Curated OER
Energy Flow Through Ecosystems
Middle or high school environmental studies classes will learn much from this presentation on energy in ecosystems. It covers the foundational topics of trophic levels, food webs, and nutrient cycles using informational text and...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Classroom Activities: What Is My Carbon Footprint?
Everyone leaves an impression on the world—some more than others. An interactive lesson has learners analyze their lifestyles and the impact they have on the environment. The analysis includes travel, food, and energy categories and ends...
Curated OER
Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System
Wow! What a lesson plan! Six terrific activities are described in great detail, in this 31-page document! Learners will model and explain cloud formation, sketch and identify certain cloud types, calculate and compare incoming and...
Carnegie Mellon University
International Perspectives to Climate Change 1
After a lecture about how the first industrial revolution triggered the path to climate change, your environmental studies class discusses what the impacts are. In a culminating activity, they get into groups and identify countries on a...
Teach Engineering
Energy Systems
Is electricity created in the outlet? Using posters of several energy systems, collaborative groups identify and describe the parts of their systems. The groups also look at the environmental impacts of the systems and present their...
EarthEcho International
Investigating How Electricity is Generated
What is the real cost of electricity? The real cost is not just the price you pay, but the environmental and economic costs as well. Scholars build, use, and judge the effectiveness of a turbine. They also investigate the environmental...
Kenan Fellows
Farm to Fuel: The Alternative Fuels Industry
Need a lesson to fuel young minds? A variety of hands-on activities is sure to get your class fired up! Beginning with an introductory slideshow and culminating with group presentations, the week-long unit has something for everyone....
Teach Engineering
Optimize! Cleaner Energy Options for Rural China
What are the trade-offs when looking to get the most benefit from an energy source? Small groups compare the cost-to-emission levels of several energy sources by looking at the information graphically. The groups utilize this information...
WindWise Education
How Does Energy Affect Wildlife?
Is wildlife affected the same way by different electricity generation methods? Teams work together to research four electricity generation sources and their impacts on wildlife. The teams create a summary report and share their findings.
Curated OER
Fossil Fuel Sources, Usage and Alternatives: What are the Options?
Students identify the different sources of fossil fuels. In this environmental science lesson plan, students research about how these impact our environment. They explore renewable energy sources that could replace fossil fuels.
Curated OER
Exploring Energy with GIS
Students examine GIS technology as it is used to locate energy sources. In this GIS activity, student access an assigned website to locate a series of lessons using the GIS software. They use the maps that are located on the primary...
Curated OER
Energy Efficiency Ambassadors
Definitely for high schoolers, this lesson is an open-ended exploration of energy efficiency. Groups of two to three junior environmental engineers design an experiment to test for efficiency. They prepare a full lab report and poster...
Curated OER
Energy and Conservation
Touching upon energy sources and the causes of pollution, this PowerPoint could be expanded. For example, it describes the greehnouse effect and the problems associated with global warming, but does not indicate that the greenhouse...
Kenan Fellows
Sensors in Chemistry
The Environmental Protection Agency monitors sensors to track air pollution and set clean air standards. Enthusiastic young scientists use similar sensors to gather data in their area and then apply the gas laws and conservation of...
National Wildlife Federation
Climate Solutions – A Call to Action!
The final lesson in the 21-part series on climate change focuses on energy solutions to the consumption problem. Using data specific to their school, pupils make recommendations, follow up on actions, and carefully track progress....
NOAA
What's the Big Deal?
Who knew that a possible answer to Earth's energy resource problems was lurking deep beneath the ocean's surface? Part four of a six-part series introduces Earth Science pupils to methane hydrate, a waste product of methanogens. After...
Polar Bears International
Taking Action!
Motivate young scientists to stand up and take action with this environmental science lesson. To begin, the class works in small groups brainstorming actions that support the conservation of the earth before creating and implementing an...
Curated OER
Energy Awareness Activity Book
If you are looking for worksheets about alternative energy sources to use on Earth Day, you'll find several here. However, since Earth Day is all about conserving natural resources, please print these double-sided in order to reduce the...
Curated OER
Attributes of Renewable Energy: From Nanopossibilities to Solar Power
Students explore solar energy, why we use it and how we use it. In this renewable energy lesson students compare active and solar techniques.
Curated OER
Fueling Around with Energy: A Comparative Study of Conventional and Renewable Energy Use Among Nations
Ninth graders examine the relationship between energy and society. In groups, they define energy sources as renewable or conventional and research how each method contributes to the world's energy. They write about how the patterns of...
Curated OER
Energy of the Future
Learners examine technologies that already exist and record their findings in a journal. They work with students in other countries to explore alternative energy sources They publish their designs online.
Curated OER
Energy Agents in Action
Students share information about energy use and conservation. In this energy use lesson, students work as a production team to make an instructional video about basic energy information. They develop a short survey about energy use that...
Curated OER
Environmental Agents of Mathematics: Mathematics for Change
High schoolers analyze environmental science data using Math. They do research about renewable energy, gather data, create graphs and interpret their findings. Then the group presents their arguments persuasively using their findings to...
Curated OER
Considerations in Heating a Home
Emerging engineers discover how important it is to conserve energy as fossil fuel supplies are being diminished. This is accomplished by working through a handout that explains energy requirements for heating a home during the winter....