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Title
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Protecting the Biosphere: Activity to Action!
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Type
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Primary: Laboratory
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Operation
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Resilient Planet
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Mission:
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Mission 5: The Rescue
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Print Page
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105
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Subjects
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Science | Personal and social issues | Humans and the environment | Conservation | Science as inquiry | Science process skills | Collecting data | Measuring | Observing
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Grades
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5 | 6 | 7 | 8
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Keywords
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protect, biosphere, Boston, ship, Stellwagen Bank, Leila Hatch, shipping lane, whale, habitat, energy, recycling, riding, walking, plant, wildlife, efficient, heat, transfer, environment, reduce, greenhouse, gas, emission, fan, can, thermometer, loss, temperature, curtain, CFL, compact fluorescent light bulb
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Duration
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00:45:00 (HH:MM:SS)
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Audience
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Teachers | Elementary Grades | Junior High
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Created On
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4/21/2008
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From: Resilient Planet Mission 5: The Rescue (pp: 105) |
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Protecting the Biosphere: Activity to Action! In this activity, students will observe how drafts affect heat transfer. Using what they learn, they will write and communicate a plan of action that can reduce energy usage in their home. |
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The port of Boston is the oldest continually active major shipping port in the Western Hemisphere. Over 3,500 ship transits occur within Stellwagen Bank every year. Leila Hatch realized that moving the shipping lanes would have a positive impact on supporting the whale habitat. We can do our part to improving habitats by reducing energy usage in our own homes. You can accomplish this in a variety of ways by recycling, riding a bicycle or walking rather than driving, planting a tree, or supporting local habitats by helping to keep them clean and safe for wildlife. You can also help the biosphere by becoming energy efficient at home.
In this activity, you will have the opportunity to observe how drafts affect heat transfer. Then you will explore your home environment. Based upon your findings, you will write and communicate a plan of action that can reduce energy usage in your home. These reductions have a cumulative effect, from reducing greenhouse gas emissions to reducing the need for transporting energy resources around the world.
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| Materials |
| - 100-mL graduated cylinder
- 2 metal cans
- stop watch
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 | Caution!
Exercise caution when using electrical devices in lab experiments. Read the owners manual or ask an adult to show you how to operate the fan. Plug it into a GFCI outlet. Do not operate near water and only use the fan under strict supervision. |
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| Lab Prep |
- Position two metal cans at one end of a lab table. Separate the cans by about 30 cm.
- Position a table fan at the opposite end of the table. Aim the fan so that its air stream is directed at only one of the cans. Then turn the fan off.
- Add 200-mL of hot tap water to both cans.
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| Make Observations |
- Place a thermometer in each can. When the temperature stops changing, record this value as the starting temperature.
- One team member turns on the fan and begins timing.
- At one-minute intervals, measure and record the temperature in each can.
- After 10 minutes, stop the data collection.
- Produce a graph that compares heat loss in the two containers. In which container did the water exhibit a greater drop in temperature? Why? Determine the cooling rate for each container in degrees per minute.
- Using cool tap water, wet the back of one hand and blow it. How does it feel? What causes this sensation? How can you use this technique as a tool?
- Work with an adult in your home. Dampen the back of your hand. Run it alongside the windowsills and the frames of doors on exterior walls. Do the same for the light switches on the exterior walls. Do you detect any drafts? Do you think that a switch or door located on an interior wall would show a similar behavior? Why, or why not?
- Research ways of saving energy such using curtains or compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). Compose a plan of action to make your home more energy efficient. Discuss your plan and the feasibility of implementing this action with people in your home.
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Journal Question
Many of the activities in Operation: Resilient Planet have required you to consult with your instructor, family member, or classmate. What is the value of working in teams and communicating your ideas, plans and data? | |
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