Grade 5 Curriculum Links 

Subject: Science & Technology

Curriculum Strands: Energy and Control

Curriculum Topics: Conservation of Energy

Overall Expectations met by this workshop:

• ◘ demonstrate an understanding of the importance of conservation of energy in relation to the wise use of renewable and non-renewable energy sources;
• ◘ evaluate the reasons for conserving natural resources and identify possible ways of conserving energy.

Specific Expectations met by this workshop:

Understanding Basic Concepts

• ◘ distinguish between a renewable and a non-renewable source of energy;

Developing Skills of Inquiry, Design and Communication

• ◘ formulate questions about and identify needs and problems related to protection of the natural environment, and explore possible answers and solutions (e.g., investigate how local recycling efforts help conserve energy and natural resources);
• ◘ compile data gathered through investigation in order to record and present results, using tally charts, tables, and labeled graphs produced by hand or with a computer (e.g., list the names of some devices used in the home that change energy from one form into another, and record in a table the types of energy transformations for each device);

Relating Science and Technology to the World Outside the School

• ◘ list various sources of energy and identify them as renewable (e.g., sun, wind, tides, wood) or non-renewable (e.g., coal, natural gas, oil);
• ◘ describe the advantages and disadvantages of using renewable energy sources as opposed to non-renewable sources;
• ◘ identify the forms of energy (e.g., mechanical, electrical) used in the home, school, and community and identify the energy source for each (e.g., wood, coal, moving water);
• ◘ describe how we use different natural resources as sources of energy and evaluate the effect of their use on natural and human-made environments (e.g., in using fossil fuels such as natural gas for heating our homes we deplete natural resources but improve our quality of life);
• ◘ explain ways in which technological innovations affect our use of natural resources and increase or decrease our ability to conserve energy (e.g., home insulation allows us to conserve heat and reduce consumption of energy from nonrenewable sources);
• ◘ identify factors that determine how effectively and economically a device can transform one form of energy into another (e.g., discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using solar panels for heating);
• ◘ identify ways humans use energy, evaluate the economic and environmental costs of each, and describe ways to avoid wasting energy (e.g., lowering the thermostat during the night);
• ◘ identify design features that improve the energy efficiency of buildings, devices, and systems (e.g., double glazing).

Description of Tour/Workshop:

All students will have already completed an energy audit of their own home to use for comparative purposes with the EcoHouse audit they will do on-site.   Through a short tour (20 min) of the EcoHouse, students will be exposed to energy-saving technology and practices and discover ways to conserve energy in their own homes and school.  Students will do the EcoHouse audit during the tour.  Based on discussion of their findings, each student will then pick three methods of energy conservation that he/she will commit to adopting for at least a week from a list and fill out the provided commitment form.  In a follow up activity to be carried out by the teacher, students will redo their home energy audits and report on any changes and why or why not the changes made a difference.  The consolidation activity for this workshop will again involve students using their home energy audit sheets to play a game called, "Electrically Charged", which will help students realize that their energy consumption behaviour not only affects the environment, but also impacts their wallets.