Energy Case Studies

Overview

In this lesson (lesson 4 of 4), students explore real-world uses of wind and hydroelectric power through short case studies from different countries. They will plan and begin building a presentation showing how these energy systems work, where they are used, and their environmental impacts.

Learning intentions

• WALT describe how wind and hydroelectric power systems generate electricity.
• WALT compare how these systems are used in different countries.
• WALT explain how energy production can affect the environment.
• WALT create a short presentation using evidence from sources.

Success criteria

• I can describe key parts of a wind or hydroelectric power system and how energy changes from natural sources to electricity.
• I can compare two countries’ use of wind or hydro power using relevant facts.
• I can identify environmental impacts (positive and negative) and suggest practical mitigation ideas.
• I can organise information clearly in a slide/mini-presentation and communicate it with confidence.

Curriculum links

• Science: investigating how physical systems work and how energy can be transferred and transformed.
• Science: using evidence to explain cause-and-effect relationships in real contexts.
• Science: communicating findings using appropriate representations (oral, written, visual).
• Key competencies: thinking (analysing evidence), communicating (presenting), participating and contributing (group work).

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 5 – Starter: Energy System Quick Check Students complete a rapid “draw and label” task from memory: either a wind turbine or a hydroelectric dam/river system. Quick volunteer sharing checks prior knowledge from earlier lessons.

2. 10 – Mini-lesson: Wind vs Hydro (Energy + Environment) Teacher models a simple case-study organiser: “Where it is used, how it works, what benefits it brings, what impacts it has, and how people reduce harm.” Emphasise that environment impacts can include habitat change, water flow, noise, and carbon trade-offs.

3. 35 – Case Study Groups + Presentation Build In groups of 3 (12 students total), each group chooses one system: wind or hydro. Groups receive two short, teacher-prepared case study summaries (two different countries for the same system).

• Students extract: location clues (country/region), basic process (how electricity is generated), and 2–3 environmental impacts.
• They then create 4–6 slide headings (or 1 poster section plan if slides are unavailable):
• Slide 1: Title + system type + where
• Slide 2: How it works (labelled explanation)
• Slide 3: Evidence from Case Study A (facts + one impact)
• Slide 4: Evidence from Case Study B (facts + one impact)
• Slide 5 (optional): Mitigation ideas and “best-fit conditions” (when/why it works well) Teacher circulates, prompting with: “What is the evidence?”, “What is the impact?”, “What changes energy from where to where?”

4. 7 – Gallery Walk: One-Question Share Groups display their slide plans (or poster drafts). Each group partner-visits one other group and asks one question: “What evidence did you use?” or “How does the environment change?”

5. 3 – Exit Reflection: Ticket Out Individually, students write: “One similarity and one difference between the two countries’ use of this energy system is…” plus “A potential environmental impact is… and a way to reduce it is…”

Resources

• Teacher-prepared short case study sheets for wind and hydro from two countries each (12–15 minutes reading time total per group)
• System diagram cards (wind turbine and hydroelectric setup) for student reference
• Student planner template: headings for 4–6 slide sections (or a poster planner)
• Markers, pens, and paper for quick diagrams and notes
• Slides tool or classroom document template (or poster paper if technology is limited)
• Environment impact prompt cards (e.g., habitat, water flow, fish passage, noise, land use)
• Timer for group work phases
• Optional: a word bank with sentence starters (e.g., “In ___, they use… because…”)

Assessment

• Observation during group planning: check for correct system descriptions and use of evidence from case studies.
• Formative checks: gallery walk questions and teacher feedback on environmental impact reasoning.
• Exit ticket: evaluate clarity of comparison and whether students link impacts to the energy system context.

Differentiation

• Support: provide sentence starters, a partially completed organiser, and labelled diagrams to scaffold “how it works” explanations.
• Support: allow students to choose a simpler focus (one impact + one mitigation idea) if needed for workload.
• Extension: challenge students to justify which country’s approach may be more suitable under certain environmental conditions and to include a trade-off statement (e.g., benefit vs cost).
• EAL/SEN: offer bilingual support where available, reduce reading load by highlighting key sentences on case study sheets, and allow oral rehearsal before writing/presenting.
• Grouping: mix strengths so each student has a role (research reader, diagram maker, slide planner, presenter).