Exploring Our World: Junior Cycle Geography · 1st Year

Active learning ideas

Energy Resources

Active learning works well for energy resources because students often hold strong prior ideas about energy sources, and hands-on activities help them confront and revise these ideas with evidence. Sorting and modeling tasks make abstract concepts like replenishment rates and environmental impacts concrete and memorable.

• NCCA Curriculum Specifications
• NCCA: Junior Cycle - Exploring People, Place and Change
• NCCA: Junior Cycle - Resource Use

• 30–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Problem-Based Learning
• 30 min · Small Groups

Sorting Cards: Classify Energy Sources

Prepare cards with images and descriptions of 20 energy sources. In small groups, students sort them into renewable and non-renewable piles, then justify choices with evidence from provided fact sheets. Groups share one example with the class for peer feedback.

Differentiate between renewable and non-renewable energy sources.

Facilitation Tip

During Sorting Cards, circulate to listen for misconceptions like 'all energy is renewable if we recycle it' and redirect by asking students to compare replenishment times for fossil fuels and renewables.

What to look for

Present students with a list of energy sources (e.g., coal, solar, natural gas, wind, oil, hydroelectric). Ask them to sort these into two columns: 'Renewable' and 'Non-Renewable'. Follow up by asking for one reason for their classification for each item.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 02

• Problem-Based Learning
• 45 min · Pairs

Debate Pairs: Fossil Fuels vs Renewables

Assign pairs to argue for or against expanding fossil fuel use in Ireland. Provide pros and cons lists beforehand. Pairs prepare 2-minute opening statements, rebuttals, and conclusions, followed by whole-class vote and reflection.

Analyze the environmental consequences of relying on fossil fuels.

Facilitation Tip

For Debate Pairs, provide sentence starters like 'Evidence shows...' to encourage students to base arguments on data rather than opinions.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'If Ireland aims to significantly increase its use of renewable energy, what are two challenges it might face and two benefits it could gain?' Facilitate a class discussion, encouraging students to reference specific energy sources and their properties.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• Problem-Based Learning
• 50 min · Small Groups

Model Build: Mini Wind Turbine

Using straws, pins, and a small motor, students in small groups construct simple wind turbines. Test with a fan, measure blade efficiency, and discuss scalability for Ireland's windy coasts. Record findings in a shared class chart.

Evaluate the potential of renewable energy sources to meet future global energy demands.

Facilitation Tip

When students build mini wind turbines, ask guiding questions like 'What factors affect the turbine's rotation speed?' to focus their inquiry.

What to look for

On a small slip of paper, have students write the name of one fossil fuel and one renewable energy source. Then, ask them to write one sentence describing a negative environmental consequence of the fossil fuel and one sentence describing a positive environmental aspect of the renewable source.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 04

• Problem-Based Learning
• 35 min · Whole Class

Whole Class: Energy Audit Walkthrough

Lead a school audit where the class identifies energy sources in use, like lights and heating. Tally fossil vs renewable contributions on a board. Discuss switches to renewables and estimate cost savings.

Differentiate between renewable and non-renewable energy sources.

Facilitation Tip

During the Energy Audit Walkthrough, model how to read utility bills and calculate household energy use to make the audit meaningful.

What to look for

Present students with a list of energy sources (e.g., coal, solar, natural gas, wind, oil, hydroelectric). Ask them to sort these into two columns: 'Renewable' and 'Non-Renewable'. Follow up by asking for one reason for their classification for each item.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers often begin with a quick sort to surface misconceptions, then use debates to push students to support claims with evidence. Modeling tasks like the wind turbine make abstract concepts tangible. Avoid oversimplifying renewables as always better; use data to show trade-offs like intermittency or habitat impacts. Research suggests pairing visual models with discussions to deepen understanding of environmental consequences.

Successful learning looks like students accurately classifying energy sources, explaining why renewables replenish but fossil fuels do not, and weighing trade-offs between energy types using evidence from activities. Discussions should include specific examples and environmental consequences.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Sorting Cards, watch for students who group all energy sources as renewable because they can be recycled.

  Redirect students by asking them to time how long it took for fossil fuels to form versus how long solar or wind energy is replenished, using the cards' background information.

• During Debate Pairs, watch for students who claim fossil fuels have no environmental impact because they are natural materials.

  Prompt students to use the emissions data from the Sorting Cards to calculate the carbon footprint of burning fossil fuels compared to renewables.

• During Model Build: Mini Wind Turbine, watch for students who assume renewable energy is always cheaper and more reliable.

  Have students compare the cost per kilowatt-hour on the energy audit data with the upfront costs of installing solar panels or wind turbines in their region.

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Methods used in this brief

• Problem-Based Learning