![[photo of Bonneville Power Game]](../pics/snow.jpg)
The Northwest Power System Curriculum
The following chart travels through the 13 lessons in the NPSC curriculum, tying them to the Oregon Content Standards for 8th grade that are addressed by that lesson. Sometimes only parts of a particular benchmark will be applicable to a NPSC lesson, but we thought it best to cite the entire benchmark for easier reference to these state goals. Please note also that because a lesson can be taught and expanded on at many levels of thoroughness, benchmarks were included assuming the most thorough coverage of the topic. Therefore, each teacher will want to review the listed benchmarks in order to see for her/himself which ones are in agreement with their plans. Hopefully you will find this to be a helpful and timesaving tool as you help students rise to the challenge of meeting these goals. On the right, lesson materials available from BPA, other sources, or the teacher (if you are not using the full NPSC curriculum kit from BPA)
| Chapter - Content .... = abbreviated description |
G = Common Curriculum Goal
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#1 History – Orientation To The Pacific Northwest Formation of political boundaries Bodies of water Geographic features |
Section 1: Natural History and historical Development Social Science – Geography G: Locate places... C: Understand spatial concepts C. Recognize and use appropriate tools B: Read, interpret and prepare maps, charts, graphs and other visual representations to understand geographic relationships. B: Locate and identify on maps and globes the regions of the world and their prominent physical features. G: Understand distribution and movement of people, ideas and products. C: Causes of human migration C: Spatial arrangement of urban areas C: Compare settlements C: Predict trends B: Identify patterns of population, distribution, migration, and interaction.
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Legend: BPA - available from BPA NPSC - in the NPSC kit. NPSC text - in the NPCS teacher's guide Suggestion - experiments, not in the NPSC kit which the teacher can do to enrich the lesson. Suggestion* - asterisk indicates that the suggestion or experiment is described in the NPSC text. Some extra materials may be needed.
NPSC text: Physical and political maps of the Pacific northwest.
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#2 Columbia river System; head- waters and watershed. Map interpretation Inquiry: What is a river? The Water Game: Experiments with water runoff and water penetration |
Mathematics – Statistics and Probability
G: Create charts, tables and graphs; draw inferences and make predictions. C: Read, construct and interpret displays of data C: Analyze data; draw conclusions |
BPA Video: Columbia River gorge, A Natural History
BPA Backgrounder: Voyage To The Pacific, July 1990: A 22 pg. Story of Columbia River journey by grandfather and granddaughter. Suggestion: Teacher’s atlas showing mountains and rivers of the Columbia River system.
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#3 Columbia River Basin (or Watershed). Inquiry: Where does river water come from? Experiments: The Water game Runoff and soil Building a watershed |
Science – Scientific Inquiry G: Analyze scientific information to develop and present conclusions.
C: Analyze scientific information to develop and present conclusions. B: Analyze and summarize data including possible sources of error. Explain results... Students will:
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NPSC Water Game: dice, map and precipitation record
Suggestion*: Run-off and soil experiment: Materials needed: Milk cartons sand, soil, gravel Suggestion*: Watershed Experiment - Large plastic box or plastic lined box with layer of soil and items from Runoff experiment (above). |
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#4 Salmon In The Rivers The life cycle and ecology of the Salmon. Math Lesson: Dam kills
Suggested math lesson: Have students estimate water flows in several watershed areas feeding into one dam by introducing some of the following variables:
4. Time |
Mathematics: Calculations and Estimations
G: Compute whole numbers, fractions & decimals Computation C: Read and write numbers C: Conceptual meanings C: Appropriate methods for computing B: Read numbers from thousands to millions B: Perform decimal operation B: Identify correct operations for word problem Estimation C: Use estimation to solve problems and check accuracy of solutions Mathematics: Statistics and Probability Probability C: Generate, compare and analyze data... B: compare probabilities with the actual occurrence of an outcome. Interpretation of data C: Read, construct, and interpret displays... B: Create, interpret, and analyze charts... Science: Earth and Space Science The Dynamic Earth C: Understand the properties and limited availability of the materials which make up... B: Explain the water cycle and its relationship to weather and climatic patterns. |
"Splash" game produced by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Park Service
BPA Backgrounders: "The World’s Biggest Fish Story" (7/87) "Enhancing Our Fish and Wildlife Resources" (3/87) "Downstream Fish Migration: Improving the Odds of Survival BPA – Water Cycle Hexaflexagon (complex 3 dimensional shape). BPA library or Columbia River Inter-Tribal Commission (Portland), periodical: "Wana Chinook Tymoo" |
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#5A Native Americans, Salmon, and The Columbia River |
Social Science: History
G: Understand the importance and lasting influence of issues, events, people, and developments in U.S. history. U.S. History C: Era 4: Expansion and Reform (1801-1861) B: Mass migrations B: Benefits of scientific and technological developments. Second Languages: Culture G: Compare and contrast cultural practices of first and second language cultures B: Compare and contrast common social conventions, courtesies and nonverbal cues. |
NPSC Map: "Historic Indian Tribes of the Pacific Northwest"
Suggested Field Trip: to the nearest watershed and stream area. BPA - Salmon Hexaflexagon "Wana Chinook Tymoo" (see lesson 4) |
| #5B Native Americans - That's My Chair!
The game in this lesson explores Native American and European value systems |
Social Science: History
G: Understand and interpret relationships in history, including chronology, cause and effect, change, and continuity over time. U.S. History C: Understand how contemporary perspectives affect historical interpretations. |
Suggestion: Local resources: Invite a Native American guest speaker to discuss his/her culture with your class. |
| #6 Dams on the Columbia River
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Social Science: History G: Interpret and represent chronological relationships and patterns of change and continuity in world history. State and Local History C: Understand and interpret Oregon history. |
BPA Video: "River of Power" |
| #7 Magnets and Magnetism
Experiments in magnetism |
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NPSC Materials: Magnets and Compasses. |
| #8 Electromagnetism, Part 1
Electricity, running through a coil creates a magnetic field which can be detected with a compass
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Science: Physical Science G: Explain the interaction of energy and matter. Energy C: Understand the interactions of energy and matter. B: Use diagrams to predict the flow of electricity in a circuit. B: Analyze the flow of energy in a system from one point to another and from one form to another. |
NPSC Materials: Battery, wire and Compasses. |
| #8 Electromagnetism, Part 2
Moving a magnet near a coil can produce electricity which can be transmitted and used at another location . |
Science: Physical Science G: Explain the interaction of energy and matter. Energy C: Understand the interactions of energy and matter. B: Use diagrams to predict the flow of electricity in a circuit. B: Analyze the flow of energy in a system from one point to another and from one form to another. |
NPSC Materials: Battery, wire and Compasses. |
| #10 Turbines
Paper pinwheel project is used to stimulate design ideas for generator made of a turbine and magnets.
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Science: Physical Science G: Explain the interaction of energy and matter. Energy C: Understand the interactions of energy and matter. B: Use diagrams to predict the flow of electricity in a circuit. B: Analyze the flow of energy in a system from one point to another and from one form to another. |
NPSC Materials: Paper pinwheel pattern Suggested Field trip: Arrange a field trip to the nearest hydroelectric dam |
| #11 Turbine Choices
Students design and make turbine generators using available materials.
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Science: Science and Technology C: Understand the process of technological design to solve problems and meet needs. Technology: Technological Knowledge C: Individual Schools can set benchmarks B: Demonstrate understanding of technological concepts and processes. |
NPSC Materials: Paper, straws, wire, magnets BPA Materials: 3-D hydro cut-out project: Build a dam, transformer and transmission tower. |
| #12 Resource Choices and the
Environment Air, water, steam and combustion gases can be used to spin turbines. These propellants are powered by various sources of energy. Each combination of energy source and propellant is a resource choice. Resource choices have important environmental considerations. Intense comparison of various resource choices. |
Social Science: Geography G: Identify and explain physical and human characteristics of places and regions, the processes that have shaped them and their geographic significance. C: Understand the social, cultural, and economic processes that change the characteristics of places over time. G: Understand the distribution and movement of people, ideas and products. C: Analyze the causes of human migration. G: Explain how humans and the physical environment impact and influence each other. C: Describe the consequences of humans changing the physical environment. Social Sciences: Economics G: Understand how the U.S. market economy functions as a system to address issues of resource allocation. C: Understand that resources are limited (e.g., scarcity, opportunity, cost) B: Understand incentives in a market economy that influence individuals and businesses in allocating resources. G: Understand how economic conditions in a market economy influence and are influenced by the decisions of consumers, producers, economic institutions and government. C: Understand economic trade-offs and how choices result in both costs and benefits to individuals and society. Technology: Technological Knowledge Assess the impacts and consequences of technology. Understand the relationship between technology and other disciplines.
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NPSC Materials: Coal is examined as a sample resource choice to begin discussion of environmental impacts.
NPSC Worksheet: Classroom Environmental Quality Form |
| #13 Resource Choices and the
Environment Further considerations of the different types of power generation and the resulting resource choices. Conservation as a choice. Electrical energy: Watts, Kilowatts and megawatts
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( Benchmarks are the same as in lesson 12 ) Social Science: Geography G: Identify and explain physical and human characteristics of places and regions, the processes that have shaped them and their geographic significance. C: Understand the social, cultural, and economic processes that change the characteristics of places over time. G: Understand the distribution and movement of people, ideas and products. C: Analyze the causes of human migration. G: Explain how humans and the physical environment impact and influence each other. C: Describe the consequences of humans changing the physical environment. Social Sciences: Economics G: Understand how the U.S. market economy functions as a system to address issues of resource allocation. C: Understand that resources are limited (e.g., scarcity, opportunity, cost) B: Understand incentives in a market economy that influence individuals and businesses in allocating resources. G: Understand how economic conditions in a market economy influence and are influenced by the decisions of consumers, producers, economic institutions and government. C: Understand economic trade-offs and how choices result in both costs and benefits to individuals and society. Technology: Technological Knowledge Assess the impacts and consequences of technology. Understand the relationship between technology and other disciplines.
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NPSC text Conservation math: Calculate the savings from switching from one energy source to another. NPSC text Conservation Lab: competition to design the most energy conserving jacket for cups of hot water. Suggestion: Advanced lesson: Create a pictorial or physical (topographic) model using dams, watersheds, and hydroelectric output. Introduce mathematics appropriate to the grade level. Introduce related topics for discussion:
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The Power Game – next page |
The power game uses all of the knowledge gained in the prior lessons. Teams of students compete and present their views on power resource alternatives, conservation and public policy. The communication – advocacy aspects of the benchmarks are addressed here: See English: Communication benchmarks | |
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The Power Game The Power Game is the last chapter in the Northwest Power System Curriculum. It gives students a chance to discuss and debate power generation scenarios using the knowledge they have acquired in the previous lessons. The students form teams which operate power companies. The teams are faced with decisions reflecting the real world: economics, environment, government, consumers, weather and technology. Each team discusses its options and tries to reach a consensus on what strategy to proceed with as it supplies electrical energy. The teacher can decide how and to what degree success should be measured; the real goal is to precipitate a lively discussion of the myriad conflicts and choices made in the power industry. There are 2 versions of the game: The Power Game and the Power Board Game. Game pieces: Power Resource Cards (showing Purchases price, power output and annual operating cost), current event cards, dice, recording sheets, "Pass cards," siting tokens and power system map. A game board is supplied for the Power board Game. The Power Game - This set of instructions has a practice game and 2 simpler versions of the game which can be used to build skills before playing the full simulation of the game. The Power Game has these basic rules:
The Power Board Game.
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