Energizing the Future

• This course about different forms of energy presents the history of energy use, the many sources of energy available, the benefits of renewable energy, and the relative costs of each energy source.
• It includes videos, worksheets, articles, reading guides, and activities.  
  

Positives

• After each activity, there is a section titled "Thinking Conceptually" where students are asked to reflect on a specific issue.
  
• For each activity, the purpose, instructions, and process are given. 

• Teachers and students will need to set up an account using an email address in order to access the material.
  
• This is part of a series of courses provided by OER.
  
• The PDF worksheets are available for download to print off for students.
  
• Students will need access to a computer and Internet connection to use the online features.
  

Differentiation

• Middle school students will benefit from the summaries and guided reading sheets.
  
• High school students could have discussions about the topics covered to gain additional understanding and insights.
• Students could investigate how much biomass comes from standing trees (causing deforestation) or crops that require a significant amount of land, water, and fossil fuel-based fertilizers and pesticides vs. waste materials.
• Energy conservation, better insulation, passive solar design/solar tubes, green roofs, and more efficient appliances could all be researched for their beneficial effects on reducing how much energy is required in the first place. Reducing energy waste is a solution that everyone can take part in and is relatively cheap compared to other options. 
• Other resources about this topic include this series of videos, this article, and this lesson.  
  

This resource addresses the listed standards. To fully meet standards, search for more related resources.