Energy Efficiency World Teacher's Guide
Introduction
The Energy Efficiency World booklet teaches the basic principles of energy and how to use it efficiently. The content addresses many state and national science educational standards for grades 4-6. Topics include renewable and non-renewable energy sources, energy transfer and transformation, electrical circuits, reducing greenhouse gases, and energy efficiency tips for home and school.
This presentation guide provides the objective for each lesson, background and ideas for classroom discussion, activity and puzzle answers, and suggestions for experiment setup and completion.
Page 1: Your Energetic World
Objective: To make students aware of how they use energy (i.e., for light, heat, etc.) and the sources of energy they use (i.e., electricity, natural gas, etc.).
Background/Discussion: Energy is the ability to change or move matter. Matter is anything that takes up space or has a mass of any kind. Any change or movement of matter requires energy. Without energy there would be no motion, no light, and no heat, and life would not exist. Ask students where they get their energy. (Food.) Ask them where the appliances in their homes get energy. (Sources like electricity or natural gas.)
Energy Use Chart: Help students complete the energy use chart. Ask them to list two or three items that use each of the energy sources listed. Here are some examples:
• Electricity: radio, TV, refrigerator, lights, computer, electric vehicle.
• Natural Gas: range, dryer, water heater, barbeque, fireplace.
• Sunshine: solar-powered calculator, solar-powered lights, plants.
• Gasoline: car, bus, truck.
Page 2: Energy Has Many Forms
Objective: To familiarize students with the five forms of energy.
Background/Discussion: (Explain the structure of the atom before working on this lesson.) An atom is the smallest unit of matter. Everything in the world is made of different combinations of atoms. Every atom has a nucleus in the center. Tiny particles called electrons travel around the nucleus.