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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Energetic Energy: A Child?s Guide to Responsible Energy Use

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students explore how energy transforms into heat.  For this energy lesson students create models and find a need for fuel to make a Stirling engine. 
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Lesson Plan
National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Biomass: Biogas Generator

For Teachers 6th - 8th
It's a gas. Middle schoolers build a biogas generator following the directions in this resource. After a few days of observation, they demonstrate that the gas given off by the decomposing manure is flammable. The activity concludes as...
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Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Electricity and Magnetism

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Take charge of your class and provide them with an electrical experience! Individuals investigate the basic principles of electricity and magnetism by creating a model to test electric current and the amount of electricity generated....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Considerations in Heating a Home

For Teachers 9th - 12th
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....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Day in the Life of a Coal Miner (1910)

For Teachers 10th - Higher Ed
Students compare and contrast fossil fuels and bio-fuels. They brainstorm what mining might look like in the future. Students view the film "A Day in the Life of a Coalminer." They discuss fossil fuels and the methods of extraction....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Energy and Resources

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students identify renewable and nonrenewable resources. In this energy lesson plan, students explore the consumption issues regarding oil use and consider methods of resource management. Students research alternative resources and...
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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...
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Lesson Plan
Beyond Benign

Synthesis and Analysis of Biodiesel

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Fossil fuels are non-renewable resources and have become crucial to the livelihood of countless individuals. Young chemists investigate an alternative method of generating energy by performing a series of activities that lead to the...
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Lesson Plan
Teach Engineering

Insulation Materials Investigation

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Don't melt away! Pairs investigate different insulation materials to determine which one is better than the others. Using a low-temp heat plate, the teams insulate an ice cube from the heat source with a variety of substances. They...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Alternative Power Project

For Teachers 10th
Tenth graders identify existing forms of energy and create possible solutions to resource limitations.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fuel Cells

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine how fuel cells and combustion engines work. Using the internet, they research the positives and negatives of the various energy sources. In groups, they complete an experiment with a working fuel cell model and take a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Nutrition in Space

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students compare and contrast the process of dehydration with the processes of freezing and canning. They predict energy sources that may be accessible in the future in different environments such as the moon and planets, most notably Mars.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Energy and the Environment

For Teachers 5th
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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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Reaction Rates and Catalysis in Ethanol Production

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Young scholars investigate alternative catalysts for the degradation of hydrogen peroxide.  In this fermentation lesson students complete an activity that breaks down cellulose into sugar. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Air Pollution Survey

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students identify the different sources of air pollution andevaluate knowledge of air pollution concepts in school and community. Students brainstorm ways of reducing air pollution and instruct school and community in reduction of air...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Integrated Solid Waste Management

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students examine the EPA's approach to integrated solid waste management. They read about source reduction, recycling, composting, waste-to-energy incineration, and land filling, and create symbols for each of the aspects of solid waste...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wind Turbines

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Young scholars build their own wind turbine. For this physics lesson, students calculate the power output of their wind turbines. They evaluate their design and make the necessary modifications.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wavelengths of Light

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Explore physical science by participating in a visual spectrum experiments. Budding scientists identify the colors in the color spectrum and view the colors in class by utilizing cellophane, flash lights, and other arts and crafts...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Oceans of Trouble

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students investigate the illegal and legal nuclear waste dumping activities by various nations, including the United States. The effects of nuclear waste dumping in oceans and in coastal areas that share ecosystems with ocean life is...
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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 lesson students complete several experiments on generating power.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Name that Wind

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students study wind and the direction terms related to wind. In this meteorology lesson, students learn about the wind directions by completing a wind direction activity where kids locate cones marked with the specific wind...
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs News Hour Extra: Choosing an Automobile, Understanding Alternative Fuels

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This lesson plan encourages learners to look at alternative methods of fuel and explore the various impacts each has on the environment.
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Article
Other

Wbur: New England's Electric Power Grid Is Undergoing a Transformation

For Students 9th - 10th
This article discusses New England's developing hybrid power grid, a network that relies on a variety of energy resources, including fuels and alternative energy sources and technologies. The ongoing transformation to renewable energy is...
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eBook
Other

Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts: The Energy Report: Hydrogen [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
Chapter 22 of a report on the energy industry in Texas. It looks at hydrogen as an energy source, its history, and uses. The economic impact of the hydrogen energy sector in Texas is described, the consumption of hydrogen, methods of...