NEED Educator Basic Secondary Curriculum Unit

INTRODUCTORY ACTIVITIES

Secondary Energy Poll 
Energy Polls can be used to assess students’ basic energy knowledge, as well as their opinions about energy before and after your classroom energy unit.
Energy Games and Icebreakers 
This guide contains offers entertaining activities to introduce energy, efficiency, and conservation to students, as well as reinforce the information that has already been presented.   Video of Energy Chants

STEP ONE: Science of Energy

Secondary Energy Infobook   
Energy Infobooks are the resource for many NEED activities and include an introduction to energy, information on major sources of energy, new technologies, energy conservation, electricity, climate  change,  and  other  energy  information. They are available on four reading levels and are revised and updated annually.

Secondary Science of Energy 
These guides include background information and hands-on experiments to explore the different forms of energy and how energy is transformed from one form to another. Groups of students master six stations, then teach others about the energy transformations at their stations. Teacher demonstrations are included to introduce the unit. Reinforcement activities are also included. The stations include equipment to teach transformations focusing on kinetic and potential energy, heat, light, motors, batteries, and electromagnetism.

STEP TWO: Sources of Energy

Energy Games and Icebreakers 
This guide contains offers entertaining activities to introduce energy, efficiency, and conservation to students, as well as reinforce the information that has already been presented.   Video of Energy Chants

Secondary Energy Infobook    
Energy Infobooks are the resource for many NEED activities and include an introduction to energy, information on major sources of energy, new technologies, energy conservation, electricity, climate  change,  and  other  energy  information. They are available on four reading levels and are revised and updated annually.

Secondary Energy Infobook Activities 
These guides are companion activities to the Energy Infobooks. They are available on four reading levels that correspond to the infobooks and include Teacher Guides and answer keys for general energy information, energy sources, electricity, and conservation.

Energy Enigma 
Students put on their detective hats and research clues to uncover energy facts in Energy Enigma. Teams use reading, brainstorming, and organizational skills to hide the identity of their energy source while trying to guess which energy sources the other teams represent. Teacher instructions and masters are included. Optional Supplemental: Excel FilePowerPoint Instructions

STEP THREE: Electricity and Magnetism

Energy Games and Icebreakers 
This guide contains offers entertaining activities to introduce energy, efficiency, and conservation to students, as well as reinforce the information that has already been presented.   Video of Energy Chants

Secondary Energy Infobook    
Energy Infobooks are the resource for many NEED activities and include an introduction to energy, information on major sources of energy, new technologies, energy conservation, electricity, climate  change,  and  other  energy  information. They are available on four reading levels and are revised and updated annually.

Secondary Energy Infobook Activities  
These guides are companion activities to the Energy Infobooks. They are available on four reading levels that correspond to the infobooks and include Teacher Guides and answer keys for general energy information, energy sources, electricity, and conservation.

Mission Possible 
Mission Possible is an activity in which students are challenged to develop an energy plan for a growing country.  Students consider the advantages and disadvantages of the energy sources available for them to use so that they can increase electricity production while maintaining environmental quality and quality of life.    Mission Possible Spreadsheet

STEP FOUR: Transportation

Transportation Fuels Infobook
Students explore conventional and alternative transportation fuels such as petroleum-based fuels, ethanol, electricity, biodiesel, compressed natural gas, and propane. Student backgrounders and suggested activities are included.

STEP FIVE: Efficiency and Conservation

Energy Games and Icebreakers 
This guide contains offers entertaining activities to introduce energy, efficiency, and conservation to students, as well as reinforce the information that has already been presented.    Video of Energy Chants

Secondary Energy Infobook   
Energy Infobooks are the resource for many NEED activities and include an introduction to energy, information on major sources of energy, new technologies, energy conservation, electricity, climate  change,  and  other  energy  information. They are available on four reading levels and are revised and updated annually.

School Energy Managers Teacher Guide 
School Energy Managers Student Guide 
In this activity, students explore energy consumption and conservation by reading utility meters and utility bills, comparing EnergyGuide labels, and exploring electric nameplates. Students conduct comprehensive surveys of the school building and school energy consumption—gathering, recording, and analyzing data, and monitoring energy usage. Students work in groups to develop comprehensive energy management plans for the school that include suggestions for retrofits, systems management, and conservation practices. The kit includes a Teacher Guide, class set of Student Guides, and the materials necessary to conduct the activities.

Energy Conservation Contract
In this outreach activity, students learn about energy conservation and ask their families to sign contracts in which they agree to save energy. Students then calculate the energy savings, and re- evaluate their conservation measures.

STEP SIX: Synthesis and Reinforcement

Energy Games and Icebreakers 
This guide contains offers entertaining activities to introduce energy, efficiency, and conservation to students, as well as reinforce the information that has already been presented.   Video of Energy Chants

Energy Carnival 
NEED’s popular carnival games are an excellent way to encourage  students  and  adults  to  think  about  energy. The Energy Carnival contains complete instructions and reproducible masters for ten carnival games. The Carnival is ideal for elementary or middle school students and makes an excellent activity for an energy fair or Earth Day celebration.

Energy Jeopardy   Download the Jeopardy PPT   Optional: Energy Jeopardy Question Sheet and Score Sheet.
Students will enjoy NEED’s spin on the popular trivia game show. Jeopardy categories that help to reinforce your energy unit include: More MPGs, Famous Americans in Energy, Leading Nations, and more.

Global Trading Game 
In this activity developed by the Ohio Energy Project, students become economic advisors, geologists, international traders, and miners as they analyze their assigned country’s resources and needs, then trade resources with other countries to enhance their economic position and environmental quality.

STEP SEVEN: Evaluation

Question Bank
As you develop your energy unit, it may be helpful to build your own energy assessments. NEED’s Question Bank allows educators to customize evaluations to fit the needs of their students. Questions are available at the four levels, and are divided by topic. Within each topic, various formats of questions are included, such as knowledge, comprehension, multiple choice, and higher-order thinking formatted questions. Feel free to select from many different categories to tailor the assessment for your student.  Questions are provided at four grade levels for a variety of energy topics in easy to access word documents.

Secondary Energy Poll 
Energy Polls can be used to assess students’ basic energy knowledge, as well as their opinions about energy before and after your classroom energy unit.

STEP EIGHT: Student Leadership and Outreach

Youth Awards Program for Energy Achievement
All NEED schools have outstanding classroom-based programs in which students learn about energy. Some schools have student leaders who extend these activities into their communities. To recognize outstanding achievement and reward student leadership, The NEED Project conducts the National Youth Awards Program for Energy Achievement.