In this unit, students will study the concept of energy, and how energy is needed for something to function. They will learn about the many forms of energy, and which forms are considered stores. Students will understand the difference between energy being transformed versus transferred, and how to demonstrate the various energy changes by constructing a transfer diagram. Systems that perform identical functions will be compared quantitatively using efficiency. Students will practice representing these numerical descriptions by constructing Sankey diagrams.
Learning targets
- Can state that energy is needed to make things happen, and is measured in joules
- Can identify the forms of energy present in a system
- Can describe each form of energy and provide examples
- Can construct an energy transfer diagram, including wasted energy
- Can apply the Conservation of Energy to solve problems
- Can calculate the efficiency of a simple process
- Can construct a Sankey diagram to scale
- Can use Sankey diagrams to solve problems
Saint Maur Essential Outcomes
Moral Citizens
- The importance of academic honesty and correct referencing/ citation of sources
- Honesty and integrity in the reporting of data is vital.
- Moral and ethical experimentation
Unique Individuals
- The importance of thinking for yourself
- Appreciating that making mistakes is an opportunity to learn
- Asking yourself ‘What do I need to do to be a good scientist?’
Global Citizens
- The scientific community has certain common principles, methods and understandings that provide a framework for their endeavours.
- The study of Science is by nature collaborative. Large-scale collaboration allows problems to be tackled from different perspectives and for scientists to reap benefits of different disciplines or areas of expertise.
Balanced Learners
- Communicating efficiently – concisely and precisely in oral presentations and lab reports
Life-Long Learners (Communicative Learners, Inquiring Learners, Collaborative learners, Resilient Learners, Reflective Learners, Open Minded Learners)
- The importance of basing decisions on sufficient reliable evidence.
- Careful observation and recognition of patterns of behaviour allows us to make predictions about the behaviour of the natural world.
- Different points of view may be based on different evidence