Energy Curricula*

Grades K-4

Acting Out Energy Forms
In this activity, students are introduced to the various forms of energy as well as the scientific principles related to energy transformations, electricity and light through interpretive dance. After discussing the topic of energy, students will act out various energy forms using movements detailed in the activity instructions. The activity was developed by the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association and correlates to Massachusetts learning standards in Science, Technology/Engineering and Ecological Health and Pennsylvania standards in Environment and Ecology, Science and Technology.

Alliance to Save Energy Downloadable Lesson Plans
According to the Alliance to Save Energy, many schools spend more on energy costs than on computers and textbooks combined. A number of these free, downloadable curricula are used in the Alliance to Save Energy’s Green Schools Program—a unique, collaborative effort by teachers, administrators, and facilities and maintenance staff which reduces school energy costs while at the same time educating students. Each of these plans can be downloaded as a PDF file and printed out.

Are you an Energy Saver STAR?
Developed by the Bonneville Power Administration in Portland, Oregon, Are You an Energy Saver Star?  asks students to collect data on energy usage and perform energy audits in a number of capacities.  The results are then analyzed to see where the most conservation could be achieved.  Adheres to state standards in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington.  Best suited for grades 4-7. 

Clean Energy for a Clean Environment
Produced by the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association in collaboration with the Girl Scouts of Western Massachusetts, Clean Energy for a Clean Environment encourages students to learn more about green power, interview individuals in their area using green power, and engage in activities to spread the word about green power.  Includes downloadable guide for teachers and meets many Massachusetts Department of Education Curriculum frameworks.

Energy Hog
The Alliance to Save Energy’s Energy Hog program is an online computer activity that reveals "energy hogs" in our homes that can be eliminated, thus saving energy and protecting the environment.  The website also includes the Energy Hog Challenge, a set of classroom activities that can be downloaded for free. Correlates to National Science Education Standards as well as Colorado state standards.  Appropriate for 3rd-6th grade students. 

Florida Solar Energy Center
The Florida Solar Energy Center provides alternative fuels curricula including lessons about hydrogen and solar fuel sources organized by subject and grade level. Activities are tied to Florida's Sunshine State Standards.

Knowledge is Power
Originally created for use in Texas, Knowledge is Power is an energy efficiency curriculum supplement for grades K-8.  These lesson plans on energy conservation and energy efficiency are correlated to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills standards and include starter activities, extensions, and discussion questions.

National Energy Education Development (NEED) Project Curricula
The NEED Project provides an extensive library of standards-based curricula for teachers of grades K-12. Examples of the many resources teachers can download are: free lessons on wind energy in four levels, hands-on solar kits, energy infobooks in four levels, energy efficiency and conservation lesson plans, curricula on saving energy for students and families, and transportation fuels lessons. Several NEED lessons also feature connections to language arts, geography and economics. Lessons are available for all grade levels K-12 and adhere to National Science Education Standards.

Project Learning Tree: Energy and Society
PLT's Energy & Society program provides formal and non-formal educators with tools and activities to help students in grades PreK-8 learn about their relationship with energy and investigate the environmental issues related to energy's role in society. Energy & Society helps students develop critical thinking skills to make decisions about their personal energy use. In addition to hands-on activities, Energy & Society integrates music and dance to enhance the study of energy issues.  Follow the link located above for ordering information.

Trip Tally
Developed by the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association, Trip Tally has students complete a simple air pollution experiment and discuss what they find. Students discover actions that they already take that help keep our air clean by recording how they get around for one week. They will discover that they can avoid creating air pollution by taking public transportation, carpooling, walking and other means. At the end of the week the class tabulates, graphs and analyzes their data. Students finish up by making posters with a message about how to reduce air pollution. Correlates to math and science standards in Massachusetts.

U.S. Department of Energy Energy Efficiency  & Renewable Energy K-12 Lesson Plans & Activities
The U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy website has a searchable database of creative lesson plans, projects and other activities for grades K-12 on energy-related topics. Each lesson plan includes a short summary that identifies how to introduce it into the curriculum, time required, materials needed and national standards that will be met. Search for lesson plans by topic and grade level.

Wind Wisdom for School Power...Naturally
Wind Wisdom for School Power...Naturally is designed for students, families, youth groups and teachers interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the science, issues and opportunities of wind energy as a renewable energy source. The activities are correlated to New York State Curriculum Standards.

Jump To: Grades K-4 | Grades 9-12  

Grades 5-8

Acting Out Energy Forms
In this activity, students are introduced to the various forms of energy as well as the scientific principles related to energy transformations, electricity and light through interpretive dance. After discussing the topic of energy, students will act out various energy forms using movements detailed in the activity instructions. The activity was developed by the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association and correlates to Massachusetts learning standards in Science, Technology/Engineering and Ecological Health and Pennsylvania standards in Environment and Ecology, Science and Technology.

Alliance to Save Energy Downloadable Lesson Plans
According to the Alliance to Save Energy, many schools spend more on energy costs than on computers and textbooks combined. A number of these free, downloadable curricula are used in the Alliance to Save Energy’s Green Schools Program—a unique, collaborative effort by teachers, administrators, and facilities and maintenance staff which reduces school energy costs while at the same time educating students. Each of these plans can be downloaded as a PDF file and printed out.

Are you an Energy Saver STAR?
Developed by the Bonneville Power Administration in Portland, Oregon, Are You an Energy Saver Star?  asks students to collect data on energy usage and perform energy audits in a number of capacities.  The results are then analyzed to see where the most conservation could be achieved.  Adheres to state standards in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington.  Best suited for grades 4-7. 

Clean Energy for a Clean Environment
Produced by the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association in collaboration with the Girl Scouts of Western Massachusetts, Clean Energy for a Clean Environment encourages students to learn more about green power, interview individuals in their area using green power, and engage in activities to spread the word about green power.  Includes downloadable guide for teachers, meets many Massachusetts Department of Education Curriculum frameworks.

Discover How Trees Produce and Save Energy
The National Arbor Day Foundation’s National Poster Contest offers free lesson plans and activities demonstrating the link between trees and energy.  Correlates to National Science Education Standards and National Social Studies Education Standards.

Energy Efficiency Lesson Plan Database
Produced by Connecticut Energy Education, these energy efficiency lessons provide students and teachers with activities to bridge the subjects of Fundamentals of Energy and Climate Change, and provide activities for students to make their own solutions to energy issues.  Lessons include Ecological Footprint Calculator, Home Energy Quiz, and 10% Challenge. These lessons are best suited for grades 7-12 and adhere to Connecticut State Education Standards.

Energy Hog
The Alliance to Save Energy’s Energy Hog program is an online computer activity that reveals "energy hogs" in our homes that can be eliminated, thus saving energy and protecting the environment.  The website also includes the Energy Hog Challenge, a set of classroom activities that can be downloaded for free. Correlates to National Science Education Standards as well as Colorado state standards.  Appropriate for 3rd-6th grade students. 

Florida Solar Energy Center
The Florida Solar Energy Center provides alternative fuels curricula including lessons about hydrogen and solar fuel sources organized by subject and grade level. Activities are tied to Florida's Sunshine State Standards.

Knowledge is Power
Originally created for use in Texas, Knowledge is Power is an energy efficiency curriculum supplement for grades K-8.  These lesson plans on energy conservation and energy efficiency are correlated to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills standards and include starter activities, extensions, and discussion questions.

National Energy Education Development (NEED) Project Curricula
The NEED Project provides an extensive library of standards-based curricula for teachers of grades K-12. Examples of the many resources teachers can download are: free lessons on wind energy in four levels, hands-on solar kits, energy infobooks in four levels, energy efficiency and conservation lesson plans, curricula on saving energy for students and families, and transportation fuels lessons. Several NEED lessons also feature connections to language arts, geography and economics. Lessons are available for all grade levels K-12 and adhere to National Science Education Standards.

Planet Connecticut
Developed by the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association, Planet Connecticut is an interactive education program that increases student awareness of commute alternatives and how making different lifestyle choices can contribute to a cleaner environment and a better quality of life.  Activities can be used for any 6th-9th grade classroom in the state and correlate to several math, science, and geography state standards in Connecticut.

Powering Our Future
Powering Our Future is an interactive education program for grades 4-12 focused on energy use, electricity, renewable energy, and energy conservation.  The lessons in this program address Arizona Department of Education academic standards in science and social studies, as well as mathematics and language arts.  The site is designed for use in conjunction with Powering Our Future written materials.  Ordering information is available on their website at http://www.poweringourfuture.com/.

Project Learning Tree: Energy and Society
PLT's Energy & Society program provides formal and non-formal educators with tools and activities to help students in grades PreK-8 learn about their relationship with energy and investigate the environmental issues related to energy's role in society. Energy & Society helps students develop critical thinking skills to make decisions about their personal energy use. In addition to hands-on activities, Energy & Society integrates music and dance to enhance the study of energy issues.

School Power...Naturally
School Power...Naturally is part of the Power...Naturally program developed by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. The website offers numerous lessons and activities on renewable energy at all grades levels, which can be downloaded as PDFs or Word documents.The lessons are correlated to New York State Curriculum Standards for Math, Science and Tecnology.

Travel Solutions to Global Warming
Developed by the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association, Travel Solutions to Global Warming isa 5-8th grade curriculum that explores the relationship between the carbon cycle, fossil fuels, and levels of CO2 in the atmosphere through experiments and graphing.  Students follow up by using a personal trip log to discover their own CO2 production and how to minimize it.  Correlates to several math, science, and geography state standards in Connecticut.

Trip Tally
Developed by the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association, Trip Tally has students complete a simple air pollution experiment and discuss what they find. Students discover actions that they already take that help keep our air clean by recording how they get around for one week. They will discover that they can avoid creating air pollution by taking public transportation, carpooling, walking and other means. At the end of the week the class tabulates, graphs and analyzes their data. Students finish up by making posters with a message about how to reduce air pollution. Correlates to math and science standards in Massachusetts.

U.S. Department of Energy Energy Efficiency  & Renewable Energy K-12 Lesson Plans & Activities
The U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy website has a searchable database of creative lesson plans, projects and other activities for grades K-12 on energy-related topics. Each lesson plan includes a short summary that identifies how to introduce it into the curriculum, time required, materials needed and national standards that will be met. Search for lesson plans by topic and grade level.

Voyage from the Sun
Voyage From The Sun is a 20-lesson classroom science module designed to introduce 4th-9th grade students to the major ways in which energy is important in living systems. Voyage encourages students to explore the story of Earth's energy. Students examine how they use energy, where it comes from, and how human impact on natural habitats affects the natural energy flow. Voyage From The Sun supports science reform efforts by building bridges between biology, the physical sciences, math and language arts.

Wind Wisdom for School Power...Naturally
Wind Wisdom for School Power...Naturally is designed for students, families, youth groups and teachers interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the science, issues and opportunities of wind energy as a renewable energy source. The activities are correlated to New York State Curriculum Standards.

Jump To: Grades K-4 | Grades 5-8

Grades 9-12

Acting Out Energy Forms
In this activity, students are introduced to the various forms of energy as well as the scientific principles related to energy transformations, electricity and light through interpretive dance. After discussing the topic of energy, students will act out various energy forms using movements detailed in the activity instructions. The activity was developed by the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association and correlates to Massachusetts learning standards in Science, Technology/Engineering and Ecological Health and Pennsylvania standards in Environment and Ecology, Science and Technology.

Alliance to Save Energy Downloadable Lesson Plans
According to the Alliance to Save Energy, many schools spend more on energy costs than on computers and textbooks combined. A number of these free, downloadable curricula are used in the Alliance to Save Energy’s Green Schools Program—a unique, collaborative effort by teachers, administrators, and facilities and maintenance staff which reduces school energy costs while at the same time educating students. Each of these plans can be downloaded as a PDF file and printed out. 

Clean Energy for a Clean Environment
Produced by the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association in collaboration with the Girl Scouts of Western Massachusetts, Clean Energy for a Clean Environment encourages students to learn more about green power, interview individuals in their area using green power, and engage in activities to spread the word about green power.  Includes downloadable guide for teachers, meets many Massachusetts Department of Education Curriculum frameworks.

Energy Efficiency Lesson Plan Database
Produced by Connecticut Energy Education, these energy efficiency lessons provide students and teachers with activities to bridge the subjects of Fundamentals of Energy and Climate Change, and provide activities for students to make their own solutions to energy issues.  Lessons include Ecological Footprint Calculator, Home Energy Quiz, and 10% Challenge. These lessons are best suited for grades 7-12 and adhere to Connecticut State Education Standards.

Florida Solar Energy Center
The Florida Solar Energy Center provides alternative fuels curricula including lessons about hydrogen and solar fuel sources organized by subject and grade level. Activities are tied to Florida's Sunshine State Standards.

National Energy Education Development (NEED) Project Curricula
The NEED Project provides an extensive library of standards-based curricula for teachers of grades K-12. Examples of the many free resources teachers can download are: lessons on wind energy in four levels, hands-on solar kits, energy infobooks in four levels, energy efficiency and conservation lesson plans, curricula on saving energy for students and families, and transportation fuels lessons. Several NEED lessons also feature connections to language arts, geography and economics. Lessons are available for all grade levels K-12 and adhere to National Science Education Standards.

Powering Our Future
Powering Our Future is an interactive education program for grades 4-12 focused on energy use, electricity, renewable energy, and energy conservation.  The lessons in this program address Arizona Department of Education academic standards in science and social studies, as well as mathematics and language arts.  The site is designed for use in conjunction with Powering Our Future written materials.  Ordering information is available on their website at http://www.poweringourfuture.com/.

School Power...Naturally
School Power...Naturally is part of the Power...Naturally program developed by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. The website offers numerous lessons and activities on renewable energy at all grades levels, which can be downloaded as PDFs or Word documents.The lessons are correlated to New York State Curriculum Standards for Math, Science and Tecnology. 

U.S. Department of Energy Energy Efficiency  & Renewable Energy K-12 Lesson Plans & Activities
The U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy website has a searchable database of creative lesson plans, projects and other activities for grades K-12 on energy-related topics. Each lesson plan includes a short summary that identifies how to introduce it into the curriculum, time required, materials needed and national standards that will be met. Search for lesson plans by topic and grade level.

 

Do you have energy curricula that you'd like to share? Send it to EEWeek@neefusa.org 

*The curricula listed on this webpage have been selected in light of their adherence to state, federal, and/or NAAEE educational standards and are thus suitable for classroom use.