The Driving Question:
"How can biomass to biofuels become a viable primary energy source in your lifetime?"
Criteria for Demonstration
Focus on Teacher
Context and learners:
- Grade levels include 9-12 grades
- Courses: Integrated Chemistry/ PBL Chemistry
- Number of Students: teacher to student ratio is approximately 1:25
- Gender mix: roughly 50/50
How the driving question is ill-structured, authentic, meaningful, interdisciplinary, and appropriate:
-Because the driving question does not have an easy or pat answer, it allows for multiple lines of inquiry. One group may look at economic viability, while another might focus on carbon security. It is open-ended and gives students many different approaches to attack the question. The question is authentic because most students understand that energy use is an important question for us going forward. We believe students will find the question meaningful because with gasoline prices so high, students seem interested in any question concerning alternative fuel sources. The question is interdisciplinary because in order to understand what a viable primary energy source is, students will have to investigate issues of economics, chemistry, physics, geology, and environmental sciences, among others. The question is appropriate because it addresses issues that will directly affect these students, as well as connecting directly to C3Bio through the proposed increase in biofuel use.
How the driving question relates to the curriculum and specific examples of how to will keep the students focused on the question:
- It relates to the following standards: Sci C.P.8 - Society, Sci C.P.5.4-7, Sci C.P.3 Properties of matter Sci C.P.4.1. Keep students focus on the question by using high interest activities like explosion experiments and the synthesis of biodiesel. Constantly ask them questions! (How do you feel about this? What kind fuel will be needed? How will the price of fuel affect you?) Answer their questions with questions to keep them thinking!
- To keep them focused on the driving questions there are many different approaches that we might use. We would write it largely and neatly on the front chalkboard/ whiteboard. Laminate the question and tape to each group's table, give them wet erase markers so they can write notes on it as they go through the unit. Also post it on the online tool, such as Schoology course or My Big Campus, so when they sign in each day they see it. There could also be a reflection activity where they answer or address the driving question everyday at the end of class to see how the day's activities have gotten them closer to answering the driving question.
Focus on Students
How the driving question is open-ended, allowing for different investigative questions:
- The word "viable" is key - it gives different ways of looking at the question. They can look at it from a point of food scarcity. They can approach the transportation aspect. For example how will cars need to be made differently and how can we convert the cars already in use? They can look at how would we run power to residents and commercial buildings using biofuels instead of coal and our current power grid?
Focus on Content
How the unit is focused on biofuels:
- They would have to investigate what biofuels are, how they are made and how they are used now as well as how they could change. They MUST consider our changing energy needs and how the biofuels could change/ improve.
How the unit is grounded in real life and work beyond school:
- This unit is grounded in real life as teenagers commonly wonder 'how am I going to charge my smart phone' or 'how can I pay for gas for my car?' These concerns will carry with the students beyond school because energy cost is a common living expense. This project will develop their knowledge of personal solutions for energy conservation and alternate fuels. Common skills that students will synthesize through this project are chemical analysis, economic feasibility study, application of biology, and persuasive communication.
Picture from: http://www.civitas.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/corn.jpg