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Lesson 9: Bright Schools

Energy Knowledge in Action!

Overview

In this culminating lesson, students examine how electric lighting used in their school and determine if there are methods that can reduce the amount of energy being used for the schools' lighting.

Key Ideas

• By modifying habits, people can reduce the amount of energy being used for lighting.
• By taking action, students can incorporate these simple habits to save energy at school.
• These actions are cumulative, important, and have an effect on our environment.

Lesson Goals

Students will: 

• conduct a survey to determine how energy is used for lighting in school.
• make recommendations for reducing the amount of energy being used for lighting in school.
• recognize that everyone can contribute to using energy more responsibly by including simple habits like turning off a light when it is not needed.

Lesson Resources

Download Lesson Plan (9 pages, 420 KB)


Student Handout 9.1: Recommended Light Levels (196 KB)

Online Extensions

Light Survey Examples:

• Maine Green Schools' School Energy Self Audit Guide (Select "lighting")
• XCEL Energy's School Light Survey
• Battle of the Bulbs Home Light Bulb Survey
• Maine Energy Education (MEEP)'s Lighting Survey

Cities turn their lights out for one full hour. Find out more about these Earth Hours.

Investigate the criteria to become a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified building.

Climate change resources for students including an interactive quiz.

Connection to Maine Agencies

Maine Energy Education Program (MEEP) has an Energy Patrol (4th-8th grade) Activity focusing on the question: Are lights left on when they are not being used? The energy patrol tours the school and rewards the classroom that does the best job saving electricity with a week's care of a toy armadillo, an emerging symbol for climate change. 

MEEP also has a Light Meter/Light Survey. Students learn how to use a light meter and inventory the light levels in their school to see if any areas are over-lit. A MEEP representative will come to interested schools, free of charge, to guide this activity. 

For schools in Aroostook County, a Maine Public Service (MPS) representative will come to interested schools, free of charge, to guide and support the concepts developed in this lesson.