National Renewable Energy Laboratory
No Fossils in This Fuel
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...
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Auditing the Energy-Guzzlers in Your Home
Students identify the energy sources in their community as renewable or non-renewable resources. Using their homes, they identify the types of energy they use to heat and power it. They calculate the amount of electricity used by each...
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Aquifers: Unlimited or Not
Learners understand that an aquifer can become a non-renewable resource if it is not used wisely. Students do an experiment that recreates an aquifer in the classroom.
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The Mathematics of Convection: Nature's Model for Energy Production
High schoolers conduct a series of experiments to investigate density, buoyancy and climate. In this math lesson, pupils design and build a hot air balloon to demonstrate convection. They research and write a paper about solar chimneys.
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Waste Watchers
Young scholars recognize the importance of saving energy to save natural resources. In this saving energy lesson, students complete a worksheet to find types of electricity meters in their homes. Young scholars use meter readings to...
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Oil Market Basics
In this natural resources instructional activity, students take a ten question quiz based on their knowledge of the oil market. This a multiple choice quiz.
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Old Solutions - New Solutions
Students examine descriptions of a mining company's land-reclamation project. They share information to analyze the environmental impact of the project. Independently, they answer questions on environmental and economic issues...
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Diversity of Trees
Fourth graders explore the uses of trees, In this trees lesson, 4th graders discover the uses of trees and how we use them everyday. Students collect items and decide if they are made from trees, have a scavenger hunt for wood products...
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Energy and the Environment
Fifth graders define terms associated with renewable and nonrenewable resources. They identify materials that are renewable and nonrewable. They categorize a list into the correct type of resource.
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Let's Start Growing
Young scholars investigate how a tree grows from a seed. In this plant biology lesson plan, students use potting soil, tree seeds, and a paper cup to observe seeds growing into plants. Young scholars record observations in their science...
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Watershed Model
Learners view a presentation of water and land and how we need to protect our water resources. In this water lesson plan, students discuss how we rely on water, and complete activities in all subjects related to water.
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Wood
Students practice reading comprehension strategies. In this literacy and science lesson, students read a non-fiction article about wood and locate main ideas and details. Students construct a card game using information taken from the text.
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Going in Cycles: The Life of an Aluminum Can
Students investigate the manufacture of aluminum cans and consider the energy and resources saved when the cans are made from recycled material. They explore the concept of closed-loop recycling using charts, worksheets and discussion.
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Power In Variety
Students discover different types of energy. For this energy source lesson students compare different types of energy, renewable and nonrenewable. Students answer questions about the different types of energy and their impact on the...
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What Is This Computer Made Of?
Pupils identify how many resources are used to produce an item and why each resource is so important. They examine their own use of renewable and nonrenewable natural resources.
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Simple Everyday Products
Fourth graders investigate the origin of products and how they are manufactured from natural resources. They draw the production cycle and discuss how one could help reduce the number of natural resources that are used. They also...
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Cooking with the Sun
Learners explore using energy from the sun for heating and cooking as they build and compare the performance of four solar cooker designs. This excellent two-day lesson has groups of students build and test a variety of solar cookers....
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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...
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Lights, Sounds, Fabrics and Designs: Careers in the World of Design
Students investigate the broad range of jobs that can be found in the world of design. Students explore sound design, language architecture, etc. Students design a resource book and post it on a website for others to share.
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Surface Water Supplies And The Texas Settlements
Pupils engage in a lesson plan that is concerned with the allocation and finding of water resources. The location of different settlement areas is considered as one looks how the water is distributed. They map some of the early Spanish...
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Energy Sources and Use
Students will use Internet resources to investigate and compare alternative sources of energy. It is presumed that students have some basic prior understanding of the concept of energy.
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Management of Commercial Fisheries
Learners examine the differences between renewable and nonrenewable resources and study about past fisheries. For this fishery lesson students explore the complexity of a fishery and its management.
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Mobility: Fuel for Change
Middle schoolers determine how to lower the reliance on petroleum-based fuel. For this environmental stewardship lesson, students create concept cars for the future that using renewable energy.
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The Great Energy Debate
Pupils explore the controversial issues surrounding the energy debate in Canada. They research recent initiatives being taken in this area and analyze their implication. Students then assume the roles of pivotal stakeholders in this...