SimEnergy 1 teachers notes



SimEnergy 1 teachers notes

 

Outline

In this learning game pupils help a family stay warm and happy through the worst winter on record. SimEnergy 1 simulates the factors involved in insulating a building, and makes it more fun to learn the physics concepts by taking an inquiry approach. Each round poses a different challenge for pupils to investigate: where is most heat lost from a building?. which forms of insulation are actually cost effective? SimEnergy 1 is easy to use and fits into an hour's lesson, including a plenary session.

 

National Curriculum links

14-16: How Science Works

• Communication skills: using qualitative and quantitative approaches, analysing and applying scientific information

• Applications and implications of science: the benefits and drawbacks (economic costs) of technological developments

 

14-16 Breadth of Study

• Energy, electricity and radiation: energy transfers can be measured, which is important in considering the economic costs of energy use

 

GCSE specifications links

Edexcel

• Core: Topic 10 - You're in Charge: "the economic costs of energy use"

 

AQA

• Core: Physics 1a - Energy and Electricity: "How heat is transferred"

 

Twenty First Century Science

• Additional: P5 - Electric Circuits: "How much electrical energy do we use"

 

Gateway

• Core: P1 - Energy for the Home: "Keeping homes warm" and "How insulation works"

 

Try the activity

Instructions

• The game works is designed for PC computers only. Your PC will need to have the 'Flash' plug-in installed

• Download the 'zip' file (this means it's compressed) to your machine

• 'Unzip' the file using a programme like 'winzip' (you can get a free trial copy from ). This will place the files in a new folder

• Double click 'SimEnergy1.exe' to start

 

Running the activity

It should be possible to introduce and play Sim Energy 1, with a plenary session, all within one hour. Play the game a yourself to become familiar with it and to identify teaching points you want to bring out. It is made up of 3 rounds. The first is mainly to become familiar with the game, and is quick and easy. If you lose, you get qualitative feedback ('happiness' bar) and quantitative feedback in terms of money and heat loss graphs. The third round is challenging. . The 'how to win' section below will help. An extension activity could be for those pupils who manage to achieve an ‘eco-certificate’ in round 3 to work up an explanation of why their strategy worked, using scientific concepts.

 

Teaching Points for Plenary Session

While the game provides pupils with first-hand experience of the concepts, it is vital for them to reflect on these, and how they apply to the real world. During the plenary, you might want to have the game running on a projector or whiteboard, and stop it to illustrate teaching points. Alternatively, copy and paste specific screens e.g. heat loss graphs (use the 'print screen' button) into a document.

 

Round 1:

• You can reduce heat loss by changing everyday habits (Q: which ones are best? How can you tell from the graphs)

 

Round 2:

• Heat is lost from a warm house to a colder exterior (Q: what affects how quickly heat is lost? A: temperature difference between inside and out - more is lost at night)

• Some areas of the home lose heat much faster than others (Q: which lost most?)

• There are various insulation devices that reduce the 3 types of heat flow (Q: What kinds of house insulation are they? How does each work?)

 

Round 3:

• In choosing insulation, it is important to consider which is cost effective (Q: what does this mean? How can you calculate payback time? Which insulations payback quickest?)

• The game assumes that winning = saving the most money (Q: In the game, is it worth investing in insulation every round? Should we only insulate to save money?)

 

How to win the game

Round 1:

You have to choose the two best habits to win the game:

• Turn down thermostat by 2 degrees C

• Have showers instead of baths

 

Round 2:

Use the 'investigation' section to find out which areas lose most heat. Note the values change between day/night. Then choose the insulations that fix the two highest losses:

• Roof / loft insulation

• Walls / cavity wall insulation

 

Round 3:

This requires a more analytical approach (or a lot of trial and error). The key to winning is to realise the need to invest in insulation that is cost effective i.e. it must pay for itself within the 3 turns of the game. Use the 'investigation' section to find out which areas lose most heat. It’s worth writing down the heat loss from each area (a measure of how much you'll save if you insulate). Now look at the 'insulation' section' and write down the cost of each insulation. Divide the heat loss by the cost, and you'll see which insulations are most cost effective. Alternatively, you can just play the game, try out each insulation, and note down from the screen how much money you save, compared to how much you spend.

 

The two most cost effective forms of insulation, which you should invest in for turns 1 and 2 respectively are:

• Roof / loft insulation

• Floor / carpet

On turn 3 don't invest in any further insulation - it won't pay back its costs in the time available. Plus, don't forget to teach your family the best habits (from round 1) on each turn.

 

© 2007

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download