ENERGY AWARENESS

KIT

4 - 8 Learning Invitations

A Message from Pope Francis

“Humanity still has the ability to work together in building our common home. A true ecological approach always becomes a social approach; it must integrate questions of justice in debates on the environment, so as to hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.”

Which quote from Pope Francis do you connect with?

“Once we start to think about the kind of world

we are leaving to future generations, we look at

things differently; we realize that the world is a

gift which we have freely received

and must share

with others…the world we have received also

belongs to those who will follow us.”

WHAT IS ENERGY?

Energy is the ability to do work or to make something happen.

Energy is anything that has the capacity to produce a change in

matter. Energy is present everywhere and essential for life because

it causes all changes to occur in the world around us. Did you

know that energy cannot be created or destroyed? It can only be

transferred from one object to another. Energy is obtained from

two sources - renewable and non-renewable.

Renewable energy refers to all the limitless energy resources

present in nature like wind, sunlight and sea waves. Non-renewable

energy refers to the limited energy sources that humans exhaust

with use like oil or coal.

Energy posses 4 fundamental properties. Energy transforms,

transfers, transports and can be stored.

WHAT IS ENERGY?

What are the different types of Energy?

There are different types of energy that include light energy,

heat energy, electrical energy, water energy and wind energy.

Where does Energy come from?

Energy comes from light [solar], heat [geothermal], motion

[hydro-electrical], nuclear [a combination of chemical and

heat] and chemistry [coal and natural gas]. The energy we rely

on every day comes from one of these sources.

ENERGY AWARENESS KIT

The Energy Awareness Kit includes 5 student learning challenges

for grades 4 - 8. In this kit you will discover videos, learning

slides and engaging activities that promote energy awareness. The

goal of each activity is to provide students with a deeper

appreciation of energy use and think about their responsibility to

become caring stewards of the world. The activities support the

Ontario Curriculum and allow students to wonder, ask questions,

innovative and think about solutions to world issues regarding

energy consumption and conservation. The various activities can be

easily differentiated to support all learners.

We encourage teachers and parents to share student work with us

using #tcdsbenergy. Students should always consult with their

parents before using social media!

ENERGY CHALLENGES

01Do ‘WATT’

IT TAKES!

02HOUSE OF

THE

FUTURE

03POSTER

CAMPAIGN

04SACRED

WATER

05DESIGN A

BADGE

DO ‘WATT’ IT TAKES

When you use any electrical device it uses electricity that is

billed to your household. Electric bills can get expensive! This

may depend on the device and length of time used.

A watt (W) is a unit measured for the flow of electricity. If you

look around your house for any electrical devices like your hair

dryer or laptop it will display the electricity use in watts.

In this challenge you will use an Energy Calculator to

investigate how many watts a device or small appliance consumes

based on usage.

DO ‘WATT’ IT TAKES1. Pick 5 electrical devices or small appliances in your home that

you use on a daily basis. [toaster, laptop, microwave, hair dryer,

blender]

2. Click and Use the Energy Calculator to input the watts and

minutes used per day of the device or small appliance.

3. Graph your results and determine what consumes the most

electricity. What small changes can you make to conserve

electricity based on your findings?

4. Develop a 5 Day Electricity Reduction Plan. Implement, monitor

and recalculate watt usage of the 5 devices or small appliances

at the end of the week.

5. Celebrate your energy saving achievements! Remember the less

watts you use, the more money you save.

HOUSE OF THE FUTURE

In this challenge you will become an architect determined to

design and build a 3D energy efficient home of the future made of

cardboard and other recycled materials.

The building requirements for this home should consider how

renewable energy like sun, water and wind will be included in your

design. Your design should include:

1. Something that moves or spins with wind energy;

2. Something that incorporates sun energy for heating;

3. Something that includes the use of rainwater for water

conservation.

Think about how your home of the future will impact the

environment and support energy efficiency.

HOUSE OF THE FUTURE

1. Think about what a home of the future might look like.

Sketch your design.

2. Gather your building materials: You will need recycled

materials, cardboard, cutting tools, tape, glue gun, markers,

and any other design tools.

3. begin construction using cardboard and other recycled

materials.

4. Make sure you refer to the building requirements of the home

[renewable energy: sun, water, wind]

5. Construct your 3D home.

6. Share your home of the future with your family!

Saving electricity means that we should use it when it

is necessary and avoid wasting it. In this challenge

you are to create persuasive posters that are

informative and remind people about ways to conserve

energy at home.

Think about taking your Poster Campaign outdoors

and place your posters in

the neighbourhood.

POSTER CAMPAIGN

1. Think about the electricity requirements of all

the

household devices and the sources for that

electricity.

2. Brainstorm a list of ways to conserve energy

at home.

3. Design and create a Poster Campaign for your

home that reminds everyone About the

importance of conserving energy.

4. You can use paper, markers, paint or any other

writing tools.

POSTER CAMPAIGN

Autumn Peltier is an Anishinaabe Indigenous clean water advocate

from the Wiikemkoong First Nation of Manitoulin Island, Ontario

- Canada. She is Chief Water Protector from the Anishnabek

Nation. As a stewart of water, she advocates for clean drinking

water in First Nations communities and across Mother Earth.

Canadian Indigenous water activist Autumn Peltier, 16, addressed

hundreds of international guests at UN headquarters where she

urged the global community to respect the sacredness and

importance of clean water.

In this challenge, students will learn about hydropower and

design and build a water turbine.

SACRED WATER

SACRED WATER

In this challenge, you will listen to Autumn’s urgent plea that in

numerous Indigenous Communities there is a lack of clean water

and learn how water can benefit communities as a source of

renewable energy.

1. Watch the video and get inspired!

2. Learn about water as a form of renewable energy by going on

a Virtual Trip to learn about Hydropower.

3. Make a Water Generator by following the steps in this video.

Student Alert: Have a parent assist you with the glue gun and sharp

objects.

DESIGN A BADGE

Investigate an Environmental issue linked to energy that is

important to you in your neighbourhood, Canada or around the

world. Learn more about environmental issues impacting the

world by clicking here. Think about the following questions:

a. What facts did you learn about the issue?

b. Identify any environmental problems and possible solutions?

c. Who might be impacted by this issue?

d. Whose voice, perspective and point of view might not be represented?

In this challenge you are to design a Energy Awareness

Badge that includes words, symbols or other designs that

represent the environmental issue you are investigating.

DESIGN A BADGE

1. Design and create a badge that represents the

environmental issue you investigated.

2. Be creative and share your badge with other

environmental stewards you know!

3. Take a Selfie wearing your badge and share your

awesome environmental awareness using social

media #tcdsbenergy

Student Alert: Always check with an adult before

sharing work on social media.

TORONTO CATHOLIC DISTRICT

SCHOOL BOARD INITIATIVES

SWEATER

DAY 05

PHANTOM

FRIDAY 19

12

26

FLIP THE

SWITCH

BLOCK

WALK

FEB FEB

FEB FEB

February 5, 2021

Sweater Day is a fun way to learn

about the importance of saving

energy and to inspire you to use

less heat all winter. Wear your

favourite sweaters and reduce the

heat at home!

SWEATER DAY

February 12, 2021

Save the environment by flipping

your switches off to conserve

energy. Lights need time to dream!

Switch off your lights in support

of nature and our planet.

FLIP THE SWITCH

February 19, 2021

You can fight the phantoms and control

costs with simple steps. Get unplugged,

save money and save the planet!

PHANTOM FRIDAY

Do you know what Phantom Power is? When electronic

devices are plugged in they continue to draw power even

when they are off. This is ‘phantom’ or ‘standby’ power and

it could account for up to 10 percent of energy use.

February 26, 2021

Think about health and

wellness activities like

walking and journey outside

with your family. Take a walk

in your neighbourhood and

enjoy nature.

BLOCK WALK

1. Reduce the number of questions/tasks per concept/skill assigned [For example, student completes

only 1 out of the 3 questions assigned]

2. Provide extra time to complete assigned tasks.

3. Use of computer or assistive technology [For example, Read&Write Google with Text-to-Speech,

Speech-to-text] Assistive Technology - Google Read and Write

4. If possible, try to provide a quiet space, free from distractions [For example, encourage your child

to be in an environment that allows for limited distraction and is conducive for learning]

5. Allow for breaks between work periods [For example, movement breaks, deep breathing/meditation

breaks] Tension Release Exercises

6. Highlight important information [For example, highlight important details when reading a text, or

highlight words that your child needs to clarify the meaning of, use different colours to highlight

mathematical symbols and signs +, - etc]

7. Allow your child to demonstrate their learning in various ways [For example, discuss answers

orally, write down your child’s oral responses, or ask your child to draw a picture to illustrate

learning]

8. Additional supports for visual and non-verbal learners: Special Education Activities and Resources

How to Differentiate Activities

CREDITS: This presentation template was created by Slidesgo, including icons by Flaticon, and infographics & images by Freepik and illustrations by Stories

THANKSDo you have any questions?

Contact ENERGY AWARENESS KIT Developer bruno pileggi,

Science, Social Studies and Eco Schools Resource Teacher

Special Thanks to: Valeria Luciani and Ana Rita Santos-Furtado