Teachers can access NEED curriculum online. As resources are available, teacher workshops and hands-on kits are available. Individual state curriculum correlations are available here.

Teachers in northern Illinois are provided teacher training, Science of Energy Kits, and classroom sets of the Home Energy Efficiency Kits for students and families, as part of the ComEd energy education program. NEED and ComEd design teacher workshops to meet Illinois state standards while helping increase energy conservation at home and in school. Over 500 educators received energy curriculum and teacher training thanks to ComEd. The program expands with more workshops in 2011-2012 to reach more teachers and students.

Hoover Math and Science Academy

Schaumburg, IL

Project Title: Hoover’s Energy Zoo! EZ Does It!

Project Advisers: Karen White and Gloria Cole

It definitely is a ZOO at Hoover School, where you can find 30 energetic S.H.A.R.E. Kids monkeying around, yet working together, as the zookeepers learn and share about going green. S.H.A.R.E. stands for Students at Hoover Acting Responsibly for the Earth, its Environment, and its Energy!

Our bulletin boards and displays show our Conservation Critters. From Penny Panda pondering plastic to Walter Walrus wondering about water, there was an energy animal for everyone and topic. Critter Clues from A to Z and Earth Catch got students thinking and moving. Our all-school Energy Bingo had them celebrating. Our Energy Zoo podcasts and the planting of our Friendship Garden make Hoover’s Zoo special. Even Mr. Chung, our principal, powered up as he led fifth graders through an alternative energy unit, creating a “Power House.”

The engineers from Northrop Grumman with DiscoverE and the energy experts from “Think Energy” gave us ideas and solutions. Our partnership with Friendship Village, a senior center, gave us support, compassion, and a new outlook on our world as we harvested vegetables and knowledge from our Friendship Garden and new greenhouse. It really does ‘take a village.’

Everyone will stick their neck out like Gerry Giraffe and participate in our Make-a-Choice Monday, Take-a-Hike Tuesday, Waste-Free Wednesday, Think-Hard Thursday, and Freshen-up Friday! Everyone at Hoover is like Elsa Elephant and never forgets that their actions make a difference.

Kennedy Middle Grade School

Kankakee, IL

Project Title: E²(Energy Extravaganza)

Project Adviser: Constance Beatty

Mrs. Beatty’s class has worked on energy all year. We have learned about energy as we went through many different pieces of the NEED energy curriculum. About half of our class is planning to go to D.C. for Youth Awards.

As a part of our energy project, our class had an Energy Night, where we informed participants about energy forms, sources, and energy conservation. The night was called E², and we prepared for it by making posters about our topics and practicing the Science of Energy experiments. We also appeared on the radio and told people about ENERGY STAR and ways to reduce electricity bill prices as well as reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Because of our efforts, we now have about 350 pledges for ENERGY STAR. We are currently in third place (in the Education Pledge Drivers); in the amount of CO₂ we have saved.

Our class had several fundraisers to raise money towards our trip to Washington, D.C. for Youth Awards. Our main fundraiser that also had to do with reducing greenhouse gas emissions was the fundraiser for compact fluorescent light bulbs, which was called Lights for Learning.

NATIONAL JUNIOR LEVEL SCHOOL OF THE YEAR FINALIST

Frank C. Whiteley Elementary School

Hoffman Estates, IL

Project Title: Energy for Our Future

Project Adviser: Kathleen Cochrane

When our great-grandchildren look back to our time, how will they feel? Will they be satisfied with the future that we set up for them? Will they do the same for their great-grandchildren? This year we educated the leaders of the future, the children of our generation, through fun and exciting activities.

We spread awareness using the world wide web by creating a website and posting videos and games on it. We taught 350+ children in our school about renewable energy through enjoyable, hands-on demonstrations, such as solar panels and KidWind turbines that we purchased with grants that we wrote.

We kindled the spirit of the planet by holding exciting contests that involved recycled crafts that sparked the creativity of our fellow students. We drew fun and eye-catching comics, which were published and put into a public library. We helped our community by adopting a highway and cleaning it and teaching about recycling through games at a local street fest. Finally, we ended our project with the biggest event of the year: The Energy Carnival. We invited the whole school to participate and play Energy Games.

By teaching the kids of our world, we’re making a better future today.