Please introduce yourself and your school.
Name: Lisa Handlon
City: Edgewood, Kentucky
Grades taught: 6th grade
School type: Suburban, public, Targeted Support and Improvement and Title 1 school
Student demographics: 1,000 students, 6th-8th; 73.5% white, 10.9% Latino, 7.1% two or more races, 8.5% other races; 47.3% of our population is considered economically disadvantaged
Which activities did you teach?
- Pre-Unit Values Activity
- Lesson 2–Activity 2 & 3 (Trusted Adult Interview and Community Maps)
- Lesson 3–Activity 1 (What is Climate Change?/Greenhouse effect videos)
- Lesson 4–Activity 1 (School Energy Tour with Facilities Staff)
- Lesson 6–Activity 1 & 2 (Envisioning a Just Transition and Creating a Just and Equitable Future for All)
I taught the Climate Generation lessons to my Encore class because I was given a lot more freedom in this class than in the more structured science classes where I had to follow the district curriculum map. Encore classes are supposed to be less structured and more fun. Since I have a passion for environmental issues, I was drawn to the lessons in this curriculum.
Experience Energy does not technically align to any of our required sixth-grade standards, but I felt it was important to teach. In the future I could tie this in with my Ecology Unit and use the NGSS MS-LS2-2: Construct an explanation that predicts patterns of interactions among organisms across multiple ecosystems. I could use the Activity 2 Food Chain and Energy Chain game and/or the Carbon Cycle Game to meet this standard.
I incorporated these lessons into a unit I already use from National Energy Education Development (NEED). I have always had an interest in teaching about energy and these resources seemed to complement each other.
Which activities went well? What made them successful?
One of my favorite lessons to teach was the pre-unit values lesson. We often referred back to these core values throughout the unit. In this lesson, the students were given lists of values in which they were to reflect on and pick their top 5 values. We then shared as a class to find out how our values matched up with others in our class or how they differed. I think it was the first time they had ever examined their values and they had a hard time narrowing them down.
One of my students was the only person in the class who chose “Aesthetic,” but that value really did reflect her personality. She likes things to match and be pretty, which can sometimes bring her into conflict with others who don’t necessarily value that as highly. However, I think putting a name to it empowered her, and she took charge on our projects. The lesson recommended that you copy all of the value sheets for each of the students, but I just made copies of each category and then had them rotate through the different stations and pick their favorites. If you are tech savvy you might even be able to find an easy way to do it on the computer, but I think it is too much to copy for each student and unnecessary for getting the point across.
Which activities were challenging? What was difficult about them?
The other lesson that we liked a lot and got us digging into the topic was the interviews with a trusted adult. The students were required to interview someone they know well about the changes that person has seen in energy in their lifetime compared to now. Many of the students embraced this activity and enjoyed talking to their parents or grandparents, but the disappointing part was that some students did not complete the interview at all. In retrospect, for those who did not complete the interviews, I would pull in some teachers or people from the community who would have some great insights and have students talk with them. I think it would help if there was a greater age gap in the people being interviewed.
Please tell one or two stories that are relevant to your situation and experience teaching the resource.
We also completed the Lesson 4 building tour with our plant manager. This was very eye-opening for the students because we are blessed in this district to have an environmentally friendly school. We have solar panels on the roof, solar tubes in the hallways, motion-sensored lighting, geothermal heating, a partial green roof, and rain containment for toilets. Most of the students were unaware of these amenities. After the audit, we completed the Just Transition lesson where the students tried to envision what a just future would look like and what they would like to see.
It was at this point that my students divided up into three groups: the ones who wanted to work on a garden for the school, those who wanted a recycling program, and those who just weren’t that interested in energy conservation. The girls were excited about turning the green roof into an herb garden for the cafeteria to use. The boys all came from schools that had a recycling program and were disappointed that TFMS did not offer one. They researched further, and we reached out to the Assistant Superintendent of Operations in the district via email. He replied to our email and came to visit and talk with the students and answer their questions. He listened to the students and gave them helpful advice. He did not want to discourage the recyclers but stated that currently the market for recycled products is down. This visit was very informative and empowering for the students. After his visit, we received an email from the director of our Energy Wise teams and she gave us a $300 grant to create a pollinator garden instead. We did some more research and during the last week of school we planted a beautiful butterfly garden that will help the environment and improve the ambiance of our campus for years to come.
One of the students reflecting on the experience said, “Meeting with the Director made me feel important like my ideas mattered.” Another said, “I like working with my hands and making a difference.” It was such a rewarding experience, especially coming from middle school students who are generally more self-absorbed. I was lucky to work with this group.
Lisa Handlon is a teacher with 22 years of experience in elementary and middle school science. She has a passion for the environment and caring for the earth and its resources.
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.
