This resource describes how hydroelectric power plants work and details the largest hydropower plant in the world, the Three Gorges Dam in China.
Students will learn about how hydropower plants operate, why Three Gorges Dam is controversial, and the future of hydropower.
Teaching Tips
Positives
The animated video is engaging and easy to comprehend.
The assessment questions are scaffolded and will quickly determine the student's level of understanding.
The Dig Deeper section provides links to sources for further reading.
Additional Prerequisites
Students will need to enter their names or create a TEDEd account to complete the assessment.
Prior knowledge of different power sources would be helpful for understanding.
Differentiation
Cross-curricular connections could be made in economics or social studies classes by discussing how different types of energy generation impact the economies or governments that support them.
This resource lends itself well to creating a pro and con list, either in groups or as a whole class. The list can review the positives and negatives of the Three Gorges Dam and hydropower in general.
As an extension, have students debate the topic, using Dig Deeper resources to help them make their points.
Other related resources include this interactive database of global power plants and this video about another controversial power generation technique.
Scientist Notes
This video resource from TEDEd explains how hydroelectric power plants work and why they are controversial. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Standards
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
MS-ESS3-3 Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.
HS-ESS3-2 Evaluate competing design solutions for developing, managing, and utilizing energy and mineral resources based on cost-benefit ratios.
ETS1: Engineering Design
MS-ETS1-1 Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.
HS-ETS1-1 Analyze a major global challenge to specify qualitative and quantitative criteria and constraints for solutions that account for societal needs and wants.
College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards
Dimension 2: Geography
D2.Geo.4.6-8 Explain how cultural patterns and economic decisions influence environments and the daily lives of people in both nearby and distant places.
D2.Geo.6.6-8 Explain how the physical and human characteristics of places and regions are connected to human identities and cultures.
D2.Geo.12.9-12 Evaluate the consequences of human-made and natural catastrophes on global trade, politics, and human migration.
