As worldwide energy shortages and environmental degradation increase, along with steady increases in population, current science and technology are confronted with many challenges to successfully sustain our society. Among the existing promising choices, photocatalysis has been widely considered as a potential solution to energy and environment…

An understanding of energy is critical to today's students, as energy-related spending in the United States tops 500 billion dollars per year (U.S. Department of Energy, 2010). Often, students do not consider where something as common as electricity comes from in order to charge an MP3 player or power a microwave. Students can realize real-world…

With 101 easy and inexpensive activities to do on school grounds, "Schoolyard Science" can help students develop their observation and inquiry skills as well as an appreciation of their outdoor environment. Covering topics such as lower plants, gardens, insects and other invertebrates, energy, and Earth science, Thomas Lord and Holly Travis…

This article presents a design-based research study of the implementation of an energy unit developed for middle school students. The unit utilized Google Earth and a geographic information system (GIS) to support student understanding of the world's energy resources and foster their spatial thinking skills. Findings from the prototype study…

Describes changes in educators' attitudes toward energy education and conservation. Suggests that students must understand how energy is supplied and consumed to understand the contemporary world. Recommends that educators identify links to energy issues in the existing curriculum and design activities around them. (DK)

This bulletin focuses on the role of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) in environmental education programs. The utility of this approach in helping students learn in the cognitive, affective, and/or psychomotor domains is examined and its effectiveness is compared to other instructional devices and methods. Major topics are organized and…

Provides a partial listing of documents from the ERIC database dealing with energy. Includes information on natural resources, curriculum planning, and energy development. Suggests available educational materials including curriculum plans from Oregon, Maine, and federal agencies. (DK)

This collection of lesson plans designed for teachers of 4th- through 12th-grade students utilizes an assortment of teaching strategies for topics related to coal and the coal industry. Activities cover the following topics: coal formation; coal identification; "the geologist's dilemma" (a supply and demand activity); geologic time and…

This catalog lists resource materials for energy and environmental education which are available to Minnesota secondary teachers. The listings include both curricular resources with lesson plans and objectives, and noncurricular resources such as books, pamphlets, posters, audiovisual resources, and facilities for environmental education. The…

The California Extension Service works with schools to develop energy education programs which will reduce school energy usage and costs by involving staff and students in energy management. This bibliography contains selected materials which present an accurate reporting of the facts, assume little teacher background, emphasize active learning in…

Described are two activities designed to help children investigate electrical charges, electric meters, and electromagnets. Included are background information, a list of materials, procedures, and follow-up questions. Sources of additional information are cited. (CW)

Lists instructional resources for use by social studies teachers in teaching about energy. Includes curriculum materials, videotapes, organizations, government agencies, and industry trade associations that can provide information. Suggests items on energy conservation, global warming, ecology, nuclear power, fossil fuels, oil spills, and…

The 45 energy education materials contained in this guide were evaluated by school teachers from California, Arizona and Nevada, and are listed here according to evaluation performance. The first five entries were found to be excellent teaching aids, and an entire activity has been included with each of these. The next 16 materials have a single…

This unit is designed to provide high school students with an introduction to topics of energy and economics. A basic premise of the unit is that energy issues and economics are interrelated. It is believed that the application of basic economic concepts to energy issues can provide students with the tools to improve their analysis of problems and…

This curriculum guide was written to supplement fifth and sixth grade science units on matter and energy. It was designed to provide more in-depth material on the atom. The first part, "Teacher Guide," contains background information, biographical sketches of persons in the history of nuclear energy, vocabulary, answer sheets, management sheets…