Mini-lesson Version 3

A Procedural Mini-Lesson on Writing an Essay on Energy Resources in Connecticut


I. Connection: Discuss the following questions in your small groups in order to stimulate your ideas and to help you make connections. Prepare one group member to share your answers with the rest of us in a whole class discussion.

1. How did you use energy this morning when you made your way out of your home and came to school?

2. Where did this energy come from?

3. What was the ultimate source of this energy? What kind of fuel was burned to generate the energy?

II. Teach: (Using guided practice. Explain to whole class.) The following are guidelines for writing an essay based on your previous work of graphing energy usage in CT from the excel spreadsheet.

1. Please take out your graphs and data table from yesterday. Notice how, over the past 40 years, some sources of energy in Connecticut have been used extensively and some have not. The use of some has grown over time and the used of others has not changed much or has declined.

2. Your task today is to write an essay about just one of these sources of energy and how it has been used over the past 40 years in Connecticut.

3. First you must internet research on the energy source you pick. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this source of energy? Does this source of energy support Connecticut’s initiative to reduce CO2 emissions by this year?

4. Remember to use reliable internet sources and to develop a reference list in MLA format!

5. Your essay should discuss the following things:

• An introduction

• A paragraph on the benefits of this energy source.

• A paragraph on the disadvantages of this energy source.

• A paragraph describing how this source of energy has been used in CT over the past 40 years.

• A paragraph describing your prediction of how this source of energy will be used in the future and why. Tell me if you think using this energy source supports our initiative to reduce CO2 emissions.

• A concluding paragraph which states your main points.





III. Active Engagement: Are there any questions about the assignment?



IV. Link: (Class Discussion) In this unit on Environmental Chemistry we have been discussing the combustion of fossil fuels and the impact that using them as an energy source has on our environment. As the accident in the Gulf illustrates, our heavy reliance on fossil fuels has detrimental effects on the environment in the air, water, and land. This accident has happened just recently, but we have been burning fossil fuels for 150 years. Should we continue to rely on fossil fuels as an energy source or encourage the development of cleaner alternatives which have less of an impact on the environment?



V. Writing and Conferencing: You now have an opportunity to work on researching and writing your essay. I encourage you to stay on task, to use reliable sources and to maintain your reference section as you go. Here are some reliable resources for you to use as you begin your research:

Connecticut’s Research Engine http://www.iconn.org

Nuclear Energy Resources

Energy Information Administration, Nuclear http://www.eia.doe.gov/fuelnuclear.html

Office of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology http://www.ne.doe.gov/

Hydroelectric Energy Resources

National Hydropower Association http://www.hydro.org/

Power Matters: Hydroelectric Power http://www.tva.gov/power/hydro.htm

Biomass Energy Resources

Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy http://www1.eere.energy.gov/biomass/

Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (click on Biomass from the list)

http://ctcleanenergy.com/BasicsofCleanEnergy/TypesofCleanEnergy/tabid/66/Default.aspx



Coal Energy Resources

Office of Fossil Energy-U.S. Department of Energy

http://www.fe.doe.gov/programs/powersystems/cleancoal/index.html

Coal Fired Power Generation http://www.rst2.edu/ties/acidrain/IEcoal/how.htm



Natural Gas Energy Resources

• Adventures in Energy

http://www.adventuresinenergy.org/main.swf

• Natural Gas Supply Organization

http://www.naturalgas.org





VI. Sharing: You have an opportunity to share your work with each other and to get feedback on the content and writing skills involved after completing the essay by posting them on this blog.