Making Electrical Power from Coal

This lesson, from the Northern Wyoming Community College District, focuses on the transformation of energy from one form to another through electrical current detection and generation. Students create a model electricity generator and compare it to a real-world "state of the art" coal power plant located in Wyoming and discuss the pros and cons and their own opinions about the process of generating electricity from coal. They will then have the chance to investigate 'areas of concern' they discover and reassess their initial opinions after analyzing hard data. 

The lesson, intended for students in the 9th grade, takes about 10 class periods to complete, and requires students have prior knowledge of citation procedures, basic magnetism and electricity, essay writing, and Google Docs. Upon completion of the lesson, students will have developed an understanding of concepts of energy conservation and transformation, the use of models to predict outcomes and potential challenges, using data to develop an opinion on an issue, and differentiation of opinion from fact. 

Lesson Contents: 

For orientation purposes, viewers should begin with the attached 1 LP_Electrical Power from Coal.pdf, which offers a description of the lesson, as well as an overview of topics covered, and learning outcomes. 

Below is a list of the files contained within the .zip attachment. The size of each file is included in parenthesis.

Making_Electrical_Power_From_Coal.zip

• Lesson Summary (1 LP_Electrical Power from Coal.pdf 48KB)
• Student Guide (2 Making a Model Electric Current Generator.pdf 87KB)
• Lab Guide (3 Lab - Making a Current Detector.pdf 85KB)
• Presentation Slides (A state-of-the-art facility.pptx 7.8MB)