Table Of ContentEdited by
Steve Metz
Copyright © 2012 NSTA. All rights reserved. For more information, go to www.nsta.org/permissions.
Copyright © 2012 NSTA. All rights reserved. For more information, go to www.nsta.org/permissions.
Copyright © 2012 NSTA. All rights reserved. For more information, go to www.nsta.org/permissions.
Edited by
Steve Metz
Arlington, Virginia
Copyright © 2012 NSTA. All rights reserved. For more information, go to www.nsta.org/permissions.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Fuel for thought : building energy awareness in grades 9-12 / edited by Steve Metz.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-936137-20-6 (print) -- ISBN 978-1-936959-93-8 (electronic) 1. Force and energy--Study and teaching
(Secondary) 2. Power resources--Study and teaching (Secondary) I. Metz, Steve. II. National Science Teachers
Association.
QC73.6.F84 2011
530.071’2--dc23
2011036819
Copyright © 2012 NSTA. All rights reserved. For more information, go to www.nsta.org/permissions.
IntroductIon By Steve Metz xi
Part 1: Student Activities and Investigations
EnErgy, HEat, and tEmpEraturE
cHaptEr 1 What Exactly Is Energy? 3
By William Robertson
cHaptEr 2 Burning a Candle at Both Ends: Classrooms as Complex Systems 7
By Thomas O’Brien
cHaptEr 3 Make Your Own Digital Thermometer! Using the 5E Instructional 15
Model to Design and Calibrate a Scientific Instrument
By Timothy Sorey, Teri Willard, and Bom Kim
cHaptEr 4 Evaporating Is Cool 23
By Richard Hand
cHaptEr 5 Save the Penguins: Teaching the Science of Heat Transfer 27
Through Engineering Design
By Christine Schnittka, Randy Bell, and Larry Richards
cHaptEr 6 Warming to Global Warming: Sunspots and Sea Surface 41
Temperature
By Erich Landstrom
cHaptEr 7 Modeling Convection: A Simple Apparatus for 47
Dynamic Modeling of Paired Convection Cells Teaches Students
About Earth’s Processes
By James R. Ebert, Nancy A. Elliott, Laura Hurteau, and Amanda Schulz
cHaptEr 8 Convection in a Fish Tank 53
By Chris Freeman
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cHaptEr 9 Celebrate With SATELLITES: An International Polar Year 57
Partnership to Study Earth’s Materials
By Mikell Lynne Hedley, Kevin Czajkowski, Janet Struble, Terri Benko, Brad
Shellito, Scott Sheridan, and Mandy Munroe Stasiuk
ELEctrIcIty, magnEtIsm, and LIgHt
cHaptEr 10 Taming Energy 69
By William Robertson
cHaptEr 11 The Science Behind Nanosunscreens: Learning About 81
Nanoparticulate Ingredients Used to Block the Sun’s
Ultraviolet Rays
By Alyssa Wise, Patricia Schank, Tina Stanford, and Geri Horsma
cHaptEr 12 Juan’s Dilemma: A New Twist on the Old Lemon Battery 91
By Timothy Sorey, Vanessa Hunt, Evguenia Balandova, and Bruce Palmquist
cHaptEr 13 A Virtual Circuits Lab: Building Students’ Understanding of 99
Series, Parallel, and Complex Circuits
By Matthew E. Vick
cHaptEr 14 Measuring Wavelength With a Ruler 107
By Paul Hewitt
cHaptEr 15 Shedding Light on the Inverse-Square Law: Students 111
Demonstrate the Quantitative Relationship Between
Light Intensity and Distance
By Richard E. Uthe
cHaptEr 16 A 50-Cent Analytical Spectroscope 119
By John Frassinelli
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EnErgy on tHE movE—vEHIcLEs and fuELs
cHaptEr 17 Fueling the Car of Tomorrow: An Alternative Fuels Curriculum 127
for High School Science Classes
By Mark Schumack, Stokes Baker, Mark Benvenuto, James Graves, Arthur
Haman, and Daniel Maggio
cHaptEr 18 The Interdisciplinary Study of Biofuels: Understanding 139
Questions and Finding Solutions Through Biology,
Chemistry, and Physics
By Philip D. Weyman
cHaptEr 19 A Life-Cycle Assessment of Biofuels: Tracing Energy and 151
Carbon Through a Fuel-Production System
By Sara Krauskopf
LIvIng connEctIons
cHaptEr 20 Fall Colors, Temperature, and Day Length: Students Use 161
Internet Data to Explore the Relationship Between Seasonal
Patterns and Climate
By Stephen Burton, Heather Miller, and Carrie Roossinck
cHaptEr 21 A Useful Laboratory Tool: Students Build and Test a 171
Thermal Gradient to Conduct Meaningful Labs
By Samuel A. Johnson and Tye Tutt
cHaptEr 22 Fire and Ecological Disturbance: A 5E Lesson to Address an 181
Important Misconception
By Michael Dentzau and Victor Sampson
cHaptEr 23 A Cooperative Classroom Investigation of Climate Change: 195
Students Investigate Environmental Changes and Their Impact
on Penguin Communities
By Juanita Constible, Luke Sandro, and Richard E. Lee Jr.
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carbon, cLImatE, and tHE EnvIronmEnt
cHaptEr 24 Climate Physics: Using Basic Physics Concepts to Teach 209
About Climate Change
By William Space
cHaptEr 25 Seeing the Carbon Cycle 217
By Pamela Drouin, David J. Welty, Daniel Repeta, Cheryl A. Engle-Belknap,
Catherine Cramer, Kim Frashure, and Robert Chen
cHaptEr 26 How Much Carbon Is in the Forest? A Project-Based Science 227
Investigation of Trees’ Role in Offsetting Global Warming
By Leah Penniman
cHaptEr 27 Thinking Like an Ecologist: Students Make Connections Between 235
Their Influence on Global Change and Current Field Research
By Jenn Carlson
cHaptEr 28 Teaching About Energy 247
By Amanda Beckrich
aLtErnatIvE EnErgy sourcEs
cHaptEr 29 Solar Radiation—Harnessing the Power: Using NASA Data to 249
Study Alternative Energy Sources
By Teri Rowland, Lin Chambers, Missy Holzer, and Susan Moore
cHaptEr 30 Solar Panels and Alternative Energy in the Eighth-Grade 259
Classroom
By Laura Bruck
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cHaptEr 31 Windmills Are Going Around Again 273
By Richard H. Moyer and Susan A. Everett
cHaptEr 32 A First Energy Grant: Pinwheel Electrical Generation 285
By John Schaefers
Part 2: Student Projects and Case Studies
cHaptEr 33 Doing Science With PBS 291
By Steve Metz
cHaptEr 34 Students for Sustainable Energy: Inspiring Students to Tackle 293
Energy Projects in Their School and Community
By Regina Toolin and Anne Watson
cHaptEr 35 The State High Biodiesel Project: Reducing Local Waste While 303
Learning About Alternative Energy
By Paul L. Heasley, and William G. Van Der Sluys
cHaptEr 36 The Sidewalk Project: Students Work With Their Community 313
to Invent a Heated Sidewalk Powered by an Alternative
Energy Source
By William Church
cHaptEr 37 Asking Authentic Questions With Tangible Consequences 317
By Anne Watson
cHaptEr 38 The Quiet Skies Project: Students Collect, Analyze, and Monitor 321
Data on Radio Frequency Interference
By Steve Rapp
Part 3: Issues in Depth
fuELs
cHaptEr 39 In the Hot Seat: Analyzing Your Heating Options 333
By Janna Palliser
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