Week 1 - Curriculum

Now comes the fun part, deciding how to structure the instructional activities. The end goal of this project is to increase the level of energy literacy within my subject group. I hope to achieve this through experiential learning. Experiential learning is very different from traditional, didactic instruction; experiential learning differentiates itself from classical instruction (wherein the teacher is viewed as the source of all knowledge) by allowing students to learn through prescribed excises and experiences (Neill, J., 2005).

In the table below, I have provided an outline of the initial instructional activities. Before any instruction begins, the pre-assessment will be administered (see previous blog posting for the reference to the survey creators (DeWaters and Powers).

Instructor Actions	Student Actions
Pre-instruction
Administer pre-assessment survey	Students will complete pre-assessment survey
Day 1
9:00-9:20 Play an energy icebreaker game. Three to four students will be paired up with an instructor and asked to brainstorm about the topic of energy.  Each group will report out about the topic.	Student teams will respond with one energy fact or statement about energy.
9:20-10:30 Give energy overview using PowerPoint with embedded videos, Web quiz, and worksheet. Note: Because movies are not embedded in the PowerPoint, they will not play (they are, however, referenced on the last slide).	Students will be prompted to answers questions throughout the presentation (including answering quiz questions as a group and completing an individual energy worksheet).
10:40-11:00 Play Electricity overview video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20Vb6hlLQSg&feature=relmfu   Discuss various power sources available including pros and cons of each: http://www.energyclassroom.com/file_download.php?filename=EC_PS_IN_PowProfile.pdf	Students watch the videos and participate in a discussion that follows.
11:00-11:30 Play various videos regarding climate change/global warming from http://www.neok12.com/Global-Warming.htm Global Warming 101 Human Footprint 1 degrees 2 degrees 3 degrees Sustainability presentation. Talk about sustainability as something ordinary people can achieve. Demonstrate the “light” box as shown in the second movie.	Students will highlight renewable sources and non-renewable sources using different color pencils
11:30-Noon Recap the morning and provide an overview of the next day’s activities.	Students will ask questions about the morning.
Day 2
Re-play Electricity overview video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20Vb6hlLQSg&feature=relmfu   Deliver Electricity PowerPoint (please note that sources are cited in the note section of each slide; videos are not included due to licensing concerns), including Aluminum Can Static Roll: http://sciencesquad.questacon.edu.au/activities/aluminium_can.html Electron passing activity (5-6 students in a circle passing apples) Construct a circuit board. Kits can be viewed here (http://www.miniscience.com/kits/KITSEC/index.html) will be used in the classroom. Discuss the circuit board model in relation to other sources of electrical power. Discuss the functionality of the circuit boards in relationship to how the battery represents other energy sources. Work through the energy generation worksheet.	Students will complete the aluminum can static roll, participate in the passing the electron game, and construct the circuit boards.  They will also complete the electricity generation worksheet and participate in a class discussion
10:40-11:30 Play the energy choices board game (http://www.clarkson.edu/highschool/k12/project/energychoicesgame.html)	Students complete the board game in teams and work through the questions that are provided.
11:30-Noon Discuss the upcoming field trip to Southern California Edison.   Show this virtual tour: http://www.sce.com/b-sb/energy-centers/ctac/tour-ctac/tour-ctac.htm Simulate the power grid: with small groups of students, string, and a pair of scissors: http://www.nsf.gov/cise/csbytes/newsletter/vol1i8.html (scroll down for the classroom activity)	Students will ask questions about the field trip.

Reference:
Neill, J., (2005). What is experiential learning? Retrieved from http://www.wilderdom.com/experiential/ExperientialLearningWhatIs.html