Title: Energyville
Purpose:
Students will be expected to decide how to power their city of 5.9 million people. They will be
given the option of using all potential fuel sources. They will have to plan for today’s needs, and
then will have to re-evaluate their choices to account for the demands of the future.
Grade Level/TEKS Reference:
6th Grade Science TEKS(7) Matter and energy. The student knows that some of Earth's energy resources are
available on a nearly perpetual basis, while others can be renewed over a relatively short period of time. Some
energy resources, once depleted, are essentially nonrenewable. The student is expected to:
(A) research and debate the advantages and disadvantages of using coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear
power, biomass, wind, hydropower, geothermal, and solar resources; and
(B) design a logical plan to manage energy resources in the home, school, or community.
Length of time necessary for game or activity: 15-20 minutes
Number of Participants: 1 student
Or you can set up a group game use the URL the site provides you
Source for Game or Activity:
General site for game: http://www.energyville.com/energyville/
Group game URL: www.energyville.com/?group=interactivemediagroup-61ab4c
Directions for Preparing the Materials for the Game or Activity:
The instructor should have already discussed energy and alternative fuel sources with the
students. This game will be used to help them explore the advantages and disadvantages of each
of those resources.
Each student will need computer access, or they can work in pairs.
Load the above URL to the computers, or have it written on the board for the students to
reference.
Procedure:
 Your job is to plan for the energy needs of your virtual city. You control the mix of
energy used by the city. You can analyze the economic, environmental, and security
impact of each source.
 The city is seen on the center of the screen.
 On the right side of the screen are meters that show economic, environmental, and
security impact of each energy source.
 At the bottom of the screen are all of the potential energy sources. If you put the cursor
over the source, the game will show the opportunities and challenges of each source.
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When you start the game, your city initially has no power. It is up to you to choose the
best combination of energy to fuel your city.
The “!” show areas of fuel need in the city. You can move your cursor over each one to
get more information on that need and to see a meter that gauges how much energy is
being used versus how much is needed. This helps you see how close you are to fueling
that need.
To add a fuel source, you drag and drop the source onto your city.
The “!” turn into a “√” once the areas of need are fully fueled.
When your city is fully powered, you have the option to move to the next level or
reconfigure your energy sources.
In level 2, you are informed of events that have affected your energy resources. Your job
is to prepare for the energy demands of the future based on these changes.
Once you’ve fueled your city, you are given the option of seeing what kind of impact
your choices had.
You can have the students play the game individually, or you can have the students play a
group game and compare scores to see who was most efficient.
Adapted by: Ibet Caro (2012)