Online Energy Resources for Educators

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Welcome

Online Energy Resources is designed to open the portals to the many energy education resources available on the World Wide Web. There is an enormous online treasure trove of lesson plans that teachers can download to their own computers or print directly from their screens, descriptions of educational materials to order for free or at a low cost, information on energy education and environmental workshops, and a range of energy sites specifically designed for students.

The annotated listings in this booklet comprise a small selection of the energy education resources to be found on the Web. The Web sites in this guide have been developed by governmental, public and private organizations to support energy and environmental education programs. Most sites are equipped with search engines and almost all have hyperlinks to a myriad of other Web pages related to energy and energy education. Lesson plans on these sites may be html or pdf files; to open pdf files, users must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, a free software available at www.adobe.com. The html files are Web pages, which can be printed or even downloaded. We welcome your recommendations for additional web sites and will consider them for inclusion in a future version of this guide. Please send your recommendations to the following email address: PMW2@pge.com.

A Note on Web Site Addresses

Web sites are often updated and redesigned, and over the course of the year, a few of the addresses listed here could change. If you find that an address no longer works, try:

• Backing up to the home page for that site. On the home page it is usually clear where a resource is located. If not, a search engine on the home page will help guide you to the page you need.
• Using a search site such as www.google.com or www.yahoo.com. Use the name of the program as your search term.

Alliance to Save Energy

www.ase.org/educators/download.htm
This page provides elementary, middle, and high school hands-on, multidisciplinary lesson plans and activities on energy.

www.ase.org/greenschools
The Green Schools Project of the Alliance to Save Energy is designed for K-12 schools, to create energy awareness and encourage experiential
learning and money savings on energy costs. The Web site provides an in-depth description of the program, newsletters on recent developments, a bibliography of resources, online forums for teachers and students, and lesson plans (also found at www.ase.org/educators/download.htm).

Bonneville Power Administration Audit

www.bpa.gov/Corporate/KR/ed/energyaudit/homepage.shtml
High school students study the science of energy while working as members of a student team conducting an energy audit of their high school. This program integrates learning about all the major building systems with lessons on the environmental costs of energy use, the physics of energy, and historical and biological perspectives on energy. The audit component ensures hands-on learning as students perform a real service for their school, potentially saving at least 10 percent of the previous year's energy bill. The complete curriculum was prepared by the Bonneville Power Administration and Oregon State University Extension Services

California Department of Education — Office of Environmental Education

www.cde.ca.gov/cilbranch/oee
This Web site offers information on environmental educational projects and programs that utilize community partnerships. The site includes applications for the Environmental Education Grant Program (EEGP), and links to the Environmental Education Compendia of K-12 Curriculum References and a Child’s Place in the Environment (ACPE) site (a K-6 environmental curriculum integrating science content standards with English-language arts).

California Energy Commission — Energy Quest

www.energyquest.ca.gov
The redesigned Energy Quest site opens on an animated drawing of a student's room, over which the mouse is moved to access interactive energy games and puzzles, resources, newsletter, projects, homework help (Ask Professor Quester) and more (requires Flash player). Click on red apple for teacher's resources, including background material, recommended books and extensive links to K-12 energy education lesson plans on other sites.

California Environmental Education Interagency Network (CEEIN)

www.calepa.ca.gov/education/CEEIN/Resources
CEEIN is a collaboration of twenty State of California agencies that provide environmental materials. The Web site provides links to compendiums on environmental education, resource guides, K-12 curriculum, teacher guides, student workbooks, brochures, posters, and information on classroom speakers.

California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB)

ciwmb.ca.gov/Schools
At the CIWMB site is a listing of environmental educational publications (elementary and secondary) and schedules for teacher training workshops related to the waste prevention materials. These include Closing the Loop, Earth Resources, a Case Study: Oil, The Worm Guide and modules developed by Project Learning Tree. There is no charge for the training or for the curriculum distributed at the workshops. Teachers will also find information at this site on developing school waste prevention and recycling programs, a searchable online publications catalog and a listing of funding sources for environmental, recycling or science literacy projects.

California Regional Environmental Education Community (CREEC Network)

www.creec.org
A Web site of the California Department of Education for environmental education in the state. Visitors to the site can click on regions in California to access information specific to that area. Information is also available on how to correlate programs to state content standards. There are links to a library of Internet environmental education curricula resources, a statewide searchable resource directory, and other tools to help teachers make students environmentally aware. Workshops and grants are also listed.

California State and Consumer Services Agency (SCSA)

{www.scsa.ca.gov/energy_education.htm}
The site offers free energy education programs and information on SCSA grants for teachers. The Kids' Flex Your Power Energy Challenge introduces 4th–6th grade students to energy conservation and provides teachers with lessons and online resources. The Recycle Rex School Assembly Program, a game show format, also includes materials on energy conservation. California K12 teachers can apply for grants to support innovative projects to teach energy conservation and efficiency from the SCSA Energy Education Grants Program.

California State Parks: Folsom Powerhouse SHP, Electricity Unit

www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=501
Folsom Powerhouse State Historic Park provides a downloadable teacher's guide with 14 detailed lessons on electricity for 4th graders. The lessons, all keyed to California Science Standards, explore the history of electricity via the old Folsom Powerhouse. It offers investigations, instructions for making models and student handouts.

Charles Edison Fund

www.charlesedisonfund.org
The Fund's site offers 82 science-teaching experiments, including those focused on energy, for grades 4-8. The experiments are designed to stimulate an interest in science and technology through easy-to-perform experiments using basic scientific concepts. Information about the Edison Awards Program for student participation in scientific projects is also available at the site. Click on Science Teaching Experiments.

Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE)

www.cee1.org
The CEE is a national, non-profit public benefits corporation promoting the manufacture and purchase of energy-efficient products and services. The U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency both provide the CEE major support through participation and funding. The CEE publishes a comprehensive Directory of Energy-Efficient Schools, Programs and Resources, listing over 35 national, regional, state and local programs. The directory is found in the Commercial Programs section of the Web site.

Current Energy Supply of and Demand for Electricity in California

currentenergy.lbl.gov/ca
For a graphic representation of electricity used inCalifornia in real-time over the course of a day, direct students to this Web site. There are definitions for all the terms used in the charts with the two key ones being "Online Capacity," which is the amount of electricity currently available, and "Current Load," which is the electricity currently being used. The graph can be used as the basis for educational activities. It shows that households and businesses use more electricity in some parts of the day than others. Electricity production must accommodate the highest, or peak, usage. If peak usage can be reduced, then total electric generating capacity can be lowered. Ask students how they can reduce peak usage (conservation, shift usage off-peak). Ask students what happens when "Current Load" is greater than "Online Capacity." Answer: a blackout occurs. See the "Graph Archive" section of the Web site for a graphic display of a blackout.

Earth 911, Making Every Day Earth Day

www.earth911.org
This site is the result of a public and private partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, all 50 states and several organizations and companies. It features geographically specific information about recycling programs. Click Kids/Education for games, activities and information for students, elementary through high school.

Education for a Sustainable Future

csf.concord.org/esf
The Resource database on this site includes books, articles, Web sites and student activities for educators interested in sustainable development. The Teacher Center offers professional development (online tutorials). Click on Curriculum for online, printable lessons for grades K-12.

Eisenhower National Clearinghouse

www.enc.org
This site provides information for teaching K-12 science and math classes, including energy-related topics. The site features a searchable database and comprehensive descriptive catalog of resources from hundreds of organizations and publishers. Links may be found to workshop materials, online teacher courses, teacher talk sites and education periodicals.

EnergyNet

www.energynet.net
EnergyNet is a classroom project that integrates technology, standards-based learning, and workplace skills for students for grades 6–12. Students develop skills in math, science, technology, and language arts while working as "energy consultants" on this project. A network for teachers and students to work online with their peers is also at the site. The program is managed by the consulting firm Educational Dividends.

Flex Your Power

www.flexyourpower.ca.gov
This is the Governor's energy Web site for California. The site provides energy-saving ideas, information about energy-efficient products, and answers to questions about energy issues in the state.

Florida Solar Energy Center

{www.fsec.ucf.edu/Ed/Teachers}
Teacher Resources on this site include information on environmental issues, curricula on alternative energy sources for grades 4-8 and energy activities for students. Curriculum units are printable html files. The Center is situated at the University of Central Florida.

Franklin Institute Science Museum — Community Science Action Guides

www.fi.edu/guide
www.fi.edu/guide/hughes/energy_us.html
Energy resource guides on energy efficiency, oil supply and global warming for upper elementary and high school. Each guide is an online collection of information and resources for teachers. Some include lesson plans that support National Science Standards.

GE Lighting Auditor

{www.gelighting.com/gelauditor/school}
The Lighting Auditor from General Electric is a Web-based program for auditing and calculating the energy use of a school's lighting system. It consists of an online form for entering information about the lighting system's characteristics, such as type of lighting, hours of operation, and number of lamps. Illustrations and short descriptions of the various lighting systems make it easy for students to identify the different types of lighting. As a result, students can use the Lighting Auditor without extensive training.

How Stuff Works

www.howstuffworks.com
Students, teachers and parents can find what they want to know (and more) about science and technology on this site. Information is included on power plants, solar cells, and other energy topics. Some of these html pages have printer-friendly versions; others include advertisements. There are also links to more resources on each topic.

The Learning Team

www.learningteam.org
This Web site offers educational materials on CDs, tapes and books, among these The Sun's Joules, an educational CD-ROM for grades 8-12 about renewable energy and the environment with nearly 1,000 screens of text, graphics, videos, and interactive exercises, as well as a detailed index, charts of U.S. energy consumption by state, and an energy glossary. A teacher's guide that provides background information on renewable energy and six activities for classroom use is also available. It was produced for the U.S. Department of Energy — National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

National Energy Education Development (NEED) Project

www.need.org
The goal of the NEED project is to promote an energy-conscious society by creating networks of students, educators, business, government, and community leaders. NEED designs and delivers K-12 energy education programs. The Web site provides information on teacher/student training opportunities and curriculum guides and activities, downloadable in pdf format from the site.

National Energy Foundation (NEF)

www.nef1.org
The National Energy Foundation is a nonprofit educational organization. Its Web site offers an online catalog of energy and environmental resource educational materials for grades K-12. The Foundation also provides professional development via the NEF academy (in-service training programs on energy education materials that can be integrated into existing school curriculum) that earn teachers graduate credit. Some free instructional materials are offered to K-12 teachers on natural gas safety, energy awareness and alternative energy sources. These must be ordered online (except for Fueling the Future, available as downloadable pdf files).

The National Hydropower Association

www.hydro.org
The National Hydropower Association has a downloadable publication in pdf of a teacher's guide, Hydro for Kids: A Curriculum (Water Works: a Question of Balance). Designed for students in grades 3 through 8, this curriculum teaches about hydropower's role in providing electricity. Click on Publications.

North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE)

www.naaee.org
NAAEE is a network of professionals, students, and volunteers working in the field of environmental education throughout the world. The association offers a variety of programs and activities, including an annual conference, publications and links to other environmental education resources on the Internet.

Northeast Sustainable Energy — Educational Materials

www.nesea.org/education/edmaterials
Curricular units and lesson plans for K-12 on energy conservation and non-polluting, renewable energy technologies. Contact information must be submitted before free materials can be downloaded.

The Northern California Solar Energy Association (NCSEA)

www.norcalsolar.org
NCSEA is a non-profit, member-supported association for ongoing education in the many aspects of solar energy. The Web site provides a calendar of events, announcements, bibliography, glossary of terms and links to related sites and K-12 curricula.

Northwest Foundation for Water and Energy Education

www.fwee.org/education.html
This page is a gateway to several resources on water power and energy efficiency. There is free downloadable curriculum on this site on the nature of water power (pdf files).

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E)

www.pge.com/energenius
On PG&E's home page teachers will find a link to the Energenius_® Educational program, which focuses on energy efficiency and gas and electric safety education for grades K–8. Curriculum materials are provided at no cost to schools within the PG&E Service Territory. The Energenius Educational Series comes complete with teacher curriculum guides and sets of student activities. The core of the series consists of multi-lesson classroom programs designed to engage students in active, age-appropriate learning. Programs include materials on energy efficiency that students complete with family members.

PG&E Home Energy Analyzer

www.pge.com/energysurvey
Audit home energy use with this interactive Web-
based survey that produces a report with tailored recommendations for saving energy and reducing utility bills. From your answers to simple multiple-choice questions about your home and household appliances, the Home Energy Analyzer generates a list of Ways to Save energy and compares your home energy use to that of other similar homes. Illustrations and hyperlinks to definitions enliven the survey and make the Home Energy Analyzer an entertaining activity that can involve the entire family.

Peninsula School District — Gig Harbor, Washington

www.peninsula.wednet.edu/conservation/energy/e_info.htm
The How to Save Energy page on this school district's Resource Conservation Homepage site lists 69 helpful hints on saving energy. Topics include lighting and heating; cooling appliances; water, windows and doors; and energy saving at work.

Project Learning Tree

www.plt.org
Project Learning Tree (PLT) is an award-winning, interdisciplinary environmental education program for K-12 grades, administered by the American Forest Foundation with the Council for Environmental Education. PLT focuses on students gaining awareness and knowledge of the environment and their place within it, as well as their responsibility for it. The site offers curriculum modules including energy materials, correlations to national and state standards and sample activities; an online newsletter and an educator exchange section. The free or low-cost modules are obtained at training workshops. Click on I Want PLT Materials for information.

Rebuild Hawaii: Energy $mart Schools Project

www.hawaii.gov/dbedt/ert/rebuild/projects/k12s.html
Managed by Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc. (HECO) in partnership with Rebuild Hawaii, the Energy $mart Schools Project trains high school students to perform energy audits in school buildings and neighboring small businesses. The Energy $mart Schools Project is a multidisciplinary program that incorporates hands-on math, science, computer, marketing, advertising, and public speaking instruction. Students learn how electricity is produced and distributed, how to perform energy audits using state-of-the-art devices and computer spreadsheets prepared by HECO, how to apply critical thinking, problem solving and decision making skills, and how to present the benefits of lighting retrofits.

Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI)

www.rmi.org
This nonprofit organization works to foster the efficient and restorative use of resources to create a more sustainable world. Web pages are designed to give students and teachers information about energy and how it is used. Resources include a library of Rocky Mountain Institute publications available on line and the RMI for Kids pages with energy information for grades 4-6 students, as well as extensive links to other sites.

Science NetLinks

www.sciencenetlinks.com
The American Association for the Advancement of Science site for K-12 science educators includes online lesson plans. All site content is organized around Benchmarks for Science Literacy, by grades. Energy-related lessons include home energy conservation, energy sources and use, renewable energy, urban ecosystems (ecology) and more. There are links to other web resources.

Southern California Edison — Electrical Safety World

www.sce.com/site
Electrical Safety World features lively animated pages describing the principles and practices of electrical safety, interactive games and activities, a teacher's guide and links to related sites. The site is designed for a range of interests and reading levels and can be used by students in elementary and middle school.

Sprint's Kid's Page

www.sprint.com/epatrol
is Web site presents an interactive game on energy-saving measures that children can play. Users click on parts of a house to uncover energy tips. The site also offers students an Epatrol they can join by printing a certificate and signing a pledge.

Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS)

www.ucsusa.org
Click on Publications for USC environmental reports, such as Confronting Climate Change in California: Ecological Impacts on the Golden State. An eight-lesson curriculum guide (with the same name) for grades 9-12, designed to be used with the report, is described at: www.ucsusa.org/climatechange/ccteachers.html. The pdf file may be printed or downloaded, and teachers may sign up for future updates to the curriculum on this page.

United Kingdom Department of Trade and Industry

{www.dti.gov.uk/energy/renewables/ed_pack}
Planet Energy is a United Kingdom site that guides visitors around its "Energy Trail" to learn about renewable energy technologies. It is divided into three sections: the teacher information zone, the information zone for ages 7-11, and a zone for ages 12-16.

University of Northern Iowa — Energy Education Curriculum Project

www.earth.uni.edu/EECP
Middle school modules for teaching about energy sources and efficiency, available on line (printable html files), from a local as well as global perspective.

U.S. Department of Energy — Energy Information Administration

www.eia.doe.gov/bookshelf/eer/kiddietoc.html
This Publications site, maintained by the Energy Information Administration, provides lists of energy education resources for grades K-12. Each entry includes the address, telephone number, a description of the organization and the energy-related materials available. Most entries also include Internet and e-mail addresses. Buttons on the home page link to the Department of Energy's Kid's Page and the Kidszone sites (see below).

U.S. Department of Energy — Energy Information Administration Kid's Page

www.eia.doe.gov/kids
This is the DOE Web site developed especially for kids and hosted by "Energy Ant." It offers an explanation of energy, a quiz, fun facts and a Kid's Corner with information on energy pioneers, news and virtual field trips.

U.S. Department of Energy — EnergySmart Schools

www.eren.doe.gov/energysmartschools/
EnergySmart Schools is part of the U.S. Department of Energy's Campaign to Rebuild America. A Teaching page lists extensive teacher resources, including lesson plans (at www.eren.doe.gov/energysmartschools/lesson_plans.html). Scroll down this page with its links to Web sites that offer lessons plans for teaching about energy, energy efficiency and the environment, to find the downloadable EnergySmart Teacher Guide for grades 4-6. This guide provides in-class activities to illustrate the benefits of energy-efficient appliances and practices as well as how energy can affect the environment. A Home Energy Quiz may be found at {www.eren.doe.gov/energysmartschools/quiz/quiz.html}.

U.S. Department of Energy — Kidszone

{www.energy.gov/engine/content.do?BT_CODE=KIDS}
The DOE's Kidszone pages feature a Museum of Solid Waste, an Energy Ant game and other energy activities, a page with links to energy dictionaries and a Teaching Tools page with links to lesson plans and activities for grades K-12 on other sites.

U.S. Department of Energy — National Renewable Energy Laboratory

www.nrel.gov/education
This site offers information on research internships and fellowships, mentoring, tutoring, seminars, competitions, awards, special events, and after school programs. In addition to instructional development opportunities, teachers are provided with renewable energy and energy efficiency curricula for grades K-12, aligned with national educational standards for science, mathematics, and technology (pdf or html files on this site or other linked sites).

U.S Department of Energy — Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

www.eere.energy.gov/education/lesson_plans.html
The Energy Lesson Plans, Curriculum, and Educational Materials page features links to educational and training resources on energy, particularly energy efficiency and renewable energy. This page is a portal to a range of curricula and activities. A search engine and site index accesses the entire Department of Energy site. For "Dr. E's Energy Lab," games and activities for young students that explore alternative fuels: www.eere.doe.gov/kids.

U.S. Department of Energy — Roofus' Solar and Efficient Neighborhood

www.eren.doe.gov/roofus
An animated cartoon site describing how people can save energy by using solar power and conservation techniques. Activities and experiments for children demonstrate the scientific evidence. There are also resources for teachers.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — Global Warming Visitor Center

yosemite.epa.gov/oar/globalwarming.nsf/content/VisitorCenterEducators.html
This page is a directory to educational materials available on the site for classroom activities, including climate change, potential global warming impacts, and mitigation options.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — Office of Environmental Education

www.epa.gov/enviroed
This site offers links to free online, EPA educational resources compiled by environmental topic, and an alphabetically indexed and searchable catalog of K-12, EPA environmental education materials and resources. It provides ordering information and brief descriptions of educational tools of all types, including curriculum guides, fact sheets, pamphlets, and resource guides.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — Pollution Prevention Toolbox

www.epa.gov/RCRIS-Region-5/wptdiv/p2pages/toolbox.htm
The "toolbox" contains a series of four-page lesson plans with hands-on activities on pollution prevention and energy conservation concepts. Also included are sample content standards and frameworks with correlations to the lesson plans. Other pollution prevention education resources are included on the site. All are pdf files.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — Student Center

www.epa.gov/students
A Web site dedicated to students, with links to environmental club projects, careers, internships, and scholarships, environmental youth awards, and basic information about human health, waste and recycling, and air and water conservation.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — Teaching Center

www.epa.gov/teachers
A Web site for teachers who want background information for teaching about the environment. The site offers a collection of fact sheets, brochures, links to downloadable curricula from the EPA and other sites and to EPA sites for students and kids: the Student Center site provides background and activities on environmental issues for grade K-12 students (www.epa.gov/students); and the Kid's site, or Environmental Explorer's Club, a collection of interactive activities for younger children (www.epa.gov/kids).

Watt Watchers of Texas

wattwatchers.utep.edu/pages/Projects.htm
Hands-on, online energy-related activities for students K-12, developed by the Energy Center at The University of Texas at El Paso. Under High School Activities, click on Monitor Power Management for a comprehensive guide to forming and implementing energy patrols (downloadable pdf).

Wisconsin K-12 Energy Education Program (KEEP)

www.uwsp.edu/cnr/wcee/keep
KEEP initiates and facilitates the development, dissemination, implementation, and evaluation of energy education programs. The site provides teacher-developed, hands-on, interdisciplinary lessons on energy and links to other resources. Click on More Energy Education, then Teaching Ideas.