The Harold Keen Coal Company has produced an excellent video which shows the viewer all about the process of mining coal that shows some rarely-seen images of the intricacies of underground mining. Surface mining is also described in...

Do not overlook this set of lessons just because your school does not have a data analysis system. There is plenty of material here to administer a complete mini unit on the formation, distribution, and properties of coal. Since it...

In this coal formation worksheet, students read and informational sheet about coal formation. Students are given 5 short-answer questions regarding what they've read.

Some really interesting worksheets on Amtrak's national routes, and the major river systems of the United States accompany this lesson on the transportation of coal throught the country. This is an exceptionally well-designed lesson that...

Explore the current political debate over regulating power plant emissions. Critical thinkers research, formulate, and present arguments regarding selective catalytic reduction systems for coal-burning plants.

Get energized about all the different sources of energy. A research project has scholars investigate a renewable or non-renewable energy type of their choice. They write a report on their findings and decide on a way to publish their work.

The coal is mined. Now what? Scholars design a coal silo that stores mined earth using at least two different three-dimensional shapes. They calculate the volume, determine the amount of mined earth produced in a day, and find the amount...

Alternative energy sources are becoming increasingly important. Learners have the opportunity to explore alternative energy sources using a differentiated instruction unit. They group together based on ability levels, assign roles to...

Practice makes perfect! A released AP® exam gives scholars practice with the high level of expectations of their exams. The exam consists of four questions from 2000. Questions ask about endangered species, recycling, alternative fuels,...

Radioactive isotopes have a wealth of uses, but their waste may cause some concern. One of four free-response questions challenges learners to devise a waste removal strategy for medical radioactive substances. Other questions address...

The Industrial Revolution changed transportation systems, social systems, and economies. Episode 21 of Crash Course History of Science examines the Industrial Revolution. From the invention and improvements to the steam engine to the...

Plastic bags, laptops, and even toothpaste all contain petroleum. A lesson explains how to define fossil fuels, including petroleum, and the many uses for fossil fuels in our everyday lives. It also details why new sources need to...

At one point, scale trees accounted for nearly half of the biomass in North America and Europe. An installment of a longer video series introduces these strange plants and describes their features, adaptations, and eventual demise. It...

Where do the hydrocarbons we use for energy come from? Science scholars learn the origins of our fossil fuels in a short video. The animated video includes information on how fossil fuels formed, their uses, and how a number of useful...

Nature has the ultimate recycling program — the Carbon Cycle! How do fossil fuels fit into this program? Pupils answer this question as they observe how all this added carbon serves to unbalance the cycle. Using the perspective of "new"...

Aren't all rocks the same? High school earth scientists can say "definitely not!" after viewing the second in a series of seven videos. Beginning with an easy analysis and comparison of sandstone and granite, class members follow the...

Turn your class discussion of rock formation from ho-hum to holy hornfels! Junior geologists gain experience in identifying rock types and rock origins, with an emphasis in hypothesizing the environment needed to form certain rocks. The...

Coal forms from the ancient remains of plants that were alive on Earth before the dinosaurs! Scholars use their t-charts from the previous lesson over resources and research to determine if their information is correct. Through analysis...

If someone yelled for eight years and eight months, they could produce enough energy to heat one cup of coffee. A lesson on energy encourages scholars to research 10 different energy sources in groups before playing a game. Twenty...

Lab closed, gone fission! This video discusses both fission and fusion and their relationship to each other. In addition, it also explains why uranium, plutonium, and hydrogen are used and which process uses which elements. 

As scientists prove environmental impacts of using coal as an energy resource, do you think Santa regrets giving out so much of it? Through a demonstration of acid rain, pupils learn what makes it, where it occurs, the impact of it, and...

When I was young, I was afraid of the dark. Now I am afraid of getting the electric bill. This fourth lesson in a series of eight focuses on coal mining, conservation, and energy efficiency. Scholars start by taking data from a table and...