Energy Basics
Provided by: Stanford Understand Energy|Published on: June 16, 2024|Last updated: September 26, 2026
Grades: 11, 12, AP
Type: Videos
Subjects: Chemistry, Physics, Earth and Space Sciences
Authors: Standford Understand Energy
Location: Earth
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 →
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 →
Synopsis
- This upper-level resource introduces the basics of energy, power, thermodynamics, and energy transmission through a fast-facts article, links to a related video and texts, and a lecture video.
- Topics covered include the laws of thermodynamics, energy quality, the origins and forms of energy, stock vs. flow resources, converting energy resources to energy services, uses of energy, and efficiency.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- The written text and lecture slides include many infographics and images.
- The lecturer uses analogies to help explain difficult concepts and address common misconceptions.
Prerequisites
- The lecture video is divided into sections with a provided table of contents.
- An ad may play before the lecture video.
- There is a five-minute "Essential" video that students may need to watch before watching the lecture.
Differentiation & Implementation
- Honors or advanced high school science courses can use this resource.
- This is a great resource for a flipped classroom environment where students can watch the lecture before class. Then teachers can use class time for discussion, experimentation, a project, efficiency calculations, etc.
- To make the lecture more interactive teachers can pause the video periodically and add short collaborative activities like a quick discussion with a partner or a card sort activity for the key attributes of primary energy resources.
- Teachers can use the links to related resources as a jigsaw activity before watching the lecture, with each group assigned one resource to explore and report back their key learnings to the class.
This article offers a primer on energy and power. All information within is accurate and cited and is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
