Students will be introduced to different types of energy resources, build a solar-powered car and create newsletter demonstrating what they learned.

Students will discover a world of energy resources and gain a better understanding of renewable and non renewable energy, vocabulary and percentages. Students will demonstrate their new-found knowledge by creating and racing a solar-powered car, and publishing a newsletter with a report of the event. This newsletter will also include sections from each iMAK class.

Students will practice writing narratives as well as organizing ideas and details as they document their solar-powered car projects. For checkpoint #1, they will keep observation journals as they build their solar-powered cars, interview partners about their car projects, and organize their observations and interview notes into plot diagrams. For checkpoint #2, students will draft personal and imaginative narratives about building and racing their cars. To wrap things up, students will learn introductory journalism skills and transform their stories into articles for the English section of the newsletter.

Students will be introduced to vocabulary for the integrated project and will use the Frayer Model for vocabulary development. Each student will be assessed on how well they can use their new vocabulary in their own sentences (checkpoint #1). Students will read a Newbridge Book on Energy Resources to create a book review, using vocabulary learned. Book review will be used in their newsletter (checkpoint #2).

Each student will prepare a fact sheet for checkpoint #1 consisting of three renewable and non renewable resources from North Africa and/or the Middle East. For checkpoint #2, students will create a visual, identifying area in which these renewable/nonrenewable resources are found. The above information will be portrayed in a political cartoon.

For checkpoint # 1, the students will record data (in percentages) gathered in Social Studies. For checkpoint #2, each student will develop a graph using percentages that will represent the countries that supply the world with oil and other resources. The final project will reflect terminology utilized throughout unit and be represented in puzzle form for newsletter.

For checkpoint # 1, students will be required to identify energy resources at home or school. For checkpoint #2, students will build and test a solar-powered car. This car will be raced against other cars at a Solar Powered Car Derby. For their final project, the students will create an advertisement with a picture of their solar car.

Students will use Producer to create, save, and run a presentation that highlights home energy-saving practices. Students will select a presentation template, choose a presentation scheme, and enter presentation information (checkpoint #1). Students will import slides, still images, audio and video files to complete the presentation (checkpoint #2). Students will use Publisher to generate newsletters by inputting, editing, formatting and arranging information into articles for their final integrated project.