December 1, 2023 •Sandra Cipriani, Manager of Curriculum Development
Winter break is almost here, and the excitement is palpable! Whether the colder temperatures mean carving fresh powder or staying inside and sipping hot chocolate, December is filled with the joy of wrapping up final lessons and looking forward to a well-earned vacation. And yet, before you begin eyeing the exit, writing the last lessons of the year is still ahead of you, so look at what the month of December has to offer for engaging energy conservation and computer science activities!
Weatherization in a Winter Wonderland
As the temperatures begin to cool across many regions of the country, a well-insulated home will improve energy efficiency and save money. Since warm air naturally flows to cooler areas, installing weatherization products can help to reduce leaks. Air leakage can account for 25-40% of heat loss in a home, so teaching your students simple solutions they can implement at home creates a practical and fun homework assignment!
Start the lesson off by introducing a simple investigation (see link below) so students can test the insulation properties of different materials and how those materials reduce heat transfer. Once they have determined which cup had the least amount of heat loss, begin a discussion about products that can be installed in their homes and school to help conserve energy and reduce air leaks. Some quick and easy fixes include using weatherstripping and door sweeps, sealing gaps and cracks with an acrylic caulk sealant or silicone sealant (who doesn’t like using a caulk gun?), and installing window insulation kits. Even changing air filters monthly during the colder months can lead to significant savings. Check out the information below for activities that reinforce this lesson on weatherization:
- Insulation Investigation: An investigation to test how to reduce heat loss and conserve energy. A modified version of the lesson would also work if you are pressed for time!
- Howling House Activity: Students can take the role of an energy auditor and identify the areas of a house where air leaks occur and then provide solutions for the family.
- Gingerbread House Challenge: Now that students have learned about weatherization, why not challenge them to design an energy-efficient Gingerbread House? You can spice up the assignment by suggesting that the students design a treehouse, a storage shed, or even a garage? Let their imaginations shine! For the materials, bring in ALL the candy…or maybe stick to the markers and paper? I say, go for it, what’s the worst that could happen?
Helpful Energy Conservation Links:
Energy Saving Tips: https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/fall-and-winter-energy-saving-tips
Weatherization Products: https://amconservation.com/weatherization/
Holiday Cheer and Conservation
With the number of festivities celebrated in the month of December, it is a perfect time to encourage students to consider how they can celebrate and conserve energy at the same time. Light up their math skills with this activity:
Myth Busting Activity
In 2015, the Center of Global Development stated that the use of Christmas lights in the U.S. accounted for 6.63 billion kilowatt hours of electricity consumption annually! However, the use of LEDs can significantly reduce the cost of electricity for a household. Students can use their math skills to determine if string lights use a lot of electricity and if they will increase the electricity bill. Follow the link for the numbers to get started building your lesson.
Helpful Holiday Energy Links:
Holiday Energy Use: https://smarterhouse.org/news/blog/your-holiday-energy-use-naughty-or-nice
Recycling String Lights: http://www.holidayleds.com/
Computer Science Education Week
Computer Science Education Week is the second week in December. Classrooms around the world will participate in an Hour of Code and it is designed to inspire all students to explore and learn about computer science. As computer science jobs continue to grow, students benefit from opportunities to expand not only coding skills but also computational thinking skills and learning how they can be used for jobs in a variety of fields including science and engineering. Adding science projects that include computer science standards provide cross curricular opportunities for both the students and the teachers. In addition to the upcoming Hour of Code challenge, here are some links to check out with your students that focus on energy conservation and could lead to future cross-curricular student projects:
U.S. Energy Information Administration: Take a virtual field trip to learn about a renewable energy laboratory, a waste-to-energy plant, wind turbines, or to see an offshore oil platform. Explore the rest of the site to discover games, activities, and teacher guides for lesson planning.
Legends of Learning: Students learn about how energy is transferred when participating in the online games such as, Conservewagon of Energy and Guardians of Energy. The games are based on NGSS and state standards and teachers can create a free account to access the games.
The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy: From Energy 101 Videos to K-12 resources for The Solar Decathlon, this site offers a variety of lessons for clean energy lesson plans. Resources in Spanish are also available.
Computer Science Education Week: Although not specific to energy conservation, this list would not be complete without including the team behind the collaboration and organization of CSEdWeek!
Have FUN with these activities and please share with me any lessons or activities that you use in your classroom!
I hope you have a restful and joyous winter break!
Sandy Cipriani