A Shocking Dystopia: STEM Adventures in The City of Ember Part 1 of 4: Blackout! Community Circuits
by Ellen Miller
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.
Lesson Grade Level
4th GradeLesson Plan Link/URL
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/179QHDK9KH5uWeLLnNWq-cN6ouzbFpAshRKuoOtF…Subject Area
Science Physical Science P4: Energy Transfer Technology 1. Empowered Learner 4. Innovative Designer 7. Global Collaborator Engineering S1: Engineering & Global Society S2: Apply the Engineering Design Process S3: Apply Mathematics to Engineering S4: Apply Science to Engineering S5: Apply Technology to Engineering Mathematics Number and Operations in Base Ten (NBT) Measurement and Data (MD) English Language Arts (ELA) Reading (Literature) Writing Speaking & Listening
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