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Energy Consumption

Elementary, Middle

Description

This inquiry-based, action-oriented resource focuses attention on the issue of energy conservation. Students conduct school, personal, and classroom energy use audits to yield 'before' results. After scrutiny and analysis of their findings, students make behaviour changes to meet an energy conservation challenge and they investigate the energy costs to produce the foods they choose.  Components of the resource include: 

Background Information on energy consumption problems and solutions.

Activities for Assessing Energy Use:

  • Energy Walkabout- to assess school energy use
  • Energy Use Clock- to assess personal and home energy use
  • Energy Conservation Challenge- students strive to reduce energy use for a 24 hour period.

Activities for Student Action:

  • Assessing Food Miles- Where in the World Is Your Food Coming From?
  • My Personal Actions- Students commit to and implement lifestyle changes.
  • Promoting Energy Conservation-Students take action to inform others of the importance of energy conservation

Teachers and students may also choose to follow instructions for exploring the connection between personal action, energy use and climate change and then creating radio advertisements to educate others.

 

General Assessment

What skills does this resource explicitly teach?

  • Data collection.

Strengths

  • The resource is easy to use and involves students in inquiry.
  • The authors have included ready made check lists for student data collection and necessary handouts.
  • Interesting background information is provided.
  • The lessons try to empower students to create meaningful change.

Weaknesses

  • pg. 56 Student card for Eating Meet Everyday, should read meat.
  • No out-of-doors activity suggestions are provided.
  • The background information is for teachers only. A visual presentation for students would be far more engaging and informative.
  • No marking rubrics or checklists are provided for ease of assessment.

Relevant Curriculum Units

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        • Science 4:Energy can be transformed
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Themes Addressed

Air, Atmosphere & Climate (1)

  • Climate Change

Energy (1)

  • Energy Use

Sustainability Education Principles

Principle Rating Explanation
Consideration of Alternative Perspectives Very Good
  • Supports an ESD perspective.
Consideration of Alternative Perspectives:
  • Satisfactory: absence of bias towards any one point of view
  • Good: students consider different points of view regarding issues, problems discussed
  • Very good: based on the consideration of different views, students form opinions and  take an informed position
Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions Good
  • Students explore social, environmental and economic dimensions of the problem.
  • Background reading is provided and discusses economic dimensions. However, it is unclear how this reading is to be used and by whom.
Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions:

Effectively addresses the environmental, economic and social dimensions of the issue(s) being explored.

  • Satisfactory: resource supports the examination of  these dimensions
  • Good:  resource explicitly examines the interplay of these dimensions
  • Very Good:  a systems-thinking approach is encouraged to examine these three dimensions
Respects Complexity Very Good
  • Energy consumption is connected to consumption in general, and to fossil fuels and climate change.
Respects Complexity:

The complexity of the problems/issues being discussed is respected.

Acting on Learning Satisfactory
Acting on Learning:

Learning moves from understanding  issues  to working towards positive change — in personal lifestyle, in school, in the community,  or for the planet

  • Satisfactory: action opportunities are included as extensions 
  • Good: action opportunities are core components of the resource
  • Very Good: action opportunities for students are well supported and intended to result in observable, positive change
Values Education Good
  • Questions for guiding discussion and providing a reason to care are provided in activity 4.1
  • Lesson 4.2 p.3 invites students to revisit their thoughts and feelings through discussion or journaling.
Values Education:

Students are explicitly provided with opportunities to identify, clarify and express their own beliefs/values.

Empathy & Respect for Humans Poor/Not considered
  • Not an aspect of the lesson.
Empathy & Respect for Humans: Empathy and respect are fostered for diverse groups of humans (including different genders, ethnic groups, sexual preferences, etc.).
Personal Affinity with Earth Satisfactory
  • No out-of-doors experiences are provided for students other than the solar oven extension idea.
Personal Affinity with Earth:

Encourages a personal affinity with -the natural world.  

  • Satisfactory: connection is made to the natural world
  • Good: fosters appreciation/concern for the natural world
  • Very Good: fosters stewardship though practical and respectful experiences out-of-doors 
Locally-Focused Learning Very Good
Locally-Focused Learning:

Includes learning experiences that take advantage of issues/elements within the local community. 

  • Satisfactory: learning is made relevant to the lives of the learners
  • Good: learning is made relevant and has a local focus
  • Very Good: learning is made relevant, local and takes place ‘outside’ , in the community 
Past, Present & Future Good
  • The lesson focuses on studying the present to improve the future.
Past, Present & Future: Promotes an understanding of the past, a sense of the present, and a positive vision for the future.

Pedagogical Approaches

Principle Rating Explanation
Open-Ended Instruction Good

The 'right' answer is to reduce and the activities all lead in that direction. Getting to that answer requires a combination of structured inquiry and guided investigation.

Open-Ended Instruction :

Lessons are structured so that multiple/complex answers are possible; students are not steered toward one 'right' answer.

Integrated Learning Very Good
Integrated Learning:

Learning brings together content and skills  from more than one  subject area

  • Satisfactory: content from a number of different  subject areas is readily identifiable
  • Good:  resource is appropriate for use in more than one subject area
  • Very Good:  the lines between subjects are blurred 
Inquiry Learning Good
Inquiry Learning:

Learning is directed by questions, problems, or challenges that students work to address.   

  • Satisfactory: Students are provided with questions/problems to solve and some direction on how to arrive at solutions.
  • Good: students, assisted by the teacher clarify the question(s) to ask and the process to follow to arrive at solutions.  Sometimes referred to as Guided Inquiry
  • Very Good:  students generate the questions and assume much of the responsibility for how to solve them.  . Sometimes referred to as self-directed learning.

 

Differentiated Instruction Satisfactory
  • Learning activities are largely visual with some kinesthetic activity offered in the extensions.
  • Strategies for differentiation and/or adaptations are not provided.
Differentiated Instruction:

Activities address a range of student learning styles, abilities and readiness.

  • Satisfactory:  includes a variety of instructional approaches
  • Good: addresses  the needs of visual, auditory &  kinesthetic learners
  • Very Good: also includes strategies for learners with difficulties
Experiential Learning Very Good
Experiential Learning:

Authentic learning experiences are provided

  • Satisfactory: learning takes place through ‘hands-on’ experience or simulation
  • Good: learning involves direct experience in a ‘real world context’
  • Very good: learning involves ‘real world experiences’ taking place’ beyond the school walls.
Cooperative Learning Satisfactory
  • Students work together.
Cooperative Learning:

Group and cooperative learning strategies are a priority.

  • Satisfactory:  students work in groups
  • Good: cooperative learning skills are explicitly taught and practiced
  • Very Good: cooperative learning skills are explicitly taught, practiced and assessed
Assessment & Evaluation Good
  • The activities lend themselves to teacher evaluation but no marking rubrics or checklists are provided to help with assessment.
Assessment & Evaluation: Tools are provided that help students and teachers to capture formative and summative information about students' learning and performance. These tools may include reflection questions, checklists, rubrics, etc.
Peer Teaching Satisfactory
  • Students are asked to create radio advertisements to promote energy conservation but the lesson only suggests they share these with their classmates.
Peer Teaching:

Provides opportunities for students to actively present their knowledge and skills to peers and/or act as teachers and mentors.

  • Satisfactory: incidental teaching that arises from cooperative learning, presentations, etc.
  • Good or Very Good: an opportunity is intentionally created to empower students to teach other students/community members. The audience is somehow reliant on the students' teaching (students are not simply ‘presenting')
Case Studies Poor/Not considered
  • Not an aspect of the lesson.
Case Studies:

Relevant case studies are included.  Case studies are thorough descriptions of real events from real situations that students use to explore  concepts in an authentic context.

Locus of Control Satisfactory
  • Activities are teacher led.
Locus of Control: Meaningful opportunities are provided for students to choose elements of program content, the medium in which they wish to work, and/or to go deeper into a chosen issue.

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