Renewable Energy Learning Lab Lessons
Provided by: The Climate Initiative|Published on: May 24, 2024|Last updated: September 26, 2026
Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12
Type: Lesson Plans
Subjects: Physics, Earth and Space Sciences
Authors: The Climate Initiative
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 6-lesson unit will introduce students to the impacts of using fossil fuels on the environment and biodiversity.
- Students will explore a Bitmoji classroom, explore case studies on renewable energy, analyze data related to the impacts of fossil fuels and renewable energy, calculate their personal carbon footprint, interview a community member about climate change and renewable energy, and design a community action project.
- This is a companion resource to the Student Lab.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- This resource includes many tips and adaptations for teaching virtually.
- The exercise in practicing listening is valuable for students of all ages and will help them in life beyond the classroom.
Prerequisites
- The links for the example citation for the case studies and also the second case study for teachers in Lesson 2 are broken.
- The carbon footprint calculator suggested for younger students will take users to an unsafe connection screen.
- The link for US dependence on foreign energy on slide 24 is broken.
- Some instructions are for importing activities to a Google Classroom, but this is not a necessary step.
- When asking the discussion questions listed in the Teacher Guide for the Action Project on slide 43, be sure to ask about renewable energy and environmental impacts, rather than sea level rise as written in the question.
Differentiation & Implementation
- When doing the three lenses activity, students may benefit from a graphic organizer or guided questions for looking at the reading through the three lenses.
- Before students look for sources for their case study research, teachers may want to discuss how to evaluate a source's credibility.
- Students who struggle with interpersonal connections and lack adults they trust in their lives may benefit from having a list of people who will be willing to talk to them in the interview portion.
- Students may benefit from having a physical copy of the rubric to refer to as they work on their summative assessment projects.
This resource has graphs and supporting materials that will illustrate the usage of renewable energy, access and opportunities for scaling up. This resource 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 →
