Introduction
In this activity, students will investigate the benefits and challenges of different energy sources through an engaging, hands-on exploration. By rotating through activity stations, students will watch short Switch Classroom videos and analyze real-world pros and cons of each resource. This process encourages them to question assumptions, confront common misconceptions, and think critically about energy choices. Through discussion and reflection, students will not only deepen their understanding of how energy is produced and consumed but also grapple with the complex decisions communities face when balancing efficiency, cost, environmental impact, and practicality.
Student Objectives
Students will be able to
- Compare and contrast the strengths and limitations of different energy sources, considering efficiency, environmental impact, and resource use.
- Analyze and evaluate which energy sources may be most suitable in different contexts, based on availability, environmental effects, and practicality.
- Form and justify evidence-based opinions about energy tradeoffs by responding to discussion questions.
Materials
Optional Extension: The Understanding Energy Transformations lesson dives deeper into the energy transformations that each energy source undergoes from source to practical use. This lesson can be used in conjunction (in part or in full) with this energy stations activity to help students get a fuller picture of the various energy sources.
Procedure
- Opening Activity
- Provide the Student Handout and have students complete the Energy Fact or Fiction activity individually or in small groups.
- As a class, review each statement. Use the Answer Key (included below in this Teacher Guide) to discuss misconceptions and introduce critical thinking about energy sources.
- Energy Sources Activity Stations
Students now explore the strengths and limitations of each energy source. Two format options are included below. Choose the option that best fits your classroom time, group size, and teaching goals.- Option A: Station Rotation
- Set up posters: Print one large page for each energy source and place them around the room as stations. Each poster will have its video QR link visible.
- Rotate through stations: Individually or in small groups, students move from station to station, watch the short Switch video, and record the strengths and limitations of the energy source using the Student Handout note sheet or science journals.
- Option B: Group Experts and Gallery Walk
- Assign stations: Divide the class into small groups, assigning each group an energy source.
- Deep dive: Provide each group with the poster on the energy source they are assigned to. They will watch the video, discuss the topic, and complete the strengths and limitations chart.
- Gallery walk: Post each group’s completed chart around the room (or project digitally). Students walk through the gallery, review other groups’ work, and leave feedback (sticky notes, comments, or digital notes).
- Feedback Options
- After or during the station rotation or gallery walk, encourage students to address specific prompts, such as:
- Which single strength or limitation seems most significant for this energy source?
- Are there any important strengths or limitations missing?
- After or during the station rotation or gallery walk, encourage students to address specific prompts, such as:
- Option A: Station Rotation
- Discussion
- Bring the class together for a discussion.
- Use a large poster, whiteboard, or digital polling tool to record votes on which strength or limitation is most important for each energy source.
- Facilitate a debate when students disagree or have questions.
- Highlight trade-offs and help students see how geography, economy, and culture shape energy sources.
- Discussion Questions List:
- Did any source surprise you with a benefit or drawback you didn’t expect?
- If you had to choose an energy source for your community or school, which would you pick and why?
- What would be the challenges of switching your town’s main energy source?
- How do geography, economy, and culture affect which sources are most practical?
- Which sources do you think will become more important in the next 20 years? Why?
- If you could invest in one energy technology, which would it be and what problem would it solve?
- Is there a “perfect” energy source, or will we always need trade-offs?
- Do you think public perception (what people believe about an energy source) is more important than scientific facts in shaping energy policy?
Answer Key
Energy Fact or Fiction? Answer Key
| Statement (misconception) | T, F, or ! | Fact |
|---|---|---|
| Turning off appliances stops all energy use. | F | Many devices still consume “phantom” or standby power when plugged in. |
| Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed. | T | This is the law of conservation of energy. |
| Renewable energy does not harm the environment. | F | Energy from natural processes helps reduce carbon emissions compared to coal, oil, or gas, but it can still cause environmental impacts. Building solar panels and wind turbines requires materials and creates waste, large dams can disrupt rivers and ecosystems, and growing crops for fuel can compete with farmland or cause deforestation. |
| Wind turbines kill massive numbers of birds. | ! | Wind turbines cause about 234,000 bird deaths annually in the U.S.—far fewer than cats (2.4 billion), buildings (1 billion), or cars. Improved turbine design and placement continue to reduce this impact. |
| Nuclear power plants can explode like nuclear bombs. | F | Nuclear reactors are designed very differently from weapons and cannot explode in the same way. |
| The U.S. gets most of its energy from renewables. | F | Most U.S. energy still comes from coal, oil, and natural gas, though energy from natural processes is growing. |
| Natural gas is a “clean” energy source. | ! | While it produces fewer emissions and pollutants than coal or oil when combusted, it still releases CO2 and methane, potent greenhouse gases. |
| Solar panels don’t work on cloudy days or in cold climates. | F | While efficiency is reduced, solar panels still generate electricity in cloudy and cold conditions, sometimes even performing better in cooler temperatures. |
| The Sun is the original source of energy for most of Earth’s energy resources. | T | Exceptions are geothermal energy that comes from Earth’s internal energy and nuclear energy that results from radioactive elements formed in stars long, long ago. |
| Using coal for energy has been phased out. | F | Coal still plays a significant role in energy production, especially in developing nations. |
| We can store unlimited renewable energy in batteries. | F | Current battery technology has limitations, including cost, capacity, and environmental concerns related to materials like lithium and cobalt. |
| Electric cars don’t produce any pollution. | ! | EVs produce zero emissions while driving, but their batteries require mining rare earth metals, and electricity generation to charge them may still rely on fossil fuels. |
| Hydropower is the largest source of renewable energy worldwide. | T | Hydropower generates more electricity than all other renewables combined. But while hydropower leads in generation, solar and wind are outpacing it in growth and are catching up in capacity. |
| Oil is only used for transportation and heating. | F | Oil is also essential for making plastics, medicines, asphalt, and other industrial products. |
| Electricity itself is not a source of energy; it is a way to transfer energy. | T | Electricity isn’t a primary energy source like coal, sunlight, or wind—it’s a carrier. We generate it from other sources, then use it to transfer energy efficiently for lighting, heating, or powering devices. |
Energy Sources Activity Stations Posters Answer Key
| Bioenergy Strengths | Bioenergy Limitations |
|---|---|
| – It’s an essential energy source for 40% of the world’s population – Provides energy for heating and cooking – Easy to manufacture and can be used in typical engines | – Low energy density – Burning biomass causes large amounts of carbon and CO2 emissions, causing deadly indoor air pollution – Uses lots of resources to grow – Land used to grow bioenergy crops could be used to grow food instead |
| Coal Strengths | Coal Limitations |
|---|---|
| – Affordable – Available – Convenient to mine, transport, and store – Generating electricity is straightforward | – Mining can be dangerous and environmentally damaging – Burning coal produces pollutants (SO2 particulates, heavy metals), lots of ash, and large amounts of CO2 |
| Geothermal Strengths | Geothermal Limitations |
|---|---|
| – Versatile (heating, cooling, and generating electricity) – Flexible (base load or on demand) – No CO2 emissions when used to generate electricity | – Limited availability – Harnessing energy from lower-temperature geothermal formations is more costly than other energy options |
| Hydropower Strengths | Hydropower Limitations |
|---|---|
| – Zero emissions to generate electricity – Versatile (baseload or on-demand) – Cheap to operate | – Expensive to build – High impact to build (displaces people, ecosystems) – Places to build are limited |
| Natural Gas Strengths | Natural Gas Limitations |
|---|---|
| – Versatile (used for electricity, heating, transportation) – Abundant – Cleaner than other fossil fuels (no ash, fewer pollutants) when combusted – Relatively easy to transport | – Releases CO2 when burned – Methane is a greenhouse gas 20x more potent than CO2, so leaking pipes and wells are a concern – Hydraulic fracturing to obtain natural gas uses a lot of water, which then requires disposal |
| Nuclear Strengths | Nuclear Limitations |
|---|---|
| – Fuel is inexpensive and has high energy density – No CO2 emissions when used to generate electricity – Most powerful electric plant (able to generate electricity for large mega-cities) | – It is very costly to build power plants – Lower public perception regarding safety – Needs long-term solutions for nuclear waste |
| Oil Strengths | Oil Limitations |
|---|---|
| – Versatile (used for transportation, heating, plastics) – Easy to transport and store – Fairly inexpensive | – Environmental impact of oil spills – Environmental impacts from drilling – Creates air pollution and emits CO2 when burned – Large impact on economy due to use in transportation |
| Solar Strengths | Solar Limitations |
|---|---|
| – Easy to build (of any size) – Uses freely available energy from the sun – Zero emissions from the panels when used to generate electricity | – Requires sunlight to work – Environmental impacts of plastics and chemicals used to make panels – Needs a battery system to store energy – Reliance on critical minerals, such as gallium and iridium, for production of panels – Concerns with disposal of solar panels |
| Wind Strengths | Wind Limitations |
|---|---|
| – Affordable – Uses available energy from wind – Modular (can be large or small wind farms) – No emissions to generate electricity | – Relies on wind blowing – Requires transmission lines to get power from wind farms to people – Need to mine rare and critical minerals for turbine production – Concerns with disposal of turbine blades |