The Resource - Gas & Electricity Energy for your Home · Energy Saving Trust ... Discuss the...

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Introduction

The Power Pack for 4-7 year olds has been designed by npower as part of its education

commitment. Developed in conjunction with a panel of practising teachers and the

Association for Science Education, it provides a stimulating, effective and comprehensive

resource enabling teachers to deliver the Science curriculum.

More specifically, the resource pack has been designed to support the delivery of teaching

and learning about Electricity within the Science and Environmental Studies curricula in

England, Scotland and Wales. It links to Personal, Social and Health Education & Citizenship

at Key Stage 1, Personal and Social Development for Primary 1-3 and children’s learning in

the Foundation Stage. The pack also offers many extension activities designed to meet other

learning objectives across the curriculum.

The pack also supports Education for Sustainable Development by encouraging pupils and

schools to think about the ways in which energy may be wasted and how to use energy

more efficiently. The pack provides a foundation for schools considering applying for the

Energy Saving Trust’s Energy Certification for Schools.

The resource covers five topics, which can be taught as individual activities, lessons or as a

class project. The topics can be rearranged to suit teaching needs and styles, for example,

practical work for ‘Batteries’ followed by ‘Electrical Safety’, etc. The primary aim of the pack

is to ensure pupils understand what electricity is, the role it plays in our daily lives and how

to use energy safely and efficiently. The five topic areas are:

Uses of Electricity

Electrical Safety

Batteries

Investigating Circuits and

Practical Applications

Energy Efficiency

Pow

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ack

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2

Your Power Pack resource includes:

1 x teacher booklet containing classroom ideas for discussion and practical

activities for each topic.

2 x A2 colourful laminated posters for display in the classroom and

interaction during class discussions. The posters can be written on using a

wipeable marker.

1 x A3 safety awareness and energy efficiency poster with an energy

game on the reverse.

6 x photocopiable pupil worksheets each linked to a topic area, reading

cards for the energy game and a certificate on the reverse of the A2 posters.

Progression and Differentiation

The topics in this resource have been designed so they can be taught to children aged 4-7

years, with help from npower’s education friends Electra, Bright Spark and Watt the dog.

However, the needs and abilities of individual children may vary within classes and schools.

The five topics allow teachers to create individual lesson plans suiting the abilities of the class

and preferred teaching styles. There are suggestions for resources, starting points, productive

questions, opportunities to develop skills and knowledge, and additional activities to extend

children’s learning in Science and other curriculum areas. We hope these will provide you with

the materials and inspiration to deliver lessons and meet the intended learning objectives.

Energy Saving Trust

The Energy Certification for Schools promotes energy management and efficiency for the

whole school community - students, governors, staff and local authorities. It encourages

schools to make links between the school curriculum and the management of energy

efficiency. Schools can save themselves money on their energy bills, reduce their carbon

dioxide emissions (helping reduce the damaging effects of climate change) and improve the

working environment for students and staff alike.

Following the simple steps of the scheme will help the school to produce an action plan to

deliver a co-ordinated approach to energy management, bringing together the interests and

expertise of teachers, pupils, governors and parents.

Further information on Energy Certification for Schools is

available online: www.est.org.uk/schools/

Lesson

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Teacher notes

Energy and power are very important parts of our lives and we use them every day, in their

many forms. Electricity is a form of energy and power. Electricity itself is invisible but you

can see the effect is has on other things because it makes them work and makes our lives

easier. Electrical energy can be transformed into light, sound, heat, movement and

magnetism.

Electra’s ‘Uses of Electricity’ classroom poster helps to explain the sources and uses of

electricity. Most of the electricity we use is generated in power stations by burning non-

renewable energy sources (fossil fuels). The power station burns the coal, oil or gas to turn

the water into steam. The steam turns the blades of a turbine which makes the magnet

inside the coil of wires (the generator) spin round and this produces electricity. The steam is

turned back into water inside the condenser. Electricity can also be generated from renewable

(sustainable) forms of energy. More information on energy sources can be found on page 13.

Electricity from the power stations is distributed at a high voltage (an electromotive force or

‘push’) along wires found above the ground on pylons and overhead line poles, and also

through cables found underground.

Before electricity reaches our homes, schools and offices the high voltage is decreased in a

substation to a lower voltage. Electricity is very useful but is extremely powerful and

dangerous, and can result in electric shocks and electrocutions if not treated with care.

Electrical appliances must be used carefully and children should be warned never to go near

to pylons or substations.

Resources

Poster 1 - Uses of Electricity, a candle & matches, water-based felt tip pens, magazines and

catalogues illustrating electrical appliances, scissors, child socket protectors.

Learning objectives

Science: Children…

use sources of information to answer questions.

know what electricity is and what electricity can do.

know about everyday appliances which use electricity.

Cross-curricular: Children…

know that electrical appliances can be harmful if not used properly (PSHE).

join in and interact in group discussions, making relevant contributions (English).

identify differences between ways of life at different times (History).

Topic

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Starting point (whole class)

Darken the classroom or the discussion corner and light a candle.

Questions to ask:

What would life be like if we only had candles like the olden days?

What would we miss if there were no electric lights?

How many things in the classroom use electricity?

Is there anything else that works by electricity - at home or in the garden?

What do you think electricity is? (Accept a range of answers.)

Where do you think it comes from?

Development

Switch on the light or lighten the room. Introduce the poster.

Either as a whole class or in small groups, encourage the children to circle the items on Poster 1 which use electricity.

Discuss the sources of electricity in the poster and why electricity is so important to all the things we like to do. Draw

attention to all the classroom appliances that use electricity, including the central heating (gas-fired systems still need

electrical mechanisms such as a pump and a timer).

Draw attention to the sockets, plugs and cables making the connections to the appliances. Show a child socket protector

and reinforce safety reminders.

Distribute the catalogues for groups to cut out pictures of electrical appliances.

Plenary

Use Poster 1, magazines and catalogues for discussion. Using pictures make a display. Use other pictures for children to stick

into individual or group project books.

Extension activities

In a movement lesson, dramatise a classroom

with electrical devices using percussion to ‘switch

on radios, computers, lights, fans, etc.’

Children tell or write a story beginning either... ‘If

we had no electricity, I would miss...’ or ‘Long ago

my great grandad and granny had no electricity

so they had to...‘

Older children draw a picture of their house and

write or draw electrical items in each room. Can

they show how many sockets and lights are in

each room? Encourage children to include

electrical items used outside in the garden.

Older children could keep an electricity diary:

a) drawing one electrical item they have seen

used each day, or b) listing all the electrical items

they have seen used each day.

Teacher notes for Worksheet 1

Learning objectives: Children...

ask questions about how things work.

look at similarities and differences.

identify simple patterns or associations.

know that everyday appliances use electricity.

Teaching approach:

Read through Worksheet 1 with the children. ‘Work’ is an

important scientific concept.

Encourage children to use this word and accept their words

representing forces, such as push, pedal, kick or shake as well as

energy or power.

Alternative electrical items could include computer, microwave

oven, battery-operated toys, digital camera, etc.

Health & Safety:

Remind children that mains electricity is

potentially dangerous and how to

behave safely.

4

Lesson

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Teacher notes

Electricity can be extremely dangerous if not used correctly. Electra’s Electrical Safety and

Energy Efficiency poster has been designed for display in the classroom to highlight some of

the most important electrical safety messages for a home.

Everybody needs to be safe when using items that require electricity; otherwise a person

may get an electric shock. If the electric shock is fatal, the person is said to have been

electrocuted.

Voltage is used to measure electrical strength. The higher the voltage the higher the

potential danger. Mains supply is 240v – although a low voltage, it is still dangerous if not

used with care. The electricity distributed from the power stations is ‘high voltage’

electricity (up to 400,000 volts). The voltage is then reduced by a transformer in a number

of substations. ‘Mains’ electricity is safe when properly installed and insulated by a qualified

electrician. Unqualified people should never experiment with electricity or try to ‘fix’ broken

electrical appliances.

Batteries are a much lower voltage source. Most domestic batteries are between 1.5v and

12v. If they are handled correctly they are safe to use in school experiments. When using a

good primary school electrical kit, the maximum voltage necessary for successful

investigations is 4.5v - 6v (e.g. 3 x 1.5v batteries). This gives the opportunity in class to

discuss the magnitude and therefore danger of mains electricity compared with the low

voltage needed to make kit bulbs light up, buzzers buzz and motors spin.

Resources

Poster 2 - Electrical Safety and Energy Efficiency, photocopies of Electra’s safety rules from

Poster 3 for each individual child. Sheets of A3 paper, pencils, erasers, water-based felt tip

pens, crayons, Electra and Bright Spark’s energy game.

Learning objectives


look closely and notice differences.

think about what might happen if risks are not controlled.



know rules for, and ways of keeping safe (PSHE).

organise and lay out written work for presentation purposes (English).

design and make a product to inform others (D&T).

Topic

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Starting point (whole class or in groups)

Pin up Poster 2. Invite children to look closely at the poster.

Questions to ask:

Do you notice any differences between the two pictures?

Which house is safer?

What makes you think that?

What would you like to say to the Silly family to help them be safe?

Development

Use a water-based felt tip pen to circle the differences.

Write down all the suggestions that the children offer to help the Silly family to behave more safely.

Discuss ways of editing the messages to make them clear and short... e.g. ‘always keep electric wires tidy, always dry your

hands’, ‘keep water away from electricity’.

Assign one message to each group of children.

Each group uses an A3 sheet to design and make a safety poster illustrating their safety message.

Younger children would need adult support in writing the message.

Plenary

Share and discuss the different safety posters, a) in the classroom, b) in an assembly.

Health & Safety:

Remind children that they shouldn’t

touch loose cables, broken plugs or

appliances that get hot etc. and always

ask grown-ups for help.

6


Give each child a copy of Electra’s safety rules page.

Children could decorate the border to reinforce the rules.

If possible mount onto cardboard.

Children take Electra’s safety rules home to show and discuss the message and their work on electricity with their families.

Ask a few children to decorate additional copies for the classroom and school corridor.

Electra and Bright Spark’s energy game

This fun game will reinforce the safety and energy efficiency messages learnt in lessons. The game can be played by two or

more children. To play the game simply throw the dice and move to the relevant square. Action squares are accompanied by

reading cards which can be read by children and adults. The winner is the first person to reach the finish line.

They will need:

A3 photocopies of the game mounted onto cardboard

A3 photocopies of the reading cards mounted onto cardboard

Counters

Dice

Lesson

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Teacher notes

Batteries provide energy for many appliances and devices used in everyday life. They

produce electricity which makes devices such as light bulbs and motors work.

Batteries are cheap, efficient and provide a safe method of power. Batteries come in all

shapes and sizes from a small watch battery to large car batteries (e.g. 12v). The weight of

batteries restricts their usage. For instance, milk floats are an example of a large battery used

for transport. The strength of a battery is measured in volts. AA batteries are commonly used

batteries and have 1.5 volts of power. The scientific term for a battery is a cell.

A battery contains a mixture of chemicals which react together to produce ‘surplus’

electrons at one terminal of the battery (the negative terminal) and a shortage of electrons

at the other (the positive terminal). When the battery is connected and completes a circuit,

the negative charge at one terminal repels the free electrons in the wire, and the positive

charge at the other terminal attracts them. This sets up an electrical field in which the free

electrons in the wire begin to move. The flow is, in fact, very slow but the ‘message’ travels

through the wire apparently instantaneously, making a bulb or other device work as soon as

the battery is connected.

Batteries have a positive and a negative terminal and in commonly used AA batteries these

are at either end. Batteries must be inserted correctly according to the instructions to

complete the circuit and ensure the circuit flows.

Resources

Poster 1 - Uses of Electricity, a variety of batteries of different voltage from 1.5 - 6v, 1 large

torch and/or 5-6 torches, battery-operated toy, battery-sounding book (e.g. the books

about ‘Spot’ by Eric Hill, or ‘The Very Lonely Firefly’ by Eric Carle), paper, pencils, crayons,

water-based felt tip pens.

Learning objectives


explore and investigate objects, identifying some of the features.

ask questions about why things happen.

give reasons and simple explanations for how things work.


know that batteries need to be installed correctly to create a circuit and work safely (H&S).


know rules for, and ways of keeping safe (PSHE).

understand the magnitude of a sequence of numbers (Maths).

assemble components to make something work (D&T).

draw objects they have observed from life (Art).

Topic

3 B

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Show and pass around an empty torch and empty battery-operated toy.

Disassemble the torch and toy for children to see inside. Invite children to

name/label the features of the torch (bulb, casing, switch, battery, etc).

Install the batteries correctly, reminding children of the safety issues.

Questions to ask:

Why do you think the torch/toy won’t work?

How do you think batteries make them work?

What is electricity? (Accept a range of explanations - lead children to

the term ‘energy’.)

What happens to us when we don’t have any energy?

Why do you think it’s important that we ALWAYS put the batteries in

the right way round?

Development (in small groups or 1 group at a time)

Each group explores a torch, disassembling and assembling the parts, installing the batteries to make it work.

Children draw the torch with its battery, labelling the features (with help if required).

Plenary

Show and display the labelled drawings. Look at the other batteries on display and invite children to suggest uses for the

different batteries.


Refer to Poster 1 and ask children to identify which

electrical appliances work by using batteries.

Older children draw a selection of the different

batteries in sequence of their voltage or ‘push’ force

showing their AA symbols. (Explain the decimal point in

1.5v.) Ring the most powerful.

Make a collection of different objects that use batteries

for a classroom display: torches, toys, books, a watch, etc.

Borrow a hearing aid or invite a member of the Royal

National Institute of the Deaf (RNID) to come and

demonstrate the use of the hearing aid and why very

small batteries are so valuable. Electricity is important

in every aspect of our daily lives.


Learning objectives

Children...

know about appliances that use electricity.

know about simple circuits involving batteries.

give reasons why things work.

communicate ideas in writing.

Approach

Read through Worksheet 2 with the children. Some

children may need support when writing their

explanations.

Health & Safety:

Batteries that are incorrectly installed can

get hot and be unsafe. The chemicals

inside batteries are dangerous and

children should be reminded never to

mess with them, cut them open, throw

them into fires or heat them up by leaving

them in warm places. Button batteries can

be shown to children but should not be

used for classroom exploration.

NB. It is not necessary or desirable to use

batteries of greater total voltage than 6

volts with primary children.

8

Lesson

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Teacher notes

Electricity comes in two forms: current electricity that flows and static electricity which

doesn’t flow. Static electricity is an interesting phenomenon but a difficult concept for

4-7 year old children to grasp. ‘Flowing’ electricity is more understandable. Electrons

flow from the source through the wire (a conductor) to give an electric current. The flow of

electricity is measured in amperes (A).

Electric currents need a continuous loop of conductive material (usually metal) to flow

around. This is called a circuit. A simple circuit consists of a battery, a wire, bulb and another

wire linking back to the battery. When the circuit is complete the bulb will light up. If this

loop is broken, for instance, if the wire is not properly attached to the bulb or the bulb is

unscrewed, the electricity can no longer flow and the bulb will not light up. This acts as an

accidental ‘switch’.

Designed switches operate by having optional connections or contacts to open or close and

complete circuits. When the gap is closed the electricity flow is continuous and when open

the flow is cut and the bulb does not light. Toggle or pressure pad switches in a good

electricity kit enable children to see the mechanism at work. Simple classroom switches can

be made from card, kitchen foil and/or paper clips.

NB. A good commercial electricity kit is essential (see ASE website for recommended

suppliers: scienceonestop.com and ase.org.uk). 4-7 year old children need access to

equipment that is easy to handle and gives children success in achieving the learning

objectives. Wires terminating in banana clips are easier to handle than crocodile clips,

although these have their uses. Battery packs encourage children to install batteries

correctly and mounted devices and switches are easier to connect effectively into circuits.

Resources

A suitable electricity kit, card, kitchen foil (usually aluminium, not ‘tin’ foil), stapler or gluesticks.

Learning objectives


explore and investigate objects and events.

ask questions about why things happen and how things work.

make predictions about what might happen.

know about simple series circuits involving batteries, bulbs and other devices.

know how a switch can be used to break a circuit.


follow simple instructions to control the risks to themselves and others (PSHE).

describe events and experiences, using new vocabulary purposefully (Eng).

design and make a product for a purpose, using materials & components (D&T).

Topic

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Fig 1. International symbols

battery or cell 3 cells/batteries light (source) switch motor buzzer


Switch a light on, then off. Ask children to describe what is happening, where

they think the electricity is coming from, how they think the switch works.

Questions to ask:

How do you think we can make the light bulb work?

What do you think will happen if the wires are not connected properly?

What does the electricity need for it to flow through?

How do you think the switch works?

Development

Set out items from the electricity kit for each group: battery pack with

batteries installed, wires, mounted bulb, mounted switch. Encourage the

children to predict, then explore the items to make the light bulb work. (Young

children often leave out the batteries initially and simply connect the bulb to

the switch. Let them test this, then guide them to include the batteries.)

Unscrew the lid of the switch and show children the mechanism - opening

and closing/completing the circuit.

Depending on time and availability of equipment:

a) repeat with another group OR b) make a gap in the circuit. Give

children pieces of kitchen foil to complete the circuit. Make DIY switches

(Fig. 2) by stapling (or sticking) two pieces of kitchen foil (folded for

strength) at either end of a piece of card so that they can overlap or lift up.

Alternatively use a paper clip at one end so that it can swivel and connect

or move off the foil. Connect the DIY switch into the circuit, joining by

touching only or using crocodile clips attached to the banana clip ends.

Plenary

Children describe what they needed to do to make the light bulb work (a complete circuit) and how a switch works. Recap new

vocabulary such as circuit, switch, complete, gap, energy, connections, and reinforce the Health and Safety message regarding

exploring electricity with low voltage batteries and the dangers of mains electricity.

Health & Safety:

Disassemble the battery pack. Point out

the low voltage numbers on the sides of

the batteries - this is very small and safe.

The voltage of mains electricity is much

larger and therefore dangerous and not

to be touched.

Demonstrate how the batteries must

always be installed correctly.

10


Allow children more time to explore the kit to make additional

bulbs and other devices/components work. Note that several

devices in the same ‘series’ circuit will dim or stop devices

working. It is enough for young children to know that this is not

effective. You may wish to reconnect the devices in separate

‘parallel’ circuits to show that they work more effectively like that.

Use the kit to light up a shoe-box doll’s house or animal barn or

Santa’s grotto, etc. Show in an assembly.

Older children: Design and make a trap to entice a dinosaur or

capture a burglar, using the children’s DIY kitchen foil switches.

When a heavy object (large toy or modelling clay) steps on the

switch, the circuit is completed and a light or buzzer goes on.

Introduce and use Worksheets 3, 4, and 5.



make predictions about what might happen and offer

explanations (hypotheses).

know about simple series circuits involving batteries,

bulbs and other components.

know how a switch can be used to break a circuit.

assemble ideas in speech and in writing.

Teaching approach:

Read through Worksheet 3, explaining unfamiliar

vocabulary. Encourage children to say why things do

not work. Children draw and write about a circuit,

with writing support where needed.

Fig 2. DIY switches


(older children)


interpret signs and symbols.

design symbols to represent objects.

know that a complete circuit is needed to make an

electrical device work.

describe ideas to others, listening to their ideas.

Teaching approach:

Discuss the meanings of the signs and symbols. Explain

the ‘representation’ of real objects or commands. Invite

children to design signs for the electrical equipment.

Share their ideas, giving positive feedback.

Introduce the international symbols for the same items

(Fig. 1).

Invite discussion as to why there needs to be international

agreement on electrical signs and symbols.



explore and investigate objects and events.

ask questions about why things happen and how

things work.

make predictions about what might happen.

know about simple series circuits involving batteries

and bulbs.

know that materials have different characteristics.

Teaching approach:

Discuss the materials shown on the worksheet and the

new vocabulary ‘conduct’ and ‘insulate’. Provide

opportunities for children to test other simple and safe

materials in the classroom for conductivity. Display the

materials in Venn hoops with labels.

NB. Where the voltage is high most materials will

conduct electricity.

Lesson

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Choice cards

Dimmer switch (older and gifted children)

Lighthouse

Wobbly hand detector

Teacher notes

Electrical circuits can make all sorts of things happen. In this topic we aim to encourage

children to think about what they have learnt and how they can apply this knowledge to make

useful everyday circuits such as a choice card, a dimmer switch, a lighthouse, and a wobbly

hand detector. Invite the children to think of other things they can design and make using the

electricity kit.

Choice cards

Resources

Electricity kit

Pieces of card approx. 20x12 cm (for each child or

group)

Strips of folded kitchen foil

Hole punch

Sticky tape

Pencils and crayons/felt tip pens

Instructions

Choose a relevant theme for the choice cards (shapes

and words, pictures and new vocabulary/spellings,

questions and answers, numbers). Punch 5 holes

down each side of the card. Draw/write the pictures

and text but not adjacent to each other. Underneath

the card, stick the first folded piece of kitchen foil

such that the foil is exposed underneath the correct

hole punch positions. Use sticky tape to insulate the

foil completely. Repeat with each item, insulating

each strip of foil from the others. Test with a circuit

involving a bulb or buzzer, by touching (banana clips)

the foil through the punched holes.

Ask: Why do you think we have to insulate each

foil strip?

Display and encourage parents to test them too.

Wobbly hand detector

Resources

Electricity kit

Pieces of balsa or other soft wood (approx. 30 cm)

Length of stiff bare wire (50-75 cm)

Loop of wire (wider for younger children)

Instructions

Set up a circuit with a bulb or buzzer, leaving two

independent leads. Bend the bare wire into a

multi-curved test shape. Push one end firmly into

the soft wood.

Attach the small loop of wire to one of the circuit

leads with tape or a crocodile clip. Loop over the

curved shape before embedding the second end of

the test wire end firmly into the wood. Fasten the

other circuit lead to the other end of the curved

shape using a crocodile clip. Test hand control by

looping the loop over the curved shape.

Ask: Why do you think the light goes on when we

touch the bare wire?

Display and invite parents to play at collecting

time or on parents’ evenings.

Lighthouse

Resources

Electricity kit

Large plastic washing-up bottle or empty biscuit

packet

Skewer

Scissors

Modelling clay

Sticky tape

Bottom half of transparent plastic drinking bottle

(optional)

Instructions

Make the top of the container flat. Put modelling

clay in the bottom for extra stability. Make two

holes at the top and two holes at the bottom of

the container. Thread leads through from the

bottom (attached to the battery pack and switch)

to the top. Fasten the mounted bulb on the top

and insert the leads into the connections to

complete the circuit and light the bulb. If required,

stick the transparent cover over the light bulb.

Ask: What do you think happened to sailors before

there were lighthouses?

Older children could design a system of

recognition flashes for each lighthouse.

Dimmer switch (older and gifted children)

Resources

Electricity kit

Empty kitchen roll tube or length of poster tube

1 -2m bare flexible wire

Sticky tape

Scissors

Instructions

Make a complete circuit leaving two disconnected

leads. Cut small slits at each end of the cardboard

tube. Fix one end of the bare wire into a slit and

coil the wire tightly around the tube. Fix the end

into the other slit. Fasten the coil of wire down

with a length of sticky tape. Attach a crocodile clip

to one of the banana clips and fix it to one end of

the bare wire. Test in a circuit with bulb or buzzer

by making the other connection at different points

along the coil.

Ask: Why do you think a long wire makes the light

go dim? (Greater resistance).

Discuss situations in our lives where dimmer

switches can be useful.

12

Topic

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Teacher notes

Every day the Earth’s population uses a large amount of electricity doing things we take for

granted such as turning on lights and boiling the kettle.

About two thirds of the electricity in Britain is generated by power stations burning fossil

fuels (non-renewable energy sources) such as coal, oil and gas to release stored chemical energy

which formed as a result of photosynthesis millions of years ago. Photosynthesis stores carbon in

plant cells which is then consumed and stored by animals in their cells. Fossil fuels are a limited

resource and could potentially run out. When burnt, they release emissions such as carbon

dioxide into the atmosphere which can contribute to climate change. The emissions from cars,

aeroplanes and some heavy industries are also contributing to the effects of climate change.

The demand for electricity in large quantities is unlikely to fall, so we must move towards more

sustainable ways of energy generation that will not pollute our environment. The UK Government

is working towards a target of providing 10% of UK electricity supplies from renewable sources by

2010 and 15% by 2015 with an aspiration of 20% by 2020.

Scientists and power companies such as npower are investigating renewable sources such as

solar, hydro, wind and biomass because these will not run out and they are also less damaging

to the Earth’s atmosphere.

By being more energy efficient we can reduce our daily usage of electricity and energy and

this in turn will help reduce the impact it has on our environment and save money on bills.

There are many ways to improve our energy efficiency and some simple steps could make a

huge difference. Homes and schools can be made more energy efficient by insulating walls,

roofs and floors, using double glazing, ensuring that the building is draught proof, installing low

energy lighting and energy efficient boilers and by installing zone heating.

(For additional information on renewable energy and energy efficiency measures, contact the

npower Energy Efficiency Helpline on: 0800 02 22 20 and we will be happy to help. For more

information on the Energy Certification for Schools please refer to: Page 2.)

Resources

Poster 2 - Electrical Safety and Energy Efficiency, paper, pencils and crayons, worksheets, an

energy-saving light bulb and an ordinary light bulb, percussion instruments.

Learning objectives


predict what might happen in certain situations.


know that switches are used to break electrical circuits.


know some of the ways in which we can help to improve the environment (PSHE).

listen to and respond to a story (English).

participate in drama activity, using actions to convey a situation and its consequences

(English).

use instruments to create and illustrate ideas (Music) or design and make a product to

convey information (D&T).

Topic

5 E

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Effic

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13


Introduce the concept of saving energy with a children’s story plus

chorus as shown.

With younger children, retell the story so that they can join in the

chorus again.

With older children, the story can be extended to include: washing small

wash loads in the washing machine, tumble drying on a dry day, leaving

the central heating on, etc.

Questions to ask:

What do you think the Silly family will need to remember?

Why do you think we need to save electricity?

Where do you think electricity comes from? And before that? (Young

children are likely to state ‘from the plug’, etc. Accept a range of

responses).

Do you know where we might get our electricity from when coal, oil and

gas run out? Explain that the sun (solar power), the wind and water

(hydro and wave power) will never run out.

Development

Children in groups design and make posters showing inefficient

behaviour from the story with big red crosses and the message:

SAVE IT! DON’T WASTE IT!

Plenary

Show the poster again and discuss all the different ways where the Silly family are wasting energy in their house and Electra

is being ‘efficient’ - defining the word as saving, not wasting.


Dramatise the story with percussion

instruments. Children are appliances

which play when switched on.

In the Silly’s house, the appliances are

left on to make a general noise,

gradually getting quieter and quieter

until they stop and can’t play anymore.

In Electra’s house, the appliances are

switched on and switched off again.

Children could play Electra and Bright

Spark’s energy game to reinforce the

energy efficiency message. Refer to

page 6 for further details.



collect and interpret data using simple graphs to sort and classify

information (Maths).

know some of the ways in which we can help to improve the environment

(PSHE).

Teaching approach:

Show and compare the energy-saving light bulb with the ordinary light bulb.

Explain that energy-saving bulbs use less electricity and last much longer

than ordinary ones.

Read through the text of the simple survey and explain any unfamiliar

vocabulary, pointing out the parents’ information tear-off strip. Use the data

from the returned worksheet surveys to create and interpret the data in a

pictogram or bar chart, showing the ways families are making positive

decisions to save energy.

For further reinforcement, teachers can carry out another simple survey on

ways families can save on energy and materials and improve the environment.

Sample story:

Once upon a time, there were two families

living side by side.... Electra’s and the Silly’s.

One day, Dilly and Philly Silly woke up and

went to the kitchen for breakfast. They put

the light on but they left the light on when

they went out!

CHORUS: And it wasted lots of electricity!

After breakfast they watched TV for a bit. But

they left the TV on when they left the room!


They left the window open with the heating on!


Then they worked on the computer for a bit

before going to school. But they left the

computer on standby when they went to school!


When the Silly’s came home from school, can

you guess what had happened? They’d wasted

too much electricity! So they went next door

to Electra’s house to ask for her help. Electra

let them watch her TV and work on her

computer. And Electra said, “You have to

SAVE it - don’t WASTE it!” So they did.

14

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