Energy
Mon, Nov 05, 2012 1:13 AM
SciGuide Review: Energy
This SciGuide on Energy has an abundance of resources to “guide” the development of a unit on energy. I would recommend first using the Energy SciGuide Map that has a quick overview of the themes and related energy concepts. These web-linked charts helped to organize energy concepts by the themes as well as align to grade level standards. Each energy theme (Recognizing Energy, Thermal Energy, Changes in Energy) has a short description followed by source links related to sub-topics. For example, the Recognizing Energy Theme has links to resources for Earth’s Energy Source, Forms of Energy, and Kinetic & Potential Energy. There is also a section for lesson resources that has lesson plans, vignettes, and samples of student work. In addition to all of this, there are links to webinars, book chapters, journal articles and simulations. The wealth of ideas and resources can be a bit overwhelming at first, however, exploring the SciGuide by theme helped to refine and organize my ideas as I planned an energy unit. I especially liked the simulations that I plan to use to stimulate (and perhaps correct) student thinking. I also found the journal articles, “Spring Into Energy” and “What’s Hot, What’s Not”, to actually be lesson ideas that are “hands on” and tied to children’s literature. I plan to incorporate these engaging student experiments into the energy unit. Finally, the websites that are included in this SciGuide are quality sites that are worthwhile investigating and will surely decrease the amount of time spent searching the internet for resources and ideas.