Curriculum

How Can We Provide Energy to Meet Diverse Needs?

How Can We Provide Energy to Meet Diverse Needs?

This module is currently being field tested and is not yet available for purchase.

How Can We Provide Energy to Meet Diverse Needs? is part of Smithsonian Science for the Classroom, a curriculum series by the Smithsonian Science Education Center. It is designed to address a bundle of fourth grade engineering and physical science standards. In this module, students:

  • make observations of battery-wire-bulb configurations to determine configuration characteristics that allow energy to flow and a bulb to light up
  • design, build, and test portable light systems, evaluating them against defined criteria and constraints
  • research how electricity is generated by making observations of systems and by obtaining information from texts
  • use multiple texts to research environmental impacts of natural resources used to generate electricity
  • access and evaluate state-specific electricity generation data and combine this information with other research to propose and compare new energy plans to solve a power outage problem
  • design, build, and test adaptive doorbell systems using three different energy sources, evaluating them against defined criteria and constraints

Below are digital resources that support teaching of this module.

Lesson 1: Camping Needs

Family Letter
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Before starting How Can We Provide Energy to Meet Diverse Needs?, share the Family Letter with students’ caregivers. Indicate how they should submit responses to the letter.

Camping Light Problem
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This file contains a message from Grammy detailing a problem she is facing.

Lesson 3: Light the Bulb

Circuit Tips
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This file provides guidance for working with the circuit components in this module.

Lesson 5: Light Circuit Testing

Peer Review
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This file contains the text from the peer review activity sheet for use during class discussion.

Lesson 6: Grammy’s New Light

Design Steps
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This file provides an outline of the work students should complete during Lesson 6.

Lesson 7: Light’s Out!

Planned Outage Problem
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This file contains a picture and message about a problem in a local community.

Lesson 8: Generate!

Generating
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This file shows images of the stations students will work at during the lesson.

Lesson 10: Environmental Impacts

Meeting Our Energy Needs StoryMap
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This file provides links to resources for student research.

Lesson 12: A New Energy Plan

Power Outage Solution
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This file contains questions to guide group work and discussion.

Lesson 13: I’m Here, Let Me In! Part 1

Apartment Visitor (0:24)
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This video serves as a partial introduction to the doorbell problem.

Lesson 14: I’m Here, Let Me In! Part 2

At Home (0:07)
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This video serves as a partial introduction to the doorbell problem.

Doorbell Testing
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This file contains images of the three testing stations groups use to test their solutions to the doorbell problem.

Kit Tips & Tricks