This lesson covers the states and forms of energy, where energy comes from, as well as how the way we live is tied to our energy supply and what that means for the future. It provides students with accurate, unbiased, and up-to-date information on the roles that energy science and technologies play in our lives.

In this lesson, students analyze the way they personally use energy and begin to examine energy use on a much larger scale. Students discover how reliant all sectors (residential, commercial, industrial, transportation) are on electricity and fossil fuels as energy sources. As they investigate the energy transfers involved in the generation of electricity, students consider the efficiency of the transfers involved in the process.

In this lesson, students investigate how electricity is generated on a wide scale basis. The major components of electric production: the turbine, the generator, and energy source are introduced in this lesson.

In this lesson, students are introduced to the five types of renewable energy resources by engaging in various activities to help them understand the transformation of energy (solar, water and wind) into electricity. Students explore the different roles engineers who work in renewable energy fields have in creating a sustainable environment – an environment that contributes to greater health, happiness and safety.

In this series of activities, students will design and build models of nine life support systems which are crucial to a successful settlement of the Moon. They will make plans based on their knowledge of how these systems work on Earth.

Students will work cooperatively to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of the energy sources used to generate electricity by developing energy plans for a fictitious country and presenting the plans to the class.

Student participate in class activities which investigate energy and how it is produced, transmitted, conserved, and managed at local, national, and global levels. They will also analyze energy resources and examine ways to minimize human impacts on the environment, evaluate their personal use of energy and develop a plan for conservation, and explore modifications to improve energy efficiency by reducing energy transfer to the environment. Students will use research and reasoning to empower their communities (home, school, and local) to adopt energy and money-saving practices.

In this multimedia lesson, students learn about energy resources that can be harvested from the oceans. Associated interactive activities include "Wave Power," where students view the wave-energy generation process, "Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion," where students examine and compare two diagrams of OTEC facilities, and "Methane Hydrates," where students investigate the conditions that affect the stability of methane hydrates.

This online informational resource provides background content and reference material about oil: formation, production, offshore drilling, the refining process, and impacts on the environment.

Students will learn the basic principles of passive solar heating and how it is applied to home design. Students will then use Google SketchUp to design and create a passive solar addition to a home or they can design a small passive solar house.

This comprehensive online resource discusses how an ecosystem is affected and begins recovery from an major oil spill. The Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska's Prince William Sound is highlighted as an example.

Students will use a model to investigate the physical relationships between natural gas, oil, and water in a reservoir and how these relationships can affect recovery.

Students use Internet resources to investigate a variety of renewable energy resources, as well as the benefits and drawbacks of each.

This course was created by the Rethink Education Content Development Team. This course is aligned to the NC Standards for 8th Grade Science. 

This course was created by the Rethink Education Content Development Team. This course is aligned to the NC Standards for 8th Grade Science. 

This course was created by the Rethink Education Content Development Team. This course is aligned to the NC Standards for 8th Grade Science.

In this slideshow, students learn that millions of years of heat and pressure turned the fossils of dead plants and animals into deposits of fuel, such as oil, natural gas, and coal. Fossil fuels are a non-renewable resource, and they create pollution, so it is important to conserve them.

Students will experience a simulated oil spill and try various methods of clean-up. Instructions for the teacher in creating a materials kit is included.

In this archived webinar, conservation biologist Joe Kolowski leads us into the Peruvian Amazon, a rich, fertile, and essential part of our planet. He shows how the technique of ?camera trapping? helps scientists to understand the creatures that move about the jungle?particularly mammals that may be endangered by oil exploration. Kolowski is working with other scientists to develop a conservation initiative for the area. They are incorporating biodiversity principles and new scientific research in an attempt to minimize the negative effects of oil exploration and development in this area.

This lesson plan will guide students toward answers by exploring the many factors that influence how solar panels are manufactured. Students will identify the raw materials needed for and the costs associated with manufacturing a solar panel. They will then compare and contrast solar and traditional energy using economic and environmental variables.