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| What is energy, and how do we use it? |
Energy has become a major topic in today’s news. It is imperative that students become
aware of its importance, as today’s children will be tomorrow’s energy activists. Because
energy can be an abstract concept for students, it’s helpful to give your class a basic
understanding of the forms energy takes and how it serves us.
In simplest terms, energy is the ability to do work. Here are some forms of energy
students may recognize: |
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• Electrical
• Heat
• Light
• Motion
• Chemical |
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By changing one form of energy to another,
we can make it work for us in activities such
as cooking our meals, heating and cooling
our homes and running our cars. A simple
example is an ordinary toaster. We use
electricity (one form of energy) and convert
it to heat (another form of energy) to toast bread.
Electricity can be converted into many types
of energy. In addition to heat, it can be
converted into motion (mechanical energy)
in the form of a motor. Motion can, in turn,
be used in appliances that help us with many
types of work, such as washing machines,
pencil sharpeners and dishwashers.
Electricity can also be used to run vehicles. |
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Chemical energy is stored in fuels, such as natural gas and gasoline. When fuels are
burned they create heat that can be used to heat our homes, warm up water for
showering, cook our food, dry our clothes and run our vehicles.
As a class, brainstorm examples of electrical energy, heat energy, light, motion and
chemical energy in use at your school and in students’ homes. |
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| Simple steps to save energy at school |
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Did you know the annual energy bill to
run America’s primary and secondary
schools is a staggering $6 billion? That’s
more than what’s spent on textbooks
and computers combined.
Students and teachers can do a lot to
save energy in their schools. By being
more energy efficient, schools can help
reduce greenhouse gas emissions and
save money from improved energy
performance. The savings can be used
for projects that improve the learning
environment, such as building
improvements and new textbooks. |
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| Below are some tips you can implement in your classroom to save energy: |
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Create “Save Energy” signs to hang near classroom light switches as a reminder to turn the lights off when not in use. |
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Pick an energy monitor to make sure lights and computers are turned off before recess, lunch and after school. |
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Make sure books or furniture don’t block the vents in your classroom. |
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Encourage students to keep doors and windows closed when heat or air conditioning is running. |
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Remind students to turn off the water in the bathroom when they are finished using it. |
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Ask students to report water leaks to you or the custodian. |
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| When students learn to be more energy effificient at school, they can bring what they’ve
learned home. Ask your students to use our energy-saving tips and the Home Energy
Inspection to identify and implement more energy-saving behaviors. |
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| Notify 811 for safe digging |
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Electric power lines and natural gas pipelines run under streets, sidewalks, yards and homes. If people dig into these utility lines, they can be damaged. A
damaged electric line poses a shock hazard; a damaged gas pipeline may result in a
gas leak that can cause a fire or explosion. Protecting underground lines from damage is
everyone’s responsibility.
The local 811 service makes sure underground utility lines are clearly marked so people
can dig a safe distance away from them. Anyone planning a digging project must call
811 to notify this service about their project. No job is too small to call!
After you call 811, you must wait at least two full working days before digging in
New York, excluding the date of your call, weekends and legal holidays. You must
wait at least 72 hours before digging in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, excluding weekends and legal holidays.
Students may wonder what happens after someone calls 811. Here are the steps: |
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The caller explains to the 811 operator where the digging will occur. |
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The 811 service notifies all the major utilities that have underground lines
near the dig area. |
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A worker from each utility identifies the location of each buried line near the dig
area and marks it with colored spray paint or small plastic flags. Each type of
utility line gets marked in a different color. Electric lines are marked in red; natural
gas lines in yellow. |
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American Public Works Association color code for locator marks |
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| Remind students that they should never tamper with utility flags and markings. Anyone
who compromises these markings puts others at risk of contacting an underground
utility line. Help protect your community by leaving them alone. |
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| Explore all our teacher resources |
| Our Energy Explorer website at ngridenergyworld.com is designed so that you can
use it with little or no planning. The “Teachers” tab for each thematic section (Ethics,
Electrical & Natural Gas Safety, Energy Efficiency and Environment) includes many
helpful teacher resources: |
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One-page Student Worksheets and Answer Keys help students review key content. |
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Teacher Tips help you explain all experiments. |
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E-books have companion Teacher’s Guides with background and discussion
suggestions for each page, plus downloadable and reproducible Pre/Post Tests. |
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