Energy and climate in the subjects politics and physics in grade 10

Target group

Students of 16 years.

Learning aims

During this project at the Geschwister-Scholl grammar school in Düsseldorf the pupils were supposed to get to know and understand the connections between the energy industry and climate change. They should link natural science and social aspects together in the sense of networked thinking. They should develop the competence to research in the media, using sources that are not especially prepared for pupils and evaluate the information they find critically. Finally they should present their results and in this way extend their oral, written, artistic or graphic presentation skills.

Short description

In the school year 2002/2003 the project ran as follows: The themes were dealt with in the subjects of physics and politics as usual:

• Physics: theorem of preservation of energy, energy sources, energy conversion, nuclear fission, atomic energy
• Politics: Green house effect – causes, global consequences, prognoses, counter measures, decisions of Rio, Kyoto

In May/June each class could take part in 1 or 2 excursions e.g.:

• To a soft coal open cast mine and/or a hard coal mine
• To the Shell solar factory in Gelsenkirchen
• To the disused nuclear power station in Mülheim-Kärlich,
• To the Franz-Jürgens vocational college, where measurements of the most diverse solar applications could be carried out in a specialist solar room.
• To the project trade fair ‘win with energy’ of the Düsseldorf energy saving schools
• To Gottschall in Lierenfeld, which offers innovative heating technology.

Further teaching units were also offered where the pupils could analyse for example the energy yield of the solar device or the indoor climate during the course of a day, in their own school.

Reflection

The project about energy and climate was completed successfully and is now carried out regularly by the school with grade 10 pupils.

More information

(Sorry: only in German language):

• Environmental Management of the Geschwister Scholl Grammar School in Düsseldorf