Energy Lesson Plans, Curriculum, and Educational Materials
Here you'll find resources for lesson plans, curriculum, and educational materials for teaching students and children about energy, particularly energy efficiency and renewable energy.
K-12
Alliance to Save Energy: Multidisciplinary Lesson Plans
Free, hands-on, multidisciplinary lesson plans for K-12 in the area of energy.
Alternative Fuels Data Center: Education Resources
Includes links to teaching materials, competitions, and activities for students in K-12 grades.
Beaming Down Energy
Features articles and lessons for grades K-12 that explore a possible solution to the rising costs of energy-solar energy. (Developed by NASA)
Bonneville Power Administration: Resources for Teachers
Features K-12 curricula and activities for teaching hydroelectricity, energy conservation, and more in Oregon, Washington, Montana, and Idaho.
The Educators Reference Desk: Physics Lesson Plans
Features physic lesson plans, including some about energy, for teaching K-12 students. (Developed by the Information Institute of Syracuse)
Energy Education Resources: Kindergarten through 12th Grade
A list of generally available free or low-cost energy-related educational materials. (Developed by the Energy Information Administration)
Energy and Society
Help students in grades preK-8 learn about their relationship with energy and investigate the environmental issues related to energy's role in society. (Developed by Project Learning Tree)
Florida Solar Energy Center: Teacher Resources
Features curriculum for grades K-12 on solar energy and alternative fuels.
Fuel Cell Demonstration Units/Educational Kits
A list of lessons, activities, and projects that teach grades K-12 about fuel cell technology. (List developed by Fuel Cells 2000)
The Global Sun Temperature Project
Students in grades 5-12 join other students from around the world in recording and comparing their average daily temperatures and hours of sunlight. Features lesson plans. (Developed by the Center for Improved Engineering and Science Education)
Global Warming: Educators
Features materials that educators can use to teach their students about global warming. (Developed by the Environmental Protection Agency)
Handbook of Engaged Learning Projects
Classroom science projects, including some for teaching about energy, designed by K-12 teachers to demonstrate engaged learning and effective use of technology. (Sponsored by Fermilab)
Hydrogen, Fuel Cells & Infrastructure Technology Program: Classroom Materials for Grades 5-12
Provides classroom materials to help teachers educate students about fuel cells at all levels, from 5th grade through middle school. (Developed by the U.S. Department of Energy)
KEEP: Publications
Features educational materials developed by Wisconsin's K-12 Energy Education Program.
KEEP: Activity Guide
Features lesson plans and activities developed by Wisconsin's K-12 Energy Education Program.
KidWind Project
Features hands-on science projects and lesson plans to help kids learn about wind.
Louisiana Energy & Environmental Resource and Information Center
The site's Energy/Environmental Education section features two lesson plans for teaching elementary students-one about energy concepts and the other about alternative energy sources-and one lesson plan called, "What's a Watt?" for teaching middle school students about energy-efficient appliances.
NEED Curriculum Guides and Activities
Features energy education teacher guides and student workbooks for K-12. (Developed by the National Energy Education Development project)
Northeast Sustainable Energy Association: Educational Materials
Features curricular units, lesson plans, and an activity planner for K-12, as well as a searchable educational resource catalog.
Renewable Energy Education Curriculum Framework
A list of educational goals from Solar Now for teaching renewable energy to preK-12.
Renewable Energy Lesson Plans
Features an index of renewable energy lesson plans created by a team of professional educators and renewable energy experts. (Developed by the Texas State Energy Conservation Office)
Sources of Educational Materials on Sustainable Development
Information about curriculum, activities, and educational resources for K-12 on the Center of Excellence for Sustainable Development Web site, a U.S. Department of Energy project.
Teaching About Climate Change: Cool Schools Tackle Global Warming
Features practical ideas for teaching K-12 students about climate change, including school energy audits, and explorations of energy and transportation alternatives. (Developed by Green Teacher)
U.S. Department of Energy: For Educators
Features links to energy-related lesson plans and activities.
Volcano Lesson Plans
Features lesson plans about volcanoes for K-12 students to help teach them about this form of geothermal energy. (Developed by the University of North Dakota)
Watt Watchers of Texas
Features student activities for K-12 that enable teachers to provide their students with hands-on experience in energy.
WaveTube
An interactive hands-on aid that can be used for teaching oceanography, including ocean energy. (Developed by Practical Ocean Energy Management Systems)
Wind Energy Teacher's Guide
(PDF 595 KB) Download Adobe Reader.
Features class activities for teaching K-12 students about wind energy. (Developed by the American Wind Energy Association)
K-6
Activities to Explore Static Electricity
Features activities for teaching elementary students about static electricity. (Developed by the Museum of Science, Boston)
Air Quality and Transportation
A lesson plan for teaching second graders how using carpools and other alternative means of transportation are necessary to lessen air pollution. (Developed by the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission)
Energy Busters: Home Energy Conservation
Students in grades 3-5 complete a home energy survey and develop an energy conservation plan for their home. (From Science NetLinks)
Energy Detectives
Designed to give students in grades 3-6 an edge on energy-related technology by performing energy audits and suggesting energy-saving tips. (Developed by EnergyNet)
The Franklin Institute Online: Wind
Activities for teaching elementary students about wind energy.
Just Turn It Off
A lesson plan that teaches students in grades K-2 how energy can be wasted. (From Science NetLinks)
Sunsite Funsite
See the activities section for information on using this Web site for teaching elementary students about solar energy. (Developed by the Tucson Electric Power Company)
Grades 3-8
Conserving Electric Energy
A lesson plan for teaching grades 3-8 to appreciate their dependency on energy and how to regulate their energy consumption. (Developed by the American Coal Foundation)
Energy Education Curriculum Project
Features modules for teaching students in 5th grade through middle school about energy. (Developed by the University of Northern Iowa)
How Does Energy Affect Motion?
Allows 4th graders to observe the way energy can be transformed into another form of energy. (Featured on the AccelerateU Web site)
How Does the Sun's Angle Affect Temperature?
Asks 4th graders to describe a variety of forms of energy and the changes that occur in objects when they interact with those forms of energy. (Featured on the AccelerateU Web site)
Solar Matters
An award-winning solar energy science unit for intermediate 4th-8th grades (Developed by the Florida Solar Energy Center and the University of Central Florida Brevard Campus)
Time for Kids Extra! Teacher's Guide
(PDF 249 KB) Download Adobe Reader.
In-class activities, including hands-on experiments, for grades 4-6 that illustrate the benefits of energy efficiency. Materials include the Time for Kids Extra! Student Magazine (PDF 924 KB). (Developed by EnergySmart Schools)
Grades 5-9
Alternative Fuel Matters
A compilation of individual activities for grades 6-8 that create an awareness of the potential of alternative energy sources. (Developed by the Florida Solar Energy Center)
Building Homes of Our Own
An interactive tool for teaching middle school students about the entire home building process, including energy efficiency. (Developed by the National Association of Home Builders)
Kool Kids
Provides lesson plans for teaching 5th-9th graders about urban heat islands. (Developed by the National Energy Foundation)
The Nature of Water Power
A thematic science unit appropriate for grades 6-8. Also see the online hydro tours. (Developed by the Foundation for Water & Energy Education)
Renewable Energy Sources
A lesson plan that has students in grades 6-8 investigate a variety of renewable energy resources, as well as the benefits and drawbacks of each. (From Science NetLinks)
Wind with Miller: Teacher's Guide
Activities for learning about wind energy, geared toward students aged 12-14. (Developed by the Danish Wind Industry Association)
Grades 6-12
Energy for Keeps: Electricity from Renewable Energy
A guide for teaching grades 6-12 about the history, availability, impacts, technologies, and management of energy resources used to generate electricity. (Developed by Educators for the Environment)
EnergyNet
An online project that gives students in grades 6-12 the opportunity to act as energy consultants for their schools. (Developed by Educational Dividends)
Hydrogen Outreach Program for Education (HOPE)
Curriculum that teaches secondary students about the potential and benefits of hydrogen as a fuel. (Developed by the National Fuel Cell Education Program)
Renewables Are Ready: A Guide to Teaching Renewable Energy in Junior and High School Classrooms (PDF 2 MB) Download Adobe Reader.
Illustrates basic scientific principles, including hands-on activities, games, action projects, and a resource guide. (Developed by Union of Concerned Scientists)
Running on Renewables
Students use HOMER modeling software to find the costs and benefits of using renewable energy in their schools. (Developed by Penn State Public Broadcasting for the Energy Education for the 21st Century curriculum.)
Grades 9-12
Alternative Energy Sources
A science unit for grades 11-12 exploring the use of alternative energy sources. (Developed by WebQuest)
Energy & Environmental Trade-Offs
A module for teaching high school students, especially those in British Columbia and the rest of Canada, about the environmental impacts of energy use. (Developed for the Ministry of Education in British Columbia)
Ethanol-As a Fuel
Curriculum that teaches high school students about ethanol and its effect on vehicle performance, the environment, and the economy. (Developed by Northwest Iowa Community College)
Fusion Education: Teacher Resources
Educational materials, including curriculum, for teaching high school students about fusion energy.
Global Systems Science: High School Curriculum
An interdisciplinary course for grades 9-12 that teaches them about climate change, energy use, biodiversity, and population, emphasizing how scientists from a wide variety of fields work together to understand the problems surrounding these issues. (Developed by the University of California at Berkeley)
Going Places, Making Choices
A curriculum that focuses on raising the awareness of high school students about transportation, personal mobility choices now and in the future, and how those choices impact the environment. (Developed by the Youth-Corporate Connections Team at National 4-H Council)
The Ring of Fire
Teaches high school students about the Ring of Fire-a region with the most abundant source of geothermal energy. (Developed by National Geographic Xpeditions)
Understanding Solar Energy
A solar energy science unit for high school students. (Developed for the Florida Solar Energy Center)
Work, Energy and Power
An online physics tutorial for high school students on many principles of energy. (Developed by Glenbrook South High School in Illinois)
Higher Education
The Educator's Reference Desk: Lesson Plans
A key word search for "energy" on this site will help locate lesson plans for higher education, including renewable energy and energy efficiency.
Energy Services Careers
(PDF 1.46 MB) Download Adobe Reader.
A report that addresses energy management/services workforce needs by providing educators with information needed to develop relevant curricula for careers in energy. (Developed by the Partnership for Environmental Technology Education and the Advanced Technology Environmental Education Center)
Hydrogen, Fuel Cells & Infrastructure Technology Program: College-Level Materials
Provides classroom materials to help teachers educate college students about fuel cells. (Developed by the U.S. Department of Energy)
Second Nature: Education for Sustainability
A repository of materials submitted by individuals from across higher education-faculty, students, administrators and staff-for integrating sustainability concepts into higher education curriculum.
Resources for Teaching Energy Services Technology
Provides access to energy services career reports, a model curriculum, instructional materials, and more. (Developed by the Partnership for Environmental Technology Education)
