Lesson 3 Plan

Nuclear Waste: What Is It and Where Is It?

Purpose:

This lesson introduces students to the sources and types of nuclear waste and future plans for nuclear waste disposal. Four basic types of nuclear waste are identified and defined. In addition, the unique characteristics and handling of each of the four nuclear waste types are described.

Concepts:

1. Nuclear waste comes from numerous industrial and government sources and there are various types of waste. These types are categorized as: high-level waste, low-level waste, transuranic waste, and mill tailings.
   
   
2. The category of high-level waste includes spent nuclear fuel from nuclear reactors and high-level radioactive waste from national defense programs. In other countries, high-level waste is also created by the reprocessing of civilian reactor spent nuclear fuel to allow the re-use of fissionable materials still in the fuel.
   
   
3. High-level wastes are extremely radioactive and will remain so for thousands of years.
   
   
4. High-level wastes are currently stored in temporary facilities.
   
   
5. The U.S. government has chosen to permanently dispose of solid high-level waste in an underground facility, called a repository.

Duration of Lesson:

Two 50-minute class periods

Objectives:

After participating in this lesson, students will be able to

1. identify the sources and types of nuclear waste;
   
   
2. define the four nuclear waste forms;
   
   
3. specify the current handling and storage/disposal of each waste form;
   
   
4. specifically understand how spent nuclear fuel is created;
   
   
5. identify the important characteristics of a disposal facility;
   
   
6. understand the volume (amount of space occupied) of the spent nuclear fuel that exists in the United States.

Skills:

Listening, describing, discussing, explaining, matching, reading, summarizing

Vocabulary:

ceramic pellets, dry storage facilities, fission products, fuel assembly, fuel rods, geologic repository, high-level waste, low-level waste, mill tailings, neutrons, radon, transuranic element, transuranic waste

Materials:

Reading Lesson: ““Nuclear Waste: What Is It and Where Is It?”

Activity Sheet: "Nuclear Waste: What Is It and Where Is It?"

Answer Key for "Nuclear Waste: What Is It and Where Is It?"

Activity Sheet: “Nuclear Waste Cube”

Suggested Procedure:

1. Ask students to read the “Nuclear Waste: What Is It and Where Is It?” reading lesson.
   
   
2. Discuss reading lesson with students. Discuss the different types of nuclear waste, what identifies each waste form, and how each waste form is disposed of.
   
   
3. Ask students to complete student Activity Sheet #1. Allow 15 minutes to complete the assignment.
   
   
4. Using transparency “Nuclear Waste: What Is It and Where Is It?” ask the students to share their answers.
   
   
5. Hand out copies of Activity #2: “Nuclear Waste Cube.” Discuss the statement: If we generated all of the electricity for one person’s lifetime energy demands using nuclear power, we could approximately fill the cube with the amount of spent nuclear fuel remaining.
   
   
6. Ask the students to use the diagram as a guide, cut out and fold the pattern to make a cube. Materials required: scissors, and glue or tape.
   
   
7. Ask students to prepare a two-page paper that details a waste disposal method. Each student will choose one of the four nuclear wastes and describe a disposal facility specific to that waste. Students should explain what types of isolating methods are or are planned to be used to ensure the safety of both the environment and the population.

Teacher Evaluation of Learner Performance:

Participation in the class discussion, completion of student activities, and completion of the assigned paper will indicate understanding.

Additional Enrichment:

Ask students to identify different types of disposal facilities that are in their community. What is the facility disposing? What are the unique features of this waste form?