Energy Sources Objectives: The third grade students will observe different types of renewable and nonrenewable energy

sources. Background information: Sources of energy are all around us, and come in a variety of different forms. These forms range between renewable and nonrenewable energy. Materials: Pictures of each renewable and nonrenewable energy Poster paper to paste images Coloring supplies Glue Procedures: 1. Display all of the items on a table and ask the students which they think are a source of renewable and nonrenewable energy. 2. Each item should be labeled (an index card with title on one side and detailed description on the other side) with a card in front of it. (Number the cards with corresponding numbers on items). 3. After students take turns guessing, go over every item individually and give full description to class. Extensions/Modifications 1. Assign the different energy sources as a homework vocabulary assignment to your students. Have students complete sentences using the words. 2. To extend this activity, have each student write a one-page essay on which three energy sources they would choose as the best sources of energy for the world. Tell them to explain why they chose what they did. This can be given as an inclass assignment or as a homework assignment. When the essays have been completed, ask some students to read theirs aloud. Display the completed essays in the classroom. Summary: Remind the students that sources of energy are all around us and come in a variety of different forms. Review the days lesson and ask for questions. Assessment: Have the students work in groups to sort the cards between renewable and nonrenewable resources. The students will paste the cards on a board with their explanation.

Renewable Energy: Biomass: Biomass resources include trees, food crops, algae, agricultural and forestry byproducts, and even Methane fumes from landfills. These biomass resources provide fuels, power production and products typically made from nonrenewable fossil fuels. Such bioproducts include plastics, insulation, adhesives and fabric. Energy production from biomass is important because it can help reduce dependence on foreign oil. In addition, it has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The agricultural and forestry industries also benefit from the demand for biomass. Water: Water, or hydropower, is the renewable energy source that produces the most electricity in the United States. In 2009, it accounted for 7 percent of total U.S. electricity generation and 35 percent of generation from renewables in 2009, according to the U.S. Energy Administration. Like wood, water has a long history as an energy source. Paddle wheels used to grind grain are an early example. In the 1880s, the Wolverine Chair Factory in Michigan made use of a water turbine and the first hydroelectric plant was built on Wisconsin's Fox River to harness the power of swiftly moving water. Hydroelectric power plants proliferated with the ability to transmit electricity over longer distances. The release, as needed, of water stored in reservoirs behind dams produces electricity by spinning turbines as it flows through pipes. Geothermal: Geothermal energy comes from harnessing heat from the Earth. A large utility company, for example, can directly use a geothermal reservoir to drive generators and produce electricity for their municipality. In contrast, residential heat pumps use the shallow ground temperature of the Earth to heat and cool a home on a smaller scale. The shallow ground temperature remains between 50 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Other applications put geothermal heat to use in commercial buildings, roads, agriculture and industrial factories. Wind: Wind is just moving air created as the sun heats the Earth's surface. As long as the sun is shining, the wind remains an infinite, renewable resource. Wind power is clean energy because wind turbines do not produce any emissions. The classic Dutch windmill harnessed the wind's energy hundreds of years ago. Modern wind turbines with three blades dot the landscape today, turning wind into electricity. Although wind only generated little power in the United States in 2009, it is the fastest-growing source of new electric power, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration. Solar: The sun has produced energy in the form of heat and light since the Earth formed. Solar energy systems do not produce emissions and are often not harmful to the environment. Thermal solar energy can heat water or buildings. Photovoltaic devices, or solar cells, directly convert solar energy into electricity. Individual solar cells grouped into panels range from small applications that charge calculator and watch batteries, to large systems that power residential dwellings. PV power plants and concentrating solar power plants are the largest solar applications, covering acres.

Nonrenewable Energy: Petroleum: Oil, or petroleum, comes from the liquefied, fossilized remains of plants and animals that lived hundreds of millions of years ago; once oil sources are depleted, they cannot be replaced. Oil is an energy source that the U.S. is very much dependent upon. It is used to create fuels, such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. It is also used in the manufacturing of plastics and industrial chemicals. Much of our oil is imported, creating a dependency on sources that are unpredictable and costly. The environmental impacts of mining oil include threats to waterways, plants and wildlife due to oil spills and increased infrastructure in natural areas. The impacts of oil combustion include air pollution, smog and increased greenhouse gas emissions. Coal: Coal is the most plentiful nonrenewable resource in the world and is used to create more than half of the electricity used in the U.S. Coal is made when plant material has been compressed in bogs for millions of years. The extraction of coal from surface and sub-surface mines creates numerous problems for humans and the environment. Subsurface mines are dangerous for miners as tunnels can collapse and built-up gas can explode. They also create subsidence, meaning that the ground level lowers when the coal is removed. Surface mining, or strip-mining, causes erosion and water pollution and decreases biodiversity by reducing plant and animal habitats. Additionally, the combustion of coal contributes to air pollution and global climate change and creates a toxic ash as a byproduct. Natural Gas: Natural gas is the result of decomposing plants and animals that were trapped beneath rock millions of years ago. This gas is drilled from the ground or extracted using dynamite and then processed and piped through thousands of miles of pipelines for cooking, heating homes and fueling vehicles. Though natural gas is considered to be a relatively "clean" fossil fuel, the environmental impacts of extracting it and installing pipelines include severe disruption of wildlife habitat and groundwater contamination. Nuclear Energy: Although nuclear energy is often held up as a viable alternative to coal and oil, it is not a renewable energy source. Nuclear power requires uranium, a radioactive metallic element that must be mined from the earth and is not quickly replenished. Nuclear energy does not create air pollution though combustion like fossil fuels. It does, however, produce radioactive waste, which must be disposed of and which can cause problems for humans and ecosystems for thousands of years. Additionally, accidents and leaks from nuclear power plants can have catastrophic effects on the entire planet. Oil: Liquid petroleum --- crude oil --- is the only nonrenewable resource in fluid form. A fossil fuel that is being used up faster than new reserves are discovered, the oil supply may only last through the middle of this century. Industrial nations, with the U.S. far in the lead, are the biggest consumers of crude oil. Gasoline, heating oil, and diesel fuel are the primary uses of the resource, although manufacturers utilize oil as the base for such products as plastics and industrial chemicals.

Tar Sand and Oil Shale: Tar sand is tarry oil that comes from sedimentary rock. Reserves of this nonrenewable resource are only plentiful enough to supply energy for 15 years or so. Extracting tar sand is a labor-intensive process that uses up 1/2 barrel of oil for every barrel of tar sand recovered. Oil shale extraction is similarly difficult and energyintensive. More plentiful than tar sand, current oil shale reserves could fuel international demand for up to a century. Uranium: Uranium is a radioactive chemical element that naturally occurs in some groundwater, soil and rock. Uranium was deposited in the earth from extraterrestrial events, probably super novae that occurred billions of years in the past. The primary use of uranium is nuclear energy production. Worldwide uranium reserves are more abundant than mercury, cadmium, and silver reserves. However, U-235, the fuel used in nuclear plants, is very rare. While nuclear power generation does not emit greenhouse gasses, radioactive byproducts create environmental hazards