Resources for Educators | Solar Energy International

Website resources for teachers and students:

Renewable Energy Education Resources
Global warming
Free Energy Curriculum/Lesson Plans
Energy Conservation and Audits
Solar Project Funding Sources
Classroom Solar Energy Kits and Products
Solar Cooking
RE Science Fairs and Competitions
Online Environmental Quizzes
Inspiring Youth Success Stories and Initiatives
Organizations

Renewable Energy Education Resources

www.need.org - the NEED (National Energy Education Development) Project creates networks of teachers and students interested in promoting an energy conscious society while offering free grade specific curriculum and kits for sale.

www.energyteachers.org – this site gives teachers the latest links and bibliographies on energy related lessons

http://www.fsec.ucf.edu/ - this website introduces teachers to the Florida Solar Energy Center’s site for teachers. Find classroom activities, a calendar of events, kits, competitions, continuing education opportunities, and general information on renewables.

http://www.solarschoolhouse.org/ssh.html - Out of California, this organization offers curriculum and solar kits for sale while offering accredited teacher training workshops in Renewable Energy for California teachers.

http://www.solarschoolhouse.org/oldssh/resources.html - the Solar Schoolhouse direct link to their resource page (solar ovens, solar fountains, etc.)

www.greenteacher.com - wow, you should know about GreenTeacher. SEI carries some of their curriculum for sale. This is a collaborative effort of teachers all around North America. Their lesson plans address all different learning styles, and they are usually hands-on, creative, and impactful.

http://www.nmsea.org/education_%26_outreach.htm – The New Mexico Solar Energy Association’s educational programs and curriculum links for youth – good stuff.

http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/Educational/educational.htm - many solar based hands on projects from solar cookers to solar home models to even more advanced projects

www.ucsusa.org - the Union of Concerned Scientists, a coalition of citizens and scientists for environmental solutions, offers more technical papers, facts, and solutions appropriate for high school students.

http://designcoalition.org/kids/energyhouse/pdfpage.htm - efficient home building curriculum for youth

http://www.re-energy.ca/t_teacher.shtml - a complete renewable energy curriculum designed for middle school youth

http://www.oilposter.org/teachingaids.html - this web page gives about 6 great resources for teachers on energy consumption and carbon footprint activities. You can also sign up to receive a free poster on world oil consumption at their home page. This poster is worth the time to ask!

www.earthseeds.net - EarthSeeds is an organization dedicated to the proliferation of earth conscious curriculum around the world. They offer educational kits for sale. EarthSeeds has partnered with SEI to write their renewable energy curriculum. Their full curriculum packet should be ready by 2005, but their website is worth checking out in the meantime!

http://www.windows.ucar.edu/ - this is a bilingual (English/Spanish) website for Earth Sciences. This one gets high remarks from local teachers on content and usability.

http://faculty.philau.edu/russowl/villageof1000.html - The Global Village - if the world were a village of 1000 (as of the year 2000). This page gives facts and their sources that consolidate world socio/economic and environmental figures as if the planet held only 1000 people. Additional readings can also be found here.

http://users.gazinter.net/melan/Warn/Warnenu.htm - An animated “if the world were only 100 people”

www.kidwind.org - Kidwind is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving science education while introducing curriculum for wind power. In addition to providing student geared wind power kits, Kidwind is a great resource for teachers wanting to take accredited workshops on teaching about wind power.

http://www.winstonsolar.org/challenge/about.shtml - Life sized solar car race for highschools!!! The students design, build, and race the solar cars that they create as a team.

http://cubiodiesel.org/pyb.php - CU Biodiesel’s K-6 biodiesel curriculum. Download it here!

http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/cost.html -What is a KiloWatt - a great lesson on electrical terminology and an energy saving worksheet, true cost of energy, and so forth.

www.biodieselnow.com - A resource for biodiesel run by Josh Tickell, From the Fryer to the Fuel Tank. The newsletter gives great resources for biodiesel in school busses and clean energy efforts.

www.alternatefuels.com – this site gives a list of alternative fuels with links to resources for more information

www.homepower.com - the website for Home Power Magazine – tons of do it yourself ideas and instruction.

http://www.the-mrea.org/events_outreach.php - The Midwest Renewable Energy Association’s kids page. MREA puts on a Renewable Energy Fair every summer in Wisconsin with lots of educational events for kids and adults.

http://www.solarthermal.com/Applications/application6.asp - animated visuals for how solar thermal systems work

http://www.re-energy.ca/t_teacher.shtml - an organization of teachers based in Canada offering renewable energy curriculum for high school

http://www.sustainableabc.com/ - a website that will help students to design their own green buildings and learn more about sustainable architecture

www.sundesign.com – an interactive website that lets you calculate features of a passive solar home.

http://www.solarnow.org/experiment.htm - Solar Now is dedicated to renewable energy advocacy and education with an emphasis on Photovoltaics (solar electric). This link sends you directly to their experiments page.

http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/transportation/electric.html - A students’ guide to alternative fuel vehicles

http://www.energyscience.org/education/programs.htm - The Colorado Energy Science Center’s K-12 programs and curriculum – they have created extensive materials that address hands on scientific learning with renewables

http://www.pplweb.com/community+partners/our+education+program/available+curricula.htm - links to curriculum by specific topic
www.energyhog.org - a project of Energy outreach Colorado - fun games scavenger hunt great graphics

http://www.scholastic.com/kids/homework/index.htm The homework hub cool resource for kids in a wide variety of subjects
http://www.eweek.org/site/DiscoverE/activities/archive.shtml - Discover Engineering website - this website gives great science fair type projects ideas for kids and energy.
http://www.uwsp.edu/cnr/wcee/keep/ - Wisconsin’s K-12 Renewable Energy Education program. This site has a wealth of information for everyone!
http://www.sustainabilityleader.org/Sustainability_Leader/About_me.html Book - Rebuilding the American Economy with True Cost Accounting.

http://www.ascd.org/publications/publications/educational_leadership/may09/vol66/num08/The_Window_into_Green.aspx> Article - Do We Have an Environmentally Literate Citizenry?
http://www.populationeducation.org CD-ROM - Earth Matters: Studies for Our Global Future
http://www.facingthefuture.org Workbook - Engaging Students through Global Issues: Real World Math
http://www.re-energy.ca/t-i_waterbuild-1.shtml - micro hydro lesson and plans to build a model
http://www.humboldt.edu/~ccat/alternativebuilding/cob/anonymousFA2000/cob.html - How to make a cob bench.

http://100people.org/100people_under_the_sun_resources.php -Index of links to RE education resources including local programs by region or state, online learning tools, programs for educators, statistics, events, and publications.

www.eia.doe.gov -Independent statistics and analysis on energy in the U.S. Has LOTS of information, and plenty of graphs, charts, and maps that can be used in lession plans or projects.

Global warming

www.climatecrisis.net – An Inconvenient Truth homepage. Lots of good tips.
http://www.nrdc.org/globalWarming/f101.asp - The National Resource Defense Council FAQ’s on Global Warming and what we can do about it.
http://stopglobalwarming.org/ - Join the 810,788 supporters of the Stop Global Warming Virtual March, and become part of the movement to demand our leaders reduce carbon dioxide emissions now.
http://climatechallenge.org/ - The Campus Climate Challenge is a project of more than 30 leading youth organizations throughout the U.S. and Canada. The Challenge leverages the power of young people to organize on college campuses and high schools across Canada and the U.S. to win 100% Clean Energy policies at their schools. The Challenge is growing a generation-wide movement to stop global warming, by reducing the pollution from our high schools and colleges down to zero, and leading our society to a clean energy future.
http://www.teach12.com/ttcx/coursedesclong2.aspx?cid=1219&pc=Search – 12 half hour lectures on our changing climate.
http://www.nationalteachin.org/diyteachin.php - National Teach In on Global warming.This site has tons of links to global warming sites as well as podcast downloads and videos, and suggested reading.
http://nationalteachin.org/resources.php - Additional links from the National Teach In on Global Warming.

Free Energy Curriculum/Lesson Plans

http://www.jason.org/public/WhatIs/CurrOIPIndex.aspx - Through research articles, inquiry-based activities, videos, games, and other multimedia, students investigate and analyze emerging technologies designed to meet the needs of an energy-hungry planet.

http://noimpactproject.org/educators-middle-high-school-environment-curriculum-html/ - This curriculum uses No Impact Man - the book and the film - to help middle and high school students explore the effects their everyday behavior has on the environment, their health, and their well-being.

http://thecarbonfreehome.com/?q=node/71 - This simple, thought-provoking exercise helps students identify a number of ways to reduce their energy impacts.

http://www.classroomearth.org -Designed for high school teachers, this website includes resources, lesson plans, and other ideas on how to incorporate environmental topics into science curriculum.

Energy Conservation and Audits

http://www.bpa.gov/corporate/KR/ed/energyaudit/chapter1/chap1.htm - The Bonneville Power Association’s 3rd – 8th grade curriculum for energy conservation
http://aspenglobalwarming.com/calculate.cfm - Aspen, CO’s Canary Initiative. This link will lead you directly to their “Calculate your Cox emissions” page. This site also promotes energy conservation by listing many things you can do at home.
http://e-star.com/ - more links to energy efficiency appliances and actions
http://www.wilsoned.com/ - these folks give presentations at schools regarding Energy Conservation. I have never seen them present as they are predominantly in the North East, Arkansas, and California. Their website looks good, however.
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=cfls.pr_cfls – Info on compact fluorescent light bulbs including faq’s, links to disposal methods, and clean up and mercury information.
http://www.iid.com/Media/living_wise_facts.pdf – The Living Wise program gives out energy action kits to teachers for free. Kits come with a compact fluorescent bulb, a coupon for another one, a nightlight, a low flow showerhead, and materials for students and parents to use at home. Our local teachers love these kits.
http://www.eere.energy.gov/kids/games.html - good website for kids!!

http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-and-you/how-clean.html -Enter your zip code into this power profiler and see where your energy actually comes from, emissions, and how that compares to national averages.

http://www.classroomearth.org/node/172 -Energy Audit Lab designed for high school AP classes

Solar Project Funding Sources

www.dsireusa.org - this site gives state by state financial incentives for homeowners and businesses which implement renewable energy.
www.need.org - The mission of the National Energy Education Development Project is to promote an energy conscious and educated society by creating effective networks of students, educators, business, government and community leaders to design and deliver objective, multi-sided energy education programs.
http://www.aplusforenergy.org/ - BP Solar’s A+ for Energy grants for Teachers (due in spring).
http://catalog.pitsco.com/about/item.aspx?ap=2&art=314 - lots of federal education grant links!!
http://www.dsireusa.org/ - Database for State Incentives for Renewable Energy
http://www.socialstudies.org/awards/grants/mcauliffe/ -$1500 grants for social studies teachers: “The purpose of the $1,500 grant is to help a social studies educator make his or her dream of innovative social studies a reality. Grants will be given to assist classroom teachers in: 1) developing and implementing imaginative, innovative, and illustrative social studies teaching strategies; and 2) supporting student implementation of innovative social studies, citizenship projects, field experiences, and community connections.”
http://www.idealist.org/kt/activism.html#SEC7 – national funding resources for youth initiatives (plus a bunch of other resources for youth who want to create positive change in their communities).

Classroom Solar Energy Kits and Products

www.solarworld.com/Educational.htm - this site offers solar energy kits for sale.
http://www.solarschoolhouse.org/ssh.html - Out of California, this organization offers curriculum and solar kits for sale while offering accredited teacher training workshops in Renewable Energy for California teachers.
www.kidwind.org - Kidwind is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving science education while introducing curriculum for wind power. In addition to providing student geared wind power kits, Kidwind is a great resource for teachers wanting to take accredited workshops on teaching about wind power.
www.windstreampower.com - a source for human powered generators (expensive but cool!!)
http://www.scienceshareware.com/ - this site tells you how to build a human powered bicycle generator for your classroom
http://www.nmsea.org/SunChaser2/Solar_Kits.htm - NMSEA offers a comprehensive hands-on solar energy kit for sale.
http://www.fuelcellstore.com – Hydrogen fuel cell kits
www.realgoods.com - this site offers green products for sale. Real Goods is a leader in California on sustainability and renewable energy education by hosting conferences and fairs at their eco campus.
http://www.backwoodssolar.com/ - Established online and catalogue distributer for renewable energy equipment. A great source for solar fountain materials.
www.pitsco.com - a source for scientific materials for teachers
www.stevespanglerscience.com - Making Science Fun! A source for scientific materials and science project ideas.
www.scientificsonline.com -Edmund scientific supply, kits and goodies. Lots of sales and cheap shipping
http://www.xof1.com/educationminibody.html - solar cars made from materials you can find at home (you just need to buy the small 1.5 volt panel and motor).

Solar Cooking

www.solarcooking.org - everything you would ever want to know about solar cooking and making your own solar ovens!!!
http://solarcooking.org/plans/ - direct link to the above sites page of solar cooker plans
www.she-inc.org - Solar Household Energy, Inc. – expansive website on solar cooking on a global level
http://solarcooking.wikia.com/wiki/Solar_Cooking:Frequently-asked_questions – frequently asked solar cooking questions and answers

RE Science Fairs and Competitions

www.ignitingcreativeenergy.org - Open to students K-12, the Igniting Creative Energy Challenge is an educational competition designed to encourage students to learn more about energy and the environment.
http://www.winstonsolar.org/challenge/ -The Dell-Winston School Solar Car Challenge was established ten years ago to help motivate students in science and engineering. The Challenge, a part of The Winston School in Dallas, teaches high school students around the world how to build roadworthy solar cars. We then provide a safe environment for them to display their solar cars. On even-numbered years, we share the fun of the world-famous Texas Motor Speedway; on odd-numbered years, the teams drive cross-country to share their projects with millions of people.
http://www.iyfcc.com/ - International Youth Fuel Cell Competitition
http://www.nrel.gov/education/jss_hfc.html - NREL’s Junior Solar Sprint/Hydrogen Fuel Cell Car Competition - an annual competition for Middle School Teams from all over Colorado. Find out how to host one in your area.
http://www.solardecathlon.org/ - The Solar Decathalon – Every other year the National Mall in Washington DC hosts this event. A great field trip and inspiration for youth.
http://www.nrel.gov/education/science_bowl.html - NREL’s Middle School Science Bowl
http://www.scied.science.doe.gov/nsb/default.htm - this is the site for the National Science Bowl
http://istf.ucf.edu - The Internet Science and Technology Fair (ISTF) was created to afford pre-college students in grades three (3) through twelve (12) an opportunity to experience the excitement of researching solutions to real-world problems involving science, engineering and other technical fields of study. Students primarily use information and communication technology tools to conduct their on-line investigations. They work as a team, communicate with professionals, apply science inquiry and present their research findings in a professional manner. These experiences help students build individual and collaborative study and work skills. The scientists, engineers, doctors, researchers, and technicians of tomorrow reside in the classrooms of today. The ISTF provides teachers with a means to integrate on-line science, technology, and engineering into their curricula and help their students realize the possibilities of technical career futures.

Schools Going Green

http://www.irecusa.org/index.php?id=36 – Interstate Renewable Energy Council’s newsletter on schools going solar.
http://www.buildgreenschools.org/ - the US Green Building Council’s “How to Build Green Schools” and tons of other green building resources

Online Environmental Quizzes

www.myfootprint.org - fill out this eye-opening questionnaire to reveal your personal ecological footprint on our planet.
http://www.nature.org/initiatives/climatechange/calculator/ - carbon footprint calculator from Nature Conservancy

Inspiring Youth Success Stories and Initiatives

http://www.energyaction.net -Youth united for a clean energy future. Find out about the youth efforts of the United States.
http://www.freewebs.com/youandsolarenergy/aboutthissite.htm - “My name is Shawn and I go to Skyview Jr. High. At my school there is a project called Breakout. Students choose a topic, research it, write a research paper, and then undertake a project called "Make a Difference" and then present it. For my "making a difference," I have decided to teach the public about solar energy through this website to show and teach people how solar energy can be used and how it can help the world. Thank you for visiting this site and helping me make a difference.”
http://www.broweryouthawards.org/userdata_display.php?modin=50&sortby – Brower Youth Awards – Honoring Youth Leadership in Conservation, Restoration, and Preservation.
http://www.seac.org/about - Student Environmental Action Coalition (SEAC) – in recent years, the members of seac have realized the importance of addressing energy. This organization includes middle school through college age students.
http://www.idealist.org/kt/youthorgs.html#sec8 – this is the direct link to idealist.org’s list of environmental organizations started by youth.
http://www.idealist.org/kt/activism.html#SEC7 - find more resources to help you get started in your own community
www.youthnoise.com – Be Heard! Find out what other kids are doing around the world
www.journeytoforever.org - Journey to Forever is a pioneering expedition by a small, mobile NGO (Non-Government Organization) involved in environmental and rural development work. Check Them Out!!!

Other organizations that offer youth education
and/or teacher trainings in Renewable Energy

Solar Schoolhouse – California – www.solarschoolhouse.org
Florida Solar Energy Center – Florida - www.fsec.ucf.edu
The National Energy Education Development Project - Nationwide – www.need.org
North Carolina Solar Center – North Carolina - www.ncsc.ncsu.edu/
New Mexico Solar Energy Association – New Mexico - www.nmsea.org/
Wisconsin K-12 Energy Education Project (KEEP) – Wisconsin – www.uwsp.edu/cnr/wcee/keep
Kidwind – Nationwide trainings - www.kidwind.org

Solar In the Schools is one of SEI’s Charitable Programs and would not be possible without the support of our members, financial donors, and partnering organizations. Thanks to the many people out there who believe in youth education – we couldn’t have done all of this without you!

Knowledge is Power

SIS CONTACT INFO:

Noah Davis – Solar In the Schools Program Coordinator
(970) 963-8855 ext 114

E-mail Noah