Are Gold Mines a Golden Opportunity for Renewables?

This lesson is designed to build students’ competencies in the following skills:

• critical thinking
• collaboration
• communication
• community engagement
• ethical understanding

Australian Curriculum (v9.0) content description: Year 8, Science

Students learn to: 

• explain how new evidence or different perspectives can lead to changes in scientific knowledge (AC9S8H01)
• examine how proposed scientific responses to contemporary issues may impact society and explore ethical, environmental, social and economic considerations (AC9S8H03).

Relevant parts of Year 8 achievement standards: Students analyse how different factors influence the development of and lead to changes in scientific knowledge. They analyse the key considerations that inform scientific responses and how these responses impact society. 

NSW Syllabus outcomes: 

• explains how observations are used by scientists to increase knowledge and understanding of the Universe (SC4-OTU-01)

General capabilities: Critical and Creative Thinking, Literacy, Ethical Understanding, Personal and Social Capability 

Cross-curriculum priority: Sustainability 

Level of teacher scaffolding: Medium: facilitate class discussion, group work and individual research.

UN SDG 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all

• Target 7.1: By 2030, ensure universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services.
• Target 7.2: By 2030, increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.
• Target 7.3: By 2030, double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency.

• Device capable of displaying audiovisual material
• Student devices for individual research
• Student Worksheet

This lesson has been developed in partnership with the Queensland Government through Queensland's Clean Energy Workforce Roadmap. Cool.org would like to acknowledge and express our gratitude to the Clean Energy Council for the expertise and advice provided in creating these resources.

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