How Much Does It Cost to Plug In?
Provided by: MIT Climate Action Through Education|Published on: January 28, 2025
Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12
Type: Lesson Plans
Subjects: Science, Mathematics
Authors: Amy Block
Region: United States, Massachusetts
Languages: English
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- In this lesson, students will look at where energy primarily comes from in their state, discuss what is using energy in their homes, and determine what can be done to reduce energy use.
- Students will calculate the cost of electricity in Massachusetts (or their home state) and determine the impacts of a 5-10% reduction in energy use per person.
- The resource also includes an optional science lesson for students to test the energy use of household appliances.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- The state-specific data will help students better connect to the problem.
- Thinking about the consequences of tasks they do daily, such as leaving a phone charger plugged in, is important for students to feel a sense of ownership in their energy use.
Prerequisites
- In the Teacher Background Sheet, the Energy Vampire Calculator link is broken.
- When using the Electricity Guide for U.S. States, students will have to click states in the upper lefthand corner to select their home state.
Differentiation & Implementation
- Using the New York Times article, students can compare their state's energy sources to that of another state and discuss what may have caused these differences.
- While some of the information is specific to or defaults to Massachusetts, much of the data can be found for or applied to other states, and teachers can have students calculate for their state instead of Massachusetts.
- After doing the activity, students can learn about the health and climate impacts of each nonrenewable source of energy. Students can use the video Nonrenewable Energy Resources to facilitate this.
In this lesson, students will learn about the cost of using electricity and how we get electricity. The primary focus of the lesson is on how to calculate these costs and energy use, as well as how to compare these values. With that said, the lesson uses math to encourage and explain why energy conservation helps reduce the amount of carbon in the atmosphere, which helps mitigate climate change and its impacts. An answer sheet with answers and steps is included but answers may change over time if students use current data. The information presented is accurate and this resource is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
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