Saving Energy Makes Cents
G. Casey Cassidy
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After viewing our curriculum units, please take a few minutes to help us understand how the units, which were created by public school teachers, may be useful to others.
Give FeedbackVII. Lesson Plans
This year the ideas that I present for lesson plans will involve several “hands-on” activities because its the experimentation processes which drive this unit. This is not to suggest that the technical information and the organizational skills are less important but rather that kids tend to remember concepts more easily that are associated with explorations and first-handed experiences. Subsequently, a wide variety of ideas and projects will be presented, allowing fellow educators the flexibility to pick and choose plans that are best for their group and their level of learning.
Lesson Plan #1
Build a model of the physical plant of your school building. Be sure to identify areas involving physical, electrical, and mechanical components, entrance and exit doorways, windows, skylights, and loading docks. This model will become very useful when assigning areas to be monitored for your water, electrical and air infiltration teams as well as public relation events when groups such as the local media, the local board of education, or P.T.A. groups are invited to meetings that discuss the value and the savings of real tax dollars as an outgrowth of the unit’s success. Areas where significant savings are realized can be highlighted.
Lesson Plan #2
As has been discussed in the main body of this unit, daily monitoring of electricity in individual classrooms and common areas as well as checking all water fixtures throughout the complex represents the heart of our conservation program. Teamwork with our classmates with these concerns as well as working with the head building engineer and our custodial staff will help to closely monitor our heating and cooling systems. While our plans involve these activities, data will be charted and graphed daily, with results tabulated on a quarterly and annual basis. Previous and recent billings from the utility companies will determine the effective progress of our program.
Lesson Plan #3
Certainly, familiarity with measurement concepts of volume, cubic feet, gallon, and kilowatt needs to be discussed as they relate to energy expenditures and cost. To return to the hot water faucet situation in our faculty lounge, our students needed to understand quarts and gallons to properly measure the water that we were losing daily. Using the constant flow theory, they were able to calculate the approximate number of gallons, assuming that the condition was allowed to persist, in a year. Having called a water company representative, we were able to calculate the water cost based on cubic feet assessments. Because it was a hot water faucet, the gas company gave us their fee to heat that hot water and the sewer control authority responded with their charges to transport the water away. All in all, the students learned a very valuable lesson at the expense of the local taxpayer.
Lesson Plan #4
Guest speakers from The United Illuminating Company, the Southern Connecticut Gas Company, the Regional Water Authority and the Sewage Disposal Center are available to discuss their local histories, to show slides highlighting their services to the community, and to arrange group tours through certain areas of their facilities. Classrooms should avail themselves of these opportunities.
Lesson Plan #5
Research reports allow students to work independently and then to share their information cooperatively in a variety of ways. Topics suggested might include: 1) solutions to an energy crisis; 2) how a family can reduce or conserve energy at home; 3) what they would do if electricity was unavailable for a week, etc.