Energy Resource - Lesson 1 : Energy Use in Michigan - Then and Now

1. Encourage students to investigate Michigan’s energy past using the school library and Internet resources, such as the

Michigan History Magazine available at http://www.h-net.org/~hsm/mhm/ and the Michigan Historical Center at

http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7- 153-54463---,00.html. Students could research how the same activity or task was commonly

accomplished in Michigan by the pre-European settlement Native Americans, by the early European settlers, by a turn-of-the-century

farming family, by a post-WWII family, and by a modern family.

2. Students can record energy use at home or school, make energy saving suggestions, and participate

in an energy conservation experiment with the Meter Monitor activity on the U.S. Department of Energy’s “Get Smart About Energy” located

on the CD included with this unit.

3. Increase students’ awareness of how much electricity they use with The Lighting Audit activity on the U.S. Department of Energy’s

“Get Smart About Energy” located on the CD included with this unit.

4. Ask students to determine the wattage rating of appliances and calculate the costs of usage with

the What’s a Watt activity on the U.S. Department of Energy’s “Get Smart About Energy” located on the CD included with this unit.

5. Analyze household energy data using the 2001 Household Energy Consumption data on the MEECS Energy Resources CD.