Home Energy Use

Kill-a-Watt Meter
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Intended Grade Level(s):
4-5
Energy Content:
Electrical Energy,
Energy Efficiency
Learning Goal(s):

Students will make observations and record about the amount of energy used by various appliances in their home. Students will make conclusions about which items in their home are generating the most energy. Students will make conclusions about methods in which they can reduce the energy used in their homes.

Unit:
Understanding Energy
Lesson Number:
6
Pedagogy & Practice:
Field Work,
Hands-on Materials,
Research-Primary
NGSS Science and Engineering Practices:
3: Planning and Carrying Out Investigations,
4: Analyzing and Interpreting Data
Relevant NGSS PE:
4-PS3-2,
4-ESS3-1
Other Subjects Covered:
ELA: Vocabulary Development,
Math: Measurement
Estimated Activity Length:
40 min
Files Associated with this Activity:
PDF icon lesson6.pdf
Description:

This lesson is meant to provide students the opportunity to learn about the power usage of items in their home that they are already curious about. Students will learn to use a Watt meter to measure the amount of electricity various electric appliances in their homes use. Students will be able to check out a Watt meter and take it home and record the energy used by various appliances. They will use this information to learn about the actual energy usage in their household and explore the possibility that there are devices that use more power when they thought, and during times they may not have expected. They will record this information in their journals to discuss in class. 

Science Kit Material(s) Used:
Kill-A-Watt Meter
Other Material(s) Used:
Solar energy notebook