Introduction to Geothermal – Starter Pack
Summary
This starter pack provides a complete geothermal energy vocabulary and quiz resource to reinforce key terms from the video. Students will learn essential vocabulary such as geothermal, turbine, base-load power, and cost-prohibitive. The quiz and cloze notes then assess student understanding of the core concepts, including how geothermal energy is extracted and its flexibility as a power source.
Bell Ringer
Instructions: Answer the prompt provided by your teacher.
Vocabulary
Instructions: Watch the Introduction to Geothermal video and listen for the vocabulary words.
| Word | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Geothermal | adjective: related to the heat that comes from inside the Earth | “Geothermal energy, the heat of the Earth, can be found beneath our feet everywhere.” |
| Extracting | verb: taking something out from a source | “But extracting enough of it at an affordable price is the challenge.” |
| Affordable | adjective: not too expensive | “But extracting enough of it at an affordable price is the challenge.” |
| Turbine | noun: a machine that spins when water, air or steam flows through it to generate electricity | “We use that heat . . . to turn a steam turbine to make electricity.” |
| Flexible | adjective: able to change or be used in different ways | “Like hydropower, geothermal is flexible.” |
| Base-load power | noun phrase: the minimum amount of electricity a city or country needs continuously | “[Geothermal energy] can be always on base-load power.” |
| Ramp up | verb phrase: to increase or to make something go faster or stronger | “Or it can be ramped up quickly to follow demand.” |
| Fracturing | verb: to break something into pieces | “We’re experimenting with drilling new wells, fracturing the rocks, and circulating water.” |
| Circulating | verb: moving around in a loop or system | “We’re experimenting with drilling new wells, fracturing the rocks, and circulating water” |
| Applications | noun: ways something can be used | “[Geothermal energy’s] applications are broad . . .” |
| Cost-prohibitive | adjective: so expensive or difficult that it stops people from using it | “[Geothermal energy is] still cost-prohibitive.” |
Quiz & Cloze Notes
Instructions: Circle the correct answer based on what you learned in the Introduction to Geothermal video, then fill in the blanks using the word bank.
Q1. Why is high-temperature geothermal power only practical in certain locations?
- High temperatures are needed near the surface.
- Constant temperatures are needed below the surface.
- A high temperature differential is needed between the air and the surface.
- Hot lava is needed near the surface.
Q2. Which of the following is a shared feature of geothermal and hydropower systems?
- Both occur where there is abundant rainfall.
- Both use steam to turn a turbine to generate electricity.
- Both are flexible and can follow electricity demand.
- Both require excavation of wells.
Q3. In addition to generating electricity, what is one direct use of high-temperature geothermal energy?
- power automobiles
- heat and cool buildings
- ventilate office complexes
- run wind farms
Q4. Which of the following is a method currently being investigated to access hot water deep underground for geothermal energy?
- using buried nuclear generators to heat groundwater
- using currently-producing oil and gas wells to extract hot water
- injecting surface water into old volcanoes to heat it
- drilling into and fracturing hot rock at depth to extract hot water
Word Bank
| buildings | electricity | expensive | flexible |
| geothermal | heat | surface |
_________________________ energy uses the _________________________ of the Earth to heat or cool ____________________ and produce _________________________. While it is _________________________ like hydropower, high-temperature geothermal power is only available in places where high temperatures are close to the _________________________. Low-temperature geothermal power is _________________________ to develop.