Embodied energy in building materials

Embodied energy in building materials

Lesson 3 of 3 in this unit

  • Secondary
  • Year 7 - 8
  • Mathematics
  • Science
  • Technology
  • Design and Technologies
  • Environmental
  • Energy
  • ...

Lesson summary

In this activity students will investigate the concept of embodied energy and why it should be considered when designing and building a house. Students will create a poster, infographic, PowerPoint or Prezi on this topic and present this to the class.

Learning intentions:

Students will...

  • understand that different materials utilise different levels of energy in their production and transportation to building sites
  • consider the use of high embodied energy materials and make informed decisions about there.

Lesson guides and printables

Lesson Plan
Student Worksheet

Lesson details

Curriculum mapping

Australian curriculum content descriptions: 

Year 7 & 8 Design Technologies:

  • Examine and prioritise competing factors including social, ethical and sustainability considerations in the development of technologies and designed solutions to meet community needs for preferred futures (ACTDEK029)
  • Analyse how food and fibre are produced when designing managed environments and how these can become more sustainable (ACTDEK032)

Year 7 Science:

  • Summarise data, from students’ own investigations and secondary sources, and use scientific understanding to identify relationships and draw conclusions (ACSIS130)
  • Reflect on the method used to investigate a question or solve a problem, including evaluating the quality of the data collected, and identify improvements to the method (ACSIS131)

Year 8 Science:

  • Summarise data, from students’ own investigations and secondary sources, and use scientific understanding to identify relationships and draw conclusions (ACSIS145)
  • Reflect on the method used to investigate a question or solve a problem, including evaluating the quality of the data collected, and identify improvements to the method (ACSIS146)

Year 8 Mathematics:

  • Choose appropriate units of measurement for area and volume and convert from one unit to another (ACMMG195)

Syllabus Outcomes: SC4-7WS, SC4-6WS, T4.1.2, T4.1.3, T4.4.1, T4.6.2, SC4-13ES. 

Time required: 60 mins

Level of teacher scaffolding: Low – oversee activity.

Resources required

  • Internet access
  • Student worksheets

Additional info

This is an original Cool.org lesson. Facts and figures in these lessons may have changed since this lesson was published. We always endeavour to update our resources in a timely manner, but if you see an error or issue in our resources please get in touch with us.

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