LESSON PLANS AND PROJECTS
Energy Literacy: Essential Principles and Fundamental Concepts for Energy Education identifies seven Essential Principles and a set of Fundamental Concepts that, if understood and applied, will help individuals and communities make informed energy decisions. The intended audience is anyone involved in energy education from K-Gray and is meant to inform the improvement and development of energy curriculum to more broadly cover the Fundamental Concepts. The Energy Literacy Framework is free to download from the website and up to five hard copies can be ordered. Spanish-language Conocimiento de Energia is now available.
The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy also offers lesson plans, labs, projects, and ideas for other activities for grades K-12 on energy-related topics.
The Fusion Energy Sciences Program includes a diverse set of disciplines - from modern plasma physics theories dealing with chaotic systems of energetic particles and waves to more conventional engineering problems of applied electromagnetism. While there are several programs specifically supported by the Office of Fusion Energy Sciences for the purpose of science education, all of the efforts within the fusion program are highly dependent on voluntary efforts by personnel across the program. These scientists, engineers, and technical support staff give lectures, conduct tours, develop displays, and otherwise contribute their time and energy to this purpose.
Argonne National Lab's Teacher Resources webpage includes links to Lesson Plans from Argonne's Sustainability Workshop for Middle School Teachers, resources for students, event information, and the Newton Ask a Scientist program.
Sandia National Laboratory offers activity ideas for a science night at home or in the classroom.
Fossil Energy Lessons for download. Fossil Energy created printable study guides and activities emphasizing the importance of coal, natural gas, and petroleum to our everyday lives. The office hopes to familiarize students with the science and technologies that make using fossil fuels cleaner. Lessons and activities are available for elementary, middle school, and high school levels.
The Harnessed Atom is a new middle school science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) curriculum extension that focuses on nuclear science and energy. It offers teachers accurate, unbiased, and up-to-date information on the roles that energy and nuclear science play in our lives. The curriculum includes essential principles and fundamental concepts of energy science.
Energy Kids offers K-12 students can explore energy sources and ways to save energy, through online puzzles, quizzes, and experiments.
TEACHER DEVELOPMENT
Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship provides a professional development opportunity for accomplished K-12 educators in the fields of STEM to serve in the national education arena. Fellows spend eleven months working in a federal agency or Congressional office, bringing their knowledge and experience in the classroom to education program and/or education policy efforts.
The Office of Fossil Energy, through the USEA and the National Energy Education Development Project, offers teacher workshops to high school and middle school teachers on the science of energy and carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) technology. Download the workshop materials here.
The Northern New Mexico National Math and Science Academy for Teachers is an intensive three-year program designed to support whole-school continuous improvement in math and science teaching and learning. This Los Alamos National Laboratory program includes a three-week summer institute at which teachers learn about best practices in instruction, assessment, student engagement, brain-based learning and STEM education content; school-year classroom support in math and science content and instruction; and development of teachers into instructional leaders and future administrators.