OpenSciEd is a nonprofit organization that brings together educators, philanthropic organizations, curriculum developers, and professional development providers to improve science education through the development and implementation of high-quality, freely available science instructional materials. The goal of OpenSciEd is to ensure that all educators, from elementary to high school, have access to a free, coherent, rigorous, research-based set of instructional materials that will support all students in meeting the vision for science literacy described in A Framework for K-12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards.
Score: 8
Awarded the NGSS Design Badge
Science Discipline: Physical Science, Earth and Space Science, Engineering
Length: Unit
Year Reviewed: 2024
How can chemistry help us evaluate fuels and transportation options to benefit the Earth and our communities? This unit is designed to help students figure out ways to address climate change, first introduced in the first unit of the course. Students engage with information about different fuels used for transportation. They figure out what is happening in combustion reactions in gasoline, diesel, and biofuel engines, but are unsure where the energy is actually coming from. These use magnet marbles and simulations to figure it out and eventually quantify how much energy is released. They shift their focus toward engineering considerations and consider fuel options that are not carbon-based: electric vehicles, hydrogen, and uranium. They conclude the unit by evaluating a variety of fuels and other transportation solutions for a specific transportation goal. In doing so they develop nuanced arguments for a mix of transportation options to help address environmental, safety, and other concerns.
Link to Materials
The following link will direct you to the OpenSciEd Unit C.5 Energy from Chemical & Nuclear Reactions page: C.5 Energy from Chemical & Nuclear Reactions
NGSS Design Badge
Awarded: Jun 25, 2024
Awarded To: OpenSciEd Unit C.5 Energy from Chemical & Nuclear Reactions
The NGSS Design Badge is awarded only to the version of this unit that was reviewed. If any modifications are made to this unit, the revised version cannot be promoted as having earned the badge.
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