Sleuthing Circuits for Energy Consumption

This article connects electrical energy to real-world applications. Eighth graders learn about some of the mathematical formulas that apply, as well. Many elementary school districts have ... See More

This article connects electrical energy to real-world applications. Eighth graders learn about some of the mathematical formulas that apply, as well. Many elementary school districts have their younger students investigate circuits. This physics unit revisits circuits and ties them into transformers outside the home and circuit breaker boxes inside. Students investigate the common wattages of several household appliances by going on an energy scavenger hunt. The information collected is used to calculate the cost of running one room of appliances in each of their houses. Parents are invited to participate via a letter that asks permission for the students to take pictures of the transformers, circuit boxes, etc., that are connected to their homes. Parents are also asked to reinforce the safety instructions that the students were given about how to behave around anything that had to do with electricity. Students examined electrical bills, drew schematics to represent the electrical usage of a room, and learned what it means for an appliance to be called “ENERGY STAR”. Extensions are provided so the social studies department can make connections to energy disasters (like the Gulf oil Disaster or Japan’s tsunami events). A rubric to assess the project is included. The article is an excellent example of how to engage students in energy conservation and alternative energy production through real life experiences.

Nice integration of Math

As a science and math teacher, I really have worked on integrating math and science concepts. I think that it really helps students understand math when it is learned in a context, such as ... See More

As a science and math teacher, I really have worked on integrating math and science concepts. I think that it really helps students understand math when it is learned in a context, such as science. I also believe math helps students see the science concepts in a concrete way. In addition to the integration, the main activity has students looking at electricity consumption in their house. This helps show that science concepts are not learned in the vacuum of the science classroom, but instead applicable to their every day lives.