Bell Ringer

Instructions: Select one of the Bell Ringers for students to reflect on and answer.

Vocabulary

Instructions: Go over important terms and their definitions before watching the Science of Coal video. Student vocabulary list can be found in the Student Guide and Science of Coal – Starter Pack.

WordDefinitionExample
Radiation suitnoun phrase; a special outfit worn to protect people from harmful radiation, which can damage living cells“You wouldn’t have to wear a special radiation suit just to handle [coal].”
Swampnoun; a low, wet area of land where water collects and trees and other plants grow“It started as plants settled to the bottom of swamps.”
Sedimentnoun; small pieces of rock, sand, or dirt that is transported by wind or water and can settle in flat, open areas or at the bottom of water like swamps or rivers“They were covered by sediment, compacted, and cooked into coal.”
Compactedverb; pressed tightly together so there is little or no space left“They were covered by sediment, compacted, and cooked into coal.”
Geologic timenoun phrase; term used to describe the timeline of the Earth’s development and the sequence of events that have shaped it“Throughout geologic time, Earth has been hotter and wetter.”
Molecular structurenoun phrase; three-dimensional structure or arrangement of atoms in a molecule, which are tiny building blocks of matter made of atoms“ . . . coal is complicated. That’s its molecular structure.”
Emissionsnoun; pollutants released into the air, usually from burning fuel“But all this other stuff [in coal] causes emissions.”
Toxinsnoun; harmful substances made by living things, such as bacteria, plants or animals“There are heavy metals and toxins . . . mixed in with the coal . . .”
Pilot projectnoun; a small test project done to see if an idea will work before doing it in a bigger way“There are a few pilot projects to add units onto existing coal plants to capture carbon . . .”
Commercial scalenoun phrase; making or doing something in large amounts so it can be sold to many people“[These technologies] are too experimental and expensive to roll out at the huge commercial scales necessary to make a difference today.”
Particulatesnoun; tiny pieces of dust, dirt, smoke, or other solids that float in the air“There are, however, technologies to reduce particulates and other pollutants produced by burning coal.”
Scrubbernoun; machine that cleans harmful gases or particles out of smoke before it goes into the air“Scrubbers and catalysts capture sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, and some of the mercury.”
Catalystsnoun; something that speeds up a chemical reaction without being changed itself“Scrubbers and catalysts capture sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, and some of the mercury.”
Complexitynoun; the quality of having many parts or being hard to understand or do“So we can clean up . . . coal plants, but with greater cost, complexity and carbon emissions.”

Quiz 

Instructions: Review key concepts after watching the Science of Coal video. The Student Guide and Science of Coal – Starter Pack contain the quiz and cloze notes.
Answer Key: Q1:B Q2:A Q3:C Q4:A

Reading and Extended Reading

Instructions: Provide students with the Science of Coal – Reading or Extended Reading info sheet for an in-depth exploration of the topic.

Reading Answer Key

  1. Dead plants that were buried under dirt and rock millions of years ago.
  2. Because it takes millions of years to form and cannot be replaced quickly.
  3. Lignite, sub-bituminous, bituminous, anthracite.
  4. A layer of coal found underground.
  5. Surface mining and underground mining.
  6. It involves digging deep tunnels, which can collapse and contain harmful gases.
  7. To make electricity.
  8. Air pollution (like sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide), and acid rain or climate change.
  9. Because other energy sources like natural gas and renewables are being used more.
  10. Blasting away the tops of mountains to get coal; it destroys land and pollutes rivers.

Extended Reading Answer Key

Multiple Choice:

  1. C – Peat
  2. D – Anthracite
  3. C – It takes millions of years to form
  4. B – Open-pit mining
  5. D – United States

True/False:

  1. False
  2. False
  3. False
  4. True
  5. True

Short Answer:

  1. Health risks include black lung disease and methane explosions.
  2. Coking coal is used to make coke, which is essential in steel production.
  3. Acid mine drainage pollutes nearby rivers and streams with acidic water and heavy metals.
  4. Burning coal releases carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that traps heat in the atmosphere.
  5. Coal is being replaced by natural gas and renewable energy in many countries due to environmental concerns.

Computation

Instructions: Provide students with the Science of Coal – Computation activity for math integration and practice.
Answer Key: Q1: China: [(4939 – 4883) / 4883] x 100 = 1.1%, India: [(1315 – 1245) / 1245] x 100 = 5.6%
Q2: ASEAN: [(491 – 457) / 457] x 100 = 7.4%
Q3: 2023: (457 / 8687) x 100 = 5.3%, 2027: (567 / 8873) x 100 = 6.4%
Q4: China: (9439 x 109 kg) / (1.409 x 109 people) = 3505 kg/person, India: (1315 x 109 kg) / (1.451 x 109 people) = 906 kg/person, U.S.: (368 x 109 kg) / (340.1 x 106 people) = 1082 kg/person
Q5: Use the formula: [(2027 value – 2023 value) / 2023 value] x 100 
China: 2.5%; India: 4.2%; ASEAN: 24.1%; U.S.: -14.2%; EU: -31.1%; Rest of World: -4.3%
Q6: 8873 Mt – 8687 Mt = +186 Mt increase

Data Set

Instructions: Provide students with the Introduction to Solar – Data Set for data literacy and analysis practice.
Answer Key: Question 1: 1950 – United Kingdom; 2000 – United States; 2023 – China.
Question 2: Answers will vary. (Example: Countries that are currently developed like the U.K., U.S. and Germany, saw a steady rise in emissions through the industrial revolution into the 20th century, while currently developing countries, like China and India, did not start to increase their emissions until the late 20th century. In 2023, the UK, US and Germany have reached their peak emissions and have since shown steady decline, while China and India continue to steadily increase.)
Question 3: Answers will vary. (Example: The U.S. is a developed country and experienced rapid industrialization in the late 19th century and reached peak emissions in the early 20th century. It has since started transitioning away from coal in many sectors, toward natural gas and lower-emission energy options. China is a developing country and is still in its industrialization phase, starting its emissions increase in the late 20th century, close to one hundred years after the U.S. began increasing its coal emissions.)
Question 4: Answers will vary. (Example: Positive impacts include industrial growth that improves incomes and infrastructure. Negative impacts include worsening air pollution and higher greenhouse gas emissions.)
Question 5: Answers will vary. (Example: The United Kingdom was one of the first industrialized nations, so its coal use peaked early. Over time, the UK phased out coal in favor of oil, gas, nuclear and other lower-emission options.)

Economic Trade-Offs Simulation Hands-On

Instructions: Use the Economic Trade-Offs Simulation – Student Handout and the following Teacher Guide to conduct the lab activity.

Introduction

This simulation activity engages students in systems thinking by placing them in the role of an energy company managing the construction and operation of a coal-burning power plant. Students make decisions about plant size and pollution controls, then analyze how those choices affect financial outcomes, emissions, and societal impacts. The activity promotes critical thinking around environmental trade-offs and helps students understand the complex balance between economic decisions and environmental responsibility in energy production.

Student Objectives

Students will be able to

Materials

Procedure

  1. Consider allowing students to work in groups (and compare their results for the Final Analysis). 
  2. Provide students with the Student Handout. Students will work through Student Handout to complete the economic trade-off simulation for a coal power plant. 
  3. Use the Calculations Spreadsheet below to evaluate the different scenarios that students can choose to evaluate. 

Important: While in the real world, utilities don’t usually pay Health and Environmental Impact Costs directly, students will be including them in their costs to see the full impact of their choices on society. Once students complete their calculations, consider showing them the full spreadsheet for analysis and discussion.

Calculations Spreadsheet

Plant SizeScenarioAnnualized Base Cost ($/year)Annualized Scrubber Cost ($/year)Operating CostAdjusted SO2 Emissions (tons)Annual Emission Penalties ($)Health and Env. Impact Cost ($)Initial Profit ($)(OR GROSS PROFIT)Annual Net Income ($)
smallno scrubber400000002275000500050000020000006500000-2275000
smallhalf-scrubber40000003750002275000250025000010000006500000-1400000
smallfull scrubber400000075000022750000006500000-525000
mediumno scrubber9600000048750001500015000000600000019500000-15975000
mediumhalf-scrubber9600000720000487500075007500000300000019500000-6195000
mediumfull scrubber960000014400004875000000195000003585000
largeno scrubber240000000780000040000400000001600000052000000-35800000
largehalf-scrubber24000000150000078000002000020000000800000052000000-9300000
largefull scrubber24000000300000078000000005200000017200000

Answer Key

The Student Guide contains the Economic Trade-Offs Simulation – Student questions.
Step 8 Final Analysis Answer Key
Question 1: Answers will vary based on specific plant size and scenario calculations. (Example: At first, after paying for just the capital and operating costs, my plant was making a good profit. But once I added the penalties for sulfur dioxide emissions, the profit dropped. After including the health and environmental cost, I had no profit at all and lost a lot of money.)
Question 2: Answers will vary based on specific plant size and scenario calculations. (Example: My plant wasn’t financially successful, because of the health and environmental cost. If I didn’t have to pay that cost, then my plant could have made a profit. In the real world, I could say that my plant would be financially successful, because the plant wouldn’t have to pay that cost and would pass the health and environmental cost to society.)
Question 3: Answers will vary based on specific plant size and scenario calculations. (Example: One trade-off was between installing a full scrubber (which was better for the environment) and paying a higher cost upfront. Another trade-off was with the plant size. A large plant made more electricity and money, but without proper scrubbers, it also caused more pollution and damage to the environment.)
Question 4: Answers will vary based on specific plant size and scenario calculations. (Example: Yes, I would evaluate a large plant with a full scrubber. Even though it costs a lot at first, it also avoids most penalties and health costs. Over time, it might be the best choice both for profit and the environment.)
Question 5: Answers will vary. 
Question 6: Scrubbers reduce sulfur dioxide emissions by cleaning the exhaust gases. Full scrubbers remove almost all of the pollution, but they are very expensive. Partial scrubbers are cheaper, but don’t clean as much. Using scrubbers lowers the penalties and health costs, but increases the upfront costs.
Question 7: Answers will vary. (Example: A power plant might choose a partial scrubber because it still reduces pollution, but costs less than a full one. It helps avoid some penalties and health costs while still saving money compared to the most expensive option.)
Question 8: Answers will vary. (Example: Large plants make more electricity and money, and so they might be better able to afford full scrubbers. Small plants don’t make as much money and have higher operating costs, so installing expensive scrubbers is harder for them.)

Exit Ticket

Instructions: Access the Exit Ticket and have students reflect on and answer the prompt.