Everything comes from energy

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Educational scenarios and lesson modules to learn all about the energy challenge


Supported by Shell

What is it?

Shell is a global multinational that believes that children all over the world need to have access to the best possible education at all levels and supports the importance of STEM education in a European context.

Within this framework, Shell collaborates with schools and supports the development of educational practices around the energy challenge, such as It's All About Energy, written by teachers participating in the Dutch programme Eerst de Klas, in cooperation with inGenious and Jet-Net with the support of the European Commission.

It's All About Energy is a practice that comprises three set of resources, to enhance lessons and support teaching and learning around energy production and consumption, as well as to stimulate reflection around demand of energy, environment and sustainability.

The three resources are:

  • A teachers' manual
  • A set of lessons plans about the future of energy, petroeleum and CO2
  • A test set for students

The manual serves as an introduction and presentation of the lessons, including a summary, and provides examples of responses for the assignments and the test, in a straightforward ‘'read me first'' approach.

The lessons set is composed of 13 modules, organised in three sections, with varying levels of difficulty and detail. The introduction and its scenarios ease the students into a wider understanding of the challenge of energy sources and their distribution in our contemporary society. The other two sections focus respectively on the petroleum and gas chains and on the effect of C02 emissions and climate, with a more factual and technical approach. Each module is completed by assignments that stimulate reflection and further research and analysis, fostering acquisition of inquiry and critical thinking skills.

Based on the content of the module and in addition to the assignments, the authors have also designed a test set of twenty questions, with different levels of difficulty, to assess the acquisition of factual knowledge.

Who is if for?

The resources are designed for secondary school teachers for activities with 14-16 years old students.

The content of some of the modules and assignments can be easily adapted to be used in activities for younger students, for example the structure and approach of the scenarios in the section The future of energy.

What are the strengths and opportunities?

Each module is well balanced between information provided, prompts for reflection and structured assignments, to be done in class or as follow-up and homework.

The factual content is organised in a modular way that allows the teacher to introduce students to few key concepts and facts at time and to support the reflection activities that follow.

The whole set is structured in a way that the modules can also be used independently.

The lessons set is available in 11 languages.

Tips and tricks

The modules have a multidisciplinary approach and can be linked to different subjects and areas: engineering, physics, chemistry, ecology, environment, mathematics and technology.

The examples of responses to the assignments provided in the manual can be used to prepare the lessons and to prompt debate and discussions.

These resources can be used to support different activities in the class and outside:

  • integrate physics and chemistry lessons with content modules focusing on energy
  • prompt group reflection sessions integrating various disciplines
  • prepare visits to energy plants and other related facilities
  • organise debates and simulation games using the two future scenarios proposed (non-collaborative and collaborative) and the questions of the assignments