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In this lesson, students will be able to explore hydropower, wind power, and waste-to-energy. Students will understand how mechanical and electrical energy play a part in alternative energy and explore how the energy created at the power plant gives energy back to the community. Students will also learn how landfills can be sustainable using garbage, explore what happens to recyclable and non-recyclable materials once they leave the home and understand how non-recyclables can be turned into energy
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Click and watch this teacher preparation video to help you understand how to teach this lesson.
Here is a YouTube link of the teacher video for your reference: https://youtu.be/rOIM2OQbU8M
Start Here: Teacher Preparation Video
Explore hydropower, wind power, and waste-to-energy.
Understand how mechanical and electrical energy play a part in alternative energy.
Explore how the energy created at the power plant gives energy back to the community.
Learn how landfills can be sustainable using garbage.
Explore what happens to recyclable and non-recyclable materials once they leave the home.
Understand how non-recyclables can be turned into energy.
Citizenship
Critical Thinking
Project Based Learning
Students will begin their exploration in the school. They will click on Lesson 6 on the teacher. The first stop will be the alternative power plant by way of the city bus. After entering, they will first learn about hydropower from the NPCs they pass. Once they have passed through the plant, they will climb a ladder to explore wind power and even have a chance to restart one of the wind turbines for one of the plant’s workers! Students will then spawn a Minecraft to travel on the power lines, learning about how the electricity is used. One stop will be at the Landfill Bioreactor (NPC) to explore how items in the landfill can be used for energy. Students will then get off to explore the Waste-to-Energy Plant. Once completed, students will hop back on the bus and head back to town!
What is hydropower?
What is wind power?
How is alternative energy different than using fossil fuels? (introduce the terms renewable and non-renewable)
What is electricity used for?
What is mechanical energy?
What is potential energy?
What is kinetic energy?
What is electrical energy?
Why should people choose hydropower or wind power over fossil fuels?
What happens to items that are not recyclable?
How can non-recyclable items be made into energy?
How can a landfill be sustainable if it is just filled with garbage?
Activity 1: Ask students what they know about alternative energy, landfills, and waste-to-energy plants. The answers should be placed on a K-W-L chart on the board. Students should then share what they want to know about these energy sources. The teacher will remind students that they will need to take notes during their Minecraft world exploration in order to fill in the “L” part of the chart after.
Activity 2: Explain what fossil fuels are and the fact that they are non-renewable resources that will eventually run out. She will ask the class what kind of resources hydropower, wind power, and waste-to-energy are and why they are renewable.
Activity 3: To give some background on waste-to-energy plants, show the video about one (Trash to energy plant - YouTube).
Activity 4: Next, the teacher will explain that both hydropower and wind power require mechanical energy and that is turned into electrical energy. To help students understand mechanical energy and electrical energy, students will complete two PhET simulations:
Energy Skate Park Simulation: Energy Skate Park (colorado.edu)
Signal Circuit Simulation: PhET Simulation (colorado.edu)
Energy Skate Park: Once opened, click on “Pie Chart” in the upper right-hand corner. Then, place the skater at the top of the half pipe. With the pie chart chosen, students will be able to see how much kinetic and potential energy the skater has at different points. When the skater is paused at the top, she has a lot of potential, or stored, energy. At the bottom, the skater is using a lot of kinetic energy, or energy while in motion.
Signal Circuit: In this simulation, students will understand how electricity runs from a switch to a light. On the bottom, click the button that says, “Show Inside Switch.” The moving blue dots represent the electricity (electrons).
Activity 5: After exploring the PhET simulations, students will explain what they learned about mechanical energy and electrical energy. For older students, the teacher may want to ask them to make the connection between the two—how mechanical energy gets transformed into electrical energy.
Explain what various sources of alternative energy are and how they work (PE1).
Explain the difference between a renewable and non-renewable resource (PE2).
Understand how mechanical and electrical energy is used in the production of alternative energy sources (PE3).
Argue why people should use an alternative energy source instead of relying solely on fossil fuels (PE4).
Understand how landfills can use garbage to be sustainable (PE5).
Explain how non-recyclable items can be turned into energy (PE6).
Check out the Tips & Tricks video playlist that will help you and your students better use Minecraft: Education Edition in the classroom:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkh9rrdH-ARER03ojhFYtmoFDVuACYJLa
More videos added periodically so make sure you check often for more content!
Click and watch the student pause and play video with your class, pausing and playing as needed. This will help your students understand how to navigate through this lesson and Minecraft world and complete the activities located within them. Enjoy!
Check out the YouTube link for your reference: https://youtu.be/GGmItCJTmB0
Student 'Pause & Play' Video