Some resources from federal government sites are currently unavailable; when possible, we’ve provided alternative non-government links to ensure continued data access.

Power Outages and Energy Systems

Provided by: Ten Strands |Published on: July 3, 2025

Lesson Plans

Synopsis

In this Seeds to Solutions unit from Ten Strands and the San Mateo County Office of Education, students will learn about the increasing frequency of power outages due to climate change and understand how to prevent and prepare for future outages.
Students will explore graphs to see the increase in power outages throughout recent history, create a model to show electricity going from the grid to their homes and schools, explore the relationship between extreme weather and power outages, analyze how extreme heat impacts energy use, evaluate and categorize different sources of energy, discuss the difference between mitigation and adaptation while considering equity and justice, determine the relationship between power outages and climate change, and create solutions their community can use to become more resilient in the face of increasing power outages.

Related Teaching Resources

Subjects: Science, Social Studies

Authors: Seeds to Solutions, Ten Strands

Region: California

Languages: English

View Resource

Teaching Materials

Positives

This unit leverages hands-on activities and visual representations to help young students grasp the complex systems that generate all kinds of energy.
Students will benefit from the variety of stories and perspectives to help them see a full picture of how people of different backgrounds can be impacted differently by the same events.

Prerequisites

Though climate change is addressed more in Lesson 5, students may benefit from having the concept introduced at a very basic level before Lesson 3, as there are many references to climate change in this lesson.

Differentiation & Implementation

Teachers can use the vocabulary words introduced throughout the unit in word work that is part of their regular classroom routine.
After creating the model with the circuit in Lesson 2, teachers can introduce students to the virtual experiment listed in the alternate directions. If online educational free-play is a regular routine in the classroom, teachers can add this virtual lab as an option for students to explore and compare it to the real model they created in class.
If students struggle to remember the difference between weather and climate in Lesson 3, teachers can show them this video to help refresh their knowledge about this concept.
In Lesson 6, some students may need the option to record their energy expert presentation to show to the class rather than presenting.

Scientist Notes

Teaching Tips

Standards

Resource Type and Format

About the Partner Provider

Ten Strands

Ten Strands is a California–based nonprofit established in 2012. Their mission is to strengthen the partnerships, strategies, and systems that advance environmental literacy, ensuring all California TK–12 students thrive in sustainable, resilient schools and engage in meaningful environmental learning experiences, both in and beyond the classroom. They operate with a small, diverse, and nimble staff and strategic partners throughout the state. Ten Strands utilizes the largest and most diverse institution in California—the public school system—to impact 58 county offices of education, more than 1,000 school districts, approximately 10,000 individual schools, over 300,000 teachers, and 5.8 million children.

Related Teaching Resources

All resources can be used for your educational purposes with proper attribution to the content provider.