A Shocking Dystopia: STEM Adventures in The City of Ember Part 2 of 4: A Way to See in the Dark

This lesson is PART 2 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 2, A Way to See in the Dark, students make sense of the phenomenon of electricity when they build this everyday household item. They use the science and engineering practice of defining a simple design problem and the disciplinary core idea of designing solutions to design their own operating series circuit flashlights. By exploring electricity and how flashlights work, students engage with the crosscutting concept of evolving technologies. Students design, build, and test a battery-powered “moveable light” for Lina and Doon to take on their journey.