Journal Surf



Level 2 Off the Grid Electricity Level 2 – August 2011JJ No. 23, 2001PowerAlex TaylorHow does electricity get to your electric toothbrush? The article answers that question by travelling back from the power outlet in the wall, through roadside structures and transmission lines, to the waters of Lake Taupō.The Night the Lights Went outVivienne, JosephThere is a power cut in the middle of a storm and the family have to cook tea and entertain themselves without any electricity. At first, the children think having no power is awful, but they soon discover that it’s not so bad. Science GoalLiteracy GoalsExplore electricity as an example of everyday physical phenomena.Use personal experience and knowledge to make meaning from texts.Use written language features to create meaning and effect for an audience.Vocabulary:Specialised: dam, fuse board, meter box, power company, power outlet, pylons, roadside power box, substation, transformer, transmission lines, turbines.Interest: automatically, barbecue, buzzing, candles, concrete, crackled, cushion, electricity, eruption, fireplace, generate, lighting, neighbours, nibbled, power cut, shadow, volcanic. Task purpose To understand what electricity is and how we rely on it in our daily lives. Possible tasksTask 1What is electricity? Share your thoughts with a partner. Orally list as many things that need electricity to work as you can in 30 seconds. Watch the first 40 seconds of the clip: Introduction to Electricity – video for kids. After watching the clip, add any new items you didn’t think about in task 1a.Write a statement (3-4 sentences) about what electricity is. Share your statement with a partner. Task 2 It takes a number of steps for electricity to get to our homes. As you read, Power, use Fig 1: Travelling Electricity to note down the steps in order. For each step, choose one interesting fact to include in the chart. E.g. Fuse Board: If we use too much electricity, the switches on the fuse board turn off to prevent a fire.Task 3Choose a shape or simple image that represents electricity. If you’re stuck, you could use Fig 2: Lightbulb poem for a google draw template.With your teacher guiding you, read the tips on the poetry4kids website.Next, fill in your chosen shape or image with words or phrases (groups of words) or short sentences about electricity. Below are some questions to help you get started.Can you see it, smell it, hear it?How does electricity help us?Where does it come from?Without it, how would you manage? How would you feel?Share your poem with your class. You may like to publish it for your classroom wall, or upload it to your class blog or seesaw page. Task 4When the flow of electricity stops suddenly it is called a power cut. Have you had a power cut? Share what happened with a partner.Read the text: The Night the Lights went out. Pp. 27-31As you read, note down the things that the family had to do differently because they had no electricity. Discuss the following questions with a partner:What did they do instead of using electricity?Did they enjoy the experience? Why/why not?Why did they turn the lights back off after they came back on?Task 5In the text: The Night the Lights went out, the family found things to do that did not use electricity. List what you would do without electricity for fun and entertainment.How would losing electricity affect you if you were at school? Make a list of activities you do daily at school then think about the ones that would have to change if you didn’t have plete the chart in Fig 3: Power VS No Power to show options people could use in a power cut at home or at school.Share your finished chart and your thoughts from 5a and 5b with a partner. Links Clip: Introduction to Electricity – video for kids: 1: Travelling ElectricityTo complete this on Google Docs click this link and make a copy: HYPERLINK "" 2: Lightbulb PoemText boxes have been created for you. All you need to do is write in your words!To complete this on Google Draw click this link and make a copy: HYPERLINK "" 4 kids website: 3: Power VS No PowerTo complete this on Google Docs click this link and make a copy: HYPERLINK "" . You can insert images by clicking insert, image, searching the web. 1621790236220002. Then, type in the box on the right of the screen, choose your image and click insert. Task purpose To understand why we need to save electricity and how we can do so. Task 6Another reason to find things to do that don’t involve electricity is to save power. Why might people want to save electricity? Discuss your thoughts with a partner. Explore the Energy Star website to find out about why we need to save electricity and energy and how you can help at home. 6527803746500Extra for expertsKeep an energy diary of all the things you use electricity for in one day, and then one week.Were you surprised by some of the things you need electricity for? Why?What changes could you make to your day/week so you use less electricity?Energy Star website: find out why you need to save energy, click the purple side of the website.1244602095500To find out how you can make changes and help at home, click the orange side. If there are words you are unsure of, click the word bank. It has definitions for the energy related words.Review:How effective was I in achieving my literacy goals?What did I do well? What do I still need to work on?Did I draw from my personal experience and knowledge to make meaning from texts?When I wrote my poem, did I use written language features to create meaning and effect for an audience?How effective was I in achieving my science goal?What did I do well? What do I still need to work on?Did I develop an understanding of what electricity is?Written by Gina Eager ................
................

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

Google Online Preview   Download