Driving Question:
How will nanotechnology impact U.S. energy independence?
Focus on Teacher
This PBL lesson was generated for a high school classroom with characteristics similar to these:
Course: Chemistry 1 ( potential use in other physical science courses)
Grade level: 10-12
Number of students: approximately 24
Gender mix: ~ 50/50 boy/girl
Things to consider when interpreting the driving question:
The driving question is purposefully ill-structured in order that it may offer students a large number of directions to take when faced with discovering a solution. Some students may consider that you are never truly independent of others in terms of energy use. Students will have to consider the varieties of energies used by society -- traditional and alternative fuels for vehicles, electricity, even food. It is meaningful to them because they will come to realize that they use and pay for the energy used in daily tasks such as charging their phone and refueling their cars. The nature of this questions makes it interdisciplinary: students will use dimensional analysis to understand the relationship of nano-sized materials to macro-sized objects (math/numerical literacy); students will answer questions about how nanoscience and energy impact society on the local, national, and international level (science and society; history and development of science); students will learn how knowledge of phenomena can lead to the development of new or improved technologies (engineering); students will study energy on multiple levels and understand how the properties of energy drive physical phenomena (physics/chem). Since energy is the fundamental concept behind all physical phenomena, this question is appropriate in any physical science classroom. Because of the increasing dependence on technology and the decreasing supply of traditional non-renewable fuel sources the question is not just relevant but real and authentic. Furthermore, energy independence is something students may hear about via news, vehicle commercials, and other media sources. Some of these may provide accurate information or probable predictions, while others give fictional fantastic or doomsday scenarios. Providing students the opportunity to investigate this topic for themselves will better prepare them to recognize the difference between reality, possibility, and total fantasy.
Students will investigate how macroscopic and even microscopic properties can change as you go to the nanoscale. Students may investigate how nanotechnology can impact the density of materials and allow for better batteries. Students will learn about chemical reactions and why reactions happen. They may touch on enthalpy and entropy. Students can learn about chemical bonds and how different types of bonds behave and form. Students will learn more about the structure of the atom, and how charges (protons and electrons) interact. Students will also work on the Process of Science standards as they encounter chemical and general scientific vocabulary and perform laboratory experiments.
We will help students to remain focused on the driving question by placing it in many visible places (e.g., on each page of student work/instruction, on walls or the board). Teacher redirection of students who have gone too far or are not participating will be important as well. Periodic peer-to-peer reflections and/or small group meetings with teachers will aid students in staying up to speed. An example of this would be using a gallery walk.
Focus on Students
The driving question focuses students on both nanotechnology and energy. There is an additional focus on the social aspects of “independence.” While focused, the question is also open-ended as some students may choose to investigate global dependence or national independence. Some students, as teenagers, may also note a desire in themselves for independence in decision-making at home and at school, and so may take a more personal approach to independence, e.g., powering a cell phone or tablet without the necessity of connecting to an external power supply such as a wall socket.
With regard to energy, students can investigate the variety of energy sources and uses, ranging from gasoline to coal to wind and solar; this provides them freedom to investigate automobiles, electricity generation and use, the grid, batteries, etc.
Depending on the energy source, energy technology, or energy use that students choose, various possiblities would emerge for inclusion of nanotechnology. One possible use would be the use of nanorods in solar cells, while another might be computer chips integrating electronic-photonic nanomaterials to reduce the power demand of processors.
Sample Investigative Questions:
size?)
Focus on Content
Chemistry, in essence, is a quantification and qualification of the arrangement of matter and the energy changes that drive and accompany these arrangements. Energy change, to be understood in full, must be analyzed at the macro-, micro-, and nano-scales. While macro- and micro- scales have been heavily studied, the recent advances in nanoscience have provided the scientific community with new and unparalleled explanations for properties of matter and energy, which has led to the novel field of nanoscience.
Nanoscience has greatly expanded the explanations chemistry offers for natural phenomenon. The instruments used in nanotechnology have given chemists unprecedented insight into the structure of the atom and the properties of elements when they exist as individual atoms. Furthermore it allows chemists to manipulate atoms at the atomic level giving importance to learning what scientists think an atom actually is. To approach the most recently proposed models of the atom, students must understand atomic orbital theory and the basic properties of quantum mechanics, ie, energy is quantized.
When students learn about the nature of chemicals from a nanoscale, they can gain a deeper and more realistic understanding of chemical bonds that can be very difficult to understand when approaching chemical bonds with the commonly used macro ball and stick models. Larger models lead give many students the misconception that atoms are literally held together by lines. When viewing atoms as nanoparticles, they can begin to see chemical bonds as a direct consequence of the potential energy generated by electromagnetic forces. This makes the study of nanotechnology an interdisciplinary topic that requires content knowledge of both chemistry and physics.
Our driving question leads students to question the flow of energy on the nano-scale. As they begin to understand and research the answers to these questions, they will gain new perspectives on atomic models and the electron orbital theory proposed by modern physics, as well as explanatory power when describing the formation and breaking of chemical bonds, rather than simply descriptive power.
In addition to the interdisciplinary science content students will encounter when answering the driving question, they will also be challenged make connections between science, technology, and society. Further developments in nanotechnology will lead to smaller and faster transistors, which are already on the nanoscale, leading to more energy efficient and longer lasting electronic devices. If scientists can use less energy to power devices, or even learn to harvest energy through the rearrangement of individual atoms or particles, the United States may become less dependent on oil for energy, leading to a new level of energy independence from the rest of the world. This compels students to critically think through the relationship between energy, their personal lives, the community in which they live, the allocation of federal funds for alternative fuel sources, and the exchange of energy sources on the global market.
Focus on Process
We plan to incorporate at least one gallery walk, the copper (II) chloride lab, and at least one size and scale activity that will specifically include dimensional analysis. We would also like to include activities related to chemical bonding concepts with a focus on the energy involved. This will tie into electron energy levels (atomic theory and structure). Our entry activity will focus on defining energy in both scientific, such as the ability to do work, and “non-scientific” ways, such as electricity generation through various methods.
Individual Contributions: Each member of the group worked on one section, then checked over and discussed each section together to make positive changes if necessary.
How will nanotechnology impact U.S. energy independence?
Focus on Teacher
This PBL lesson was generated for a high school classroom with characteristics similar to these:
Course: Chemistry 1 ( potential use in other physical science courses)
Grade level: 10-12
Number of students: approximately 24
Gender mix: ~ 50/50 boy/girl
Things to consider when interpreting the driving question:
The driving question is purposefully ill-structured in order that it may offer students a large number of directions to take when faced with discovering a solution. Some students may consider that you are never truly independent of others in terms of energy use. Students will have to consider the varieties of energies used by society -- traditional and alternative fuels for vehicles, electricity, even food. It is meaningful to them because they will come to realize that they use and pay for the energy used in daily tasks such as charging their phone and refueling their cars. The nature of this questions makes it interdisciplinary: students will use dimensional analysis to understand the relationship of nano-sized materials to macro-sized objects (math/numerical literacy); students will answer questions about how nanoscience and energy impact society on the local, national, and international level (science and society; history and development of science); students will learn how knowledge of phenomena can lead to the development of new or improved technologies (engineering); students will study energy on multiple levels and understand how the properties of energy drive physical phenomena (physics/chem). Since energy is the fundamental concept behind all physical phenomena, this question is appropriate in any physical science classroom. Because of the increasing dependence on technology and the decreasing supply of traditional non-renewable fuel sources the question is not just relevant but real and authentic. Furthermore, energy independence is something students may hear about via news, vehicle commercials, and other media sources. Some of these may provide accurate information or probable predictions, while others give fictional fantastic or doomsday scenarios. Providing students the opportunity to investigate this topic for themselves will better prepare them to recognize the difference between reality, possibility, and total fantasy.
Students will investigate how macroscopic and even microscopic properties can change as you go to the nanoscale. Students may investigate how nanotechnology can impact the density of materials and allow for better batteries. Students will learn about chemical reactions and why reactions happen. They may touch on enthalpy and entropy. Students can learn about chemical bonds and how different types of bonds behave and form. Students will learn more about the structure of the atom, and how charges (protons and electrons) interact. Students will also work on the Process of Science standards as they encounter chemical and general scientific vocabulary and perform laboratory experiments.
We will help students to remain focused on the driving question by placing it in many visible places (e.g., on each page of student work/instruction, on walls or the board). Teacher redirection of students who have gone too far or are not participating will be important as well. Periodic peer-to-peer reflections and/or small group meetings with teachers will aid students in staying up to speed. An example of this would be using a gallery walk.
Focus on Students
The driving question focuses students on both nanotechnology and energy. There is an additional focus on the social aspects of “independence.” While focused, the question is also open-ended as some students may choose to investigate global dependence or national independence. Some students, as teenagers, may also note a desire in themselves for independence in decision-making at home and at school, and so may take a more personal approach to independence, e.g., powering a cell phone or tablet without the necessity of connecting to an external power supply such as a wall socket.
With regard to energy, students can investigate the variety of energy sources and uses, ranging from gasoline to coal to wind and solar; this provides them freedom to investigate automobiles, electricity generation and use, the grid, batteries, etc.
Depending on the energy source, energy technology, or energy use that students choose, various possiblities would emerge for inclusion of nanotechnology. One possible use would be the use of nanorods in solar cells, while another might be computer chips integrating electronic-photonic nanomaterials to reduce the power demand of processors.
Sample Investigative Questions:
- How do solar cells work?
- What are the components of a computer processor?
- What fuel generates electricity for my house, and who provides it?
- What are the components of a battery?
- How much energy is generated by the engine in a car?
- Can the energy demands of (insert technology here) be reduced (by reducing their
size?)
Focus on Content
Chemistry, in essence, is a quantification and qualification of the arrangement of matter and the energy changes that drive and accompany these arrangements. Energy change, to be understood in full, must be analyzed at the macro-, micro-, and nano-scales. While macro- and micro- scales have been heavily studied, the recent advances in nanoscience have provided the scientific community with new and unparalleled explanations for properties of matter and energy, which has led to the novel field of nanoscience.
Nanoscience has greatly expanded the explanations chemistry offers for natural phenomenon. The instruments used in nanotechnology have given chemists unprecedented insight into the structure of the atom and the properties of elements when they exist as individual atoms. Furthermore it allows chemists to manipulate atoms at the atomic level giving importance to learning what scientists think an atom actually is. To approach the most recently proposed models of the atom, students must understand atomic orbital theory and the basic properties of quantum mechanics, ie, energy is quantized.
When students learn about the nature of chemicals from a nanoscale, they can gain a deeper and more realistic understanding of chemical bonds that can be very difficult to understand when approaching chemical bonds with the commonly used macro ball and stick models. Larger models lead give many students the misconception that atoms are literally held together by lines. When viewing atoms as nanoparticles, they can begin to see chemical bonds as a direct consequence of the potential energy generated by electromagnetic forces. This makes the study of nanotechnology an interdisciplinary topic that requires content knowledge of both chemistry and physics.
Our driving question leads students to question the flow of energy on the nano-scale. As they begin to understand and research the answers to these questions, they will gain new perspectives on atomic models and the electron orbital theory proposed by modern physics, as well as explanatory power when describing the formation and breaking of chemical bonds, rather than simply descriptive power.
In addition to the interdisciplinary science content students will encounter when answering the driving question, they will also be challenged make connections between science, technology, and society. Further developments in nanotechnology will lead to smaller and faster transistors, which are already on the nanoscale, leading to more energy efficient and longer lasting electronic devices. If scientists can use less energy to power devices, or even learn to harvest energy through the rearrangement of individual atoms or particles, the United States may become less dependent on oil for energy, leading to a new level of energy independence from the rest of the world. This compels students to critically think through the relationship between energy, their personal lives, the community in which they live, the allocation of federal funds for alternative fuel sources, and the exchange of energy sources on the global market.
Focus on Process
We plan to incorporate at least one gallery walk, the copper (II) chloride lab, and at least one size and scale activity that will specifically include dimensional analysis. We would also like to include activities related to chemical bonding concepts with a focus on the energy involved. This will tie into electron energy levels (atomic theory and structure). Our entry activity will focus on defining energy in both scientific, such as the ability to do work, and “non-scientific” ways, such as electricity generation through various methods.
Individual Contributions: Each member of the group worked on one section, then checked over and discussed each section together to make positive changes if necessary.