Energy & Climate
Change
NGSS-CCSS aligned instruction
What is today’s goal?
• Demonstrate one structure for integrating NGSS
and Common Core ELA standards
• Demonstrate a lesson that is structured like the
Smarter Balance Performance Assessment
• Provide a lesson on energy sources
Caveats
• I teach college, not high school or middle school.
• The text seems accessible to me, but I’m not an
expert.
• You are just a little bit guinea pigs – this
structure and techniques are tried and true but
this particular activity is new, and I’m doing it
with my students next week.
So…
• Let’s think together about how to make this
work better
HS DCIs
• Changes in the atmosphere due to human
activity have increased carbon dioxide
concentrations and thus affect climate. (HSESS2-6),(HS-ESS2-4)
• All forms of energy production and other
resource extraction have associated economic,
social, environmental, and geopolitical costs and
risks as well as benefits. New technologies and
social regulations can change the balance of these
factors. (HS-ESS3-2)
•
MS DCI
Human activities, such as the release of greenhouse gases
from burning fossil fuels, are major factors in the current
rise in Earth’s mean surface temperature (global
warming). Reducing the level of climate change and
reducing human vulnerability to whatever climate changes
do occur depend on the understanding of climate science,
engineering capabilities, and other kinds of knowledge,
such as understanding of human behavior and on
applying that knowledge wisely in decisions and activities.
(MS-ESS3-5)
The activity – get in 7 groups
• You are all aides to US Senators from specific
states.
• The US Senate Committee on Energy and
Natural Resources is holding a hearing on
national energy policies. The goal is to redesign
the country’s energy policy.
• Your job is to gather and organize information
for your boss, then draft one version of a
national energy policy
Task #1: Researching your energy
source(s)
Each state team is researching one or two energy
sources that are important for that state.
Follow the procedure on the handout to read the article
and organize your answers in the chart.
The text is largely from the U.S.Energy Information
Administration Energy Kids website (URL at the end
of your reading) with edits and a few additions from
me and other websites (also listed)
Task #2: Share the info
• Reorganize into sharing groups
• Each state rep teaches the others in that group
about one aspect of your energy source.
• The others record it in their charts.
Task #3: Design an energy policy
• Back to your state groups. Design a policy that
favors your state and serves the country.
• Choose 2 energy sources to promote and 2 to
discourage.
• Tools:
− Subsidies
− Taxes
− Anti-pollution regulation
The Great Debate
• Each state team has 2 minutes to present their
policy
• 5 minute huddle
• Rebuttals – 1 minute per state team.