This unit can be used from grades 5-10. It is an interdisciplinary approach to a current problem facing our society. It is a topic that has been in the mainstream of our news for the past ten years and with each succeeding year the intensity of the energy dilemma heightens.
There are many experts who consider the energy crisis as the main
problem of the Western world. In the coming years our way of life will be seriously affected and our standard of living has already been altered. Certainly a main concern of everyone in the energy field is the public acceptance that there is a severe problem. There is no better place to begin the education of all our consumers than in the schools. This is the purpose of my preparing a curriculum unit about energy. The scope of the dilemma cuts across all boundaries; young and old, rich and poor, black and white. As an educator, I hope to reach some future citizens and enlist their help in tackling this serious problem.
At the earliest stage of human history, man was using energy. As time passed, our energy consumption has continually increased. Initially, man burned wood and that continued for hundreds of years. About 200 years ago, we began using coal. Then 100 years later oil and soon after, natural gas. In the past few decades, nuclear energy appeared. What will the future bring? That is one question that I will try to answer. These are some of the other ones.
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I. What is the energy crisis?
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II. What are fossil fuels and what is the availability in the future?
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III. What is nuclear power and what are the problems caused by its use?
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IV. What is a national energy policy and why does the United States need an effective one?
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V. Is the energy crisis affecting other parts of the world?
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VI. What is OPEC and what is their position in international politics?
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VII. What are the alternate sources of energy and what is their availability?
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VIII. What are some suggested solutions, short and long term, to our energy crisis?
To begin the unit, there are several suggestions. It is not a topic that has one textbook which adequately covers the subject. Everyday there are new suggestions and plans proposed by individuals and various interest groups. The topic constantly bantered around by every mass media publication. Thus it is highly effective to use some of these publications as your source. During the year that I plan on teaching the unit, I keep a folder and when an article appears, I clip it out and date it. Another important source is television. Periodically there are special programs dealing with the energy plight. If you are fortunate enough to have video tape equipment at your school, you can tape the program for later use. Also the utility companies of New Haven are very helpful. They offer a number of publications and film lists which are available. On a national level the oil companies send free films to schools or groups. I think it is such a current field, changing daily, that you can make the educational process more vivid by involving the students in bringing in articles and other naturales.
