Year 6 - Science
Sustainable sources of electricity (non-stat Climate Change & Sustainability)
Changing circuits
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
This unit explores how circuit components like lamps and buzzers function, including the effect of cell number and voltage. It covers using symbols in circuit diagrams, planning scientific enquiries, taking precise measurements, recording data, and presenting findings with evidence and conclusions.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to identify sustainable sources of electricity and describe their benefits to the environment.
Key Notes
- Generating electricity by burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, or gas) produces greenhouse gases that trap the Sun's heat.
- There are alternative ways of generating electricity that can be less harmful to the environment.
- Electricity can be produced from sustainable sources that won't run out, such as sunlight and wind.
- Hydroelectricity is a sustainable source that is generated by the power of moving water.
- Other sustainable sources of electricity are biomass and geothermal.
Vocabulary To Learn
- generate: To generate electricity is to produce it.
- fossil fuels: Fossil fuels are fuels made over millions of years from fossilised plants and animals buried deep beneath Earth's surface.
- greenhouse gas: Gases which contribute towards global warming are called greenhouse gases.
- global warming: Global warming is the long-term rise in average temperatures on Earth.
- sustainable sources: Sustainable sources of electricity are those which do not need to be replaced because they will never run out.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- The only problem with using fossil fuels to generate electricity is that burning them produces greenhouse gases.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the scientific idea in this lesson using two key points.
Generating electricity by burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, or gas) produces greenhouse gases that trap the Sun's heat. There are alternative ways of generating electricity that can be less harmful to the environment.
2. Define this scientific word and use it in context. 'generate'
To generate electricity is to produce it. Include the word in a full scientific explanation, not as a single label.
3. Correct this common scientific misunderstanding.
Mistake: The only problem with using fossil fuels to generate electricity is that burning them produces greenhouse gases. Correction: The lesson will explore additional concerns including the finite supply of fossil fuels and the fact that burning them causes air pollution.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Changing the volume of buzzers Study Guide
- Choosing and using conductors and insulators (non-statutory) Study Guide
- Circuit symbols and diagrams Study Guide
- Components and simple circuits Study Guide
- Debating the use of electric cars (non-stat Climate Change & Sustainability) Study Guide
- Electrical careers Study Guide
- Electrical discoveries and inventions (non-statutory) Study Guide
- Electrical sensors: design (non-statutory) Study Guide
- Electrical sensors: make and review (non-statutory) Study Guide
- How electrical insulators keep us safe (non-statutory) Study Guide
- Investigating voltage: do and review Study Guide
- Investigating voltage: plan Study Guide
- The position of switches: open and closed Study Guide
- Variables in electric circuits: do and review Study Guide
- Variables in electric circuits: plan Study Guide
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