Download Lesson 3.3 Making an Impact - Ashland Independent Schools

Lesson 3.3 Making An Impact
Understandings
1. Water plays a critical role in our daily lives; it should be used wisely and users
should be conscientious about conserving water.
2. Environmental engineering focuses on developing a sustainable future,
preventing pollution, and assessing the environmental impact of integrated
waste management systems.
3. The seven steps of integrated waste management include reduce, reuse,
recycle, compost, incineration that creates usable energy, landfills, and
incineration with no usable energy created.
4. Engineers must consider a product’s life cycle when designing because every
product has an impact on the environment.
5. Every individual impacts the environment through the choices they make in
energy consumption and garbage disposal.
6. Using energy efficiently will reduce the need for new power plants and utility
infrastructure and will reduce the need to burn fossil fuels to produce energy,
thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change.
7. Heat transfer occurs through conduction, convection, and radiation.
Knowledge and Skills
It is expected that students will:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Calculate daily water consumption for a building such as a home or school
and recommend water conservation strategies.
Identify ways that individuals can reduce the effect on the environment
through their energy choices and garbage disposal.
Identify how STEM professionals are involved in integrated waste
management and other environmental careers.
Understand the difference between energy conservation and energy
efficiency and be able to calculate both.
Differentiate between conduction, convection, and radiation as forms of
energy transfer.
Compare the temperature of different materials to determine which are better
at preventing heat transfer.
Design an experiment to investigate the prevention of heat transfer.
Evaluate a design to reduce heat transfer by weighing the amount of ice
remaining; propose improvements for the design.
Essential Questions
1. How much water does an average household consume in a day?
© 2011 Project Lead The Way, Inc.
PLTW Gateway – Energy and the Environment Lesson 3.3 Making an Impact – Page 1
2. How does an individual person make an impact on the environment?
3. How much of our trash can be discarded in a more environmentally friendly way?
4. What impact does climate change have on us and how can you and your family
reduce the amount of energy that you consume?
5. Where do you take items such as tires, ink cartridges, or electronics to be
recycled?
Key Terms
Audit
Biodegradable
A methodical examination and review.
Items that can easily degrade by natural processes such as
exposure to sun and water or the action of bacteria or fungi.
By-Product
A product from a manufacturing process that is not considered
the principal material.
Climate Change
Any significant change in measures of climate, such as
temperature, precipitation, or wind, lasting for an extended
period of a decade or longer.
Compost
The conversion of dead vegetation into useful soil through the
process of decay.
Conduction
The movement of heat through a solid material or between two
solid materials that touch each other.
Convection
The way in which heat travels by movement or circulation
within liquids or gases. Warmer masses of fluid usually rise
while cooler masses usually sink.
Energy Conservation Reduction in the amount of energy consumed in a process or
system, or by an organization or society, through economy,
elimination of waste, and rational use. (e.g. turning lights out
when you leave the room)
Energy Efficiency
Long term energy reduction due to the installation of efficient
building materials, equipment and appliances.
Heat
The transfer of thermal energy.
Incinerate
To destroy by burning.
Insulation
A material used to prevent the passage of heat, electricity, or
sound.
Integrated Waste
Employing several waste control and disposal methods such as
Management
source reduction, recycling, re-use, incineration, and landfills to
minimize the environmental impact of residential, commercial
and industrial waste streams.
Landfill
Disposal of solid waste by burying in layers of the earth in low
ground.
Organic Materials
Materials with carbon-based structures that originate from or
relate to living organisms.
Pollution
A contaminant to the environment, especially human-made
waste.
© 2011 Project Lead The Way, Inc.
PLTW Gateway – Energy and the Environment Lesson 3.3 Making an Impact – Page 2
Product Life Cycle
The stages a product goes through, including obtaining raw
materials, processing, manufacturing, packaging, transporting,
using, and disposing or recycling.
Radiation
The way in which heat travels through air in the form of
electromagnetic waves.
Raw Material
A material that is human-made or is from natural resources that
is used to produce a product.
Recycle
The process of making new products from materials that were
used in another product.
Reduce
To decrease the amount of products purchased or produced
with the intent of minimizing waste.
Reuse
The process of reusing a product so the product’s life does not
end; instead, it becomes a continuous cycle.
Solid Waste
Garbage and other waste.
Sustainable
Engineering that focuses on the development of a sustainable
Engineering
future through renewable energy, wise use of natural
resources, recycling, and assessment of environmental impact.
Temperature
The degree or intensity of average thermal energy present in
one location of a substance or object.
Thermal Energy
Energy created by friction between vibrating atoms and
molecules.
Trash
Waste material; refuse.
Waste-to-Energy Plant A plant that shreds and burns waste. The heat energy is then
used to produce electricity for industrial processes.
Instructional Resources
Presentations
What is a Life Cycle?
Integrated Waste Management
Word Documents
Activity 3.3.1 Water Audit
Activity 3.3.2 Product Life Cycle
Activity 3.3.3 I Made A Difference
Activity 3.3.4 Recycle City
Activity 3.3.5 Heat Transfer Pre-Assessment
Activity 3.3.6 Heat Transfer
Project 3.3.7 Penguin Dwellings
Design Brief Template
Decision Matrix Template
Design Process Solution
Activity 3.3.8 Heat Transfer Post-Assessment
© 2011 Project Lead The Way, Inc.
PLTW Gateway – Energy and the Environment Lesson 3.3 Making an Impact – Page 3
Lesson 3.3 Key Terms Crossword
Rubrics and Templates
Project 3.3.7 Penguin Dwelling Grading Rubric
Gateway Notebook Grading Rubric
Activity 3.3.6 Cans Spreadsheet
Activity 3.3.6 House Spreadsheet
Activity 3.3.7 Penguin Dwelling Price Sheet
Reference Sources
Baine, C. (2008). Environmental engineering teacher’s guide. Pittsburg, KS:
Pitsco, Inc.
Baine, C. (2008). Sustainable energy engineering. Pittsburg, KS: Pitsco, Inc.
Earth Buddies. (2007). What’s up with trash? Retrieved May 26, 2009, from
http://library.thinkquest.org/06aug/00442/wu3rs.htm.
Hacker, M., Burghardt, D., Fletcher, L., Gordon, A., Peruzzi, W., Prestopnik,
R., & Qaissaunee, M. (2010). Engineering and technology. Clifton
Park, NY: Cengage.
International Technology Education Association, (2000). Standards for
technological literacy. Reston, VA: ITEA.
Litowitz, L. & Brown, R. (2007). Energy, power and transportation technology.
Tinley Park, IL: The Goodheart-Wilcox Company, Inc.
National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and International Reading
Association (IRA) (1996). Standards for the English language arts.
Newark, DE: IRA; Urbana, IL: NCTE.
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). (2000). Principles and
standards for school mathematics. Reston, VA: NCTM.
National Renewable Energy Laboratory Education Programs (NREL). (2009).
Renewable energy activities – choices for tomorrow. Retrieved May
26, 2009, from http://www.nrel.gov/docs/gen/fy01/30927.pdf.
National Research Council (NRC). (1996). National science education
standards. Washington, D. C.: National Academy Press.
Publishers National Environment Bureau. (2004). Newspaper and magazine
recycling. Retrieved May 26, 2009, from
http://www.pneb.com.au/recycling.html
Rogers, G., Wright, M., & Yates, B. (2010). Gateway to engineering. Clifton
Park, NY: Delmar.
Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD). (2009). Education and safety.
Retrieved April 8, 2009, from http://www.smud.org/en/educationsafety/Pages/index.aspx.
© 2011 Project Lead The Way, Inc.
PLTW Gateway – Energy and the Environment Lesson 3.3 Making an Impact – Page 4
Schnittka, C. Ph.D., in association with the Virginia Middle School
Engineering Education Initiative. (2009). Save the penguins
engineering teaching kit. Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2009). Climate change. Retrieved
May 29, 2009, from http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/
© 2011 Project Lead The Way, Inc.
PLTW Gateway – Energy and the Environment Lesson 3.3 Making an Impact – Page 5