Teacher Preparation

Overarching learning goals: Students build an understanding of wise energy use in the classroom by comparing their current energy consumption with that of the past, and modifying their behaviour so that they use less energy (in terms of light, electrical items and heat) during the school day.

Teacher content information: Energy is the lifeblood of our existence. Energy powers our industries, our homes, our cars. It drives the machinery of factories and farms that produce everything we need. Our energy-hungry lifestyle is powered by the burning of fossil fuels. Fuel sources like a lump of coal, which is the decomposed remains of tiny organisms and plant life formed in the appropriately named 'Carboniferous period'. From the 1800s, the energy created from burning coal and oil drove engines that changed how people lived. We called it 'the Industrial Revolution'. It caused widespread change, just like 'the Digital Revolution' that describes today's technological era. As we live in this Digital Age, it does seem strange that we're still relying on some very old technologies to power how we live, work and move. The Stone Age didn't end because we ran out of stones – we simply found better ways to make tools and other things we needed. It's clear that we need to be fast tracking our transition to cleaner energy sources. Only then can our oceans, forests, atmosphere and waterways have a chance to return to full health.

More resources: Energy Fact Sheet.

Preparation for older students (Year 3 to Year 6): Prior to the activity, advise students to wear and/or bring the following to class:

Undershirt
Shirt
Jumper / sweatshirt
Pants or skirt and tights for girls if school uniform (according to personal preference)
Thin socks
Thick socks
Slippers (if permitted by school)

Student and classroom organisation

Part 1: Tune In - For younger students (Foundation - Year 2)

Step 1.

Use the 'Think, See, Feel, Wonder' thinking tool to get your students engaged in the topic of energy. Encourage them to take on a historical perspective and recognise the changes in modern energy use.

See, think, feel, Houses now & then from Cool Australia

Use the following questions to guide discussion:

What do you notice that is different? (all photos show students arranged in an orderly fashion, not in groups but paying attention to teacher at front of the room; old fashioned dress, the only artificial lighting is in the first photo, there is a pot-bellied stove in the third photo; there is lots of sunlight in each photo; no computers or other electrical devices).
I wonder if these students could see what they needed to be doing?
I wonder if these students were warm enough?
What can we learn from these students from long ago? (Maybe we don’t need to have electric lights on in our classroom all the time / maybe we can “dress for the weather.”)

Step 2.

Give each student a copy of the What are you wearing worksheet. Students are to make pictures of themselves dressed in clothing that will keep them warm enough in the classroom. They can cut out the suggested items from magazines or draw on items depending on their preferences. Have students cut out their Student Outline when it is done. Students place a small piece of “blu-tac” on the back of the head of the Student Outline, ask students to stick it around the class somewhere where there is ample light and heat. Encourage them to make the link between using natural light rather than electricity and dressing for the conditions. Discuss with your students how we can reduce our energy use by dressing for the weather and switching off lights and other electronic devices when we’re not using them or don’t need them – just like people used to do!

Part 1: Tune In - For older students (Year 3 - Year 6)

Preparation: Prior to the activity, advise students to wear and/or bring the following to class:

Undershirt
Shirt
Jumper / sweatshirt
Pants or skirt and tights for girls if school uniform (according to personal preference)
Thin socks
Thick socks
Slippers (if permitted by school)

Step 1.

Use the 'Think, See, Feel, Wonder' thinking tool to get your students engaged in the topic of energy. Encourage them to take on a historical perspective and recognise the changes in modern energy use.

See, think, feel, Houses now & then from Cool Australia

Use the following questions to guide discussion:

What do you notice that is different? (all photos show students arranged in an orderly fashion, not in groups but paying attention to teacher at front of the room; old fashioned dress, the only artificial lighting is in the first photo, there is a pot-bellied stove in the third photo; there is lots of sunlight in each photo; no computers or other electrical devices).
I wonder if these students could see what they needed to be doing?
I wonder if these students were warm enough?
What can we learn from these students from long ago? (Maybe we don’t need to have electric lights on in our classroom all the time / maybe we can “dress for the weather.”)

Step 2.

Ask students to think about what kind of heating your classroom uses? Is it a split cycle air conditioner? Is it a gas space heater? If yes, then you can find out how much energy these systems typically use in your state by looking at the Sparky Co2e Cheat Sheet. Section 3a is all about split system air conditioners and 3b is about gas space heaters. Ask your students if they knew that the typical classroom in their state uses that amount of energy for heating, cooling and lighting (information about lighting is in Section 1). Mention where your school building gets its energy from. If it’s coming from fossil fuels (as in from a power station) then you are using fossil fuels for that energy. Fossil fuels are non-renewable and burning them contributes to greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. What can we do to minimise this use? Find out how much energy we really need to keep lights, heaters and coolers on!

Step 3:

Set up your classroom so that during a one hour reading and writing session, your class can monitor how comfortable they feel without the lights on, and in varying amounts of clothes. Explain that they will need to ensure their personal safety during this activity.

Step 4:

Show your students the Record sheet which will be used to track what students find they need during the hour. Explain that during this hour, they are free to move to a place where they can see to read and write comfortably, and that if they start off with the most clothes on, they can take off clothes as the session goes on. Explain that of course, they must have their shirts and pants on and that they can’t go with bare feet (unless your school allows it). In this way, they are testing out variables in an experiment. Everyone is a little bit different when it comes to feeling comfortable, so we can’t say for another person what is comfortable.

Step 5:

Begin the experiment. When students make a change to their condition – either by moving around the room or by taking off or putting on an item of clothing, they can note it on the record sheet. Do this for about 20 minutes.

Step 6:

Students use the Creature Comforts Workshee t to draw portraits of themselves dressed comfortably for warm, cool and colder conditions in the classroom.

Step 7:

After 10 minutes, gather the class together for a discussion.

Use the following questions to guide the discussion:

Part 2: Act - Enviroweek Sparky Project Action Planning

The aim of the Sparky Action is for students to measure and reduce their energy consumption to save energy and dollars. There are many different activities that students can do to achieve this outcome. The fun part of Enviroweek is allowing your students to plan your school's activities. This places students in charge of their own learning and they learn in a real-world context.

Step 1:

Introduce the Sparky Action to students outlining the aims, the starting date of Enviroweek and the specific environmental benefits of taking part.

Step 2:

Talk to your students about the many different activities that can be undertaken for this Action. But ensure they do something that includes Plan A or Plan B from the table below. Students can plan their Enviroweek Action for their whole school, one year level, one class or just for their group.

Plan A: Monitor, measure and reduce school energy use on the Big Three: Heating and cooling (the biggest costs by far) Lighting Interactive whiteboards with laptops	During Enviroweek, monitor, measure and reduce your energy use on these items and see what savings you have. What is your class willing to do to extend this beyond Enviroweek and your classroom?
Plan B: ‘Dress for success’ Replace the need for heating and cooling by dressing for the weather. Layer it up. Layer 1: T-Shirt/long underwear Layer 2: Standard clothing Layer 3: Extra jumper Layer 4: Jacket and beanie	As Enviroweek takes place in August, it’s chilly in many parts of Australia. If this is true in your school, encourage students to wear a t-shirt or long underwear under their standard clothing, and bring an extra jumper, a jacket and a beanie to school each day. If people “Dress for success” then you might not have to turn on the heating at all! Explore what savings this produces.

Planning a project

Which activity are the students going to do for their Sparky Challenge? Have students help you write a descriptive outline of your plan. Write these stages on the whiteboard and get students involved in a discussion. If they are capable, ask for volunteers to come up and write short notes that address each of these elements of your plan:

Identify the people who will be hearing or seeing the message.
Decide on one clear message that you want to deliver.
Write or create your message.
Present the message to the people you are targeting.

Don't forget to document your Enviroweek journey with pictures and videos!

We recommend that students in Foundation and Years 1 & 2 work as a whole class, because the Actions suggested will affect everyone in the classroom. You should lead them in this activity.

Part 3: Share

Students are to select one energy saving tip and create a poster showing people how they can help save energy. They also have some information about each of the tips. Students may need assistance in reading these tips. When the posters are completed, ask students to take turns to present their work. Display the posters in a prominent position in the school.

List of actions - Energy saving tips

Tap - use cold water instead of hot when you can. Warm water needs to be heated and heating the water uses energy.
TV - turn off the TV, computer or any other electrical appliance when you’re not using them.
Window - use the light from the sun to light up your room instead of turning on the light.
Standby - that little light that stays on after you’ve turned off your TV or computer means it is in 'standby mode'. It means that the power is not completely dead and your TV or computer can be switched on again very quickly.
Energy efficient light bulb - next time you need to change a light bulb put in an energy efficient bulb instead. You’ll save lots of energy!
Jumper - next time you’re at home and feeling chilly, put on a jumper and some slippers before you put on a heater.
Lightbulb - turn off the lights when you don’t need them. But do leave them on if it is too dark.
Open door - close the door to your room or house to keep it warm or cool, and close the door to the fridge to keep the cool air inside.
Phone and charger – ask a parent or caregiver to help you (and remind them) to unplug your phone charger from the power point after the phone is charged. A phone charger that is plugged into the wall still uses energy.

Other ways to share

Upload your photos and videos to your Enviroweek Schools Profile.
Share what you have done in the school newsletter or local paper.
Get permission to display your poster in a public place.

Enviroweek - Energy Alternatives

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