Introduction
“Fairy lights on a building that's supplying us power from the sea; Electricity lines flow like veins to the town” – Ed Sheeran, England
A standard internet search using any of the primary search engines for the term “renewable energy” brings back over eighteen thousand news articles published on July 16, 2024. Renewable energy is a massive part of everyday culture and will continue to be in the forefront of public discussion. The news cycle is inundated with talk of emergent technologies, plans to construct new power generation plants, and the dangers of not shifting the global sources of electricity. Many national and local governments are implementing plans to fund electricity generation from renewable sources and to reduce the effects of climate change caused by using nonrenewable energy sources. This is a massive undertaking, and the work required covers all facets of science, governance, and culture. And is far too complicated to cover in one curricular unit. However, by narrowing the focus to our local community’s plan for shifting to renewable energy sources, we find an interesting intersection between science and connecting the classroom to the local community.
Washington, D.C., like many state governments, currently has a plan for making D.C. a very sustainable city that “balance[s] the environmental, economic, and social needs of the District of Columbia today as well as the needs of the next generation”.1 This plan covers a large variety of topics in 13 different areas of city government and uses both policy and infrastructure changes to achieve the goals within about 20 years. My curricular unit will focus on the renewable energy portion of that plan and guide students through an investigation on current methods of energy production. The energy portion of the Sustainable DC 2.0 plan has several goals, but I am focusing on Goal 2: “Increase the proportion of energy sourced from both clean and renewable supplies.”
The sustainable energy plan for D.C. includes possible solutions and steps for implementing clean and renewable energy at all levels of society. There are options for home-based generation of electricity through small, rooftop solar panels or improving efficiency of household appliances. At a neighborhood level, larger solar or wind installations could be connected to centralize power generation for that area. This would allow specific areas that are not well-suited for renewable energy production to share resources with those that are well-suited. And finally at the district level, the efficiency and consistency of power generated from clean sources will be increased, creating a sustainable solution for many generations.
Demographics
I teach at Eastern Senior High School in Washington, D.C. and am the only physics teacher at the school. The students who enroll in my general education Physics I course are typically in the 11th grade, have taken biology and chemistry courses in the preceding years, and are not enrolled in I.B. sciences. Eastern is a neighborhood school in the District of Columbia Public Schools, which means that there is no application or academic criteria for attending the school. There is a variety of student skills and often the students that perform on-grade level will enroll in the I.B. science courses and not take physics. A majority of the students come from low-income families and often have deficits in their education before high school. The students demonstrate below-grade level math skills and so I reduce the amount of math used in physics, focusing more on a conceptual understanding. This unit will be designed for students in my high school physics class and will focus on the scientific concepts behind generating electricity, the efficiency of various processes, and the benefits of using renewable energies to power the local community.
Rationale
From a purely practical standpoint, electrical generation, magnetism, and electron flow are state standards for my students. This curricular unit will go much deeper than that. Renewable energy sources are frequently in local news, the topic of discussion for many cities and states, often a source of contention in local governments, and a necessary factor to combat global climate change. High school students will soon be adults in their communities and the next generation of leaders. Understanding the scientific concepts that drive renewable energy and the mechanics of how electricity is generated will ensure that students are able to identify misconceptions when participating in their communities.
This aligns to physics specific content through the exploration of the concepts behind electricity generation. Students will learn how solar cells use the sunlight to create a potential difference, powering an electric circuit and using that energy to generate work. From exploring the mechanics of wind turbines, students will achieve an understanding of electromagnetic induction. Both of these methods will also support the earlier learning of the laws of conservation of energy and mechanics of energy transformation, including efficiency and work to power ratios.
By incorporating local government officials into the classroom work, students will also learn how to be an active participant in their community and learn ways to improve the lives of those they care about through advocacy. This unit will not address political viewpoints but rather use renewable energies as the way to navigate a complex government and voice concerns about issues that are important. Government officials and community leaders who have contributed to the plan for sustainability will be invited into the classroom. Students can engage with them and discuss the specific choices made and how the local community will best benefit. Enabling students to be not just educated citizens, but active ones as well.
Finally, guiding students through an exploration of new topics and applying those concepts to the real-world examples will further develop students’ critical thinking. This is a skillset that is necessary for furthering their education and understanding of the world around the students. By modelling and experiencing appropriate strategies, students will be confident in applying those critical thinking skills to other topics of interest as they progress to active members and leaders of their community.
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