The Forces Behind Efficiency in Renewable Energy

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

• creative thinking
• critical thinking
• collaboration
• communication
• global citizenship
• problem-solving
• reflection

Australian Curriculum (v9.0) content description: Year 7, Physical Sciences

Students learn to:

• investigate and represent balanced and unbalanced forces, including gravitational force, acting on objects, and relate changes in an object’s motion to its mass and the magnitude and direction of forces acting on it (AC9S7U04)
• explain how new evidence or different perspectives can lead to changes in scientific knowledge (AC9S7H01)
• examine how proposed scientific responses to contemporary issues may impact on society and explore ethical, environmental, social and economic considerations (​​AC9S7H03).

Relevant parts of Year 7 achievement standards: 

Students can represent and explain the effects of forces acting on objects. They can identify the factors that can influence development of, and lead to changes in, scientific knowledge. They can explain how scientific responses are developed and can impact society.

Australian Curriculum (v9.0) content descriptions: Related content

Year 7 Design and Technologies

Students learn to:

• analyse how force, motion and energy are used to manipulate and control engineered systems (AC9TDE8K03).

NSW Syllabus outcomes: Stage 4 Science

• describes the effects of forces in everyday contexts (SC4-FOR-01)
• recognises forces in everyday contexts (SCLS-FOR-01)

General capabilities: Critical and Creative Thinking, Digital Literacy

Cross-curriculum priority: Sustainability

Level of teacher scaffolding: Medium: facilitation of class discussion, student research and group work.

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.

• Device capable of displaying audiovisual material
• Digital or printed copies of Future Energy Jobs Guide 
• Paper turbine templates
• Student devices for individual research
• 1 x wooden chopstick per pair
• 1 x pin (sewing or drawing) per pair

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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