Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Electricity

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Students explore where electricity comes from and how it is used in their everyday lives. Through discussion and hands-on activities, they define electricity and explain how it travels to our homes. Students make informed choices based...
Lesson Plan
US Department of Energy

Geothermal Energy

For Teachers 5th - 8th
With Earth Day quickly approaching, as well as many science fairs, why not challenge your class to investigate geothermal energy or other renewable energy resources? There are five driving questions explored in depth here, as well as...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tucson Children's Museum Electricity Crossword

For Teachers 5th - 8th
In this Tucson Children's Museum Electricity worksheet, students review and discuss twenty key terms associated with electricity and complete a crossword puzzle with those key terms.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tucson Children's Museum Electricity Word Search

For Teachers 5th - 9th
In this Tucson Children's Museum Electricity worksheet, students review and discuss twenty key terms associated with electricity and circle each key term in a word search puzzle.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Electricity Generation

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students study the history of electricity and the different ways we generate electricity.  In this electricity instructional activity students complete several experiments on generating power.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Much Electricity Do You Use Each Year

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students relate the usage of common household appliances to coal usage. They examine the example of how much coal is used each year by a typical family of four to operate various appliances.
Lesson Plan
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California Academy of Science

Optimal and Sustainable: Renewable Energy Revamp

For Teachers 6th - 10th Standards
More than 100 cities around the world have shifted from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. Scholars investigate a city wanting to make this switch, but needs help determining how to make the shift. Groups consider all options,...
Lesson Plan
NOAA

Oceans of Energy

For Teachers 7th - 8th Standards
Are the earth's oceans really just giant batteries, waiting for their energy to be harnessed? Middle school mechanical engineers will be shocked by the amazing amount of energy that forms around them after diving into part four of a...
Lesson Plan
Science Matters

Forms of Energy

For Teachers 6th Standards
The amount of energy Americans use doubles every 20 years. The first lesson plan in a 10-part series teaches scholars about different forms of energy. They rotate through five stations with hands-on activities or experiments at each in...
Lesson Plan
National Renewable Energy Laboratory

No Fossils in This Fuel

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Yeast and sugar go beyond the pantry and into a fuel experiment. Use these common baking ingredients to assist your class in creating ethanol, a natural fuel. Pupils observe the process and gather information to elaborate...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Greenewables

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students form expert engineering teams working for the (fictional) alternative energy consulting firm, Greenewables, Inc. Each team specializes in a form of renewable energy used to generate electrical power: passive solar, solar...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Energizing Resources

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders describe electrical energy and how it is produced. In this natural resource lesson, 7th graders explain the various ways of obtaining and using natural resources for energy and the environmental consequences. They will...
Lesson Plan
Science Matters

Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources

For Teachers 6th Standards
Did you know there are at least 12 different energy sources? Scholars apply their knowledge about the different types of energy as they sort energy sources by renewable and nonrenewable. Then they pick one from each section to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Energy: The Big Picture

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
Students research about energy related topics. In this earth science lesson, students discuss ways to save energy. They create a presentation about their research and share it with the class.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Environment: Renewable Energy Sources

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students, in groups, conduct Internet research on various renewable energy sources. The groups create several multimedia slides for inclusion in a class presentation. Topics covered include solar, nuclear, and geothermal power.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Energy Is Everywhere

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students determine the difference between renewable and non-renewable resources and identify the different forms of energy. They discuss life without energy and where energy comes from before reading an article about the different...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Too Hot to Handle

For Teachers 6th - 7th
Students identify sources of geothermal energy. They watch videos and investigate the sources of geothermal energy.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Primary Energy Sources Pros and Cons

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Students explore the different types of renewable and nonrenewable energy sources. In this earth science instructional activity, students discuss the pros and cons of each type. They conduct a variety of experiments on renewable energy.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Solar Kit Lesson #7 - Positioning Solar Panels I: Explorations with Tracking

For Teachers 6th - 9th
In this first part of a two-part lesson, learners track and record the sun's azimuth using a solar panel. They graph and analyze the data to identify relationships among the time of day, the altitude and azimuth of the sun, and the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Residential Power System

For Teachers 7th - 11th
Perform data analysis on energy consumption to apply algebraic expressions to the real world. Learners will write and solve equations that answer various questions from residential power use. They will collect data at home and calculate...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sources of Energy

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders take a close look at how energy changes from one form to another within their surroundings. They also study the ten different sources of energy and determine which are renewable and which are non-renewable. This seven-page...
Lesson Plan
Carnegie Mellon University

Renewables Workshop

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Youngsters examine resource maps to find out which states are using solar and wind power and discuss as a class various other renewable energy sources. They use a provided data table to record pros and cons to each technology, build and...
Lesson Plan
National Wildlife Federation

An Energy Mix: Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
What did the windmill say about renewable energy? I'm a BIG fan! Lesson three in the series of 12 has classes discuss potential and kinetic energy and then, in pairs, they complete a web quest over the different types of energy...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Energy Conservation

For Teachers 8th - 9th
Students discuss the different uses of energy. They examine the consumption percentages to do household tasks. They discover ways to reduce their energy consumption.