Energy Sources and Global

Warming:
Inquiry-Based Lesson Plan
Driving Question: How can you use science to inspire people to care
about global warming?

Standard(s): Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about how

the use of chemistry related technologies have had positive and negative
ethical, social, economic, and political implications. ; Engage in argument
from evidence regarding the ethical, social, economic, and/or political
benefits and liabilities of fission, fusion, and radioactive decay.

Lesson Objective: Given a list of energy sources (solar energy, wind

energy, nuclear energy, hydrothermal energy, and fossil fuels), students
will be able to compare and contrast the ethical implications of each
source’s use.

“Engage”
“Entry Event” Activity
Instructions: Insert video, quote, other inspirational
text, ask students to engage their prior knowledge
within this activity towards the Driving Question.
Make sure to provide directions
To begin the lesson, the following video will be played:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOhQ4gj4Ng8

The video provides a great overview of what energy sources are

used for and reviews some of the energy sources that were
discussed in previous lessons. Though it specifically discusses the
United Kingdom, many of the concepts discussed can be
generalized to other countries, including the United States.

After watching the video, the following essential questions will be

posed: “How do humans contribute to global warming? Why are
energy sources so important to human life?” Students will complete
a graphic organizer (format of their choice, digital options like
MindMup provided and encouraged) to synthesize this information
and for ease of the teacher’s collection of students’ responses.
Next, the students will engage in a discussion to try to brainstorm
answers to the driving question: “How can you use science to
inspire people to care about global warming?” While discussing,
students will fill out another graphic organizer to collect the ideas
that their peers propose.

Directions: During the activities wherein students are trying to

answer essential and driving questions, you can use any graphic
organizer format. Choose a format that allows you to effectively
complete the activity. For example, if you are brainstorming and
collecting ideas, a bubble map may be helpful. You are not limited
to any format or medium (you can complete this activity digitally
or on paper if you choose).

“Explore”
Learn
Instructions: Insert instructional video, multimedia,
texts, etc. to allow your students to individually
“Explore” the topic of the lesson. Consider what new
information they may be adding to their prior
knowledge.
Make sure to provide directions
Students will visit footprintcalculator.org to explore and calculate
their personal ecological footprint. In completing this exercise,
students must consider how their individual actions contribute to
climate change, as well as how the general society’s actions
contribute to climate change. This exploration will require personal
reflection, which will help them establish a personal connection
that they can use to help answer the driving question, as well as
the essential questions for this lesson.

In this section, students will be building on their prior knowledge of

how energy sources work, as well as what they are used for. In this
activity, they will be expanding their knowledge by considering
how humans (including them as individuals) use different energy
sources and how they contribute to global warming.

Directions: Each student will visit the Ecological Footprint

Calculator and answer the questions to the best of their abilities to
explore their individual contributions and to help personalize the
topic. You will work individually on this part, and then we will come
back together to share commonalities and differences, as well as
ideas about how you can lessen your impact.

“Explain” to Others
Instructions: Insert tool for students to collaborate on
ideas from the previous section.
Make sure to provide directions
Students will post their findings about their ecological footprints to
a site like Padlet. A shelf format will be used on Padlet, where the
columns each ask a different question. One question will ask
students to summarize their results, one question will ask students
what surprised them about their results, and another question will
ask students what they can do to lessen their individual impact.
Students will briefly (5-6 sentences) answer each of these
questions. By having each of these questions separated, students
can compare their findings and their thoughts to their peers’. They
may also look at some of the ideas that their peers discussed to
lessen their impact.

Directions: Now it’s time to collaborate! In 5-6 sentences, briefly

answer each of the questions regarding your results from the
footprint calculator. After you have posted your answers, look at
your peers’ posts and identify commonalities and differences that
you see. Take a moment to reflect on your peers’ ideas for
lessening their ecological footprint and consider whether you could
take any of the actions that they propose.

Elaborate
Instructions: Insert opportunity for students to apply
what they learned in new situations, new perspectives
or “what if” scenarios.
Make sure to provide directions
Students will build upon information that they gathered in the
Explore section, as well as information that they learned from
reading their peers’ posts in the Explain section. They will have the
opportunity to consider solutions that they may have found from
their peers in the Explain section.

As a class, we will read an article written about experiments in

Australia wherein researchers created mini ecosystems and
modeled what may happen if global warming continues to worsen.
Reading this article will provide real-world context for the issues
that we have been discussing, in a tangible, new scenario. The
following question will be posed: How can you communicate about
issues regarding global warming? Students will apply their
knowledge thus far by answering these questions and posting in a
discussion forum. In this discussion, students will elaborate on their
learning and see if their ideas have changed after examining
several angles of global warming. They will be considering new
information while working toward answering the essential
questions, and opening the door to answer the driving question for
the entire project.

Directions: Based on what you’ve learned, answer the following

question: How can you communicate about issues regarding global
warming? Post your response to the discussion forum. You may
write your response or post a verbal response addressing all of
these questions. Incorporate information from your own findings
completed in the Explore section, and information learned from
your peers’ posts to the Padlet in the Explain section.

“Evaluate” What You Know

Instructions: Provide opportunity for students to
reflect on and provide evidence of their new
knowledge.
Provide directions and/or link for collecting this
reflection
Students will review their graphic organizers created in the
“Engage” phase and reflect on their initial answers to the essential
and driving questions. They will then consider whether their
answers have changed after completion of the lesson activities.
Students can write a brief reflection, record an audio reflection, or
pictorially represent how their ideas have changed or stayed the
same after the lesson. In this reflection, they will consider what
they have learned and how their views have changed (if they
have), as well as what information they would still like to affirm
their views. In order to demonstrate mastery, students should
address at least three points made in their initial graphic
organizers and cite at least three points from the lesson.

Directions: Reflect on how your thoughts about humans’

contributions to global warming, the use of energy sources, and
using science to communicate information have changed after the
lesson. You may create your reflection in any format (written,
spoken, or illustrated), but be sure to address several of your initial
arguments and cite information from today’s lesson.

Extend the Learning

Instructions: Insert enrichment opportunities to
extend learning, possible connections to the next
lesson or student determined next steps
After considering their personal contributions to global warming,
students will be asked to consider: How does society as a whole
contribute to global warming through energy sources? How do
these energy sources work, and do the benefits of using them
outweigh any drawbacks? Students should recall the video that
opened the lesson, and will be prompted to consider doing more
research on each individual energy source to help answer these
questions. In subsequent lessons, they will read scholarly articles
related to each of the energy sources so that they can learn
important information and see models of scientific communication.