Science and Technology

Grade 5: Energy and Control: Conservation of Energy	Achievement Level
Overall Expectations	1	2	3	4
•demonstrate an understanding of the importance of conservation of energy in relation to the wise use of renewable and non-renewable energy sources;
•design and construct devices that use a form of energy to meet a specific need or want, and investigate how the energy is transferred to a specified output;
•evaluate the reasons for conserving natural resources and identify possible ways of conserving energy.
Specific Expectations
Understanding Basic Concepts
•distinguish between a renewable and a non-renewable source of energy;
•investigate ways energy can be stored for later use (e.g., mechanical energy is stored in an elastic band or steel spring; chemical energy is stored in a battery);
•describe how energy is stored and transferred in a given device or system (e.g., in an automobile, chemical energy stored in the gasoline is transformed into mechanical energy upon combustion, enabling the vehicle to move and releasing thermal energy as heat);
•recognize that energy cannot be created or destroyed but can only be changed from one form into another (e.g., chemical energy in a battery becomes electrical energy);
•operate a mechanical device or system that uses a sensory or time-based input (e.g., a timer for lights) and describe how energy is transferred to a specified output.
Developing Skills of Inquiry, Design, and Communication
•formulate questions about and identify needs and problems related to protection of the natural environment, and explore possible answers and solutions (e.g., investigate how local recycling efforts help conserve energy and natural resources);
•plan investigations for some of these answers and solutions, identifying variables that need to be held constant to ensure a fair test and identifying criteria for assessing solutions;
•use appropriate vocabulary, including correct science and technology terminology, in describing their investigations and observations (e.g., use terms such as heat, light, sound, electrical, mechanical, magnetic, chemical when describing forms of energy);
•compile data gathered through investigation in order to record and present results, using tally charts, tables, and labelled graphs produced by hand or with a computer (e.g., list the names of some devices used in the home that change energy from one form into another, and record in a table the types of energy transformations for each device);
•communicate the procedures and results of investigations for specific purposes and to specific audiences, using media works, oral presentations, written notes and descriptions, drawings, and charts (e.g., use a word processor and graphics program to create a booklet about the design, construction, and effectiveness of a product that meets a specific need; debate the environmental implications of using various sources of energy);
•design devices that can transform one form of energy into another (e.g., an electric bell transforms electrical energy into sound energy).
Relating Science and Technology to the World Outside the School
•list various sources of energy and identify them as renewable (e.g., sun, wind, tides, wood) or non-renewable (e.g., coal, natural gas, oil);
•describe the advantages and disadvantages of using renewable energy sources as opposed to non-renewable sources;
•identify the forms of energy (e.g., mechanical, electrical) used in the home, school, and community and identify the energy source for each (e.g., wood, coal, moving water);
•describe how we use different natural resources as sources of energy and evaluate the effect of their use on natural and human-made environments (e.g., in using fossil fuels such as natural gas for heating our homes we deplete natural resources but improve our quality of life);
•explain ways in which technological innovations affect our use of natural resources and increase or decrease our ability to conserve energy (e.g., home insulation allows us to conserve heat and reduce consumption of energy from non- renewable sources);
•identify factors that determine how effectively and economically a device can transform one form of energy into another (e.g., discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using solar panels for heating);
•explain how humans rely on energy transfers from a variety of products and systems to survive (e.g., chemical energy from food becomes muscular energy in humans);
•identify ways humans use energy, evaluate the economic and environmental costs of each, and describe ways to avoid wasting energy (e.g., lowering the thermostat during the night);
•identify design features that improve the energy efficiency of buildings, devices, and systems (e.g., double glazing).
Student Name:

 Expectations: Copyright The Queen's Printer for Ontario, 1998.  Format: Copyright B.Phillips, 1998.