Students will conduct this investigation to document and evaluate energy use in their school and classrooms. They will also determine the main sources of energy for their school. They will use monitoring equipment, such as thermometers, watt meters, and light meters, to take measurements and record results.
Students will see how individual and collective student actions can affect energy usage. They will also generate ideas for ways their school could make improvements. Reducing energy use saves natural resources and can lead to significant financial savings.
Download the Energy Investigation or purchase a print copy of all 5 PLT GreenSchools Investigations plus the Adult Leader Guide.
Resources
- Download the Adult Leader Guide for tips on how to form a Green Team, suggestions for how students might conduct investigations and why, and ways to obtain grants for action projects.
- Find more resources to support this PLT GreenSchools Investigation
- View correlations to academic standards
- Try some other PLT activities to enrich and extend the learning on this topic.
Here’s a sample:- Energy & Society kit for grades 4-8
- PreK-8 Envrionmental Education Activity Guide:
- Activity #39, “Energy Sleuths”
- PLT’s high school module Places We Live:
- Activity #7, “Far-Reaching Decisions”
Vanessa Bullwinkle
Vanessa Bullwinkle is Director of Communications & Marketing for Project Learning Tree.
