Comparing Renewables: U.S. vs. Global Energy Use
Lesson Plans
Grades6, 7, 8Social Studies, Earth and Space Sciences
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Provided by Project Look Sharp
What it is
- In this activity, students will use media literacy skills to evaluate graphs that compare renewable energy use in the United States with other countries.
- The resource includes a lesson plan, PowerPoint presentation slides, and student worksheets.
Teaching tips
Positives
- The lesson plan offers discussion questions for a variety of academic subjects.
- All of the documents are downloadable pdfs.
Additional Prerequisites
- Teachers should go over this handout on how to analyze media messages before students complete the worksheet.
- Teachers must create a free account before accessing the resource.
- The lesson plan refers to a "constructivist media decoding process," information about the process can be found here.
Differentiation
- Students can respond to the questions individually or in small groups and then share their thoughts in a class discussion.
- Instead of answering the questions orally or in written form, students could draw their responses in the form of a comic strip, a mindmap, or a labeled diagram.
- Other resources on this topic include this digital book on renewable energy sources, this article on how media messaging affects peoples' opinions on natural gas, and this podcast and article on what Americans think about climate change.
From the scientist review
There are no misconceptions in the methods used in calculating national energy use, and key questions were asked to provide answers for the future of clean energy that is renewable and sustainable. This resource is recommended for teaching.
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