333333NIREXDealing with waste

Notes for teachers

This electronic resource is split into two units, with an on-line debate and an appendix.

Nuclear energy looks at how uranium can be used as a fuel. It gives a detailed picture of the process of fi ssion, how this is made use of in a nuclear power station, and the nature of spent fuel.

Radioactive waste looks at how spent fuel is handled and the problems of managing radioactive waste long into the future.

The debate starts with a survey in the form of a questionnaire, inviting students to express their views on a number of statements. They can then enter the debate, in which they can identify views with which they agree or disagree.

The appendix contains charts which provide detailed data in two areas: energy and electricity, and nuclear energy and waste. Some of these are accessible from other points in the resource.

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www.schoolscience.co.uk/content/4/physics/nirex/index.html

Contents

The nuclear debate

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Scientifi c enquiry

Contexts for scienceBenefi ts & drawbacks of scientifi c/technological developmentsScience: historical & contemporary examplesPrimary informationSecondary information

Energy & nutrient transfer

Carbon & nitrogen cycles

Obtaining & using materials

Fossil resources - generallyHydrocarbons

Electricity & magnetism

Mains electricity - generally

Radioactivity

Background radiationAlpha/beta/gamma radiationHalf life

Energy

Energy resourcesEnergy - using electricity

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NIREXDealing with waste

Notes for teachers

Curriculum links (using the COL keyword scheme)

A world of atomswww.schoolscience.co.uk/content/4/physics/atoms/index.html

Ionising radiationswww.schoolscience.co.uk/content/4/physics/atoms/partch5pg1.html

Inside atoms (advanced)www.schoolscience.co.uk/content/5/physics/particles/index.html

Web links

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1 - Using the survey to raise questions for further investigation

Start by displaying the survey form, and invite one or two volunteers from the class. Emphasise that they are free to make any responses to the questions; there are no right or wrong answers. They are helping to establish points on which members of the class are uncertain.

If you have a single volunteer, read out each question separately, and ask them where they are inclined to put their response on the Agree/Disagree scale. Ask gently probing questions, for example:

Question 1 relates to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Does the volunteer know whether a nuclear power station emits CO

2? What does come out of a

nuclear power station? Invite suggestions from the class. As you listen to the points that are made, make a public record (eg on a whiteboard) of any areas of uncertainty, in the form of questions for further investigation.

If you have a pair of volunteers, ask them to discuss each question in turn. They may come to a consensus, or they may disagree. As before, record any questions for further investigation, and enter the agreed response. (If there is no agreement, enter a response between the two individual responses.)

Once the survey form is complete, keep a note of the responses for future reference. Submit the responses by clicking on ‘Submit answers’ at the foot of the form.

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Notes for teachers

Using the resource

Now look at the list of questions which has been generated. Share them out amongst the class, and direct them to the fi rst two parts of this electronic resource where answers may be researched. Give a deadline for reporting back.

(The idea of this approach is to allow students to voice any ideas which they may have in advance of a study of nuclear waste, whilst identifying areas where students lack knowledge.)

Revisit the survey form; are there any answers which the respondents would now change?

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2 - As the basis of a data interpretation exerciseDirect your students to the second section of the appendix. This provides a series of charts concerning nuclear power and waste production.

Use Student worksheet 1, Interpreting data on nuclear power, to give your students practice in deducing Interpreting data on nuclear power, to give your students practice in deducing Interpreting data on nuclear powerinformation from graphs, charts and tables.

3 - QuestionnaireAsk your students to devise their own questionnaire on nuclear power and nuclear waste. It could include factual questions with true/false responses, and questions of opinion with responses on an agree/disagree scale. After administering their questionnaire to members of the target audience, they should collect together responses and identify areas of uncertainty or disagreement. Then ask them to devise a poster or leafl et which is aimed at improving the public’s scientifi c understanding of nuclear issues.

4 - Using the debate

Direct students to the on-line debate. Suggest that they choose a side of the argument to take. This doesn’t have to necessarily be in line with their own views. Ask them to work through the debate and, at each stage, choose the response with which they agree most. When they fi nd it isn’t answering their questions, get them to send in their own response using the link at the bottom. This may get incorporated into the debate at a later stage

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NIREXDealing with waste

Notes for teachers

Using the resource

To answer these questions, you will need to study the charts at:

www.schoolscience.co.uk/content/4/physics/nirex/wastecharts2.html

Nuclear power use

1. a Which country generates most electricity in nuclear power stations?

b Is this increasing?

2. Which European country generates most electricity in nuclear power stations?

3. Is the UK a big user of nuclear power?

Sources of background radiation

4. What is the biggest contributor to the background radiation we receive?

5. How much does radiation from space contribute?

6. Does nuclear power make a signifi cant contribution to background radiation?

Nuclear waste volumes

7. What do these stand for: HLW, ILW, LLW?

8. Which class of waste is produced in the greatest volumes?

CO2 emissions

9. a Which region of the world produces the most CO2 per head each year/

b How much?

10. Is the UK above or below the European average?

11. Which region emits least? Why do you think this is?

12. What pattern is there in how total CO2 emissions have changed since 1990?

CO2 production

13. Which methods of electricity generation produce the most CO2 for each kilowatt-hour of electricity generated?

14. Which methods produce the least CO2?

Interpreting data on nuclear power

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Dealing with wasteStudent worksheet 1

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