Carbon Nation Middle School Curriculum
Goal: Have students develop the ability to create and present a
story involving energy solutions.
Day 1:
Warm Up: How did you get to school today? What energy
transfers occurred to allow you to reach this classroom? Be as
descriptive as possible.
Have students write for about 3 minutes. Ask them to check in
with the other students at their tables for about 1 minute.
Call on students from individual tables to identify different
methods of reaching school: walking, taking the bus, riding a bike,
riding in a car.
Call on students to identify where the energy came from to allow
them to reach school: chemical transfers from food if walking or
biking, chemical transfers from gasoline if riding in a bus or car.
Previously introduce the idea
that energy is not created or
destroyed but transferred
from one “account” to
another. Also, that energy
cannot be recovered from
some accounts (heat).
Ask students if there is an unlimited supply of gasoline in the
world or if people need to find these supplies of energy
resources. Allow students to write for about 1 minute.
Ask students for a thumbs up/thumbs down. Ask a student who
gives a thumb up if gasoline prices change, point out that rising
prices reflect a change in the world’s supply.
T-up=unlimited supply
T-down=limited supply
Tell students that today they are going to see a video about
someone who is trying to come up with other ways to supply
energy for people.
Show the Carbon Nation wind farmer clip.
Ask students to write down whatever they remember once the
video is finished. Allow the students 5 minutes to write out
whatever they can remember. Ask students to check in with each
other and share what they remember from the story. Allow them
2-3 minutes to share these details that they remember from the
story and to write these details out on a table whiteboard.
Ensure that speakers are
loud enough for students to
hear the farmer.
Call on individual students from different tables to identify one
detail or fact that they remember from the wind farm story. As
students identify these, ask students to write them in their
journals and place a check mark or question mark next to these
details.
Then ask students reflect on why they remembered these details.
Allow them 2-3 minutes to write out their reflections.
At top of whiteboard place
the key: check mark=I also
remembered this and wrote
it down, question mark=I did
not remember this, I need to
ask a question to someone to
find out how they did
remember this.
Go through each idea and determine the number of students
who placed check marks next to the idea in their journals to
develop an understanding about which details were most
significant to students.
As a whole class, have students who placed question marks next
to ideas in their journal ask questions to students who had placed
check marks. Have the students with check marks explain why
they remembered those details. Allow 5-10 minutes for this
discussion.
Finally, the teacher adds any ideas which no student
remembered, based on the attached summary of key points.
Have students watch the Carbon Nation wind farm clip again and
allow them to retell the story to each other. Encourage students
to challenge each other after an opportunity to tell the story: “I
remember that . . .” Allow 3 minutes for each person’s chance to
retell the story.
Homework: Ask students to tell the story to their families tonight.
Day 2:
Warm Up: What happened when you told the story of the wind
farmer? Did you enjoy telling the story? Did you use your notes
or tell it from memory?
Allow students 3-5 minutes to write answers to the warm up in
their journals. Ask students to check in at their tables and
describe their experiences to each other. Allow 1-2 minutes for
students to share their experiences with the table.
Ask students for a thumbs up/thumbs down about who enjoyed
the experience of telling the wind farm story.
T-up=enjoyed, T-down=did
not enjoy
Ask students who did enjoy the experience to quickly share why it
was fun.
Ask students if after they told the story to their family it led to a
discussion about energy resources or if anyone looked up more
information about energy after the discussion.
Ask students if their perception of the story changes when they
find out that only part of the story was told. Tell students that
the only way the wind farm was so easy to set up was because
there were already power lines in place, or that some people
have chosen not to set up wind farms because they enjoy the
view from their coastal homes and pay for these expensive
homes. How does this change the way they look at the story?
If students did any research
of had extended discussions,
highlight how this is the goal
of every class, to connect
what we learn with our lives.
Possibly show a picture of
coastal developments in New
England, then another with
windmills to show the
change.
Allow students 3 minutes to reflect in their journals.
Identify that there are different perspectives for most stories and
that part of understanding science is to understand these
different perspectives.
Tell students that they will have access to research about one
process that is used to obtain chemicals which can be used for oil,
another energy resource. This process is called hydraulic
fracturing, but is commonly referred to as “fracking”.
The goal for the students is to use research from 3 different
sources that they are given and synthesize this research to create
a story that they will present in the following class.
Give students a copy of the attached rubric to allow them to
direct their goals, and remind them that they are now the story
teller as they use this research to build their story.
The students have the rest of the class to work on creating their
stories from the available resources. The teacher should check at
the end of class to see which students are close to completing the
story that they want to tell in class tomorrow.
Homework: Finish synthesizing research into a coherent story.
Day 3:
Warm Up: What are two interesting facts you learned about
fracking from the research? How can you be an engaging
storyteller when you present your story to the class today?
Have students connect
hydraulic to the use of water
and fracture to break to help
them understand that
fracking involves using water
and pressure to break open
pathways through rocks to
access oil.
Although students are
debating, we don’t want
them to focus on 2 sides, just
their own side today.
Each table has access to 1
side of research, not both.
Suggestion that resources be
available digitally as scans,
pdfs, or online articles for
students to have access at
home if needed.
Allow students 3 minutes to answer warm up. Ask students at
tables to share their facts with each other. Allow 1 minute for
this.
Tell students that each has only received part of the story and
that it is the goal of this class to understand the full story and
ultimately vote to support fracking or to oppose fracking.
Divide the class into the 2 sides by tables. Identify that since this
will be a debate, it is important for students to take notes on
each other’s stories and ideas because they need to ask each
other questions and challenge each other. Also remind them that
they are trying to present new stories and ideas to the other side.
Allow 2 students from each side to begin by sharing their
prepared stories with the full class.
Ask students to prepare questions for students from the other
side. Allow 1 minute for this.
Have students ask questions. Students who did not share stories
can now use their stories to respond to questions.
These should be effective
stories based on monitoring
yesterday’s progress, but
also ensure that the stories
are not too long.
Once those students have identified which side they support, tell
students from the opposing side to ask these students questions
to try and convince them that they should change their
perspective.
This is important to involve
all students in sharing their
research and stories.
This allows students to now
support the side they choose
not just what they
researched.
This changes the focus from
just using stories to
understanding why students
are voting this way.
Ask both sides to choose one student who has not shared his or
her story to share as the final story to help determine how the
class will vote.
This can be a student with an
excellent story or one who
has simply not participated.
Have students vote to support or oppose fracking and ask
students to identify in their journals which student’s story was
responsible for causing them to vote this way and why that story
was responsible. Allow 2 minutes for this.
Emphasize students
explaining why that story
was so valuable.
Ask if any students have made a decision to support or oppose
fracking now that they have heard stories from both
perspectives.
Ask students to give each other feedback on their stories, praising
students who were responsible for swaying votes.
Homework: Share the story you have created with your family.
All of these stories are
amazing and need to be told.