Five photos and five descriptions open this 3-page 4th grade science sheet. Students write the letter of the matching description next to a coal plant, wind farm, hydroelectric dam, solar farm and geothermal plant. Page 2 follows a coal plant from burned coal to power lines in five boxes, with steam, turbine and electricity to place in three blanks, plus one sentence on whether coal is renewable. The answer key gives each letter with its description and a model sentence.
“Describe how different energy sources are used to make electricity.”
The five matches on page 1.
“Put the steps of a coal power plant in order.”
The flow chart on page 2, from coal burned to power lines.
4-ESS3-1
“Obtain and combine information to describe that energy and fuels are derived from natural resources and their uses affect the environment.”
Each match names the resource a plant uses, and question 4 asks whether coal is renewable.
A table with a photo and name for each of five plants, a Match column, and five descriptions lettered A to E, such as wind pushes the blades and spins a generator, and falling water spins a turbine.
Five boxes joined by arrows: Coal burned, Water heated into, Steam spins a, Generator makes and Power lines carry it to homes. Three numbered blanks use a three-word bank. Question 4 asks if coal is renewable or nonrenewable, in one sentence.
The letters C, A, E, D and B for the five plants, then steam, turbine and electricity for the flow chart, and a model sentence calling coal nonrenewable.
What spins
Before students match, ask what spins in each plant. Solar is the odd one out, because nothing spins at all.
Pinwheel model
Pair it with a pinwheel or a small hand-crank generator. Blowing on the blades makes the wind and water descriptions easier to picture.
What gets burned
After page 1, ask which plants burn something. Only the coal plant does, and that leads straight into question 4.
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