Friday May 8

Here is the final exam review guide.

You will have Monday and Tuesday to review in class and the exam is on Wednesday

Unit 9: Climate Change

Unit 9: Climate Change
Introductory Questions
PhET Greenhouse Simulation
Atmosphere & EMS lecture/diagram notes
Study Guide

EXTRA CREDIT
Hike the Rim Trail at Castlewood Canyon State Park (this weekend only) and take a selfie at the top!

Monday April 20

Here is the link to the Dam Cancer Run

Unit 8: Biomass

Biomass Introductory Questions
Biomass Article
Biomass Article Questions
Diesel Engine Diagram
Vegetable Oil Diagram
Vegetable Oil Conversion (Notes)
Ethanol -versus- Gasoline (Debate)
Vegetable Oil -versus- Diesel (Debate)
Energy Content & Chemical Formulas (Notes)
King Corn Video Notes
Unit 8 Study Guide
Mythbusters Video
How It Works Video

Friday April 17

Hey guys....
Not sure how many of you check this site out on a regular basis, but here is a little helper for those of you that visit here tonight....

Monday April 6

Unit 7: Oil & Natural Gas

1. The Car of the Future
1. What will the new fuel source be?
2. Where will the fuel come from?
3. What will the emissions from the car be?
4. What will the price implications look like?
5. What changes will you make to a car today?
1. Shape?
2. Weight?
3. Size?
2. Refinery Worksheet

Look at this image to determine how many carbon atoms are in each of the hydro-carbon chains.

1. Label each of the "arrows".
2. What goes into the refinery?
3. What comes out?
4. What are the different temperatures?
5. What are the different products made of?
1. Lecture & Diagram Notes
2. Introductory Questions
3. Timeline & Formation
1. When was petroleum formed?
2. When was petroleum first used & for what?
3. When will petroleum run out?
4. What has petroleum been used for over the years?
4. Study Guide Question
1. Period 3
2. Period 4
3. Period 6
4. Period 7

Unit 6: HydroPower

Here is the list of materials that need to be completed for the hydropower unit.

1. Hydro-Power Introduction Questions
2. Hydro Diagrams
1. complete a diagram of a dam/reservoir power plant
2. complete a diagram of a pumped storage system power plant
3. Find an article about a specific power plant that uses a form of hydro to generate electricity and answer these questions about the article.
4. Create a timeline of hydropower uses throughout human history. Be sure to include the five (5) hydropower plants presented in class.
5. You will be assigned a specific power plant 
1. Complete this study guide for the quiz on Thursday.

This is an image of a traditional hydropower plant.

This is an image (with explanation of a pumped storage hydropower plant)

Your group will be assigned to one of the following 5 hydropower categories

• Dam/Reservoir
• Pumped Storage
• Tidal 
• Wave
• OTEC

Your presentation should include:

• a history of the power plant
• the amount of electricity generated (MW)
• the economic benefits of your power plant 
• the environmental benefits of your power plant
• the environmental consequences of your power plant
• the diagram showing how the power plant operates

Friday March 6

This week...

1. Draw a diagram of the nuclear power plant shown above. Be sure that your diagram includes the purpose of each part.
2. Explain the similarities and differences between coal and nuclear power plants.

Wednesday March 11

Go to the nuclear fission simulation and complete the handout provided in class. You may work with ONE other person.

When you have completed the above assignment, you may begin to work on the study guide.  The nuclear unit quiz is on Friday. You need the following items in your portfolio by Friday.
Unit 5 Nuclear Energy

• Nuclear Power Article
• Nuclear Power Article Review Questions
• Nuclear Power Plant Diagram & Summary of Parts
• Nuclear Event Summary
• Radioactive Decay Notes
• Radioactive Decay & Half-Life Worksheet
• pHet Nuclear Fission Lab Worksheet
• Unit 5 Study Guide

When you complete the above items, you may bring me your portfolio to be graded.

Tuesday February 24

Find an article about nuclear power and answer the following questions.

1. In a few short sentences (complete) explain what your article is about.
2. Is your article in favor of or opposed to nuclear power?
3. What are the reasons given (evidence) for your answer to #2?
4. What is your opinion about nuclear power? Should we build nuclear power plants?
5. Did this article change your opinion in any way?

Wednesday February 18

Here is my coal presentation. I will review this material on Wednesday and Thursday. You will have a 15 question multiple choice and 1 question short answer quiz on Friday. Everything that you need is online, but if you are lost, here is a summary of our coal unit thus far...
Unit 4 Coal
-BTU & Coal Comparisons
-Coal Questions
-Coal Diagram
-Coal Timeline
-Coal Study Guide
-Coal Article
-Coal Article Review
I will review any of the above, just come see me!

Wednesday February 18

Unit 4: Coal Study Guide

1. What is a BTU?
2. What does a BTU measure?
3. What are the 4 types of coal?
4. How do the types of coal differ?
5. What does the term energy content mean?
6. Which type of coal has the highest energy content?
7. What are the "ingredients" of coal? (HINT: Think about the periodic table of elements)
8. What is the result of the combustion of coal?
9. What are the steps required to convert coal into electricity?
10. What type of water pollution occurs as a result of the use of cooling towers (condensation)?
11. What part of a coal power plant is responsible for removing air pollution that happens after the coal is combusted?
12. What are the steps involved with the creation/formation of coal?
13. What is the original source of the energy that is contained in the coal?
14. What are the current uses of coal?
15. What has coal been used for historically?
16. Where (in the United States) is coal found today?
17. What would happen to the use of coal if more people began driving "plug-in hybrid" cars?
18. What sectors of the economy is coal used in most often? least often?
19. How does coal pollute the air?
20. How does coal pollute the water?
21. How does coal pollute the land/soil?
22. In your opinion, given all that you have learned about coal, would you recommend that we continue to use coal? Why or why not?

Friday February 13

5 questions for the coal article...

1. What is the type of resource that your article discusses?
2. What is the energy use sector that your article discusses?
3. What is an issue associated with the resource?
4. Where does the resource come from?
5. How is the resource used? 

Thursday February 12

1. Create a diagram with labels of the coal fired power plant using this link.
2. Focus on the turbine specifically.
3. Create a list of materials that you need to create and build a turbine.

Here is a link to a website that has an example of a "do-it yourself" turbine.

Wednesday February 11

In class today, you should finish #6 (the coal timeline) with your group. When the timeline is done, you need to complete the remainder of the questions and update your portfolio with 3 assignments.
The Unit 4 assignments are:
Unit 4:Coal

1. BTU's & Coal Comparisons
2. Coal Questions
3. Coal Timeline (obviously not in your portfolio)

Tuesday February 10

Unit #4: Coal

To begin... how do we measure the amount of energy that a lump of coal contains?
Here is an energy calculator.  In your reading, you will find different energy contents for different types of coal (BTU's/pound).
Use the calculator to answer the following questions.

1. What is a BTU? 
2. What does BTU measure?
3. How many pounds of each type of coal (look at page 15 of your packet) would be needed to light your room with a 100 watt bulb for 12 hours? I have completed the Lignite example for you, just click on the link below. We will review this in class on Tuesday.
1. Lignite: 
2. Bituminous
3. Sub-Bituminous
4. Anthracite

Use the information contained in your packet to answer the questions below.

1. What is coal?
2. What are the types of coal?
3. How do the different types vary? (What makes them different?)
4. Which of the types of coal is most valuable? Why?
5. Is coal a renewable or non-renewable resource? Why?
6. Create a timeline for coal. 
1. Start with as far back as you can find in the reading and continue all the way up to the present day. 
2. Include the ways that coal is formed and where the coal started out.
3. Include the different uses for coal along that timeline. 
4. You may work with one other person to complete this part of the activity.
7. What are the two (2) ways that coal is mined?
8. When are each of the two ways of mining used?
9. What are two (2) types of underground mining?
10. What do you think are the some positives and negatives associated with each of these types of mining operations?
11. What must happen after the coal has been mined?
12. Where does coal come from? 
13. What are the 5 highest coal producing states?
14. How is/was coal used?
15. What are the primary uses of coal today?
16. What are the environmental issues associated with coal?
1. Focus on air pollution
2. Focus on water pollution
3. Focus on soil/land pollution
17. What are some ways that coal can be converted into electricity that are cleaner than present technologies?

Monday February 9

5 questions for the article

1. What is the type of resource that your article discusses?
2. What is the energy use sector that your article discusses?
3. What is an issue associated with the resource?
4. Where does the resource come from?
5. How is the resource used? 

For your portfolio... Label Unit 3: Electrical Generation study guide, article & article questions. 

Friday February 6

Unit 3: Electrical Generation

Study Guide

1. What is electricity?
2. What are the parts of an atom?
3. Why is it important that the electrons are on the outside of the nucleus?
4. What is a magnet? What are the two parts of a magnet? 
5. What is a magnetic field?
6. What is a conductor?Provide an example.
7. What is a resistor? Provide an example.
8. What is a turbine? What are three (3) examples of turbines that were shown in the video?
9. What is the purpose of a turbine? (What does it do?)
10. What is a generator? (What does it do?)
11. How do generators and turbines work together?
12. What is the 1st Law of Thermodynamics?
13. When a resource is converted into electricity, what does most of the energy in the resource get turned into?
14. What is the maximum efficiency that could (theoretically) be achieved?
15. Why are all energy transfers always less than the answer to #14?

Monday February 2

Directions: Start a google document to share with me (jboyce@cherrycreekschools.org)

1. Start by defining the following terms in your own words. 
1. Magnetism
2. Electricity
3. Induction
4. Electro-magnetism
5. Conductor
6. Resistor
2. Look at this series of diagrams/simulations. For each page listed below, answer the red question(s) at the top of the page. Note: For some of the pages, the question is re-stated at the bottom of the page. 
1. A Review of the Atom
2. Magnetic Lines of Force
3. Magnetic Field
4. Electromagnets
5. Electricity and Magnetism
6. More on Electricity andMagnetism
7. Magnetism and the Direction of Current Flow
8. The Electric Motor 

Thursday January 29

Study Guide for Unit 2: Sectors of Energy Use

1. What do the terms U-Value and R-Value refer to? In which sector are these concepts relevant?
2. What is the relationship between the wavelength of infrared and visible light?
3. How does energy travel (flow)? (What are the three ways that energy flows?)
4. What are the three energy use sectors?
5. What resources are used in the transportation sector?
6. Which resource is most commonly used for electrical generation?
7. How does energy move? (Answer using the terms high concentration and low concentration).
8. Which of the sectors consumes the greatest amount of electricity?
9. Within the residential sector, which activity uses the most energy?
10. What resources are used for home heating?

5 questions for the article

1. What is the type of resource that your article discusses?
2. What is the energy use sector that your article discusses?
3. What is an issue associated with the resource?
4. Where does the resource come from?
5. How is the resource used? 

Monday January 26

In class today you will create a 4-square (vocabulary, diagram explanation, article summary, why it matters) using the article that we looked at this week. This time, you will review the different places that energy is used. Please focus on:

• Residential/Commercial (Page 70)
• Heating and Cooling (Page 71)
• Insulation/Weatherization (Page 71)
• Doors/Windows (Page 71)
• Landscaping (Page 71)
• Appliances (Page 72)
• Lighting (Page 73)
• Water Heating (Page 73)
• Transportation (Page 74)

The first 2 energy use sectors that we are going to look at are "Residential/Commercial" and "Transportation".  For each of the above topics, you need to read the paragraph and provide a 4-square for it. 

Friday January 23

You will complete your first portfolio entry today.

• Label your study guide as "Unit 1 Study Guide: Conservation & Efficiency"
• Label your article as "Article #1:Conservation & Efficiency"
• Label your article activity as "Summary #1:Conservation & Efficiency"
• Include the Efficiency & Conservation Handout as "Unit 1 Handout"

If you missed class today, you will need to complete that quiz on the day that you return during 5th, 8th or after school. In addition, you will need to complete your portfolio entry.

Thursday January 22

Questions and Topics for the week...

1. What is energy conservation?
2. What is energy efficiency?
3. What are the countries that use the most energy?
4. Why do we (Americans) consume so much energy?
5. What is the formula to measure energy efficiency?
6. What is the scientific principle (Law) that governs conservation?
7. What is a payback period and how is it calculated?
8. What does the term "consumer society" mean?
9. What is sustainability?
10. Provide an example of an opportunity to conserve energy in your own home.

In class today, we will review the material that we have covered this week. All of the above questions will be answered in class and you will have an opportunity to take notes and prepare a study guide for the test. These study guides will become part of your portfolio.

Tuesday January 20

What is conservation?
What is efficiency?
How is efficiency measured?
What "Laws" govern the conservation of energy (and matter)?
Why are these concepts important in our discussion of natural resource use?


For Friday, bring a news article that deals with either conservation of natural resources or the efficient use of energy.

Thursday January 8

To clarify a few points for you....

Your final is worth 200 points. It is divided into 4 categories; participation, portfolio, essay and exam.  Each portion is worth 50 points.

• The exam will have 45 multiple choice questions and a short answer question worth 5 points.
• You should have 14 drawings in your portfolio. 
• The essay is based on the rubric which was posted last week, but here are a few questions for you to consider....

1. What is the purpose of including a service based learning requirement for this class? In other words, why is it important to connect the information that is studied in class to a real world application?
2. Based on your service based learning experience, why do you think that it is important to connect a volunteer experience with information that we have learned in class?
3. Provide evidence from your service learning to demonstrate the importance of the experience.
4. Provide an introduction and conclusion paragraph.

January 7, 2015

Go to this link and follow the instructions provided. When you have completed the tasks, answer the questions below.

1. Which of the resources could be used in Colorado? Why?
2. What is one positive and one negative associated with each of the resources?
3. Select one of the resources and explain how it is used to generate electricity.

There is an extra credit opportunity for you.... take a selfie in front of the Waterton Canyon Hydro-electric dam before January 16th to earn those valuable points!

Here is a link to your study guide.  If you have any questions, please see me. This study guide needs to be printed out and is due the day of your final exam.