What if your students could become real-world problem solvers while mastering essential academic skills? By transforming your classroom into an energy detective headquarters, you can seamlessly integrate UN Sustainable Development Goal #7—ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all—into engaging, hands-on learning experiences. The energy detective approach converts abstract global challenges into tangible, engaging investigations that students can observe, measure, and understand.
This cross-curricular strategy builds critical thinking skills while empowering students to understand their role in tackling energy challenges that affect 840 million people worldwide. Let’s explore practical strategies that will inspire your students to investigate energy use with the curiosity of scientists.
Elementary School:
Why does the temperature in our classroom feel different throughout the day?
Encourage students to be light and temperature detectives. Track the use and/or brightness of the lights and note the temperature of the classroom, including warm or cool spots.
Investigation Tools:
- Thermometers and light meters (or smartphone apps).
- A simple data collection sheet with pictures. Use Google Gemini to create a Google doc by entering the following prompt for your energy hunt checklist: “Create a simple data collection sheet for elementary students acting as light and temperature detectives. They need to be able to track the use of lights and record the temperature of locations around the classroom, noting warm and cool spots.” Don’t forget—you can always modify the document to fit your needs!
Cross-Curricular Connections:
- Math: Counting lights or graphing temperature changes.
- Science: Understanding day/night cycles and/or seasons.
- Language Arts: Writing detective reports and learning energy vocabulary.
- Art: Drawing energy sources or creating posters that encourage people to save energy.
Real-World Connection:
Share facts with your students, such as that 840 million people worldwide lack access to electricity, while emphasizing that their energy use investigation is globally relevant.
Middle School:
How much energy does our school use?
Have students become detectives to investigate the school’s energy usage, identify problem areas, and make proposals for reducing energy consumption.
Investigation Tools:
- Digital energy meters and infrared thermometers. Check with your local library, utility companies, and universities to see if they have lending libraries for this type of equipment.
- Spreadsheets for data collection and analysis. You can use Google Gemini to create a Google sheet for this purpose using the following prompt: “Create a data spreadsheet for middle school students who are investigating their school’s energy usage, identifying problem areas, and proposing improvements. This spreadsheet will be used for data analysis.”
- Research into local energy sources.
- Interviews with maintenance staff. Use Google Gemini or another AI tool to generate interview questions related to the school’s energy use.
Cross-Curricular Connections:
- Math: Calculating energy costs and creating graphs and charts.
- Science: Understanding electricity generation and renewable vs. non-renewable sources.
- Social Studies: Researching energy access in different countries.
- English: Writing formal audit reports and developing persuasive presentations for school administrators.
- Technology: Using apps and digital tools for measurement.
Real-World Connection:
Students can compare their findings to global energy efficiency challenges and present recommendations that could reduce their school’s energy footprint.
High School:
How can we solve the energy access crisis while fighting climate change?
High school detectives can tackle more complex global energy challenges, designing solutions for communities without reliable electricity access while considering environmental impacts.
Investigation Areas:
- Analyzing energy access data from developing nations.
- Researching renewable energy technologies.
- Calculating carbon footprints and reduction strategies.
- Designing sustainable energy solutions for specific communities.
You can use the AI features in Google Slides (reviewed here) to create a presentation outline for students to fill out. Begin with a prompt such as, “Create a slide high school students can use to share their analysis of energy access data from developing nations,” then insert the slide into your presentation. Currently, Slides can create one document at a time using AI, so you’ll need to open a new slide and use a new prompt to add additional slides.
Cross-Curricular Connections:
- Advanced Math/Statistics: Analyzing global energy data or modeling renewable energy scenarios.
- Environmental Science: Studying the climate impacts of different energy sources.
- Economics: Understanding energy markets and financing renewable projects.
- World Languages: Connecting with schools in other countries that face energy challenges.
- Engineering/Technology: Designing and testing renewable energy prototypes.
Real-World Connection:
Students can engage with actual case studies from organizations working on energy access, potentially connecting with international partners or local renewable energy companies.
These strategies are just the beginning of what’s possible when students become energy detectives. Have you tried similar approaches to teaching the SDGs, or do you have creative modifications that worked well in your classroom? Share your experiences and suggestions in the comments below so we can learn together.