Earth Science Week Classroom Activities

More Power to You!

Activity Source: U.S. Geological Survey

 

Grade Levels: 7-10

Background

Energy and access to it is the bedrock of the modern world, powering everything from industries and cities to your school and home. Have you ever wondered where the energy that powers your school comes from? Or where Earth’s natural energy materials, such as coal and uranium, originate? In this activity, you will explore an interactive map to identify U.S. energy resources, energy infrastructure, and the connections between them.

Materials

  • Computer with internet access

Procedure

  1. Power plants can convert Earth’s natural energy materials, such as coal and uranium, to electricity and energy for our modern world. Access an interactive map of Global Power Plants from National Geographic and Esri.
    • Follow the steps on this webpage to navigate and use the Global Power Plants map.
    • As needed, watch the video tutorial of how to use the map near the top of the webpage.
  2. Coal is a readily combustible, carbon-based sedimentary rock that can be used to generate electricity and release heat.
    • Use the Global Power Plants map to locate coal-burning power plants.
    • Turn on the “Global Power Plants” layer, then make sure that only the “NonRenewables” sublayer is on.
    • Note that the size of the black squares represents how much electricity is generated by one coal-burning power plant relative to others. Click on a larger square and a smaller square to see the estimates of each power plant’s electricity output.
    • Make observations of where coal-burning power plants are located, then use the following resources to see if there are correlations between the location of coal deposits and coal-burning power plants:
  3. Uranium is a radioactive element found in igneous and sedimentary rocks and is a common fuel source for nuclear power plants.Turn on layers: “Uranium Production” and “Uranium Resources”.
    • Use the Global Power Plants map to locate nuclear power plants.
    • On the “Global Power Plants” layer, have only the “Clean Energy” sublayer on.
    • Note that the size of the grey circles represents how much electricity is generated by one nuclear power plant relative to others. Click on a larger circle and a smaller circle to see the estimates of each power plant’s electricity output.
    • Make observations of where nuclear power plants are located, then use the following resources to learn about uranium, and to see if there are correlations between the location of uranium deposits and nuclear power plants:

Analysis

  1. Just because a power plant is nearby doesn’t mean it necessarily provides energy to your school. Do you know what type of energy powers your school? If not, reach out to your building facilities team to learn more.
  2. Zoom out to explore the types of energy used by the U.S. by looking at the “All Power Plants” layer. You may want to look at each sublayer one at a time.
    • Where do you find different types of energy in our country?
    • What factors do you think influence the distribution of each energy source?
    • What infrastructure exists to transport energy?

Further Steps

Explore other energy resources such as natural gas or solar energy. Consider how energy needs for the U.S. might change over the next 10 years. If you were to decide, which types of energy would you want to see used and why?

Explore an alternative map that shows U.S. Power Plants. How does this map compare to the one you used above? What is the same, and what differs? What questions could you answer using one of the maps that the other would not address? Which map is easier to use and why?

NGSS Connections

  • SEP: Analyzing and Interpreting Data
  • DCI: ESS3.A: Natural Resources
  • CCC: Patterns

SDG Connections