Ashley has been teaching for 16 years and has taught in Vietnam, Thailand, California, and Virginia. She is passionate about teaching STEM, computer science, and technology and empowering teachers to try new things in their classroom practice. She is also a certified Yoga and Mindfulness teacher and believes we must take care of our inner world to care for our external environment properly. She lives in Richmond, Virginia and loves vegan cooking, climate change activism, and connecting to the natural world.
Students learn about renewable and nonrenewable sources and ways they use energy in their everyday lives. Students use data about where our energy comes from in the U.S. to start conversations about conserving energy.
Inquire: Students define energy and brainstorm about their own energy use.
Investigate: Students learn about renewable and nonrenewable energy and complete an energy sort.
In this lesson, students reflect on their personal energy use. Students learn about why it is important to conserve energy and make an informative poster to share what they learned.
Inquire: Students review how we use energy in our daily lives and share the results of their energy audits.
Investigate: Students make a bar graph of their energy footprints and use it to reflect on energy use around the world and why it’s important to conserve energy.
Inspire: Students create an inspirational conservation poster to display in their class or school.
Students read about an energy resource and prepare an infomercial pitch to sell their assigned type of energy. Students discuss the pros and cons of each energy source to determine which one is “best.”
Inquire: Students recall what they have learned so far about renewable and nonrenewable energy sources.
Investigate: Students read a nonfiction book on a specific type of energy in order to prepare an infomercial arguing for its adoption by the town.
Inspire: Students pitch their energy source to the class and then discuss which energy source is “best.”
In this lesson, students learn the story of William Kamkwamba and consider how they can help their communities. Students then build their own renewable-powered device and share their project with the broader school community.
Inquire: Students listen to a read aloud of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, a story about a Malawian boy named William Kamkwamba who helped bring energy to his community.
Investigate: Students engage in a project to build a renewable-powered device.
Inspire: Students write about their project and share their project with the broader school community.
In this lesson, students use maps to compare renewable energy usage around the world. Students consider how using renewable energy can positively impact people’s lives.
Inquire: Students recall what they learned in previous lessons and use Google Maps to browse renewable energy projects around the world.
Investigate: Students research one or more countries and complete worksheets analyzing how much renewable energy is used in each country.
Inspire: Students watch a video on Iceland and geothermal energy, and discuss what life would be like if the United States used as much renewable energy as Iceland.
In this lesson, students gain inspiration from the work of youth activists around the world. Then, students advocate for renewable energy in their schools and communities.
Inquire: Students hear the stories of other young people around the world who are taking climate action.
Investigate: Students write an opinion piece that advocates for renewable energy usage.
Inspire: Students share their writings and reflect on the experience of taking action.
Grade3-5
Subject Science,Social Studies,English Language Arts
