A Shocking Dystopia: STEM Adventures in The City of Ember Part 1 of 4: Blackout! Community Circuits

This lesson is PART 1 of a four-lesson unit, which focuses on futures thinking, the phenomenon of electricity, closed-system agriculture, and water as a renewable energy resource. “The City of Ember” is a dystopian novel by Jeanne DuPrau that explores themes of self-sufficiency, resourcefulness, and the consequences of relying on unsustainable systems. The story is set in a city where the infrastructure is failing, leading to a potential blackout and loss of essential resources. In Lesson 1, Blackout! Community Circuits, students design, build, and test a device that transfers electrical energy into light energy to bring light to The City of Ember.