Humboldt Interdisciplinary STEM Initiative
"Math and Science teachers in grades 6-12 from Fortuna, Arcata, McKinleyville, and the Trinity River Valley have been invited to attend and participate in the Humboldt Interdisciplinary STEM Initiative (HISI).
HISI will combine professional development in STEM content with collaborative teacher teams. These teams will engage with the lesson study model to support each other in STEM pedagogy as we all move to implement the Common Core. The STEM-focused training will support existing school initiatives to prepare teachers to successfully engage their students with the critical thinking skills necessary for the Smarter Balance Assessments.
Through coaching from teacher leaders from each high school (or one of its feeder schools), participating teacher leaders will receive training to prepare them to support their fellow teachers—with the ultimate goal of nurturing students who are prepared for college and career readiness. Teacher teams will develop, pilot, and finalize common core aligned lessons that integrate algebraic and scientific critical thinking skills that will ultimately be, after practice and refinement, used throughout Humboldt County schools as model STEM Lessons."[1]
Energy Curriculum
Solar Renewable Energy
- Interstate Renewable Energy Council: Solar Energy Education and Training Best Practices
- Four Energy: Energy Resources for Educators, Green Academy Curriculum
- US DOE Solar Multi-media
Energy Efficiency
- PGE: PEAK Energy Curriculum - teaches students to become Smart Energy Managers
- PGE: Energenius (k-8) Educational Resources
- Alliance to Save Energy, Curriculum
- California Education and the Environment Initiative:
- Green Schools Initiative: Downloadable Energy Audit Worksheets
- Strategic Energy Innovation: Curriculum (Not Free)
Hydrogen
- Hydrogen Technology and Energy Curriculum (HyTEC) focuses on high school chemistry from the Schatz Energy Research Center
- Hydrogen fuel cell set ups for High School from the Schatz Energy Research Center
- Hydrogen Energy in Engineering Education (H2E3) focuses on university engineering students from the Schatz Energy Research Center
- Stack in the Box completely portable fuel cell generator from the Schatz Energy Research Center
Standards Based Energy Curriculum Searches
The list below provides links to national sites for (in most cases) NGSS Standards Based Curriculum.
- 9 -12th grades - Engineering Go For It (eGFI) This site does not have a robust search engine, but you can use tags to find topics in energy.
- 6 -8th grades - Engineering Go For It (eGFI) This site doe not have a robust search engine, but you can use tags to find topics in energy.
- 6-12th grades Teach Engineering Curriculum This site allows you to browse curriculum based on grade and NGSS engineering standard.
- 6-12th grades PBS Energy Related Video Resources The appropriate grade range for each resource is indicated.
- High School National Science Digital Library Energy Curriculum
- Middle School National Science Digital Library Energy Curriculum
Relevant projects
- RCEA educational boxes, especially:
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RCEA Energy-Caters Modeling Renewable Energy is a three period lesson plan designed to educate sixth grade students on many types of renewable energy including wind, hydro, solar, wave, biomass. Lesson one is a hypothetical situation, Lesson two is a model landscape, Lesson three is a class debate.
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RCEA Bust-A-Watt Bust-A-Watt educates middle school students through a weeklong curriculum about energy conservation through hands on activities, interactive discussions, home assessment assignments, and a reflective art assignment.
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RCEA CAN YOU WorKIT CAN YOU WorKIT is designed to teach high school student about conservation of energy. In one or two class periods students assemble and operate a hand crank electrical generators in order to understand the connection between work and energy. An activity worksheet helps students observe the amount of work that goes into powering every day appliances.
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RCEA Energy in a Cinch The Energy In A Cinch kit is designed to teach High School students about renewable energy through the use of a Windbelt. The kit contains a powerpoint presentation on RE and Wind, and material to build five complete Windbelts of various sizes.
Relevant topics
- Teaching Engineering Design - Design Your Future
- Energy
- Power and energy
- Energy efficiency
- Energy use
- Energy tools
Relevant Energy NGSS Standards
Please note that this list is not exhaustive.
- High School Physical Science - Energy
- High School Engineering Design
- High School Chemical Reactions
- High School Life Science - Energy and Matter in Ecosystems
- Middle School Physical Science - Energy
- Middle School Life Science - Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
- Middle School Life Science - Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes
- Middle School Physical Science-Structure and Properties of Matter
