Course: Project week - Power for the People (Demo) 2023

Topic outline

Project Week

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Power to the People

Renewable Energy in the Community

This preview course is not connected to the Virtual Town Hall. For the Teaching Notes please have a look at the resource below. The links to specific chapters in the course will only function in a course copy.
This project is coming to an end and will no longer be supported by the US Embassy. The courses can still be used in the school year 2023/24 but there will be no competition. If you want to work with your class with this course, please request a course copy.

Course Forum

Energy Lingo

Learner Texts

Project Journal
- Teacher announcements Forum
- General contents
- Teaching Notes: Power to the People Book
- Power to the People ( Project Week) - Handbook File
  
  4.7 MB PDF document
- SWAY: Course tutorial URL
What is renewable energy? (science focus)
- What do we mean by 'renewable energy sources'? What is the science behind this concept? What do renewable energy sources have to do with climate change – and with you? This is a science-based introduction to this project week. Complete these tasks in your science classes in the weeks leading up to the project week.
- 1. What is renewable energy?
- LEAD-IN: What's in a name? Assignment
- TASK: What is 'renewable energy' (click on activities below)
- (a) What do we mean by 'energy' ( in German) Assignment
- (b) Defining renewable energy Assignment
- (c) 'Renewable energy' – history of a term Assignment
- How Stuff Works: An Illustrated History of Energy (infographic) URL
- 2. Renewable energy technologies
- TASK: Comparing Energy Technologies Assignment
- FACT SHEETS: Renewable energy technologies File
  
  Modified 22/02/18, 12:09
  
  These fact sheets give you an overview of different renewable energy technologies.
- 3. Renewable energy tradeoffs: Carbon dioxide emissions
- TASK: The bathtub experiment Assignment
- TASK: Analyze the experiment (click on activities below)
  
  Before you begin this task, make sure you have completed and discussed your observations from the TASK: The bathtub experiment.
- (a) Fill in the blanks H5P
- (b) Describe the model H5P
- (c) An analogy of the earth's climate system H5P
- TASK: Interpret the experiment Assignment
- 4. Climate change impacts
- Warm-up: Climate change impacts Database
- Lead-in: Words and actions Forum
- Option 1
- TASK: Exploring global climate impacts Assignment
- Option 2
- TASK: Exploring climate change impacts in your neighborhood Assignment
Day 1
- TASK: Think like a community energy planner Assignment
- TASK: Solve Leinwig's energy challenge Assignment
- Letter from Mayor Johannsen Page
- FILE: Leinwig community portfolio
  
  280.7 KB PDF document
- FILE: Leinwig climate data
  
  239.4 KB PDF document
- FILE: Leinwig energy portfolio
  
  246.4 KB PDF document
- FILE: Leinwig county utility map
  
  369.1 KB PDF document
- TASK: Define the problem Assignment
- FORUM: Defining a problem
- EXTRA: Renewable energy technologies fact sheets File
  
  Modified 22/02/18, 12:09
  
  These fact sheets give you an overview of different renewable energy technologies.
Day 2
- TASK: Develop a vision – your mission statement Assignment
- TASK: Review best practices Assignment
- End this day by deciding on different work units or work packages that will be part of your final pitch. Form small groups that will focus one of these packages: The following could be possible work units: Renewables in Leinwig, replacing carbon-based energy sources, transportation in Leinwig, PR and educating the public about our plan, jobs and economic issues, etc.
- Project plan template (online) Database
- Project plan template (paper-and-pencil) File
  
  74.0 KB PDF document
- Fill out the template in your work groups to plan the remainder of the project week. (You can fill out the online template and have others comment on it, or the paper-and-pencil version / PDF. If you choose the PDF, you can take a photo and upload it to the Project Journal or the Course Forum.
Day 3
- TASK: Do a SWOT analysis Assignment
- EXTRA: Renewable energy tradeoffs and impacts URL
  
  This is an external link.
Day 4
- TASK: Make a pitch for a community energy plan Assignment
- TASK: Create a video and participate in the school competition Assignment
Day 5
- Finish both tasks from day 4 (TASK: Make a pitch for a community energy plan and TASK: Create a video and participate in the school competition).
  
  Your teacher will inform you about the exact structure of the 'expert commission meeting' where you will pitch your solution (or you will decide this together with your teacher).
Tips, resources, and tools
- TIPS
- TIP: Conducting research File
  
  141.4 KB PDF document
- TIP: Doing project work File
  
  184.8 KB PDF document
- TIP: Giving presentations File
  
  159.2 KB PDF document
- TIP: Linking ideas and sentences (vocabulary) File
  
  88.0 KB PDF document
- TIP: Solving a mediation task File
  
  112.7 KB PDF document
- TIP: Writing an article File
  
  151.9 KB PDF document
- TIP: Analysing visual texts (charts and tables) File
  
  962.1 KB PDF document
- TIP: Materialien zum selbständigen, standardorientierten Lernen - interaktive Version URL
- RESOURCES
- RESOURCE: A Research Guide for Students and Teachers URL
- RESOURCE: Lexikon der Nachhaltigkeit URL
  
  Take a look at this German glossary on sustainability by the Aachen Foundation Kathy Beys.
- TOOLS
- The Virtual Town Hall has a section with practical resources on creating videos, finding stock photos and music online, and further digital apps.
  
  >> Virtual Town Hall
About this course
- Acknowledgements
  
  This project week is a truly collaborative effort and was co-developed by English and Science scholars at Leuphana University Lüneburg, Germany, and the Teach About US Team in Berlin. We are particularly grateful for the invaluable contributions by Prof. Dr. Simone Abels (Professor of Science Education), Sybille Hüfner (researcher and PhD candidate), and especially their assistants Heike Janz and Sarah Hoffmann. Together they developed the introductory science modules and contributed to the project week curriculum. We are also indebted to the many teachers who participated in the project week workshop at the U.S. Embassy Teacher Academy 2017 in Nürnberg and offered their expertise on an early prototype of this course. We are also grateful for the methodological and scientific advice by Adalbert Pakura of the Leuphana Freshmen Week team, and advice on the community and climate data offered by the Klimaschutzleitstelle für Hansestadt und Landkreis Lüneburg.
  
  The following partners gave permission to use portions of their work in this course. We would like to thank:
  
  The Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Potsdam, Germany / section PIKee for designing and maintaining the platform KlimafolgenOnline and providing the research workshops used in the TASK: Exploring climate change impacts in your neighborhood
  
  The Gelfand Center at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA and their SUCCEED program for the permission to adapt the FACT SHEETS: Renewable energy technologies. These materials were produced with support from the Center for Climate and Energy Decision Making (SES-0949710), through a cooperative agreement between the National Science Foundation and Carnegie Mellon University.
  
  Dr. Kai Niebert Niebert (Professor for Science and Sustainability Education, University of Zurich, Switzerland) and Friedrich Verlag for the permission to adapt the task cycle TASK: The bathtub experiment from the publication: Niebert, K. (2017). Den Klimawandel bremsen lernen. In U. Kattmann (Ed.), Biologie unterrichten mit Alltagsvorstellungen – Didaktische Rekonstruktion in Unterrichtseinheiten (pp. 92–105). Seelze: Friedrich Verlag.
  
  LEIFI Physik (www.leifiphysik.de/) and the Joachim Hertz Stiftung for permission to use the Text "Energiebegriff" in the TASK (a) What do we mean by 'energy' ( in German)
  
  The Leuphana University Opening Week for their permission to adapt their worksheet for the TASK: Define the problem.

Topic outline

Project Week

Power to the People

Renewable Energy in the Community

Course Forum

Energy Lingo

Learner Texts

Project Journal

General contents

What is renewable energy? (science focus)

1. What is renewable energy?

2. Renewable energy technologies

3. Renewable energy tradeoffs: Carbon dioxide emissions

4. Climate change impacts

Option 1

Option 2

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Tips, resources, and tools

TIPS

RESOURCES

TOOLS

About this course

Acknowledgements