Lesson video

Hello, my name is Chloe.

I'm a geography field studies tutor, that means I teach children all about the outdoors.

This lesson is called, "Planning To Do Field Work." It's in a unit of work called, "How Can We Investigate the Sustainability of Our School?" In this lesson, we're going to be thinking more about what field work actually is.

We're going to learn that it's a lot more than just taking our learning outside.

It's all about the different stages of how we go about answering a question.

Let's get on with our lesson right now and find out more about that.

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to use your understanding of renewable energy to plan a field work inquiry.

Let's look at some key words before we get started.

First of all, solar farm.

This is a large area of solar panels that, together, can make a lot of renewable energy.

Sustainable means meeting the needs of today without damaging the needs of future generations.

A field work inquiry is an investigation where data is collected, presented, and examined so that we can answer a geographical question.

And finally, land use.

This is the purpose of the land and how humans are currently using it.

This lesson is divided into two parts.

The first part is this question, what do solar farms need to be successful? We're gonna be thinking a lot about that.

In the second part of the lesson, we're going to be answering this question, how can we investigate solar energy at our school? For now, let's get started on that first idea about solar farms and what they need to be successful.

Solar energy is one type of renewable energy.

Solar panels capture sunlight and convert it into electricity that we can use in our homes and schools.

You can see some in the picture there.

A solar farm is a large group of solar panels.

Solar farms need certain conditions to work at their best.

Solar farms need lots of sunlight, although solar panels will work in the shade as well.

They need large areas of land.

And they need land or space that is not used for anything.

Let's check our understanding so far.

True or false, solar panels do not work in the shade? Have a think about what I've just said, pause the video, and come back to me with the right answer.

So, what do you think? Is it false? Yes, it is.

Well done, but why is it a false statement? Well done, if you recognized that solar panels will work in the shade or in cloudy conditions, but they work at their best when they're in full sunlight.

Let's listen in to this conversation between Sophia, Jun, and Izzy.

Sophia starts by saying, "Our school must use so much energy." Jun says, "There are lights and boards in every classroom, and the office and the kitchen have lots of equipment that use electricity." And then Izzy asks the question, "So, could we have a solar farm at our school? That would make our energy use much more sustainable.

A solar farm would even make energy when we aren't here." Of course, Izzy is recognizing that a solar farm would work regardless of whether the school is open or not.

Most solar farms are found on land that does not have any buildings on it.

This might mean a school is not suitable for a solar farm.

Lucas asks, "Will there be enough sunlight at our school?" Sam asks, "What is the land use around our school buildings?" We need to do a field work inquiry to find out whether a solar farm is possible.

Let's check our understanding again.

Why might a school not be suitable for a solar farm? Is it a.

, the land use means there is not enough space for a solar farm, b.

, schools are always built in shady areas, so a solar farm would get no sunlight, or is it c.

, schools do not use a lot of energy, so they do not need a solar farm? Have a think about the conversation we've just heard between the children and then come back to me with the right answer.

So, what answer did you go for? Well done, if you put a.

Yes, land use around a school means there's often not enough space for a solar farm.

Before we move off this exercise, let's look at the other two options.

Schools are always built in shady areas.

Is that true? I can certainly think that most schools have at least a small area which has sunlight on it.

Our other option says schools do not use a lot of energy.

Let's remember, schools actually use a lot of energy in the classrooms, maybe in the kitchen, in the office.

There's all kinds of equipment around us which is using energy all the time, so we know it's not that option either.

Well done, if you've got option a.

Let's go to our first practice task now.

Can you complete this diagram? You can either use words, pictures, or you can use words and pictures to show your ideas.

You need to think of three things that solar farms need.

Pause the video here and have a think about everything we've just learned.

Can you think of the three things that solar farms need? Draw or write your answers in three boxes around the outside of your diagram.

Let's now take a look at your diagram.

It will look something like this.

Hopefully, you have recognized that solar farms need a lot of sunlight, but you might have also mentioned that, of course, solar panels do work in the shade, just not as well as in the sunlight.

You should have mentioned that solar farms need large areas of land.

That's really important.

Solar farms also need land or space that is not used for anything.

Check your diagram now to see if it matches the one that you can see here.

Let's now move on to the second part of our lesson, we're going to be answering this question now, how can we investigate solar energy at our school? Let's listen into this conversation between Alex and Laura.

Alex starts off.

He says, "We should definitely have solar panels at school.

They are great for the future environment and they can save people money too." Brilliant observations from Alex.

He's absolutely right there.

But what's Laura gonna say in reply? "But we don't know if solar panels are going to be a good idea for our particular school." Alex is talking more generally about solar panels, he's recognizing that, in general, they are a good idea, but Laura is thinking about the school environment in particular, and she's wondering if solar panels are gonna really work at a school.

It's important to remember that just because we think something is a good idea, it does not mean it will work in every place all the time.

A field work inquiry is a way of discovering more about a geographical idea in relation to a specific place.

Aisha says, "In this case, our geographical idea is solar power." And Jacob says, "And our specific place is our school." So we're linking those two things together in our field work inquiry.

Our geographical idea is all about solar power, but our specific place is our school.

We're linking those two things together when we carry out a fieldwork inquiry.

Geographers use the inquiry cycle to help them discover new information and make sense of it.

Let's go through each of these stages of the inquiry cycle now.

Our fieldwork starts with a question about what we wish to find out.

Then we go outside and collect data that helps us to answer our question.

We come back inside, and we draw our data using graphs and maps, and this helps us to understand it.

Let's check our understanding so far about the inquiry cycle.

Fill in the gaps using the correct word from the box.

Now, you'll notice there are three gaps, but there are four words available.

That means that one of the will not be used.

Pause the video here so you can have a read through the paragraph below, and then come back to me once you've got your three words in the right places.

Right, let's see what answers you've got here.

During field work, we collect data that can help us to answer our inquiry question.

We then present that data to help us understand what the data shows.

Well done, if you've got those three words in the right places.

Let's carry on with our inquiry cycle now.

Our fourth stage is where we reflect on our findings, we think carefully about our data, and we look for patterns.

Then we communicate our findings by answering our inquiry question.

Finally, we evaluate our field work.

This is where we think about the strengths and weaknesses of our field work and how we carried it out.

Let's check our understanding now.

What does it mean to evaluate the field work? Is it a.

, to answer the inquiry question, b.

, to think about the strengths and weaknesses of the field work, or c.

, to look for patterns in the data? Remember, it's the last stage in our field work inquiry cycle.

So, which one of those options means to evaluate field work? Pause the video here and have a think and then come back to me.

So, what answer did you get? Let's check.

Well done, if you've got b.

, yes, to evaluate our field work is where we think about the strengths and weaknesses of our field work.

Well done.

Let's now move on to the practice section of this lesson, it's in two parts.

Firstly, I'd like you to draw the field work inquiry cycle with each stage in the right order.

Then I'd like you to choose one of the stages and explain in more detail what you would do at that stage.

You're definitely going to want to pause the video here and take your time over this.

Really think carefully about those six different stages of the inquiry cycle and getting them in the right order.

You might want to work with a friend to do this.

So, how did you get on? Let's, first of all, look at our field work inquiry cycle.

Did you manage to get each stage in the right order? Let's check.

Your inquiry cycle should look like this.

At the top, you should have your about asking questions and planning your field work.

Then collecting data, presenting data, reflecting on your findings, communicating your findings, and then finally evaluating your field work.

Look at your inquiry cycle carefully to check that you've got the word incorrect for each stage of the inquiry cycle.

The second task was to choose one of the stages and then explain it in more detail.

Your answer may include wording like this, 'cause I've chosen to look at the data presentation stage, "In the 'present our data' stage, we draw our data using graphs and maps to help us understand it." Well done, if you've really tried hard to explain what happens in your stage of the inquiry cycle.

Let's now summarize what we've learned today.

A solar farm needs lots of sunlight, a large area, and space that is not used for anything.

We can follow the field work inquiry cycle to investigate if our school is suitable for a solar farm.

Well done, for completing that first lesson.

We've set ourselves up really well to now get started properly on our field work inquiry into solar panels.

What do you think? Do you think your school would be able to have solar panels? We're gonna find out as we go through the other stages of the inquiry cycle.