, that was mined in the Piedmont region of Virginia is younger, having formed during the Mesozoic Era. These deposits represent the smallest fraction of VA’s coal resources, however. In addition to coal, Virginia also has ample natural gas resources, formed during the late Devonian (~420 – 350 mya).4
All of these resources originate in the massive amount of biological activity that was taking place during the Carboniferous Period, and were preserved due to the presence of a massive inland sea, the remnants of which have been thrust upward in the ensuing years and now represent the Appalachian Plateau and Ridge and Valley regions of Virginia. While not among the top producers of fossil fuels in the United States,5 Virginia is well placed for a scientific and social examination of the role that the science and economy of energy has played in our geologic and human history, our present, and our future.
Three Foci of Unit
1) The first topic is Virginia’s geologic past and the conditions that brought about the burial and subduction of organic sediments, leading to fossil fuel formation, focusing on coal and natural gas. In this unit, we will examine what Virginia would have looked like 350 million years ago. We will cover the topics of sedimentation and burial before discussing how VA got from having an inland sea to having a folded and greatly weathered mountain range.
2) Virginia’s energy present is the next topic, for which we will focus on the extraction and eventual use of these fuels to generate electricity. This will involve making maps of Virginia to show the locations of the major stores of coal and natural gas, an examination of the processes used to extract the fuels, and, hopefully, a trip to a nearby power plant where students can see energy being generated. There is an extension possibility to structure a debate around one of these fuels, examining the pros and cons of their extraction and use, with students assuming the roles of different stakeholders. We will also take a field trip to the nearby Midlothian Mines Park to view the site of the original open pit mines in Virginia.
3) Virginia’s energy future is the final topic, for which we will discuss the effects of burning fossil fuels and the mechanics of climate change and the greenhouse effects. We will focus on Virginia’s potential for renewable and carbon-neutral energy, looking specifically at offshore wind, uranium mining, and nuclear power. Students will make models of windmills and hydroelectric turbines and will have access to small solar cells that can be used to power small motors. This unit would also be an opportunity to visit a local nuclear power plant and compare it to the coal-fired facility.
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