Fossil Fuels, Who Needs Them

Junior geologists work through three mini-lessons that familiarize them with the formation and location of fossil fuels. Part one involves reading about petroleum and where it comes from via a thorough set of handouts. A lab activity...

More of a mini-unit than a lesson, these activities lead inquisitors through a survey of oil deposits. In the first part, they read about and view diagrams of sedimentary rock layers that trap oil. Next, they test porosity and...

Chemistry and earth science meet in a lesson on carbon dioxide emissions. After reading about atmospheric problems caused by using fossil fuels, science stars balance equations for the burning of different alkanes. They compute the...

Future scientists are introduced to the chemical consequences of burning fossil fuels, learning that fossil fuel combustion leads to the formation of oxides of three nonmetals: carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur, all of which end up in the...

Extracting oil is more difficult than many think! Learners work together and get hands-on as they represent oil companies drilling for oil by simulating oil extraction using beans. They identify the challenges faced in using...

Students calculate stoichiometrically the amount of carbon dioxide that would be emitted from burning a mole of varios alkanes that comprise fossile fuels. If the energy released from burning a mole of these alkanes is known, then the...

All types of energy are presented here, with neat pictures and labels to illustrate the technology typically used. Ways of harnessing the energy most efficiently are discussed, and good examples provide starters for further research....

Plastic bags, laptops, and even toothpaste all contain petroleum. A lesson explains how to define fossil fuels, including petroleum, and the many uses for fossil fuels in our everyday lives. It also details why new sources need to...

Humans have become addicted to fossil fuels. From pumping oil into our cars, to burning natural gas to heat our water, or using coal to create electricity that lights our homes, we are constantly relying on these nonrenewable resources....