Lesson summary
Students design a net zero home or make a plan to retrofit their current house to be more sustainable using the scientific knowledge they have learned within this energy unit. Students utilise principles of energy conservation, energy efficiency, renewable energy and sustainable building principles in order to create a vision for what a net zero home could look like. This task can be used as an assessment opportunity.
Learning intentions:
Students will...
- recognise the need for societies transition to a net zero economy and consider how energy conservation and efficiency principles can be incorporated into the design or retrofit of a home to make it net zero and improve sustainability
- investigate how sustainable housing elements such as renewable energy, energy storage, building materials, efficient appliances and orientation can contribute to how much energy a house needs to consume.
Success criteria:
Students can...
- outline why it is essential for society to transition to a net zero economy
- apply their knowledge of energy efficiency and conservation to the design of a sustainable home
- evaluate sustainable housing features and recommend choices based on their scientific knowledge
- design a net zero sustainable house.
Lesson guides and printables
Lesson details
Skills
This lesson is designed to build students’ competencies in the following skills:
- critical thinking
- collaboration
- communication
- global citizenship
- problem-solving
Curriculum Mapping
Australian Curriculum (v9.0) content description: Year 9 Physics
- Apply the law of conservation of energy to analyse system efficiency in terms of energy inputs, outputs, transfers and transformations AC9S9U05
- investigate how advances in technologies enable advances in science, and how science has contributed to developments in technologies and engineering AC9S9H02
General capabilities: Critical and Creative Thinking, Personal and Social Capability
Syllabus outcomes: Stage 5: PW3
Cross-curriculum priority: Sustainability
Relevant parts of Year 9 Physics achievement standards
Students can analyse energy conservation in simple systems and apply wave and particle models to describe energy transfer and analyse the different ways in which science and society are interconnected.
UN Sustainable Development Goals
UN SDG 7: Affordable and clean energy
- 7.2 By 2030, increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.
- 7.3 By 2030, double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency.
- 7.A By 2030, enhance international cooperation to facilitate access to clean energy research and technology, including renewable energy, energy efficiency and advanced and cleaner fossil-fuel technology, and promote investment in energy infrastructure and clean energy technology.
Resources Required
- A3 paper and drawing materials
- Assessment Rubric
- Device capable of displaying audiovisual material
- Student devices for research
Additional Info
This unit of lessons, along with the other units in the Skills and Jobs For a Transitioned Economy package, aims to teach students how to be climate solution entrepreneurs. These lessons will equip students with the relevant skills and knowledge of jobs and career pathways that will be able to sustain our economy once it has transitioned away from fossil fuels. Cool.org thanks our philanthropic partners, the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation and Boundless Earth, for their generous contributions in helping us to create these resources.
Level of teacher scaffolding: Medium: Some explicit teaching required, facilitation of research and discussion
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