Lesson Description:
Students will be able to...

• Use comprehension strategies such as prior knowledge, predicting, visualizing, questioning and summarizing to understand text.
• Brainstorm ideas, write a draft of a poem, and edit for clarity.
• Use sensory details and literary devices when writing.
• Describe the benefits and uses of renewable energy sources in the form of an ode.

Overview: demand for energy has increased in the past century. Energy is used to power our electrical devices, to heat our homes and businesses and to fuel most forms of transportation. The sources we use for energy are currently drawn from both renewable and non-renewable resources.

Non-renewable resources are natural resources derived from fossil fuels. They include coal, oil, and natural gas. Non-renewable resources are not environmentally friendly, and once they are consumed there will no longer be any more to draw upon.

Renewable energy sources are those that can be replenished from natural processes and are derived from the sun, wind, rains, tides, plants, and heat from deep inside the earth. These energy resources provide us with solar power, wind power, hydropower, biomass and geothermal power. They are earth friendly power sources that have the potential for providing clean energy to even the most remote locations on earth.

Energy sources can be divided into two main groups: a) renewable resources, and b) non-renewable resources. renewable energy, such as solar power, wind power, hydropower, biomass and geothermal power comes from natural resources such as the sun, wind, rains, tides, plants, and heat from deep inside the earth. They are available in almost inexhaustible supplies and are more environmentally friendly than non-renewable resources. Non-renewable energy comes from burning fossil fuels, such as coal, oil and natural gas. These fuels are available in limited supplies and once they are gone they cannot be replaced. Therefore, it is vitally important that we continue to develop and incorporate renewable energy sources into our everyday lives, not only to power our world, but to improve the quality of life on it.

Eco-fact: according the U.S. Department of Transportation, American adults use vehicles to travel half a mile or less which adds up to approximately 15 million miles every single day.

Procedures:

Before writing the ode to renewable energy:

• Discuss the terms renewable and non-renewable energy sources.
• Read aloud “what’s so bad about gasoline” by Anne Rockwell.
• After the reading, lead a discussion about what can be done to limit the use of harmful fossil fuels. Ask students if any alternate energy sources, like a solar pool cover or solar panels, are used in their neighborhoods. Then, ask students to think of something they can do to reduce their use of harmful fossil fuels. Brainstorm a list, record and post it for use later in the lesson.

Writing the ode to renewable energy:

• Explain to students that an ode is a type of poem that describes the positive or unique aspects of a subject and why the author feels good about it. In this case the students will be writing an ode to describe the advantages of renewable energy and their support of it.
• Ask students to take a few minutes to think over their feelings about renewable energy. Refer to brainstorming list. Then ask them to write phrases that explain:

• • What renewable energy is like
  • How they feel about renewable energy
  • Why they feel that way
  • Why renewable energy is important to them

• Once they have generated their phrases, have them join them into lines of the poem. The ode may rhyme if they wish, but it doesn’t have to rhyme.
• Have students read the poem to themselves. Delete anything that seems redundant or overused. Add concrete sensory details. Order the lines in an appropriate sequence, with a good opening and strong closing that clearly expresses their feelings on renewable energy.
• Have students proofread their poems and make any necessary revisions. Then have them swap with a partner, read each other’s poem and provide constructive feedback. Revise once again as necessary.

After writing the ode to renewable energy:

• Break into small groups and have members of the group share their odes with each other. Follow up with a discussion of the benefits of renewable energy and write a group statement to express their feelings and opinions on the topic.
• Have students create illustrations for their odes.

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Lesson Type:

• Other

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Sustainability Topic:

• Energy

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Standards Addressed:
Language Arts Standard 1: Use the general skills and strategies of the writing process.

• Benchmark # 1: Uses prewriting strategies to plan writing work (e.g., uses graphic organizers, story maps, webs; group related ideas; takes notes; brainstorms ideas; organizes information according to type and purpose of writing).
• Benchmark# 2: Uses strategies to draft and revise written work (e.g., elaborates on a central idea; writes with attention to audience, word choice, sentence variation; produces multiple drafts).
• Benchmark# 4: Evaluates own and others’ writing (e.g., determines the best features, determines how own writing achieves its purpose, asks for feedback, responds to classmates writing).
• Benchmark# 8: Write narrative accounts, such as poems and stories (e.g., establish a context that enables the reader to imagine the event of experience; develops characters, setting and plot; creates an organizing structure; sequences events; uses concrete sensory details; uses strategies such as dialogue, tensions, and suspense; uses and identifiable voice).

Geography Standard 16: Understand the changes that occur in the meaning, use, distribution and importance of resources.

• Benchmark # 1: Know the characteristics and uses of renewable resources (e.g., solar, water, wind, geothermal, biomass) and non-renewable resources (e.g., fossil fuels).

Geography Standard 18: Understand global development and environmental issues.

• Benchmark # 2: Know ways in which resources can be managed and why it is important to do so.

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