Biomass I. Science Activities in Energy [and] Teacher's Guide [microform]

Designed for science students in fourth, fifth, and sixth grades, the activities in this unit illustrate principles and problems related to biomass as a form of energy. (The word biomass is used to describe all solid material of animal or vegetable origin from which energy may be extracted.) Twelve student activities using art, economics, arithmetic, and other skills and disciplines help teachers directly involve students in exploring scientific questions and making discoveries of their own. Most activities in the unit can be conducted in the classroom, using materials readily available in any home or school. Experiments answer questions about plant growth, soil types, biomass production, and heat energy. Each activity is outlined on an illustrated single sheet which can be photocopied for distribution. The accompanying teacher's guide provides time guidelines, learner objectives, main concepts, process skills, materials and procedure clues, background information, precautions, strategies, and results for each activity. (LH)