Activities

Get started by looking at the background material on Samsø and Samsø Energy Academy on The Energy Academy’s website.
Click here to acces the website for Samsø Energy Academy.

Start this series by telling the pupils about the history of energy supply.

• Find information on the history of energy and timelines on energy on the US website Energy Information Administration. Use the interactive whiteboard in the classroom or let the pupils see it for themselves in small groups on a PC.
  Click here to see the timeline.

Use a class discussion to get an overview of the pupils understanding of the concepts of fossil energy and renewable energy.

• Let the pupils make a concept map of fossil energy and renewable energy.
  Click here to read about concept maps.
  
• There is a presentation of renewable energy in Renewable Energy Basics (PDF file) on the re-energy.ca website.
  Click here to see the PDF file.
  • On page 2 of the document there is a presentation of fossil energy versus renewable energy
  • on page 4, there are arguments for the use of renewable energy
  • on page 6, there are pupil questions.
    
• Give also a joint introduction to the greenhouse effect with the US EPA’s Climate Change Kids Site.
  Click here to acces the Climate Change Kids Site.
  
  
  • On the site, there are, among other things, a flash animation of the greenhouse effect.
    Click here to access the a flash animation of the greenhouse effect.
    
• Let the pupils come up with their ideas as to how the different energy sources contribute to the greenhouse effect.

Three types of energy

Work with the types of renewable energy utilised at a large communal plant on Samsø:

• Wind energy (opens in a new windows)
• Solar energy (opens in a new windows)
• Biofuel (opens in a new windows)

One continuous programme or three parallel programmes

Decide whether you want one continuous programme for all pupils or three parallel ones for three groups of pupils.

Tell the pupils to present their knowledge by means of a wiki or a weblog - perhaps as homework. In this way you can comment on their presentations online or you can make them comment on each others presentations and discuss the comments ni class.

You will find a large list of free online resouces for making different kinds of web presentations on the Cool tools for schools wiki.
Click here to open the Cool tools for schools wiki