Understanding Electricity

 

Students will be introduced to different energy terms and conversion factors (joules, watts, kilowatts, kilowatt/hours, and BTUs).

 

1. Begin the class by asking students to respond to the following question in their journal: How is electricity measured? For example, how does the electric company know how much to charge you for your energy use each month?

2. Inform students they will learn about electricity and energy units.

3. Ask students to name any energy units they are familiar with.

4. Have students go to the student resources page and click on the Understanding Electricity link to learn about energy terms. Instruct students to read these 6 Web pages. Explain and clarify any difficulties that students might have with understanding the energy terms and unit conversions that are presented. Give additional examples.

5. Ask students to complete the Understanding Electricity Exploration Sheet as they read the Web pages.

6. Discuss aloud student responses to key questions on their exploration sheets.

7. Ask students if they have any questions about concepts covered in the lesson and respond to their questions. Have students close their Web browser when they finish.

8. Review the concepts covered in the lesson.


Materials Needed:


Spreadsheet

Personal Energy Audit Spreadsheet Version 1 (Excel / Numbers)

   OR

Personal Energy Audit Spreadsheet Version 2 (Excel / Numbers)

Handout 

Understanding Electricity Exploration Sheet (PDF / MS Word


Assessment Information

Understanding Electricity Exploration Sheet Assessment (PDF / MS Word)


Supplemental Homework Reading for Students

Electricity (PDF)
 

Teacher Resources/Content Support

Energy Basics - Print Version (PDF)
Electricity Generation - Print Version (PDF)