Lesson Plan: Thinking about Energy

1. Introduce 6-8 grade students to the content using a framing question such as:

What resources will allow us to continue to live the way we do through the 21st century and beyond?

Students in grades 9-12 could be introduced to the content using a framing statement and question such as: In order to maintain our current standard of living, we depend upon environmental quality; the availability, use and access to resources; and our society’s political and cultural structure. What resources will allow us to continue to live the way we do through the 21st century and beyond? What factors impact the resources we will rely upon?

2. To present the survey, explain the idea of “thinking about your own thinking” as a means to better understand energy concepts as well as a means for teachers to prepare their instruction. Inform students that they will complete a survey about their understandings about energy concepts to help identify all of the things they know already and what the class should do as a whole to learn more about energy.

3. Allow students to work individually to complete the "Thinking About Energy" Survey. They will need to view the energy animations on the computer to complete the survey. Be sure to emphasize the fact that students will need to use the

Energy Basics Answer Sheet PDF Document

to complete the exercise.

4. Review the survey with the class to address any questions and alternate conceptions. (This step could also be done later in this lesson or a larger unit studying energy to allow students to assess how their thinking about energy may have changed.)

5. Revisit the framing questions and invite a short discussion to further hook students by illustrating our current standard of living through the use of manipulables such as an iPod, cell phone, and print or electronic visuals of transportation infrastructure and the products we have visuals access to because of the systems we have in place (i.e., exotic foods, clothing, etc).

6. Assign students with the homework task of pondering the framing question and identifying at least two resources that they will use in the next 24 hours. Encourage students to collect to share for the next class meeting.

7. In addition, prompt students to use the

Energy Basics Student Handout PDF Document

“Reflective Writing Activity” to reflect on their experience with the survey. Have them explain any concepts that made them question their current beliefs about energy, define what a resource is, and describe how confident they are in their definition. Give students the opportunity to record any new questions they want to ask about resources and energy. This response could be emailed or delivered in hardcopy with students’ examples of resources.

8. Allow students to share their examples of energy use in small groups. Challenge groups to develop a scheme for categorizing the examples they present. Assign group members with responsibilities so that a record of the small group discussion can be preserved for later use..

9. Share

History of PA Energy through the 20th Century QuickTime Video

video with students as a large group.

10. Return students to their small groups and give them an opportunity to make any modifications to their categorizations.

11. Develop a class discussion about the differences among perpetual, renewable, and nonrenewable resources and those that are recycled and reusable based upon student categorizations of energy resources.

12. Collect each small group’s discussion document and share ideas.