Unit 2 Alignment with National Science Standards

Unit 2 Learning Goal
Students will learn to evaluate an area to determine the best type of power generation for that area, and to recommend the best location for the power plant. To support their recommendations, they will apply their knowledge of non-renewable fossil fuels, the impacts of fossil fuel power plants, the inputs and outputs of alternative types of power generation, predictions of environmental impacts, and the energy needs of growing communities.

Energy Demand and Availability
1.  Students will understand that the demand for energy in all forms is increasing faster than human population, especially in technologically advanced countries.

2.  Students will understand that most of our electricity in the United States is generated using non-renewable fossil fuels.

NSES: F3b
AAAS: 5.E.1, 8.C.4

Electricity and Power Plants
3.  Students will understand that because electricity does not occur in large quantities naturally, we use power plants to transform energy from other forms into usable electricity.

4.  Students will understand the inputs and outputs of coal burning and other types of power plants. They will understand the processes that occur within coal burning and other types of power plant.

5.  Students will understand that good decisions about generating electricity must take into account environmental, economic, and social/political factors.

NSES: F5d
AAAS: 3.C.1, 3.C.3, 4.E.3, 7.D.1, 8.C.2, 8.C.3, 8.C.5

Impacts of Electricity Generation
6.  Students will understand that fossil fuel power plants can have negative impacts on the atmosphere, including acidic deposition, particulate formation and smog, and that these effects can spread over large areas.

7.  Students will understand that fossil fuel power plants can also impact aquatic and land ecosystems due to pollution, water temperature changes, and alteration of land use.

8.  Students will understand that global climate change is a controversial and hotly debated impact of the release of large amounts of carbon dioxide from power plants. Some scientists predict that excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will lead to an increase in the global average temperature.

NSES: F3c, F4a, F4b, F4c, F5b
AAAS: 3.C.4

Working with data and representations
1.  Students will construct and interpret various representations of data, including data tables, graphs, and scientific visualizations.

2.  Students will learn to use geographic information systems (GIS) software to view, interpret, and manipulate large datasets.

NSES: A1c, A1d, A2c
AAAS: 11.C.1, 12.B.3, 12.B.4, 12.B.5, 12.B.6, 12.C.2, 12.D.3, 12.D.7, 12.E.2

Environmental Decision Making
3.  Students will learn a systematic approach to decision making; when faced with a problem they will analyze the situation, determine their goals, consider their options, evaluate the consequences, consider stakeholder interests, and make a decision.

4.  Students will understand the complex nature of environmental decisions, including their basis in both scientific evidence and values-based opinions.

NSES: A1e, E1b, E1d, F5d, F6a, F6b, F6c, F6d, G1c
AAAS: 1.A.3, 3.B.4, 3.C.3, 7.C.2, 7.D.1, 7.D.2, 7.D.3, 8.C.2, 8.C.5, 12.E.3, 12.E.4, 12.E.5, 12.E.6

Observation and Measurement
5.  Students will carry out scientific procedures, using appropriate measurements and careful observations.

NSES: A1a, A1b, A1d, A2a
AAAS: 1.B.1, 1.B.2, 1.B.3, 1.B.4, 1.B.5, 1.B.6, 1.B.7, 1.C.7

Communication of Scientific Information
6.  Students will communicate the results of experiments and decisions in a clear and understandable manner.

NSES: A1f, A2f, E1e
AAAS: 12.D.1, 12.D.2, 12.D.3, 12.D.6, 12.D.7