Energy Crisis!!!

Introduction – Task – Process – Evaluation - Conclusion

Introduction

It’s the middle of summer in Sacramento, all of a sudden the lights turn out, air conditioning shuts off, and worst of all your PS2 just went out for no reason. You click the power button on the TV a couple of times…nothing. Flip the light switch…nothing.

It’s six days later, you still have no power, you’ve read every magazine cover to cover, and you are sweating like a pig. Suddenly, your cell phone rings, you answer it. On the other end, it’s Governor Schwarzengger. He has called you to terminate this energy crisis.

Task

As an Earth Science student, you are highly qualified to solve this crisis. You are young, imaginative, and luckily available.

Your task, should you choose to accept it, is to research one of the top five renewable energy resources (wind, water, solar, geothermal, and bio energy) Your group (you and two other friends) must research a renewable resource, write a proposal, and make a presentation to The Terminator.

Process

Among your group members decide who will be responsible for the poster, presentation, and paper. In addition, divide up the research into three areas: where the energy comes from, the advantages and disadvantages of the energy source, and the outlook of the energy resource.

You will be given three in-class workdays to collaborate with your other group members. Please use this time wisely. You must bring all necessary materials to class those particular days. It is imperative to your own and group’s success that you are in class and prepared on these workdays.

Evaluation

You will write a 3-page proposal identifying the energy source, how it is produced, and the advantages and disadvantages of the energy source. Furthermore you will create a poster and present it to our governor during an Energy symposium.

Poster Rubric

Criteria	D (4 points)	C (6 points)	B (8 points)	A (10 points)	Total
Complete Poster	Has only a few of the requirements (title, pictures, & information	Satisfies some, but not all of the requirements	Satisfies most, but not all of the requirements	Satisfies all of the requirements
Quality of Pictures	Sloppy pictures, confusing	Average pictures, somewhat confusing	Good pictures, easy to understand	Excellent pictures, clearly conveys info
Organization of Poster	Poorly organized, difficult to understand	Average organization difficult to understand	Well organized fairly easy to understand	Excellent organization, easy to understand
Quality of Information	Shows understanding of only few aspects of project	Shows understanding of some aspects of project – weak info	Thorough and broad understanding of project – good info	Excellent command of project info – Outstanding!
Creativity/Visual Aids	Very little creativity & color in poster	Some creativity & color in poster	Creative poster and good use of color	Professional poster, highly effective visual aid

Total: ____

Paper Rubric

Criteria	D (4 points)	C (6 points)	B (8 points)	A (10 points)	Total
Complete Paper	Has only a few of the requirements (6 Parts Total)	Satisfies some, but not all of the requirements	Satisfies most, but not all of the requirements	Satisfies all of the requirements
Quality of Writing	Sloppy writing, confusing	Average writing, somewhat confusing	Good writing, easy to understand	Excellent writing, clearly conveys info
Organization of Paper	Poorly organized, difficult to understand	Average organization difficult to understand	Well organized fairly easy to understand	Excellent organization, easy to understand
Quality of Information	Shows understanding of only few aspects of project	Shows understanding of some aspects of project – weak info	Thorough and broad understanding of project – good info	Excellent command of project info – Outstanding!
Creativity	Little or no creativity or enthusiasm	Some creativity or enthusiasm	Good creativity or enthusiasm	Very creative and engaging paper!

Total: ____

Presentation Rubric

Criteria	D (4 points)	C (6 points)	B (8 points)	A (10 points)	Total
Presentation Skills	Monotone, lack of enthusiasm, minimal eye contact, stumbles over words	Some expression and eye contact, limited enthusiasm, poor transitions	Expressive & strong voice, some enthusiasm, smooth transitions	Highly polished presentation skills, provokes thought and participation
Professionalism	Sloppy presentation, poorly dressed	Average presentation, fair dress	Good presentation and well dressed	Excellent presentation, nicely dressed
Organization	Poorly organized	Average organization	Well organized	Excellent organization
Quality of Information	Shows little understanding of project	Shows understanding of some aspects of project – weak info	Thorough and broad understanding of project – good info	Excellent command of project info – Outstanding!
Creativity/Visual Aids	Limited use of poster and visual aids	Some use of poster and visual aids	Good use of poster – helps presentation	Effective integration of poster – high quality

Total: ____

Conclusion

Consider this...

"On average, each person in developed countries such as Canada [and the United States] uses as much energy in six months as a citizen of developing countries such as Nepal uses in his or her entire lifetime."

Taken from: Suzuki, David and Vanderlinden, Kathy. You are the Earth: Know the planet so you can make it better. Vancouver: Greystone Books, 1999

Now that you have researched your renewable energy and made your recommendations to our energy crisis, consider how you can take action to prevent further blackouts. I hope you had fun and will think about walking or riding your bike the next time you need to go to the grocery store.