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Wind Power and Your Community |
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In a Nutshell:
Working in small groups, students learn about hydropower, diesel
power, and wind power, and how they are currently used in the
north. Students share what they have learned through a jigsaw
activity. They compare wind power to hydroelectric power and
diesel-generated power in terms of the financial costs and the
impact on the environment and then consider the use of wind power
for their community. |
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Goal:
To help students understand that wind power is an alternative
energy source that can be used in communities to help reduce
emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs). |
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Background Learning:
Teachers and high school students should be familiar with the
basic science of climate change as reviewed in:
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Learning Outcomes:
Click on the icon for your territory to review the learning outcomes that are addressed by this lesson:
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Introduction to Lesson Plan:
Northern governments and the federal government are all keen
to reduce the current dependence on diesel-sourced power. When
power plants burn diesel to create electricity, it is not only
costly, but also produces massive amounts of greenhouse gases
(GHGs). In 2001, Nunavut spent $121 million (nearly 18% of the
annual budget) on diesel fuel.
In this activity, students research three types of energy production
(hydro, diesel, and wind), compare them, and evaluate the practicality
of wind power for their region.
To prepare for this lesson, you will need to book computer time
for your class or visit the websites listed in Student
Handout #2 and print off some of the information for students to use
in the research part of the activity.
Download and make copies of the student handouts and answer
keys you intend to use.
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Activity:
- If your students are not already familiar with the basics
of climate change and renewable energy, introduce the concepts,
using Backgrounders 1 and 13. (For ideas on how to interact
with the Backgrounders, see the lesson entitled Getting
Into the Backgrounders.) A key vocabulary exercise is also available
(see Student Handout
#6).
- “Grab” the students with a scenario such
as this one: The Federal Government as well as northern governments
have said we’ve got to stop using diesel to create
power because:
- Canada has committed to reducing greenhouse
gases and burning diesel causes significant GHG emissions.
- Northern governments can’t afford the high costs
of importing diesel.
In three years, your community will have its diesel supply
cut by 50%. You need to find some clean energy alternatives!
(Note: If you’re not in a community that uses
diesel for power, imagine you are in another community
in your region
that is diesel-dependent.)
 Ask students to identify
the power sources for their community and territory.- Brainstorm energy solutions for your community
(or your imaginary community)
- Tell the students some communities are already preparing
for this. Rankin Inlet, Kugluktuk, Cambridge
Bay, Whitehorse and other northern communities are using
windmills to create
some of their own power. The scenario they
have discussed isn’t too far from reality!
- Tell the students that in the next few
days they will be learning about how
renewable energy from wind can help
to slow climate change and prepare for the day that we run
out of fuel.
- Discuss renewable and non-renewable energy:
- Write renewable energy in the middle of the
board.
- Ask the students to brainstorm what this word
means. Once it is discussed, write the definition
on the board. (Answer: Energy that is usually available in a never-ending
supply, i.e., it will never run out)
- Do a mind map stemming from this definition
to come up with some types of renewable energies the
students know about.
- Write on another part of the board non-renewable
energy.
- Ask the students to define this term. Write
down the definition. (Answer: energy that comes from
sources that will run out)
- Do a mind map of examples. (Examples include
fuels such as oil, gas, and coal. These come from inside
the earth and will be gone forever once they are used up.)
- Explain that your community uses diesel fuel shipped in from
the south to supply energy for heating
and electricity needed in your community. Also, the gas used for cars, ATVs,
boats
and snow machines come from the south
as well. At the rate we’re going, there will soon be no oil reserves
left on earth, they will be gone
and cannot be replenished in
human time. Hence the name non-renewable.
- Jigsaw
activity:
 Divide students into three, six or nine “expert” groups
(no more than four students per group). You may want to create
the groups yourself to ensure that each group has similar
reading and comprehension abilities. Assign each group one
of the three power sources – hydro, diesel, wind – to
research, and give each a list of
sources (see Student
Handout #2).
Note: If your students don’t
have computer access, you will need
to print out information from the
listed sources.
You can assign the task of completing
the summary sheet (Student
Handout #1) if you feel your class
needs that guidance. The students
will be responsible
for teaching this information
to other classmates later on.- Once each group has learned all they can about
their topic, they are going to be
split up so that there are groups of three (as many as
you need for your class numbers).
These groups will be comprised of
one student from each “expert
group.” Their task is to share
their information about the particular
power source they studied. They can
refer to their summary sheet for
help. Each
student should be given
a comparison chart to complete (Student
Handout #3).
- Once
the students have all completed the chart, the jigsaw
activity is complete. To summarize the learning,
engage the students in a class discussion.
- Concluding discussion:
Ask the students to think about what they have learned, and
discuss the practicalities of
making the switch from diesel or hydro
to wind power. Is it reasonable for our communities to
switch to some wind
power? Would a “hybrid” solution
be more practical? (Note: A hybrid system
using diesel and wind generation is
being proposed for the northern Yukon
community of Old Crow.) Discuss the real
financial and environmental costs/benefits,
by examining the comparison chart the
students completed.
Ask the students where they think a wind
turbine would be best located in or around
their community. Where and why
would they put it in a particular place?
- Culminating Activity:
Give out Student
Handout #4, which
gives students a choice of two assignments:
Energy Vision
of the Future or A Wind Farm in Your Community.
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Handouts:
Click on the icon for the complete set of handouts that support
this lesson:
Student Handouts
Student Handout #1: Summary Sheet
Student Handout #2: Sources of Information on the Internet
Student Handout #3: Comparison Chart
Student Handout #4: Final Assignment
Student Handout #5: Enrichment Activity
Student Handout #6: Key Vocabulary Exercise
Teacher Handouts
Teacher Handout #1: Summary Sheet Answers
Teacher Handout #2: Comparison Chart Answer Key
Teacher Handout #3: Key Vocabulary Answers
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Student Web-Exchange:
Students can post their final essay assignments or a map of
a wind farm in their community to the Student
Web-Exchange. Click
on the icon for information on how to post material. |
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Evaluation:
Evaluate the written project to be handed in after the activities.
Participation during group work could also be evaluated and you
may wish to collect the students’ summary sheets or comparison
sheets for marking. |
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Enrichment Ideas:
Science/ Social Studies/ Mathematics:
Wind Power for Your Community: Students “go
shopping” for
their community with a given budget. They must decide what type
of wind generator to purchase for their community by considering
the cost of the generator as well as shipping, installation,
and maintenance costs. They will present their findings in a “final
report.” (See Student
Handout #5.)
Other Renewable Energies: Students research other sources of
renewable energy, present the information to the class, and assess
the feasibility of using each energy source in their community.
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About the Author:
My name is Liz Girard. I live in Rankin Inlet, in Nunavut. This
is the second largest community in Nunavut, situated on the western
shore of Hudson Bay. I teach at the Arctic College Community
Learning Center (C.L.C.). I teach math, English and health to
adults in the community who are upgrading their academic skills.
My classes range in size from eight to fifteen students. I have
been teaching at the C.L.C. for three years now, and love it!
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