Tic Tac Flow: How We Generate Hydroelectricity

What you'll need

• Laptop, projector and screen 
• “How Does Electricity Power Our Lights Slideshow” Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkqEnUKgcYU 
• Print “Tic Tac Flow Student Handout” for each pair of students
• Markers or pencil per student

Introduction

1. Begin by asking students if they know what electricity is and what things in our lives use electricity?
2. Discuss with students the natural resources that are used to make electricity around the world. Define the two categories of natural resources, renewable and non-renewable. 
   • Ask if anyone knows how electricity is made using one or more of these resources. How does it travel from one place to another? It’s fine if no one knows, as it will be explained in the next section. 
3. Ask students if they know which natural resource, B.C uses to generate most of the electricity that is usede. If they aren’t sure, prompt them to think about how B.C has a lot of natural water ways (i.e. rivers, lakes) or share the name of our electricity company, BC Hydro.
4. Have a discussion with students about:
   • How human demand of electricity impacts the land, environment, plants, animals and people. For more detailed examples, see teaching notes. 
   • How they can reduce demand for electricity with conservation, like charging EVs at off-peak times (night), using energy efficient appliances and unplugging devices when not in use. 

Generating Renewable Electricity 

1. Pull up the “How does electricity power our lights?” slideshow to guide students through the process of making electricity from water.
2. Slides 2-9 - Ask volunteers to read out loud the text. Each slide explains one aspect of generating hydroelectricity. The bolded words will be used in a game at the end.
3. Slide 2 - Explain to learners the difference between potential and kinetic energy. 
   • Potential energy is energy stored in an object (water) due to its position relative to other objects.
   • For a hydro dam, the reservoir is stored energy at a height above the dam.  When the water is released down the dam it is converted into kinetic energy. 
4. Slide 3 – Explain what a penstock pipe is and that it moves water on a steep incline. When the water travels through the penstock, it builds up a massive amount of force.
5. Slide 4 – Share with learners how a turbine is inside a dam, and that it spins with the force of the water.
6. Slide 5 - Explain that the spinning of the turbine is generating mechanical energy.
7. Slide 6 – Share with learners that the image is an example of a generator. Explain how the flow of electricity is called a current, and travels well through conductive materials like metal. However, electricity does not conduct well with insulators like plastic and rubber.
8. Slide 7 – Explain that there are high voltage transmission lines, which can transmit large capacities of electricity over long distances. 
9. Slide 8 - Explain that at a substation, transformers lower the voltage closer to the destination. 
10. Slide 9 - Summarize that the electricity we use in our homes is clean, renewable electricity that was generated at a dam somewhere in B.C.
11. Slide 10 – Play the video, which will reinforce the information on how electricity is generated, and shows some of the dam locations in B.C.

Tic Tac Flow

1. Slide 11 - Put students in pairs. Provide each pair with a copy of the “tic tac flow” student template OR have them draw the grid as shown on the slide. Have students copy the words on the screen, one word in each square.
2. Tell students to decide in their pairs who will draw an ‘X’ or “O” in the game and who will begin the game. Explain that you will read a description of one of the bolded words and the class will decide the word that matches the description. They will take turns making their “X” or “O” over the correct match. 
   1. For example if the first student chose “X” and the match is “turbine”, they will draw an “X” through the word “turbine”. If the next match is “penstock” the second student will draw an “O” through the word “penstock”. The winner of the game is the first student to get 3 “Xs” or “Os” in a row. 
3. Ask students what word matches the description:
4. Steep pipe that carries water going very fast, with a huge amount of force. A: Penstock
5. The energy that is contained in water in a reservoir, not moving. A: Potential 
6. The energy that is generated by movement from a high elevation to a lower elevation. A: Kinetic 
7. A piece of equipment that spins with the force of water, generating mechanical energy. A: Turbine 
8. The force that makes electrons flow, measuring the difference in electrical charge between two points. A: Voltage
9. The energy generated when electrons flow through a conductor which is also called electric current. A: Electrical (we can also call it electricity)
10. Equipment that changes electrical energy from high voltage to low voltage. A: Transformer
11. The directional flow of electrical energy. A: Current
12. The rotational motion of the turbine’s blades creates this kind of energy. A: Mechanical