Energy
Navigate through our collection of energy resources!
We have generated two directions for you to begin your seach - Resources on the PAESTA website and Resources outside the PAESTA website.
The existing PAESTA resources come from our existing collections across this site, including our PAESTA Classroom exercises, pocasts, favorite videos and favorite books. We have selected high-quality materials available outside of the PAESTA website, compiled these resources, and organized them into categories to help teachers learn about energy, energy teaching resources, and careers in the energy field. As materials are added to the PAESTA website, we will update these listings.
[Image - Innovations in clean energy like wind power are a crucial part of fighting climate change. Photo courtesy of the Department of Energy Loan Programs Office, June 2015 article on Clean Energy Innovation.]
PAESTA Classroom
Exercises can be found on a search for Energy
PAESTA Podcasts
(energy-related podcasts forthcoming)
PAESTA Favorite Videos
(videos to be added)
PAESTA Favorite Reads
Outside of PAESTA - Science and data resources
American Geosciences Institute (AGI) has an overview of Energy. The U.S. Energy Information Administration has a collection pages with background information, starting with What is Energy? The EIA also has a version called Energy Kids.
Explore the website for the U.S. Geological Survey for locating energy data. We encourage you to further explore the USGS Energy Resources Program website and their multimedia gallery of images.
Outside of PAESTA - Teaching resources
Energy Literacy: Essential Principles and Fundamental Concepts for Energy Education is an interdisciplinary approach to teaching and learning about energy. The framework identifies seven Essential Principles and a set of Fundamental Concepts to support each principle. The guide does not seek to identify all areas of energy understanding, but rather to focus on those that are essential for all citizens K-Gray. It presents energy concepts that, if understood and applied, will help individuals and communities make informed energy decisions. Principles in the guide can serve as discussion starters or launching points for scientific inquiry. The guide can also serve educators who teach energy as part of their science curricula.
CLEAN (Climate Literacy & Energy Awareness Network) (link is external) has a collection of 600+ free, ready-to-use resources rigorously reviewed by educators and scientists. The resources include visuals, videos, demonstrations and experiments, and interactive tools. Suitable for secondary through higher education classrooms.
The Department of Energy has a collection of Lesson Plans on energy. They also have articles and videos on energy basics.
There are several video collections that focus on energy appropriate for K-12 students. See the collections by PBS Learning Media and Switch: The Energy Project (full documentary is available for stream or download), Energy 101 Videos and Energy Lab.
In addition to the sites listed above, you may want to explore the SERC Site Guide for Teaching About Energy and InTeGrate Teaching about Energy site for additional resources.
Energy Foundations for High School Chemistry (American Chemical Society) provides free science investigations, demos, and multimedia to help teach the big ideas about energy in high school.
You may want to explore Teaching and Learning about Energy with The New York Times.
Outside of PAESTA - Career resources
An excellent place to direct students to learning about careers in the U.S. Department of Labor - Bureau of Labor Statistics - Occupational Outlook Handbook. There is an entry for nuclear engineers, geological and petroleum technicians, petroleum engineers, mining and geological engineers, and wind turbine technicians that describes what they do, work environment, how to become one, pay, job outlook, and additional information.
Explore clean energy careers, as well as clean energy jobs and career planning, from the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Explore careers in the nuclear industry from the Nuclear Energy Institute.
Get Into Energy was designed and launched by the Center for Energy Workforce Development (CEWD), a non-profit organization. CEWD's goal is to build awareness among students, parents, teachers, guidance counselors and others about the career opportunities available in the energy industry.