Our Energy Connections

Energy and Electricity Basics

Get an introduction into what energy is and how people use it by visiting the Energy Star Kids Web site to Find Out Why Your Planet Needs You. Start by answering the question What Is Energy? For each of the five forms of energy, list one or two specific ways you use that form in your own life. For example, you may use motion energy by bicycling to school or by playing sports.

Using the menu on the left-hand side of the screen, go to the next page to answer the question Where Does Energy Come From? Click each star shown on the screen to learn more. Now, for each of the items on the list you made, write down the most likely energy source.

The next page explains the two main Types of Energy. Mark which items on your list you think may be fueled by renewable or non-renewable energy sources. For each item, list a similar, alternative way of doing that action that would use the opposite type of energy source. For example, bicycling to school uses food, a renewable source; motorcycling to school uses gasoline, a non-renewable source.

Find out What Can Happen when we use a lot of energy. Then, learn about Saving Energy and how you can make big changes to make a difference. If you have time, check out The Energy Stars, Word Bank, and Factoids using the tab menu at the bottom of the screen.

Energy and Electricity In-Depth

Now, head over to the EducaPoles multimedia site. When you are on each slide show page, click on the link below the animation screen to view it full-screen. Use the arrow near the top of the screen to move forward through the slide show, and follow the instructions on each screen. Start with the slide show that compares energy consumption today and in the past. After reading through a few introduction slides, you will follow Henry, living in 1930, and Lucas, living in 2008, tracking each boy's energy use as you go. Think about the energy-use list you created earlier. Which parts of this list would change if electricity did not exist?

Move on to learn more about how we convert natural energy into human-made energy. Write a sentence about what parts of energy use have stayed the same over time. Write another sentence about what has changed in energy use.

Next, dig deeper into answering the following question: Where does energy come from? In this slide show, you will learn the pros and cons of fossil energy, nuclear energy, and renewable energy. For each type, list the specific sources that fall into that category. Also, summarize the pros and cons for each.

Having an energy source in hand is only one part of the electricity picture. Converting Energy into a useful form is another key piece. Copy the two rules the exchange of energy must follow. Continue through the slide show to see how those two rules apply to converting energy sources to electricity. Finally, copy the chart for each of the examples showing the percentage of heat lost.

Learn more about Tracking Electricity—from the primary source to its conversion into electricity to its delivery at your home. Copy the diagram of the steam gas turbine, labeling each part and writing a sentence that describes what it does. Be careful not to include the line to the houses, however. Which part converts the mechanical energy into electricity?

Now, add onto your diagram by including the parts between where the electricity is produced and what gets the electricity to your house. Discuss with classmates how your local electricity is produced. Ask your teacher to help identify the primary energy sources that are used, where exactly the energy source may have originated, and where the power is converted into electricity. Write these notes on the classroom board to use later in your newspaper activity.