Need 2023 - 2024 Curriculum Guide

NEED’s curriculum incorporates activities to help synthesize energy information and create valuable connections between science and social science and the application of knowledge to decision making. Students undertake problem-based learning activities and explore possible opportunities and challenges for many energy decisions.

NEED materials are correlated to the Disciplinary Core Ideas of the Next Generation Science Standards, the Common Core State Standards for English/Language Arts and Mathematics, and also correlated to each state’s individual science standards.

NEED updates most of its curriculum each year to reflect the most current, available energy data and technologies on all topics. We invite you to visit our “New with NEED” curriculum section.

In 2023, we added Reliably Smart and Baseload Balance to our curriculum portfolio, as well as translated several more NEED resources into Spanish.

Reliably Smart

Reliably Smart provides an introduction to energy, electricity, electricity generation and consumption, and ways a modernized grid and smart devices help us manage energy use. Through critical thinking activities and classroom discussion, students develop an understanding of their role in keeping our electric power system running smoothly.

Originally developed as “Smart Meters” with the help of other partners, this curriculum guide has been updated and expanded courtesy of generous sponsorship from Generac.

Cover of the Reliably Smart Guide

Baseload Balance

An activity set that demonstrates how electricity supply is transmitted on the electric grid to consumers. This hands-on activity is prepared for two levels, elementary and secondary, and encourages students to explore the differences between baseload and peak demand power, and how power companies and grid operators maintain supply to ensure customers have power as they need it.

Spanish NEED Curriculum

NEED now has more Spanish translations and will continue to add to this list.  You may now find our Science of Energy, Understanding Microgrids Activity, Energy Chants, Exploring Photovoltaic stations, and An Amazin’ Delivery activity translated to Spanish and available for free PDF download here.

Stay Tuned, New Curriculum Coming Soon!

Transportation Exploration – Hands-on, math, and language arts activities to help students explore how transportation uses natural resources, the history of transportation in America, conventional and alternative fuels, electric vehicles, fuel economy, and carbon dioxide emissions.

Energy on the Move – Hands-on, math, and language arts activities to help students explore energy used for transportation, conventional and alternative fuels and technologies, fuel economy, emissions, and careers in the transportation sector.

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