Powering the Planet: Renewable Energy

• This teaching guide accompanies a 40-minute video that takes students on a virtual field trip to the Palmyra Atoll in the Pacific Ocean and the Mojave Desert in North America. 
• The video features a mixture of background information on the two locations and information on renewable energy, including solar and wind energy. 
• The teaching guide features background information, relevant Next Generation Science Standards, student worksheets, discussion questions, and a game called Nature Spy.

Positives

• The teacher's guide is easy to follow.
• The discussion questions in the teacher's guide have answers for the teacher to reference while facilitating discussions.

Additional Prerequisites

• Students should have a basic understanding of the importance of implementing renewable energy.
• Here is the link to the video.

Differentiation

• Students could answer questions during the field trip or after they have watched the video.
• This virtual field trip can be used as a starting point for students to further research renewable energy options.
• Vocabulary lists can be prefilled to help students understand the video or for students to research definitions as they watch.
• One activity is available in both English and Spanish.
• If students would like to read a personal story of how climate change is impacting other islands in the Pacific Ocean, they can read Even Weber's story about his home in Hawaii.

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