Activities

This lesson plan series is about teaching the principles behind private installations for the supply of renewable energy and the arguments for purchasing such installations.

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

 

If you have not worked with lesson plan series 1 about the communal plant, 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 a class discussion to get an overview of the pupils understanding of the concepts of fossil energy and renewable energy.

• Use the interactive whiteboard in the classroom or let the pupils see it for themselves in small groups on a PC.
  Click here to access the history of energy and timelines.

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.

 

6 portraits

Samsø Energy Academy has portraits of 6 inhabitants of Samsø who have got supply of renewable energy from private installations.
Click here to read the 6 portraits.
Try to find some of the locations on Samsø where these inhabitants live by using Google Maps.
Are there any differences between the energy sources used by those living in villages and those living in the country? If there are, what can be the reasons for that?

Try using the satellite pictures on Google Maps to analyse which resources are available. Print the map and put it up in the classroom or show it on the interactive whiteboard.

 

Read about the 6 people from Samsø who have private installations to utilise renewable energy: 

• Are there any common reasons why they have chosen renewable energy?
• How much does the issue of finance and environmental considerations mean? 
• Are there any differences in their choices? Can these be explained by differences in access to resources or are there other reasons?

 

The pupils can map out how their own homes are supplied with energy and can exchange information on energy sources with the class they are cooperating with, if applicable. The classes can do this on Google Earth by means of Google Earth place markers.
Click here to read about using place markers in Google Earth.

 

See Renewables at home (PDF file page 15) on the British Science programme for students aged 11 to 16 years.
Click here to open the PDF file Renewables at home. 
Click here to read about the British Science programme for students aged 11 to 16 years.

 

Get ideas on the blog Renewables at home
Click here to read ther blog Renewables at home.

 

The European Renewable Energy Council has information on the use of renewable energy.
Click here to access the council's website on renewable energy.

 

Read about the Renewable Energy House on BBC News
Click here to read about the Renewable Energy House.

 

You can download the Renewable Energy House Brochure (PDF file)
Click here to open the brochure (PDF file).

There is also a virtual visit to the Renewable Energy House
Click here to go on a virtual visit to the Renewable Energy House

• Can the pupils use the stories from Samsø to get ideas as to how their own homes can be supplied with renewable energy?
• What do their parents think of the idea of renewable energy at home?

Compare with the class you cooperate with, if applicable or let the two classes work in groups with each other on the internet by means of a wiki or a weblog.