ESC Live Resources
Learning resources
ESC Live: virtual, out-of-the classroom events connecting school children with engineers, was our first major project, where we visited energy generation facilities across the South West! We streamed these visits live to selected schools & colleges in the area, and produced curriculum-linked teaching resources to accompany each event. Read more about the project background + funding in our news post.
Here, you can find our resources from each episode, so you can re-watch them in your own time and access the teacher and student resources too. If you do make use of these resources please fill in the feedback forms linked below, it really helps us understand if they’re being used, how useful these are for you and how we can improve!
Resources for each episode includes:
- Event videos – Full edited recordings to be used in lessons
- Teacher resource packs – Including lesson plans, event slides, worksheets, quizzes and additional activities
- Supplemental videos – Such as interviews, and tours of engineering facilities
- Event highlights videos – Short videos for the public
- Teacher and student feedback forms – If you use these resources, we’d be so grateful for your feedback!
Episodes
Plymouth Energy from Waste Facility
As part of our pilot work for this project, we learned about how non-recyclable waste is used to generate heat and power in Plymouth, and met some inspiring engineers to learn about their careers and path into engineering. This may be best suited for GCSE (ages 14-16) students, but the level of descriptions are also suitable for year 7’s upwards.
Curriculum links: energy resources, the fire triangle, chemical (combustion) equations, converting energy from one form to another, the basics of how a steam turbine works to generate electricity.
Creacombe Solar Farm
Our first in-person ESC Live event was at Creacombe Solar Farm in Devon, hosted live for local schools, with their questions answered throughout. We learnt about this community energy project, how solar panels work along with some current research in photovoltaics, whilst meeting engineers and site experts and learning about their career paths. This educational event was aimed at Key Stage 2/3 (ages 9-12) students.
Curriculum links: converting energy from one form to another, renewable energy, light and the electromagnetic spectrum (basic explanation), electricity and power in circuits, the Earth and Sun.
Fullabrook Down Wind Farm
Our second in-person ESC Live event took us to Fullabrook Down Wind Farm in North Devon, where we livestreamed to Year 7s and 8s from two local secondary schools and answered their questions throughout. We learned about what wind energy is, how wind turbines work and what it takes to run a wind farm, whilst meeting engineers and site experts and learning about careers in engineering and the future of wind energy.
Curriculum links: Earth and the atmosphere, energy changes and transfers, describing motion, forces, electricity and electromagnetism.
Eden Geothermal
In October 2021, we visited Eden Geothermal in Cornwall to learn about their groundbreaking project! The livestream was attended by year 10s from Cornwall schools. We learned about geothermal energy – where it comes from and how Cornwall is an ideal place for it – the engineering challenges involved in drilling a hole 5km deep into solid granite, and how the heat from under the ground can be used to generate electricity.
Curriculum links: Power ratings (W, kW), energy resources, Earth and atmosphere, radioactivity.
Totnes Weir Hydro
In November 2021, we visited Totnes Weir Hydroelectricity Power Plant in Devon. We learned about this community renewable energy project, the principles of operation of the Archimedes screw turbine and how hydroelectricity projects are developed, with an engineering careers Q&A at the end. This educational event was aimed at Key Stage 3/4 (ages 13-16) students.
Curriculum links: Power ratings, power as rate of transfer of energy, work, energy changes and transfers, gravitational potential energy, torque, energy resources.
Langage Anaerobic Digestion Plant
In May 2022, we visited Langage Anaerobic Digestion plant near Plymouth. We learned about their brilliant closed loop system converting food waste from the Langage dairy produce factory and the local area into electricity to power the factory, and into fertilisers. We met engineers at the plant and learned about their career paths. This educational event was aimed at Key Stage 3 (ages 11-14) students and the resources can be adapted for Key Stage 2.
Curriculum links: Cellular respiration (anaerobic); Fuel uses and costs; Energy changes and transfers; Energy resources.
COAST Laboratory
In July 2022 we visited the Coastal, Ocean and Sediment Transport (COAST) Laboratory at the University of Plymouth. We learned about this offshore renewable energy testing facility, focusing on floating offshore wind turbines and methods of generating electricity from wave power. We met engineers at the facility and learned about their research and their career paths. This educational event was aimed at Key Stage 4 (ages 14-16) students.
Curriculum links: Energy changes and transfers; power as rate of transfer of energy; renewable and non-renewable energy sources; waves in air, fluids and solids.
Kensa Heat Pumps Factory
In July 2022 we visited the Kensa Heat Pumps factory in Cornwall. We learned about the principles of operation of these devices, how they’re made at the factory, and how the ground source heat pumps (that Kensa specialise in) differ from air source heat pumps. We met engineers at the facility and learned about their job roles and their career paths. This educational event was aimed at Key Stage 5 (ages 16-18) students.
Curriculum links: Order of magnitude estimations, thermodynamics: thermal energy, efficiency, second law, heat pumps/refrigerators.