K-12 Resources
Energy is literally everywhere! It's all around us and even inside of us. Our whole universe is made from energy. There are many different types of energy – from light and heat energy to gravity, chemical energy, and electrical energy. (https://www.solarschools.net/knowledge-bank/energy)
As important as energy is, it can be especially difficult to explain to younger students, which is why we have gathered a few of our favorite (free) resources for explaining energy concepts to K-12 students. This list will be updated, so come back often!
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Websites
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Videos
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Cool Chemical Reactions: Oxidation-Reduction
Watch some cool chemistry demonstrations that result in color change and glow-in-the-dark reactions while learning about energy’s role in oxidation-reduction reactions. (5:59 min) Thank you to Notre Dame graduate students Madeline Riffel and Keaton Prather and other members from the lab of Prof. Emily Tsui for inviting us into their lab.
- Age group: All
- Category: Energy Conversion and Efficiency
- Subject: 2021 Science Alive Demonstration
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Curds and Whey- How and Why Do Scientists Separate Materials?
Most of the things we see around us are made up of mixtures of different substances. Learn how to separate milk solids and liquids in addition to the role that catalysts can play in separations. Adult supervision is recommended for this activity. (12:12 min) Thank you to Notre Dame graduate student Neha Mehra from the lab of Prof. William Schneider and the CISTAR NSF Engineering Research Center for creating this video.
- Age group: All
- Category: Energy Conversion and Efficiency
- Subject: 2021 Science Alive Demonstration
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Energy 101 Videos
This collection of videos from the U.S. Department of Energy covers many topics related to energy, all in five minutes or less!
- Age group: All
- Category: Basic Energy
- Subject: General
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Energy Efficiency: Our Best Source of Clean Energy
From PolicyEd, this short video talks about the start of the movement towards energy efficiency and how important energy efficiency is in reducing the overall consumption of energy.
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Energy Transformations
This video from TurtleDiary talks about the different forms of energy and how energy is transformed into different types in the world around us.
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Fossil Fuels 101
From the group Student Energy, this video covers the origin of fossil fuels and how they are turned into energy and various products for our consumption.
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Growing Uranium Crystals
Visit the Actinide lab at Notre Dame and watch two scientists make uranium crystals. They will use a special instrument to learn more about the structure. (3:32 min) Thank you to graduate students Ashley Hastings, Sam Perry, and Aliya Whitehill from the labs of Prof. Peter Burns and Prof. Amy Hixon for creating this video.
- Age group: All
- Category: Sustainable and Secure Nuclear
- Subject: 2021 Science Alive Demonstration
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Hydropower 101
From the group Student Energy, this video covers the history and future of hydropower, touching on the means of energy storage and energy conversion.
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Nuclear Energy: Is Fission the Future?
Created by the California Academy of Sciences, this video talks about the pros and cons of nuclear energy and the role it will play in the future of energy.
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Solar Power
This video from NOVA labs covers the challenges and the future of solar power.
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Solar Water Splitting
This experiment demonstrates how energy from the sun can be used to create an electrical current that splits water into oxygen and hydrogen. Hydrogen can be used as a clean fuel source. Some adult assistance may be needed. (4:28 min) Thank you to Notre Dame graduate student Jeffrey DuBose from the lab of Prof. Prashant Kamat for providing this video.
- Age group: All
- Category: Transformative Solar
- Subject: 2021 Science Alive Demonstration
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What Is Plasma?
Visit a Notre Dame research lab to see a plasma globe and watch a scientist produce the colored glow associated with plasma. (2:52 min) Thank you to undergraduate student Ibu Akintola and graduate student Daniel Martin from the lab of Prof. David Go for explaining plasma, and to Multimedia Production Specialist Wes Evard for producing the video.
- Age group: All
- Category: Energy Conversion and Efficiency
- Subject: 2021 Science Alive Demonstration
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Wind Power
This video from NOVA labs covers the history and future of wind power.
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Lesson Plans
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Bridging the Renewable Energy Gap: Alkane Resources
Students use an online molecule-modeling platform to learn about alkanes. Students then model the reaction of ethylene into butylene through a chemical process called oligomerization, which is one step in the process of converting shale gas ethane into fuel for transportation.
- Age group: 10-12th grade
- Category: Oil & Gas
- Subject: Science
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Choosing Energy-Efficient Appliances
Utilizing computational math, students will calculate the energy consumption of devices and compare different products based on energy efficiency in this lesson plan from National Geographic.
- Age group: 6-8th grade
- Category: Energy Consumption, Energy Efficiency
- Subject: Math
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Design a Pipeline
From Consumers Electric, this lesson plan explores the concept of natural gas and how this resource reaches our homes. The lesson also challenges students to design and draw their own pipeline on the provided template.
- Age group: Elementary
- Category: Oil & Gas
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Energy Efficiency (HS)
This Discovery Education lesson plan includes amble background information and a science experiment to measure the energy transferred from different types of lightbulbs to heated water.
- Age group: Middle School
- Category: Energy Efficiency
- Subject: Science
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Energy Efficiency (MS)
This Discovery Education lesson plan includes amble background information and a science experiment to measure the energy transferred from different types of lightbulbs to heated water.
- Age group: High School
- Category: Energy Efficiency
- Subject: Science
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Energy from the Sun
This lesson plan/worksheet from the U.S. Energy Information Administration has students compare the temperatures of thermometers placed in the sun with different colored reflectors.
- Age group: Elementary School
- Category: Solar Power
- Subject: Science
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Energy Use in the Americas
This National Geographic resource guides students to calculate and compare energy consumption in countries in the Americas, analyzing the data graphically as well as plotting it on a world map.
- Age group: 9-12th grade
- Category: Energy Consumption
- Subject: Geography
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Engineer a Dam
This IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) lesson plan gives background to the history of dams and has students construct and test their own.
- Age group: Middle school, high school
- Category: Hydro Power
- Subject: Engineering
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Flashlights and Batteries
This IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) lesson plan has students explore a flashlight and its simple circuit that provides power.
- Age group: Elementary school
- Category: General Energy
- Subject: Science
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Measuring the Wind
This IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) lesson plan gives background to how scientists measure the wind in order to determine locations for wind farms and has students construct their own anemometer.
- Age group: Middle school, high school
- Category: Wind Energy
- Subject: Engineering
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Oil Spill Solutions
This IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) lesson plan gives background to oil spills and the various solutions that address these disasters. Also included is detailed instructions for an experiment for students to design, build, and test a system to contain an simulated oil spill.
- Age group: High School
- Category: Oil & Gas
- Subject: Engineering
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Renewable Energy Living Lab
This CLEAN (Climate Literacy & Energy Awareness Network) lesson plan has students analyze state data through a mapping tool developed by NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) to determine the best locations for different forms of renewable energy.
- Age group: 6-8th grade
- Category: Renewable Energy
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Solar Energy and Diversifying Energy Resources
This lesson plan from National Geographic has students read, analyze, and craft a position statement on a case study on the potential installation of a solar field on farming land.
- Age group: 6-8th grade
- Category: Solar Power
- Subject: Language Arts
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Solar Power
This IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) lesson plan gives background to solar energy and includes an experiment that uses solar cells to understand the power generation of this form of renewable energy.
- Age group: Middle School
- Category: Solar Power
- Subject: Science
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Wasting Energy at Home
This lesson plan details the many ways to conserve energy around the home and includes a worksheet and matching game to better help students learn about conservation.
- Age group: Elementary school
- Category: Energy Conservation
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What Are Our Energy Choices?
This 6-part lesson plan from National Geographic uses an online interactive website to help students compare the cost and benefits of different sources of energy, diving deep into natural gas and including a final lesson on energy efficiency.
- Age group: 7-12th grade
- Category: General Energy, Oil & Gas
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Working with Watermills
This IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) lesson plan gives background to the history of watermills and has students construct and test their own.
- Age group: Middle school, high school
- Category: Hydro Power
- Subject: Engineering
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Additional Resources
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Energy in the Round
This interactive card game from the U.S. Energy Information Administration covers general energy concepts, from energy sources to forms of energy.
- Age group: Middle School
- Category: General Energy, Game
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Plan it Green
This National Geographic educational game has users select the correct order of components to build a variety of power plants. (Adobe Flash Player required)
- Age group: 3-5th grade
- Category: Energy Generation, Game
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En Español
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Aprende con energía
Este es un sitio web creado por el gobierno de Chile que incluye varios recursos energéticos tales como infografías, juegos y otras actividades interactivas para uso de la comunidad.
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Caja de calor solar
Esta actividad de aprendizaje del Departamento de Educación de Puerto Rico demuestra a los estudiantes a través de la experimentación que distintos materiales y colores producen varias temperaturas.
- Age group: Escuela intermedia
- Category: Energía solar
- Subject: Ciencias
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Cómo medir el viento
Esta lección del Instituto de Ingenieros Eléctricos y Electrónicos (IEEE, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) brinda antecedentes sobre cómo los científicos miden el viento para determinar la ubicación de los parques eólicos y hace que los estudiantes construyan su propio anemómetro.
- Age group: Escuela intermedia, escuela secundaria
- Category: Energía eólica
- Subject: Ingeniería
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Departamento de Energía de EE.UU.
Este sitio web fundado por el Departamento de Energía de Estados Unidos incluye folletos de actividades y videos para el uso general de educación energética.
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Diseño de una represa
Esta lección del Instituto de Ingenieros Eléctricos y Electrónicos (IEEE, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) brinda antecedentes sobre la historia de las represas y hace que los estudiantes construyan y prueben sus propias represas.
- Age group: Escuela intermedia, escuela secundaria
- Category: Energía hidráulica
- Subject: Ingeniería
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El poder del sol
Este libro publicado en el marco del programa de Socialización Comunitaria del Complejo Solar Cerro Dominador en colaboración con Verse Consultores abunda acerca del cambio climático y las formas de energía renovable. También, incluye diferentes actividades interactivas para la acción climática.
- Age group: Escuela elemental
- Category: Cambio climático, energía renovable
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Khan Academy
Khan Academy es un recurso sin fines de lucro sobre muchos temas educativos. Este sitio web incluye una amplia variedad de lecciones y ejercicios de Ciencia que utilizan videos cortos y fáciles de seguir.
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MIENERGIA.cl
Fundado por el Ministerio de Energía de Chile, este sitio web incluye videos y otros recursos valiosos para una amplia audiencia.
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National Energy Education Development Project (NEED): Proyecto Nacional de Desarrollo de Educación Energética
Este sitio web del Proyecto Nacional de Desarrollo de Educación Energética (NEED) reúne recursos de nivel elemental e intermedio sobre una amplia gama de de temas tanto para maestros como para estudiantes, incluyendo folletos educativos y actividades para el aula de clases.
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Ponte en onda: folleto para colorear
Este folleto del Departamento de energía de EE.UU. ofrece diferentes plantillas educativas para colorear relacionadas a las diferentes formas de energía renovable y fomenta el aprendizaje del uso correcto de energía.
- Age group: Preescolar, escuela elemental
- Category: Energía renovable
- Subject: Ciencias
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Ponte en onda: prende la energía limpia
Este libreto de actividades del Departamento de energía de EE.UU. presenta un número de consejos y pistas sobre cómo tomar decisiones inteligentes, ahorrar dinero, y reducir nuestro impacto en el medio ambiente.
- Age group: Escuela elemental, escuela intermedia
- Category: Energía renovable
- Subject: Ciencias
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Public Broadcasting Service Learning Media
El PBS Learning Media permite a los educadores y estudiantes ver videos idénticos tanto en Inglés como en Español sobre una amplia gama de temas de energía para una variedad de niveles de edad. También, hay ideas para lecciones que se encuentran clasificadas por nivel de grado, tema y tipo de recurso.
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¿Qué artefactos usan viento para funcionar?
Este juego virtual de Aprende con energía ofrece la oportunidad para que los estudiantes aprendan acerca de los diferentes artefactos que utilizan viento para funcionar.
- Age group: Escuela elemental
- Category: Energía eólica
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Soluciones para derrames de petróleo
Esta lección del Instituto de Ingenieros Eléctricos y Electrónicos (IEEE, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) brinda antecedentes sobre los derrames de petróleo y las diversas soluciones para estos desastres. También, incluye instrucciones detalladas para un experimento donde los estudiantes diseñan, construyen y prueban un sistema para contener un derrame de petróleo simulado.
- Age group: Escuela secundaria
- Category: Gas y petróleo
- Subject: Ingeniería
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Trabajo con molinos de agua
Esta lección del Instituto de Ingenieros Eléctricos y Electrónicos (IEEE, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) brinda antecedentes sobre la historia de los molinos de agua y hace que los estudiantes construyan y prueben sus propios molinos.
- Age group: Escuela intermedia, escuela secundaria
- Category: Energía hidráulica
- Subject: Ingeniería
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Transformaciones energéticas óptimas en la naturaleza
Esta infografía interactiva virtual de Discovery en la Escuela muestra una colección de videos acerca de las diferentes transformaciones de energía presentes en la naturaleza.
- Age group: Escuela intermedia
- Category: Transformación de energía, infografía
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