Please introduce yourself and your school.
Name: Lori Holcomb
City: Talkeetna, Alaska
Grades taught: 5th grade
School type: Rural, public, Title 1 school
Student demographics: 100 students, PreK-5th
Which activities did you teach?
- Pre-Unit Values Activity
- Lesson 1 – Activity 1, 2, & 4 (Energy Observation of School Grounds, Food Chain and Energy Transfer Game, Carbon Cycle Game)
- Lesson 2 – Activity 1, 2 & 3 (Trusted Adult Interview & Gallery Walk, Community Map, What are our Local Energy Sources?)
- Lesson 3 – Activity 1 & 2 (What Happens to our Community when we Burn Fossil Fuels?, Energy Source Jigsaw Reading)
- Lesson 6 – Activities 1, 2, 3 Envisioning a Just Transition, Creating a Just and Equitable Future for All, Action Project)
My assessment activities included student energy journals, Multisolving FLOWER, presentations, and posters.
In addition to the Next Generation Science Standards and other standards already listed in the Experience Energy resource, I was able to connect to my Alaska State Standards for 5th grade such as:
- 5.ESS.2.1 Develop a model using an example to describe ways the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and/or atmosphere interact.
- 5.LS.2.1 Develop and describe a model that describes the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment.
- 5.PS.3.1 Use models to describe that energy in animals’ food (used for body repair, growth, motion, and maintaining body warmth) was once energy from the sun.
Which activities went well? What made them successful?
My students had some previous lessons about energy. They had been thinking of ways to conserve energy such as turning off lights, unplugging chargers when not in use, limiting the use of paper towels, etc. The lessons in Experience Energy extended their learning. I did have limited time, so I pretty much did the required lessons, with the addition of a few that extended previous lessons.
The first lesson I did was the values lesson. I was curious to see what my students would pick so I gave them all of the value cards – about 5 pages worth! This was too much in hindsight. If I did this again, I would limit the number of cards. I had students number 1 (lowest value) to 5 (highest value) as we discussed each one. Then I had students pick their top five, cut them out, and tape them in a chart on the back wall. I ended up with many singles, but we did have some commonalities (family, environment, and friendship).
Which activities were challenging? What was difficult about them?
The vocabulary on the Multisolving FLOWER model was challenging. We discussed the meaning of each petal and students were able to present and justify their thoughts. However, when the flowers were colored, they looked much the same, with almost all the petals filled in. I had better luck using their Energy Journals for assessment.
I found social justice difficult to discuss as it applies to our community. However, our class was reading The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. Since students were struggling to identify areas of inequity in our community, I referred to the book where plenty of examples could be found and it seemed easier to discuss. I also shared some of the suggested videos. From there, I asked my students to describe what a perfect world might look like – a future where energy could be distributed equally to every person in ways that were not harmful to the environment. We also had great discussions about the pros and cons of various types of renewable and nonrenewable energy during the jigsaw readings.
Please tell one or two stories that are relevant to your situation and experience teaching the resource.
Students loved the games. Both the food chain game and the carbon cycle game went very well. It was fun to compare before and after fossil fuels in the carbon cycle game. During the “before fossil fuels” portion, a few students complained, “This dice is rigged! I’ve been deep underground forever!” We then discussed how their experience as a carbon molecule changed after the introduction of fossil fuels and brainstormed ways we might reduce our carbon footprint.
I was also very impressed with the posters my students made after the trusted adult interview. Students interviewed parents, grandparents, and community members. Responses were recorded in the form of a poster or writing. Everyone enjoyed sharing and marveled at the changes over time. The most dramatic changes were in the areas of technology and transportation. We had some great discussions about perspectives and how experiences shape opinions. For example, one person thought that the world had more pollution today because the population has increased. Another person thought there was less pollution today because people are more aware. This was a good time to look at the value cards posted on the back wall and discuss how our experiences affect our values, and how our values can influence our actions.
During this unit, students bought into conserving energy and recycling. Recycling became the focus of their action project. Students wrote a letter to our local recycling center asking for recycling bins. There are now enough bins for each classroom to recycle paper and a few centrally located bins for recycling plastics. It was inspiring to see my students connect with family and community members while discussing changes over time as they related to energy and the environment. The games and activities were a fun way to teach about some of the challenges we face today and possible solutions. It was exciting to see students actively think about the future, the impact of their actions, and brainstorm solutions and alternatives to current problems related to energy and the environment. One student said, “Every little thing that we do adds up.”
I have been teaching for 30 years, currently teaching 5th grade. I get a great deal of enjoyment from watching students make connections between what they are learning in the classroom and real life. In my leisure time, I love spending time outdoors hiking, kayaking, and skiing. What I love most is spending time with my family.
Want more inspirational ideas on how to use Experience Energy? Read the other case studies and download the resource on Climate Generation’s Resource Library.
