Activity

Geothermal Japan

A reading activity that educates on geothermal energy use in Japan.

This activity can be considered supplementary and a fulfillment of the Education of Sustainable Development within English class.

I did it end of year with 2nd graders with New Horizon 2 grammar in mind; however it can be adapted to other grades as well.

Start with the Powerpoint to go over new vocab and get them thinking. I sent the main reading slide to their tablets. I would have adapted the worksheet to the tablet as well but my JTE preferred to do it on paper. Admittedly, it's easier to read on the tablet and then fill in the worksheet. Flipping back and forth on the tablet could be a challenge.

I think this is an important topic as one of the main barriers to geothermal development in Japan is social acceptance, particularly by local onsen associations. This is essentially an irrational fear as there are no proven negative effects to onsen from geothermal energy development. With proper risk and environmental assessment by developers, geothermal has the potential to be a safe and beneficial. The government is working to increase geothermal plants, although acceptance from onsen remains a challenge.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/oilandgas/10701440/Japans-first-new-geothermal-power-plant-in-15-years-to-open-next-month.html

Files:
Small files
  • Geothermal Japan Worksheet.docx (15.1 KB)
  • Japan Geothermal.png (510 KB)
  • Medium files (requires an account to download) -
  • Japan Geothermal.pptx (2.91 MB)
  • 0
    Submitted by barronator March 17, 2022 Estimated time: 30mins
    1. Keith Miyazaki March 22, 2022

      This is a great resource! I think this demonstrates SDG 4 supporting SDGs 7, 9, 11, and 13. Excellent! It could also be a great addition to New Horizon 3 Let's Read 2 (pp.106-9).

    2. Keith Miyazaki March 22, 2022

      The Telegraph article you linked is eight years old. There are a few more recent sources here:

      https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/11/6923b0fcd6ca-geothermal-power-plants-in-japan-quadruple-since-2011-nuke-accident.html

      https://grsj.gr.jp/english/gej/?l=en_US

      https://www.irena.org/newsroom/articles/2009/Apr/Unlocking-geothermal-potential-in-Japan-through-small-scale-generation

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