PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Students from both 10th grade chemistry teams debated each other regarding the usage of Nuclear, Renewable and Fossil fuel energy sources. Students were asked to prepare PRO and CON Claim-Evidence-Reasoning arguments for each of these possible energy sources. They had to be prepared to defend each topic based on Infrastructure, Environmental Effects, Health & Safety, Cost and Availability. They then participated in three rounds of debate with their peers for each of these energy sources. Students also prepared "Briefing Documents" for the judges explaining the science behind each energy type. Below, you will find examples of both student prepared Claim-Evidence-Reasoning documents and Briefing Documents.
C-E-R Example #1
C-E-R Example #2
PROJECT CONTENT:
*Definition of Energy
*Electromagnetic Spectrum
*Combustion Reactions
*Carbon Cycle
*Solar Panel Design
*Wind Turbine Design
*Nuclear Fusion & Fission
*Nuclear Decay Calculations
*Economics & Politics of Energy Sources
STUDENT REFLECTIONS:
Dahlia S. Project Write-Up
Reflection: "I really enjoyed this project! It was similar to Model UN, which I also loved, so I think that I have a general appreciation of debates. It really pushed me to see things from different perspectives, in order to strengthen arguments, even for things I didn't agree with. The biggest thing that it taught me, other than content, is that it is so important to understand all sides of something before you create an argument."
Ashley P. Project Write-Up
Reflection: "I can use this knowledge about the energy we use every day my whole life and know how and where to update myself on new discoveries or propositions that have to do with energy. If I ever need to vote or ever want to get into a debate in the future about this topic or any topic, I already have experience!"
Alani S. Project Write-Up
Reflection: "An academic skill I developed through this project was group work, communicating skills, and researching skills. I learned more about group work throughout this project because we all needed to distribute the same amount of work to everyone, but at some points it was very difficult because on person didn't really do anything. The way I overcame this obstacle was by communicating with my partner and giving him ideas on what he should work on and making sure he was contributing to the group. My partner was able to find very useful facts for the CER document."