Welcome to the Vineyard Energy Education Program
This program, funded by Vineyard Energy Project and Cape Light Compact, equips youngsters with authentic tools and technical knowledge to help our community learn more about energy and become more energy independent.
As fifth grader Anna says, “By doing this you are planting dreams and memories into us. This brings families and friends together…”
Curriculum
We collaborate with Island teachers to develop and implement curriculum that matches the Massachusetts and federal science frameworks for each grade. Our curriculum is experiential, interactive and experimental. In collaboration with Cape Light Compact, we work with students, teachers and families in all the elementary schools on Martha’s Vineyard, concentrating on third, fourth, fifth and sixth grades. Students monitor solar panels and learn how photovoltaic cells contribute to making electricity for their school. Students and teachers are trained in the use of science kits from the National Energy Education Development project (NEED) curriculum. We also develop unique projects with teachers and students, such as building model wind turbines, to find a variety of ways to present information to the public.
Kids Teaching Kids
Kids are encouraged to teach other kids and to develop hands-on projects that require technical equipment, scientific data, choices and challenges. Community experts consult and advise students as we explore solar energy, energy efficiency, and renewable energy in general. Then students share their understanding of complex, inter-related ideas with the community through various presentations and creative projects. Students have won a first place national award, a first place state award and a state honorable mention award from the National Energy Education Development project for their scrapbooks documenting each year’s work on solar energy and energy efficiency.
Student writing has been incorporated in each section of Kids’ Pages and student projects are featured, to encourage kids to learn from each other and to teach each other. Please send us your students’ work to share!
Energy Links for Teachers
Many energy infobooks and guides needed to teach about energy efficiency, electricity, and renewable energy are included at the top right of each of the kids pages. Please feel free to copy and use any of this information.
Please visit other pages on this site to find out about Vineyard energy initiatives.
Below are links to other web sites that give more materials for teaching children about energy.
About Energy http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/class/magazines/article/0,17408,90777,00.html
http://www.myfootprint.org
Create Projects (includes ideas to develop activities and projects)
http://www.need.org/needpdf/Blueprint.pdf
http://www.need.org/needpdf/ProjectActivities.pdf
http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/projects/index.html
http://www.need.org/TransparentGraphics/
Student and Teacher Energy Guides (includes energy lesson plans by source and grade level)
http://www.need.org/curriculum.php
Energy Infobooks (1-2 page summary of each source of nonrenewable and renewable energy by grade level)
http://www.need.org/EnergyInfobooks.php
Energy House/Energy Efficiency Activities
http://www.eere.energy.gov/kids/roofus/index.htm
http://www.energyhog.org/adult/educators.htm
http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/projects/heat.html
http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/projects/cool-house.html
http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/how_it_works/refrigerator.html
http://www.ase.org/section/_audience/educators (school energy efficiency)
Electricity
http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/electricity.html
http://iec.electricuniverse.com/flash/eu/education/louie/index.html
Energy Activities (includes chants, rounds, songbook)http://www.need.org/EnergyInfobooksActivities.php
http://www.need.org/needpdf/infobook_activities/PrimaryActivities/PChants.pdf
http://www.need.org/needpdf/Songbook.pdf
http://www.mms.gov/mmskids
http://www.energyquest.ca.gov
http://www.exploratorium.edu/science_explorer
Geothermal Energy
http://www.geothermal.marin.org/GEOpresentation/sld001.htm
http://www.eere.energy.gov/geothermal/faqs.html
Solar Energy
Answers to kids questions
http://www.solarenergy.org/resources/youngkids.html
http://www.solarenergy.org/resources/olderkids.html
About photovoltaic cells
http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/renewable/solar.html
Solar activities
http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/projects/sunenergy.html
http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/projects/sunjobs.html
http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/projects/solardogs.html
Ocean Energy
http://www.mms.gov/mmskids/PDFs/OceanEnergyMMS.pdf
http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/renewable/ocean.html
Wind Energy
Teacher primer
http://www.kidwind.org/materials/primer.html
What makes wind? Interactive
http://www.windpower.org/en/kids/choose/wind/candle.htm
http://www.horizonwind.com/about/ftkc/
How wind turbines work
http://www.kidwind.org
http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/electricity/index.cfm/mytopic=10501
Wind activities:
Make an anemometer
http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/projects/anemometer.html
Building windmills
http://www.kidwind.org/materials/buildingwindmills.html
Windwheels
http://www.horizonwind.com/about/ftkc/spinningwindwheel.aspx
Renewable Energy Book for Kids
http://www.energyforkeeps.org
Further Links:
http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/onlineresources.html
http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/teachers_resources/index.html
http://www.nesea.org/education/materials.html
Energy Information for Parents
If you want to know more about what your child is learning about energy, read the kid pages and open some of the documents at the top right of each page.
Please visit other pages on this site to find out about energy efficiency and renewable energy on the Vineyard. Visit other web sites below to learn more about home energy use.
Join the Vineyard Energy Challenge and let's all lower our energy costs together!
Consumer tips
http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/tips
http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/
Energy Saving/Energy Efficiency
http://www.energyhog.org/adult/adults.htm
http://iec.electricuniverse.com/flash/eu/education/louie/life/conserv/con2.html
Electricity
http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/electricity.html
http://iec.electricuniverse.com/flash/eu/education/louie/index.html
Answers to Kids Questions About Solar Energy
http://www.solarenergy.org/resources/youngkids.html
http://www.solarenergy.org/resources/olderkids.html
Geothermal Energy
http://www.geothermal.marin.org/GEOpresentation/sld001.htm
Wind Energy
http://www.kidwind.org
http://www.horizonwind.com/about/ftkc/
http://www.horizonwind.com/about/ftkc/butterflyswind.aspx
http://www.horizonwind.com/about/ftkc/howdoeswindturbinework.aspx
Energy Resources and Activities
http://www.energyquest.ca.gov
http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids
http://www.exploratorium.edu/science_explorer/
http://www.energyforkeeps.org
Further Links:
http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/onlineresources.html
http://www.myfootprint.org (a way to calculate amount of energy you use)
