Energy Friendly Homes

Lesson Content

• Lesson Plan Template:

  CTE Lesson Plan

• CTE Course Info and Benchmark Notes

  
  

  Program Title (as applicable):

  Energy

  Course Title:

  Fundamentals of Energy

  Course Number:

  9790300

  Career Cluster:

  Energy

  CIP Number:

  149790300M

  Course Type:

  EXPL - Middle School Programs

• Unit Outline

  
  

  This lesson is designed to be used with the case study, “Energy Friendly Homes.” See CPALMS resource ID#: 215744.

• Career Connection

  
  

  This lesson practices the career building skills of problem solving, active listening, oral communication, and collaboration. Students will use their knowledge of energy to address energy consumption, efficiency, and conservation within two homes.

• Learning Objectives

  
  

  Students will be able to:

  • Identify ways to conserve energy.
  • Conduct research to gather information on home energy use.
  • Present information orally that compiles research and recommendations for the case study.

• Prior Knowledge

  
  

  Students should be familiar with/able to:

  • Forms of energy, how energy is used within a home, and some potential ways to reduce energy being used.
  • Utilize reliable online resources to collect information to solve an existing problem.
  • Effectively work with a peer group to produce and present a product and actively listen to other’s ideas on the topic.

• Guiding Questions

  
  
  • What considerations should a family make when purchasing an energy efficient home?

• Procedure

  
  

  1. Introduction

  • To introduce the lesson, the teacher will pose the question, “What considerations should a family make when purchasing an energy efficient home?” Students will be solicited for ideas that they jot down on a sticky note and share with the class. Ideas will be added to a class chart on the wall so that they can be referenced throughout the lesson.
  • Provide students with a copy of the case study, “Energy Friendly Homes” (see CPALMS Resource ID # 215744). As students read the case study, instruct them to underline/highlight key ideas.

  2. Discussion

  Engage students in a discussion using the following questions:

  • Which features of the homes can make an impact on energy efficiency?
  • Which features of the homes can make the biggest impact on energy efficiency?
  • Which features of the home are easiest/most affordable to renovate to become more energy efficient?

  3. Research:

  • Students will form small groups of 3 students. Students will need to research features of homes and how those features impact energy consumption within the home. If needed, the teacher can provide students with a research slide including 3 links to assist them in starting their research. At the bottom of the slide is a place for the group to include other reliable internet resources they used to conduct their research. (see attachment: “EnergyFriendlyHomesResearchSlide”)
  • The group will utilize information gathered from research and their prior knowledge to discuss and determine which of the two homes in the case study will be the most energy efficient for the family. They will need to take into consideration the renovation budget (including the remaining funds over the cost of the home) and how the funds could best be spent to improve energy efficiency of one of the homes.
  • Once the group determines which home is the best in meeting the needs of the family and their energy conservation desires, they will create a poster to present to the “family” (their classmates) to persuade them of their decision. This poster should include:
    • Which home they feel is the most energy efficient/Which home they are persuading the family to buy.
    • Detailed rationale for why the home they chose is most energy efficient.
    • How they propose to use the $5,000 renovation fund + remaining funds from the purchase of the home.
    • Any other pertinent information they found in their research.
  • After students complete their group presentation poster, they should practice how they will use their slide to present their decision to the “family” (their classmates). They need to remember that all group members will have the opportunity to present.

  4. Presentations

  • Posters will be hung around the classroom and the class will participate in a carousel learning strategy. One member of the group will stay behind and act as the real estate agent. The rest of the group will move to other posters in the classroom to listen and engage with the other groups’ ideas. Groups will continue to rotate until they visit with each poster in the class. Each third of the way through presentations, “real estate agents” should be swapped out with another member of the group so all students have the opportunity to present, and all students have the opportunity to listen to other groups’ ideas.
  • During poster presentations, the students who are listening to the presentations will complete the Recording Sheet (see attachments). The table will allow students to jot down notes of similar ideas, different ideas, and new ideas they gather from each presentation. These students are also welcome to ask questions and give feedback to presenters.

  5. Closing:

  After presentations are complete, students will be polled for which home they NOW think is the most energy efficient. Poll results will be shared, and a brief discussion of ideas will occur as needed/as time permits.

• Teacher Notes

  
  
  • Ensure students know how to determine if an online resource is reliable. The teacher may want to take a few minutes before starting research to discuss reliability and trustworthiness of internet sites.
  • The teacher could add additional research sites to the research slide if desired. Additionally, the teacher could omit the use of the provided research sites if they prefer students conduct all research independently without scaffolding.
  • This lesson may take more than one class period to complete.