Teaching Sequence

10 minutes	Hold a class discussion about the students’ impressions of Tasmania, showing images of Tasmania’s landscape and seascape
5 minutes	Distribute the Student Worksheet and explain the Environmental Impact Study project investigation worksheet
40 minutes	Allocate time for students to begin working on the activities
5 minutes	Ask students to submit the Student Worksheet for marking, including the Environmental Impact Study project investigation worksheet

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

Step 1.

Discuss the natural features of Tasmania. Ask for a show of hands to determine who has visited Tasmania. If there are any students who have visited the state, discuss with these students what they experienced on their visit. Use the personal anecdotes of any students who may have visited the state as a springboard for discussion.

Using the images you have collected from books, magazines or online (use Google Images), show students some scenes of Tasmania’s natural landscape and seascape. Considering the natural beauty of Tasmania’s landscape, ask students to think about the potential impacts of clean and dirty energy sources on the island state.

Step 2.

Direct students to the last activity presented on the Student Worksheet. Explain the task and answer any questions. Emphasise to students that the task calls only for a plan, not an implementation of an Environmental Impact Study. Encourage students to use the EIS project investigation worksheet to help them.

Step 3.

Assign students time to answer the questions about energy sources in the spaces provided.

Step 4.

Ask students to submit their Student Worksheet for you to check. Provide feedback on their answers.

Extension activity

For homework after this lesson, students will use school library resources about energy production to make a list of key points of difference that emerge between hydroelectricity and coal-fired electricity operations. For extending students requiring a challenge, ask them to write a mini-essay based on the points they collated in their library research homework.

Homework

Have students use school library resources about energy production to make a list of key points of difference that emerge between the environmental impacts exerted by hydroelectricity operations compared with coal-fired power station operations.

Answers

1. Coal-fired power stations, gas-fired power stations, nuclear power stations or diesel generator power stations.

2. Solar power, hydroelectricity and wind power.

3. Use of resources advantage: fossil fuels burn readily, enabling energy to be produced. Disadvantage: burning fossil fuels releases harmful gases and creates waste material that pollutes the environment (land, air and water).

Time efficiency: Advantage: fossil fuels produce heat and other forms of energy quickly. Disadvantage: fossil fuels take time to retrieve from the Earth, transport and process into usable forms.

Environmental impacts: Advantage: Availability of fossil fuels in some areas makes them an obvious choice to use. Disadvantage: Burning fossil fuels pollutes the environment (land, air and water), affecting vegetation, soils, waterways, underground water reservoirs and agriculture.

Habitat impacts: Advantage: Reduce the numbers of pests (offset by the disadvantage of upsetting the balance of the ecosystem). Disadvantage: Fossil fuel burning pollutes and destroys fragile habitats. Rarely do living things from the plant or animal kingdoms gain any benefit from the burning of fossil fuels in their area.

Technology requirements: Advantage: We have well-developed and well-established technologies and infrastructure set up to maximise the harnessing of energy from burning fossil fuels. Disadvantage: Fossil fuel burning operations need to invest in technology to reduce their environmental impacts. It seems more sensible to invest in infrastructure and technology that supports ‘green’ alternatives.

4. A renewable resource is a substance that can be used more than once, or that can be readily replaced.

5. Examples include timber (provided replanting occurs), water, sunlight, wind and wave energies.

Hydro Tasmania - Planning an Environmental Impact Study

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