Do It Yourself: Matter & Energy Interaction Lesson Plan
 This lesson capped off our visits to Rufus Payne Elementary. It takes all of the principles of the first two lessons plus several new concepts and applies them to a real-world situation (we chose transportation). It also opens the door for the student-created projects for their exhibition on Public Science Day at the MOSH.
Objective:
Illustrate the interaction of matter and energy. Topics to be explored include: Energy is needed for life, types of nonrenewable energy (cost & risk to the environment), and there is a limited energy supply in the world.
Materials:
Stirling Engine, Hero's Engine, Photon Solar Racer, Rubber band plane, Hot Plate, Various posters depicting different modes of transportation, poker chips, tokens with pictures matching the posters
Introduction:
 KWL with students to determine their knowledge on these types of energy sources.
Have students get into groups of 3-6 and make a list of various types of energy that they know of.
What are some sources of the energy types your group listed?
List the types on the board.
Make sure students understand what renewable and nonrenewable energy sources are.
Of these types of energy, which are renewable and which are nonrenewable?
List the differences on the board in 2 columns
Review the roots of fossil fuel and how it comes to be in the form it is in today. Making it clear that there is a limited supply. Draw the cycle fossil fuels must follow on the board.
Procedures:
 Explain that a Stirling Engine is an example of an external combustion engine.
Demonstrate how the engine works
What is happening to Stirling Engine?
What type of power is being generated?
What do you need to generate the engine? What type of fuel is needed? Is it a renewable resource or nonrenewable?
What must be happening in order for the Stirling Engine to be working?
What are the benefits and disadvantages in using this engine?
Let's now see a different type of energy generator.
 Explain that a Hero's Engine is a simple example of a steam engine.
Demonstrate how the engine works.
What is happening to the Hero's Engine?
Where do we see steam power used?
What do you need to power this engine? What type of fuel is needed? Is it a renewable resource or nonrenewable?
What are the benefits and disadvantages to using this engine?
 Explain that a solar cell is example of the conversion of solar energy.
Demonstrate how the solar car uses the sun or light energy to move.
What is happening to solar cell?
What type of power is being generated?
What do you need to generate the engine? What type of fuel is needed? Is it a renewable resource or nonrenewable?
Where do we see solar power used?
What must be happening in order for the solar cell to be working?
What are the benefits and disadvantages in using solar energy?
Students should work together to gather the information to answer the questions.
Review with students the different types of energy and the ways that they can be transferred.
Explain to students about the varying types of fuel/energy needed for transportation. Using the posters with various modes of transportation assign a "energy value". An energy value corresponds to the number of poker chips it costs to use that type of transportation. The more nonrenewable the energy sources the higher the "energy value" and the more energy needed to power the vehicle makes the value higher. For example: a city bus could be worth 4 tokens but a bicycle would be worth ½ token. An airplane would cost 10 tokens and you can use as many human feet as necessary.
To play the game:
 Hand out 10 poker chips to each 3 or 4 member team. Each team needs to choose a buyer who is the only student allowed to purchase transportation tokens, which matches the mode of transportation, which has been chosen. Give the students some scenarios or use the following as examples:
Many people need to get from one side of town to the other. Choose the most efficient mode of transportation, which will also transport the most in the fastest amount of time.
Transport 60 people from Boston to San Francisco. Choose the most efficient way to do this.
You want to get 20 people 2 miles away. Chooses the best way to do this.
You need to get a very large shipment from Jacksonville to Charleston what is the best way to do this?
After each scenario each team should share what they chose and why. Explain the pros and cons of each team decision and award an extra token to the team with the most efficient answer to be used in the scenarios.
Evaluation:
Have students create a journal listing types of transpiration and how efficient they are for different things. For example: a boat is great for moving large cargo and many people, but can use a lot of fuel and only used when water is available for the transport of the boat.
Students should also list some alternative energy sources and how they might be used in the future.
Students can draw a picture of a vehicle to be used in the future and explain how they would power the machine to make it go.
Students should also draw the energy cycle for fossil fuels. Using pictures and arrows rather than words.
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