Postcard to Governor
Goal: Demonstrate your understanding of different energy resources that can be turned into electricity. Use persuasive writing techniques and formal letter-writing skills.
TASK: Design and write a postcard to the Governor of Kansas to persuade him/her that Kansas should invest in a particular method of electrical energy production.
Review the following sources of energy that can be used to make electricity:
- hydroelectric energy – moving water
- geothermal energy – from heat inside the earth (geysers, hot springs)
- wind energy – moving air
- biomass energy – burning organic trash
- solar energy – sun
- fossil fuels – energy trapped from ancient plants & animals (coal, oil, natural gas)
- nuclear energy – splitting the atoms of uranium
Choose one that you think Kansas should invest money in building more electrical power plants of that type. Consider the entire state of Kansas and its resources and landforms.
Use resource books to get specific details for the letter, and to get ideas for the illustration.
Write a formal, persuasive postcard to the governor. Include the following points: which energy source you suggest (with details explaining the source), why this would be a good source of energy for Kansas to use (give details about its benefits and how it works with the Kansas environment), and why we need more electrical power plants in general (what is causing a need for more electricity?).
Begin the letter with one of these two salutations:
Dear Governor Brownback:
Dear Honorable Sam Brownback:
Sign your letter this way:
Sincerely,
First name signature
First name in print, 4th grade Sacred Heart School, Shawnee
On the blank side of the post card, draw a full-color picture of the energy source you are writing about. You should fill all the space and be detailed.
With your parent's permission, see this persuasive YouTube video of an "Earthjustice" conference at which former Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius spoke about coal and other types of electrical power plants.
Check out this site dedicated to wind power in Kansas.
See a brief video of Kansas wind turbines.
See a longer video debating the use of wind turbines.