Plays and poems that introduce and reinforce the sources of energy and energy conservation using expanded vocabulary and language arts extensions.
Teacher Advisor y Board
Constance Beatty Kankakee, IL
La’Shree Branch Highland, IN
Jim M. Brown Saratoga Springs, NY
Mark Case Randleman, NC
Lisa Cephas Philadelphia, PA
Nina Corley Galveston, TX
Samantha Danielli Vienna, VA
Shannon Donovan Greene, RI
Michelle Garlick Long Grove, IL
Michelle Gay Daphne, AL
Nancy Gi ord Harwich, MA
Erin Gockel Farmington, NM
Robert Griegoliet Naperville, IL
DaNel Hogan Tucson, AZ
Greg Holman Paradise, CA
Barbara Lazar Albuquerque, NM
Robert Lazar Albuquerque, NM
Melissa McDonald Gaithersburg, MD
Paula Miller Philadelphia, PA
Hallie Mills St. Peters, MO
Jennifer MitchellWinterbottom Pottstown, PA
Monette Mottenon Montgomery, AL
Mollie Mukhamedov Port St. Lucie, FL
Cori Nelson Win eld, IL
Don Pruett Jr. Puyallup, WA
Judy Reeves Lake Charles, LA
Libby Robertson Chicago, IL
Amy Schott Raleigh, NC
Tom Spencer Chesapeake, VA
Jennifer Trochez MacLean Los Angeles, CA
Wayne Yonkelowitz Fayetteville, WV
NEED Mission Statement
The mission of The NEED Project is to promote an energy conscious and educated society by creating effective networks of students, educators, business, government and community leaders to design and deliver objective, multi-sided energy education programs.
Permission to Copy
NEED curriculum is available for reproduction by classroom teachers only. NEED curriculum may only be reproduced for use outside the classroom setting when express written permission is obtained in advance from The NEED Project. Permission for use can be obtained by contacting info@need.org
Teacher Advisory Board
In support of NEED, the national Teacher Advisory Board (TAB) is dedicated to developing and promoting standards-based energy curriculum and training.
Energy Data Used in NEED Materials
NEED believes in providing teachers and students with the most recently reported, available, and accurate energy data. Most statistics and data contained within this guide are derived from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Data is compiled and updated annually where available. Where annual updates are not available, the most current, complete data year available at the time of updates is accessed and printed in NEED materials. To further research energy data, visit the EIA website at www.eia.gov
Standards Correlation Information
www.need.org/educators/curriculum-correlations
Next Generation Science Standards
This guide effectively supports many Next Generation Science Standards. This material can satisfy performance expectations, science and engineering practices, disciplinary core ideas, and cross cutting concepts within your required curriculum. For more details on these correlations, please visit NEED’s curriculum correlations website.
Common Core State Standards
This guide has been correlated to the Common Core State Standards in both language arts and mathematics. These correlations are broken down by grade level and guide title, and can be downloaded as a spreadsheet from the NEED curriculum correlations website.
Individual State Science Standards
This guide has been correlated to each state’s individual science standards. These correlations are broken down by grade level and guide title, and can be downloaded as a spreadsheet from the NEED website.
e Teacher Guide
& Background
Energy on Stage plays and poems use familiar stories and characters to help actors and audience members learn about energy. The plays in this guide are loaded with scientific information about sources of energy, electricity generation, and efficiency and conservation. They can be a little campy and a little corny, but are an entertaining way to build background knowledge.
These plays can be used at all grade levels and are very versatile. They can be read silently, read aloud, or rehearsed and performed as reader’s theater or as more elaborate performances with props and costumes. Each play can be performed in about twenty minutes. Roles can easily be altered or removed to suit students in your classroom.
Individual Teacher Guides with concepts, vocabulary words, assessment questions, and extension activity ideas are included for each play. Many extension ideas continue student learning about the energy topic and related careers, and practice literacy skills such as researching information, making verbal and digital presentations, and persuasive writing.
Since Energy on Stage plays can be read individually or out loud as a class with no preparation, they can be a resource when you have a substitute or have some extra time to fill during the day.
Time
One 45-minute class period, or a portion of up to five or six class periods
Materials
One copy of the script for each participant
Art supplies to create simple costumes and props, if desired
Procedure
1. Divide the class into a number of groups equal to the number of plays you have chosen. If there are more students in the group than parts in the play, some students can be directors, narrators, costume designers, or set decorators.
2. Assign parts and have the students read and rehearse their parts. This can be done in class or as a homework assignment.
3. If props and costumes will be used, have students make a list of what they will need, and who will provide them.
4. Have students perform the play(s) for an audience. These plays work very well for older students to perform for younger students, or for use as entertainment at a community energy night or event.
5. At the conclusion of the activity, complete the Evaluation Form on page 123 with your students and return it to NEED.
Grade Levels
Elementary, grades 3-5
Intermediate, grades 6-8
Secondary, grades 9-12
Additional Resources
Check out the following resources for additional activities, information, and extensions to the materials in this guide.
Energy Infobooks
Energy Live!
Energy Stories and More
Current Energy Affair
Today in Energy
These resources and more are available for download at www.NEED.org/shop.
Today’s Special Report: Splish, Splash, Hydropower Teacher Guide
Cast of Characters
Nimbostratus: News anchor with head in the clouds
Sunny Day: News anchor that’s very bright
Radar: Meteorologist ready for adventure
Hoover: Roving reporter that loves animals
Riverton: Roving reporter unafraid of heights
Gravity: Roving reporter full of energy
Tide Turner: Roving reporter enjoys walks on the beach
Using moving water to create energy is called hydropower.
Hydropower is a renewable source of energy.
Some types of hydropower include: dams, wave energy, and tidal power.
There are advantages and disadvantages to using hydropower as an energy source.
A Vocabulary
barrage
drought
ecology
economical
R Assessment
estuary
irrigation
meteorologist
migration
precious
reservoir
spawning grounds
suspiciously
1. Explain why hydropower is considered a renewable source of energy. (It is replenished naturally and supply will not run out.)
2. Choose one source of hydropower and explain how it is used to generate electricity. (Answers will vary but should describe what causes the turbine to spin).
3. Name two advantages and two disadvantages to using hydropower as an energy source. (Answers will vary, but may include: inexpensive to produce, renewable, creates recreation, can effect stream ecology, dependent on rainfall)
Extensions
Break students into small cooperative groups to research hydropower as a renewable source of energy in the United States. Assign each group one of the following topics:
The water cycle and its role in hydropower
The history of hydropower and modern day statistics
Parts of a dam and hydropower plant and how electricity is generated
Wave energy
Tidal power
The advantages and disadvantages of using hydropower as an energy source
Careers in the hydropower industry
Assign groups to prepare informative digital presentations, movie clips, or expo boards and short oral presentations about their topics.
Let students perform Today’s Special Report: Splish, Splash, Hydropower for other students in your school, and share what they have learned about hydropower as a renewable source of energy using the presentations students created.
As a class, research the Three Gorges Dam, one of the world’s most amazing engineering feats. On chart paper, list as many advantages and disadvantages of the project as possible. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages as a class. Assign each student to write a one page persuasive essay supporting or opposing the building of the dam.
Today’s Special Report: Splish, Splash, Hydropower
Characters
NIMBOSTRATUS: News anchor with head in the clouds
SUNNY DAY: News anchor that’s very bright
RADAR: Meteorologist ready for adventure
HOOVER: Roving reporter that loves animals
RIVERTON: Roving reporter unafraid of heights
GRAVITY: Roving reporter full of energy
TIDE TURNER: Roving reporter enjoys walks on the beach
SUNNY DAY: No, today we’re talking about water. H2O. All living things need water to survive. It covers 75 percent of the Earth as either a liquid, solid, or gas.
NIMBOSTRATUS: Solid water?
SUNNY DAY: Water is found in three states. The liquid state is water. The solid state is ice or snow. The gas state is invisible; it is called water vapor or steam. We’ve sent our roving reporters out on location today to tell us all about water and how we use moving water as a clean source of energy.
NIMBOSTRATUS: I only drink clean water.
SUNNY DAY: I mean that moving water is a clean energy source. It doesn’t produce any emissions or increase greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Using moving water to generate electricity is called hydropower.
TURBINES: Water flows through a hydro dam, Electricity made at any hour, Clean, renewable energy, Splish, splash, hydropower.
NIMBOSTRATUS: Let’s go to Radar, our meteorologist, for an in-depth look at the bicycle.
Today’s Special Report: Splish, Splash, Hydropower
RADAR: Nimbostratus, I spent the day following a water droplet through the WATER CYCLE. It was quite a wild ride.
NIMBOSTRATUS: I wonder where I can get a wild water bicycle…
RADAR: In our Earth system, water is continually moving between the Earth’s surface and atmosphere. Today I interviewed this great guy, Dewey Drop. I met him out in the ocean at daybreak. We began the day as liquid water. Then the sun rose and its energy evaporated us, changing us into water vapor.
We rose higher and higher into the atmosphere, where we joined more vapor and became a large cloud. Then we ran into cooler temperatures.
As we cooled, we condensed back into a liquid state. That’s when the party really started. We joined other water drops and formed big drops. We were so heavy that we fell from the cloud as rain drops and landed in a river. We floated down the river for awhile until the energy from the sun evaporated Dewey again.
NIMBOSTRATUS: I wasn’t invited to any party.
RADAR: The water cycle is powered by the sun. Hydropower is a renewable energy source.
SUNNY DAY: The total amount of water in our Earth system doesn’t change, but it’s continually moving between glaciers and oceans, lakes and streams, through the atmosphere, and through plants and trees, too.
RADAR: I’m wondering where Dewey Drop will end up next. Maybe frozen in a glacier, splashing around a swimming pool, or slurped up in your boba tea?
NIMBOSTRATUS: Now I’m really getting thirsty. Can I get a drink?
SUNNY DAY: Thanks for your report, Radar. Nimbostratus, did you know that we have been using water as a renewable source of energy for over 2,000 years? Back then, water wheels powered mills and dams irrigated crops and controlled flooding.
TURBINES: Water flows through a hydro dam, Electricity made at any hour, Clean, renewable energy, Splish, splash, hydropower.
NIMBOSTRATUS: Speaking of dams, let’s go to roving reporter Hoover, reporting live from a local dam.
HOOVER: Thanks, Nimbostratus. I’ve been trying to interview the dam’s operator, but the critter hasn’t been too talkative. In fact, the critter is pretty busy right now gathering branches and mud.
SUNNY DAY: Uh, Hoover?
HOOVER: Yes, Sunny?
SUNNY DAY: Are you talking to a beaver building a dam?
Today’s Special Report: Splish, Splash, Hydropower
HOOVER: Hmmm. The critter has brown fur and a flat tail and does look suspiciously like a beaver now that you mention it.
SUNNY DAY: Hoover, you were supposed to go to a human engineered dam.
HOOVER: Oops.
NIMBOSTRATUS: Did the critter share anything with you?
HOOVER: One of the disadvantages of damming a river is that it changes the natural ecology of the river and large areas of land both upstream and downstream.
NIMBOSTRATUS: How so?
HOOVER: When a dam is built on a river, a reservoir of water collects behind the dam, flooding a large area of land upstream. Downstream, the natural ecology of the river and surrounding land is changed, too. Less fertile soil is deposited downstream, which can be a problem for farmers.
NIMBOSTRATUS: (hums first line of “Old MacDonald Has a Farm”)
HOOVER: As the water moves through the dam, it may warm up a bit and could contain less oxygen. This can be harmful to fish and riverbank habitats. Finally, some fish migrate upstream to reach spawning grounds and migrate downstream to return to the ocean. A dam can block fish from completing this natural migration process.
SUNNY DAY: Thanks for pointing out some of the disadvantages of damming a river, Hoover. Let’s cut now to roving reporter Riverton, reporting live from an actual, man-made dam.
RIVERTON: Hope you can see me way down here! I’m standing next to the tallest dam in the U.S., the Oroville Dam in California. It is 770 feet tall.
NIMBOSTRATUS: I can’t look, I’m scared of heights.
RIVERTON: Dams are an important part of our nation’s infrastructure. There are dams in all 50 states serving many different purposes.
SUNNY DAY: Like what?
RIVERTON: Dams are built for water storage, flood control, supporting the public water supply, irrigation, mining, hydropower, to make inland waterways accessible to ships and barges, and for recreation, like boating and fishing.
NIMBOSTRATUS: I like fishing.
RIVERTON: There are more than 92,000 dams in the United States, but only three percent of them have hydropower plants that generate electricity. Most of our hydroelectricity is produced at large dams on major rivers. Let’s visit one now. Roving reporter Gravity is joining us from the Grand Coulee hydro dam on the Columbia River in Washington state. It’s the largest hydropower facility in the nation.
Today’s Special Report: Splish, Splash, Hydropower
GRAVITY: About 15 percent of the world’s electricity is produced by hydropower. In the United States, we generate about six percent of our electricity from hydropower, depending on the supply of water. It’s important to remember that hydropower plants are dependent on water supply. When there is a drought, hydropower plants cannot produce as much electricity.
NIMBOSTRATUS: Doesn’t electricity come out of the wall? I’ve never seen water in my walls at home.
SUNNY DAY: Electricity is generated at a power plant. Since moving water is the energy source, we call it a hydropower plant.
GRAVITY: Let me explain how a hydropower plant works. There are three main parts of a typical plant: the reservoir, the dam, and the power plant. The reservoir holds water behind the dam until it is needed. The dam controls the flow of water into the power plant. The power plant converts the energy of moving water into electricity.
NIMBOSTRATUS: But how does water generate electricity?
GRAVITY: The process begins with water flowing from the reservoir into large pipes, called penstocks, on the upstream side of the dam. The water flows down the penstocks to turbines at the bottom, spinning the turbines to power the generators. The generators produce electricity, which is sent to transmission lines, where it begins its journey to consumers. Water that entered the penstocks returns to the river below the dam and continues its downstream journey.
NIMBOSTRATUS: Fascinating stuff. I had no idea water was so powerful.
GRAVITY: Hydropower is a really efficient way to produce electricity. The average hydroelectric power plant is about 90 percent efficient at converting the energy in moving water into electricity.
NIMBOSTRATUS: Any other advantages to generating electricity with hydropower?
GRAVITY: Sure. Hydropower is usually available when we need electricity fast. Engineers can control the flow of water through the turbines to produce electricity on demand. Plus, hydropower is economical, too. Once a hydropower plant is built, there are low maintenance costs, and flowing water is free. Electricity generated by hydroelectric power is some of the cheapest electricity in the country.
TURBINES: Water flows through a hydro dam, Electricity made at any hour, Clean, renewable energy, Splish, splash, hydropower.
SUNNY DAY: Thanks for your report, Gravity. We generate electricity using other types of water energy, too.
NIMBOSTRATUS: Like what?
SUNNY DAY: Our roving reporter, Tide Turner, will continue our special report right now.
Today’s Special Report: Splish, Splash, Hydropower
TIDE TURNER: Hi, folks. This is Tide Turner reporting to you from the ocean shore. If you’ve ever visited the ocean, you know it is huge and powerful. The ocean is constantly in motion and it contains an enormous amount of energy. It’s tricky to harness all of the ocean’s energy, though. There is a special kind of power station that generates electricity using the rising and falling of the tides. This power station is called a tidal barrage.
NIMBOSTRATUS: What makes the tides rise and fall?
TIDE TURNER: Tides are caused by the gravitational forces between the Earth and the moon. The moon pulls on the ocean water closest to it, creating a bulge in the surface of the water. The bulge of water is a high tide. The opposite side of Earth will have the same high tide, and the area between the bulges will experience a lower water level, or a low tide.
NIMBOSTRATUS: So how do tides generate electricity?
TIDE TURNER: A tidal barrage is built across an estuary, the area where a river runs into the ocean. The water here rises and falls with the tides. As the tide rises, water flows though the barrage, spinning turbines, and collects in the estuary. When the tide drops, water trapped in the estuary flows back to the ocean. The water again turns the turbines, which are built to generate electricity no matter which way water is flowing.
SUNNY DAY: Thanks for your report, Tide. Our roving reporter, Splash Waverly, is out at the ocean shore today, too. Splash, what have you learned about the energy of the ocean?
SPLASH WAVERLY: What’s up, dudes? The surf is for sure. I’ve been working on my tan today by the ocean shore. Not on the beach, dudes, but by the cliffs. There’s a most rad electricity generating device fixed to the cliff called an oscillating water column. That’s a mouthful, dude.
SUNNY DAY: Splash, can you tell us how an oscillating water column works?
SPLASH WAVERLY: Sure, dude. Wave energy. See the oscillating water column is a chamber partially submersed in the ocean. As waves flow in and out of the chamber, the air inside the chamber is compressed and decompressed. The forced air spins a turbine. The generator attached to the turbine produces electricity. It’s really awesome, dude.
NIMBOSTRATUS: Generating electricity from ocean waves is such a good idea.
SPLASH WAVERLY: Dude, you’re so right. Unfortunately, those devices produce electricity on a very small scale. Maybe enough energy to supply a small village on a remote island, for example. I’ve got to go catch one last wave before I head back to the newsroom. Later, dudes.
Today’s Special Report: Splish, Splash, Hydropower
SUNNY DAY: Ok, Splash. Thanks for that special report. And don’t forget to reapply your sunscreen; I’m afraid you’re getting burned.
TURBINES: Water flows through a hydro dam, Electricity made at any hour, Clean, renewable energy, Splish, splash, hydropower.
NIMBOSTRATUS: Thanks to all of our roving reporters for their hard work today. We sure have learned a lot about using moving water as a source of energy.
SUNNY DAY: There’s always more to learn. Scientists are exploring new technologies to harness tidal, current, and wave energy. They’re also working on improved turbine designs and improving the efficiency of dams. The hydropower industry is an exciting field for anyone thinking about a career in the energy industry.
NIMBOSTRATUS: I do love to swim; maybe I should consider changing careers…
SUNNY DAY: That’s our special report for today. Thanks for watching WH2O-TV.
Harry Spotter and the Chamber of Windy Myths Teacher Guide
Concepts
Wind turbines do not produce excess sound.
Properly sited wind turbines do not kill birds and bats.
Wind energy is reliable and predictable.
Siting a wind turbine is critical to its success.
A Vocabulary
anemometer
bickering
distributed wind
efficiently
R Assessment
hideous
menagerie
migration
reliable
rhythmical
siting (a wind turbine)
sustained
1. Why did Professor Dieseldore invite Professor Huggdatreaz to teach the windseekers class at Hogwatts? (Huggdatreaz is an expert in siting wind turbines. Hogwatts is looking to increase their electric capacity by installing a wind turbine.)
2. What makes a location a good spot for a wind turbine? (Predictable, consistent, parallel winds of around 6-9 miles per hour; wildlife that won’t be disturbed by the wind turbines; dual-use locations that can be used for farming or grazing, as well as the turbines.)
3. What makes a location a bad spot for a wind turbine? (Inconsistent winds; wind speeds that are too high; winds that blow in a direction the blades cannot use; migration routes for birds or bats; locations with many other tall structures.)
4. What is one myth most people believe about wind turbines? How would you convince them this is not true? (Myths may include: large numbers of bats or birds are killed by the spinning blades; wind turbines are noisy; electricity generated by wind power is unreliable; a wind turbine may be successfully put anywhere.)
Extensions
The principal of your school is thinking about adding a wind turbine to the property to generate electricity. Your class is responsible for deciding if this is a good idea and where the turbine should be located. Write a persuasive speech convincing your principal why they should or should not add a wind turbine.
Research wind energy and wind turbine technology. Prepare informative digital presentations, movie clips, or expo boards on these topics:
Wind, a renewable energy resource
Parts of a wind turbine
Siting a wind farm
Wind turbines generate electricity
Wind energy myths
Perform Harry Spotter and the Chamber of Windy Myths for other students in your school and teach them about wind energy using the projects students created.
Cast of Characters
Halley: An intelligent student
Rodney: A student that sometimes struggles academically
Harry Spotter: A student that enjoys flying
Professor Huggdatreaz: The science teacher
Cloudia: A student
Breezus: A student
Class: Class or cast
Harry Spotter and the Chamber of Windy Myths
Characters
HALLEY: An intelligent student
RODNEY: A student that sometimes struggles academically
HARRY SPOTTER: A student that enjoys flying
PROFESSOR HUGGDATREAZ: The science teacher
CLOUDIA: A student
BREEZUS: A student
CLASS: Class or cast
Scene I
(Setting: A classroom at Hogwatts School.)
HALLEY: I’m so excited about this new class. This professor is really supposed to be energetic!
RODNEY: I just hope I pass this one.
HARRY: We’d better hurry, or we’re going to be late.
(They enter the classroom and find seats.)
PROFESSOR HUGGDATREAZ: Welcome to Windseekers Class. This is a new class at Hogwatts. Your first project will impact the entire school. Due to increased enrollment, our current electrical capacity is no longer meeting our needs.
HALLEY: (Waving hand excitedly) Is that why the lights went off in our dorm last night? I couldn’t finish reading ahead for my classes.
PROFESSOR HUGGDATREAZ: Yes, Halley. Professor Dieseldore invited me to teach this class since I’m an expert in siting wind farms. You are going to assist me in picking the perfect location for a distributed wind turbine.
CLOUDIA: Cool.
RODNEY: (Quietly to Harry) Do you know what we’re talking about?
HALLEY: Shhhhh…
PROFESSOR HUGGDATREAZ: Can anyone tell me what wind energy is?
(Halley waves her hand wildly.)
PROFESSOR HUGGDATREAZ: Harry?
Harry Spotter and the Chamber of Windy Myths
HARRY: The stuff that blew out the candle last night.
PROFESSOR HUGGDATREAZ: One point for Harry. But, wind is much more. Breezus?
BREEZUS: Wind is magic. It helps our broomsticks fly and fills dragons’ wings.
HALLEY: (Shouts) Wind is moving air.
PROFESSOR HUGGDATREAZ: One point for Breezus. Yes, wind does seem like magic. Halley, you would receive points too, if you’d waited to be called on. Yes, wind is moving air that we can harness to do work. Class, repeat after me: wind is moving air—energy is there.
CLASS: Wind is moving air—energy is there.
PROFESSOR HUGGDATREAZ: For homework tonight, everyone needs to find the perfect location for us to build a wind turbine here at Hogwatts. Class dismissed.
RODNEY: A wind what?
HARRY: A wind turbine. It’s a modern windmill. The blades catch the wind and turn it into electricity.
HALLEY: It converts nature’s motion energy into electrical energy.
RODNEY: Thank you, HARRY. Halley, how far ahead did you read?
HARRY: Stop bickering, let’s get this homework done.
CLASS: (As they exit the classroom) Wind is moving air—energy is there. Wind is moving air—energy is there.
Scene II
(Setting: The next day in Windseekers Class.)
PROFESSOR HUGGDATREAZ: It’s time to share your ideas. Where should we build the wind turbine? (Halley waves her hand wildly.)
PROFESSOR HUGGDATREAZ: Breezus?
BREEZUS: In the middle of the Frightening Forest, so we don’t have to see it. The giant tower and spinning blades will blend right in with the trees and won’t ruin our view.
CLOUDIA: But I think the wind turbine will look cool. I don’t want to go into the Frightening Forest to see it.
PROFESSOR HUGGDATREAZ: Although some people don’t like the look of turbines, that shouldn’t be our first consideration.
HALLEY: And the trees in the forest would block the wind, so it would defeat the purpose.
Harry Spotter and the Chamber of Windy Myths
RODNEY: (Sighs loudly) So I guess that means my idea of putting the turbine inside of the science building wouldn’t work either?
PROFESSOR HUGGDATREAZ: That’s right, Rodney. Any other suggested site locations? Remember what wind is?
CLASS: Wind is moving air—energy is there.
CLOUDIA: How about near Zagrid’s house, or even on his roof?
HARRY: But won’t the noise keep him and his menagerie up at night?
PROFESSOR HUGGDATREAZ: Actually, the sound from a wind turbine isn’t as loud as you might think given how big it is and how much energy it makes. The sound it makes is a rhythmical whooshing, sort of like the sound of a dragon’s wings flapping—whoosh, whoosh, whoosh. Who can see why building it on the roof wouldn’t work?
BREEZUS: Same reason as the woods, because the wind could be blocked. There can’t be anything near it that would block the wind before it gets to the blades. His house is so tiny, even some of the trees are taller.
HALLEY: How about the roof of the school? It is the tallest building at Hogwatts, so nothing will block the wind’s path.
PROFESSOR HUGGDATREAZ: Good suggestion, Halley, however it won’t work.
RODNEY: Halley’s wrong?
PROFESSOR HUGGDATREAZ: Sure, Hogwatts’ roof is tall, but does anything else use that airspace?
CLOUDIA: The Owlery is up there. Our owls could be hit by the spinning blades!
BREEZUS: Good thing I don’t have an owl.
PROFESSOR HUGGDATREAZ: Bird flight paths are a major consideration in siting a wind project. We’ve learned from past mistakes that wind turbines shouldn’t be built near migration routes. By avoiding these areas, there is a much smaller chance of wildlife being injured.
HARRY: This shouldn’t be that hard. It’s just wind—you can’t even see it!
CLASS: Wind is moving air—energy is there.
RODNEY: Does this mean that if we find a perfect location, we’ll only have power when there is a storm and it’s really windy?
HALLEY: No, Rodney. Current technology allows a small wind turbine to run efficiently on winds as low as 6-9 miles per hour, (or 3 to 4 meters per second).
Harry Spotter and the Chamber of Windy Myths
CLOUDIA: So, we need to find a location away from tall structures that might block the wind, with a wind speed of at least 6-9 miles per hour (or 3 to 4 meters per second), and in a place that won’t disturb wildlife.
BREEZUS: Maybe there’s a windseeker spell to help figure this out!
PROFESSOR HUGGDATREAZ: Five points to Cloudia for summing up the discussion so nicely. For homework tonight, you can take anemometers out to check wind speed at various locations. Remember, the tower could be about 80 feet (or 24 meters) tall, so you will have to find a way to get to that height to accurately check the wind speed.
HARRY: Wooo…flying time!
Scene III
(Setting: The next day in Windseekers Class.)
PROFESSOR HUGGDATREAZ: Good morning, class.
CLASS: Wind is moving air—energy is there.
PROFESSOR HUGGDATREAZ: It seemed to be pretty windy last night. Did you have fun using the anemometers to measure the wind speed?
BREEZUS: It was great, until I fell off my broomstick trying to get a reading.
CLASS: (Laughs)
BREEZUS: The edge of the cliff had sustained gusts of 55 miles per hour, (or 25 meters per second). We’d get tons of energy from that!
HALLEY: Actually, that’s too much wind. Gusts that high would shut the turbine down. A turbine can only spin so fast. In wind speeds that strong, the turbine reaches its cut-out speed and built-in safety devices turn it off. Also, did you notice what direction the wind was blowing?
HARRY: The wind came right up the face of the cliff. I actually leaned out over the edge, holding my broom tight in case I fell, and the wind held me up! My cap blew off and flew up, up, up into the air.
PROFESSOR HUGGDATREAZ: This is actually another reason why the edge of a cliff will not work. Wind turbines are designed to capture air that is moving parallel to the ground. They cannot capture wind that is moving upwards.
CLOUDIA: We measured wind speeds of 10 to 15 miles per hour, (or 4.5 to 6.7 meters per second), in the flat field where the gardens grow. Would the field be a good site?
RODNEY: But would we have to move all those plants? Some of them take years to bloom.
PROFESSOR HUGGDATREAZ: Many wind farms use the land under the towers for farming or grazing. We could continue to use the area around the turbine for plants. There is plenty of room for both.
Harry Spotter and the Chamber of Windy Myths
HARRY: I know from flying that the wind changes depending on the weather and the season.
PROFESSOR HUGGDATREAZ: Ten points to Cloudia for finding a good spot and a point to Harry for noticing that the wind isn’t always constant. We only took measurements for one night, which really isn’t sufficient for determining a good site, but since it was windy, it will give us a good idea of where to look.
HALLEY: Wind measurements should really be taken at a site for at least one full year to get an idea of what the wind is like at all times. Many people who are considering where to put a turbine will measure the wind speeds for three years or more!
BREEZUS: If wind isn’t reliable, why use it?
PROFESSOR HUGGDATREAZ: A point for Halley. As she said, you really need long term data to determine if a site is a good one for a wind turbine. A team of our professors has just finished reviewing Hogwatt’s many years worth of weather records and has determined that winds in the garden area are very reliable. The average wind speed is calculated to be 15 miles per hour, (or 6.7 meters per second). The wind doesn’t blow over the garden all of the time, but it is predicted that the turbine will be generating some power for the school 90 percent of the time. What other benefits does this location have?
CLOUDIA: It isn’t near the owls or any other normal bird route.
BREEZUS: There are no tall buildings or trees near it.
RODNEY: We probably won’t even hear the sound from the turbine when we’re inside mixing potions.
HALLEY: By using wind power, we are using a renewable energy source. We’ll never run out of wind energy, and we’re taking care of the environment.
PROFESSOR HUGGDATREAZ: I’m proud of all of you for putting the facts together and deciding on the same site the experts did. We know we will need reliable energy to meet the electrical needs of our growing population of students. For our next assignment…
(Lights go out.)
HARRY: I guess Professor Dieseldore was right. We need to use wind energy at Hogwatts.
CLASS: Wind is moving air—energy is there, and that’s why we should care!
A Star War – Battle for the Sun Teacher Guide
Concepts
The fusion process takes place in the sun producing radiant energy that travels through space to the Earth.
We use the sun’s energy for light to see.
During photosynthesis, plants convert the sun’s energy to sugars to provide food for growth and life.
We use the sun’s energy to produce heat.
The sun’s energy creates the greenhouse effect and makes life possible on Earth.
Radiant energy from the sun powers the water cycle and produces wind.
A solar collector captures solar energy and converts it into heat.
Photovoltaic (solar) cells convert radiant energy directly into electricity.
It is difficult to capture the sun’s energy because it is spread out.
Concentrating solar power systems use thermal energy and steam turbines to generate electricity.
A Vocabulary
epic
exaggerated
fuel-efficient
intensified
R Assessment
mediate
negotiate
nuclear fusion
photosynthesis
photovoltaic
radiate
sustainable
villain
1. List the Spacebloopers’ four energy problems. Describe how solar energy solves each one.
They need a source of light. – The sun sends out radiant energy as rays of light. They can use the sun’s light to see.
Their home is freezing cold. – The sun’s energy can heat their home in a process called space heating. Sunlight passes through the windows and heats the walls and floor inside the house. The thermal energy stays trapped inside.
The water is icy cold. – A solar collector mounted on the roof can capture sunlight, heating water stored in a tank. The hot water is piped to faucets throughout the house.
They need electricity. – A photovoltaic system can be used to generate electricity for a home. Panels with solar cells are mounted on the roof. When the sun’s radiant energy shines on the solar cells, they make electricity.
2. Describe how a greenhouse is a solar collector. (Radiant energy shines on the greenhouse. As the light passes through the glass walls and ceiling, it is absorbed by the floor and plants inside. The absorbed energy transforms into thermal energy that is trapped inside the greenhouse.)
3. What are three limitations of using solar energy? (It is difficult to capture the sun’s energy because it is spread out. Solar energy is not available at night. A photovoltaic system isn’t the best for energy intensive uses like heating. Utility scale photovoltaic systems require a lot of land and have a high cost per kilowatt-hour to generate electricity. Concentrated solar power facilities use a lot of water and may affect wildlife in the area. Manufacturing some solar electric technologies can have harmful effects on the environment.)
Cast of Characters
Narrator: Dramatic voice, introduces and closes the story
Han Solar: Pilot of space cruiser, general of hero space rebels who fight against evil in the galaxy
Luke Stargazer: Commander of hero space rebels, son of Dark Spacer
Dark Spacer: Evil commander of the Dark Star, father of Luke Stargazer
Sunblacca: Furry giant wookie, and friend of Han Solar, speaks wookie
Princess Raya: Princess of galactic kingdom, member of hero space rebels
H2-H2: Droid robot member of hero space rebels, speaks robot
P-VGO: Droid robot member of hero space rebels, intelligent and overly proper
UV Wan KenUV: Peaceful advisor to Han Solar
Spaceblooper #1: Dark Spacer’s dutiful soldier
Spaceblooper #2: Dark Spacer’s dutiful soldier
Spaceblooper #3: Dark Spacer’s dutiful soldier
Spaceblooper #4: Dark Spacer’s dutiful soldier
The Galaxy: Class or cast
Extensions
Complete the Solar Oven Challenge! Design, build, and test a solar oven. Directions and student pages can be found in Energy From the Sun, at www.NEED.org/shop.
Have you seen solar cells around your school, neighborhood, or community? Write a paragraph describing where you saw them and what they were powering.
Have students research, compare, and contrast passive and active solar technologies.
Draw a picture of a house using solar energy for heating water, space heating, and generating electricity. Explain how the house is using the sun’s energy.
A Star War – Battle for the Sun
Characters
NARRATOR: Dramatic voice, introduces and closes the story
HAN SOLAR: Pilot of space cruiser, general of hero space rebels who fight against evil in the galaxy
LUKE STARGAZER: Commander of hero space rebels, son of Dark Spacer
DARK SPACER: Evil commander of the Dark Star, father of Luke Stargazer
SUNBLACCA: Furry giant wookie, and friend of Han Solar, speaks wookie
PRINCESS RAYA: Princess of galactic kingdom, member of hero space rebels
H2-H2: Droid robot member of hero space rebels, speaks robot
P-VGO: Droid robot member of hero space rebels, intelligent and overly proper
UV WAN KENUV: Peaceful advisor to Han Solar
SPACEBLOOPER #1: Dark Spacer’s dutiful soldier
SPACEBLOOPER #2: Dark Spacer’s dutiful soldier
SPACEBLOOPER #3: Dark Spacer’s dutiful soldier
SPACEBLOOPER #4: Dark Spacer’s dutiful soldier
THE GALAXY: Class or cast
Scene I
(Setting: In the space cruiser.)
NARRATOR: A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far, away, heroes and villains fought like cats and dogs. They had some epic battles. Will they ever learn to get along? Here come our heroes now, in their space cruiser, returning from a mission.
(Luke Stargazer, Princess Raya, Han Solar, and Sunblacca are flying in their space cruiser when Luke’s cell phone rings. The ring tone is the famous Star Wars™ theme. Let music play.)
HAN SOLAR: Best – movie – ever! (everyone makes overly exaggerated winks at the audience)
LUKE STARGAZER: (Picking up phone) Hello?
DARK SPACER: (Speaks loudly in heavy breathing from offstage) Luke, I am your Father.
LUKE STARGAZER: Hey Dark – I mean Dad – how’s the dark side?
DARK SPACER: (Breathing heavily) That’s why I’m calling you Luke. It’s very dark here because we’ve run out of power.
LUKE STARGAZER: I told you to build a more fuel-efficient space station, but you never listen.
DARK SPACER: (Breathing heavily) We need to find a new source of energy. So… I was wondering… What kinds of energy are you heroes using these days?
A Star War – Battle for the Sun
(A very bright light shines on the space cruiser and everyone puts on their sunglasses.)
LUKE STARGAZER: Whoa, the sun is blinding me. (Puts on sunglasses.) That’s much better. What were you asking about energy? Hello? Hello? Guess we lost him. (Puts the phone down.)
HAN SOLAR: What’s Dark Spacer up to now? I don’t trust him for a second.
SUNBLACCA: Ergghh! Ergghh!
PRINCESS RAYA: I don’t trust him either, Sunblacca.
LUKE STARGAZER: Apparently the Dark Star ran out of power so he’s looking for a source of energy.
(H2-H2 and P-VGO rush in.)
H2-H2: Beep beep whistle beep!
P-VGO: Luke! Luke! We just intercepted communication from the Villain Fleet. They plan to steal the sun!
HAN SOLAR: I knew he was up to something. Dark Spacer wants to have all the sun’s energy for himself.
SUNBLACCA: Ergghh! Ergghh!
HAN SOLAR: Don’t worry Sunny, I’ll never let them steal our favorite star. Let’s go get ‘em!
PRINCESS RAYA: Hold on a second everybody. There’s no reason to panic. There is plenty of solar energy in the galaxy for everyone.
SUNBLACCA: Ergghh?
LUKE STARGAZER: I think the furry guy means, what’s solar energy?
P-VGO: Solar energy is energy from the sun.
H2-H2: Beep whistle whistle beep.
P-VGO: I’m getting to that H2-H2. The sun’s energy comes from within the sun itself. Like most stars, the sun is made up mostly of hydrogen and helium atoms. The sun generates energy in a process called nuclear fusion.
PRINCESS RAYA: During the fusion process, a lot of radiant energy is released. There is so much energy it can travel through space at a speed of 186,000 miles per second and reach planets more than 90 million miles away.
HAN SOLAR: The speed of light, baby!
LUKE STARGAZER: That’s why I need to wear sunglasses when I’m flying in your hunk of junk space cruiser around the galaxy.
A Star War – Battle for the Sun
SUNBLACCA: Ergghh! Ergghh!
LUKE STARGAZER: I’m just kidding, Sunny.
PRINCESS RAYA: Only a small portion of the energy radiated by the sun into space reaches the planet Earth. But it’s still an enormous amount of energy. The sun can provide more energy in one hour than the United States uses in a whole year.
LUKE STARGAZER: It seems like there’s enough solar energy for everyone in the galaxy.
P-VGO: Master Luke, may I suggest we teach Dark Spacer and his Spacebloopers the many ways we use solar power to meet our energy needs? Perhaps they will agree to share and stop this ridiculous fighting.
H2-H2: Whistle beep beep.
PRINCESS RAYA: That’s a good idea.
LUKE STARGAZER: I’ll set up a meeting.
NARRATOR: Luke Stargazer and Dark Spacer agree to meet at a local coffee shop, Starblasts. Luke invites his wise old friend, UV Wan KenUV, to mediate.
Scene II
(Setting: Starblasts Coffee Shop.)
(Dark Spacer and the Spacebloopers are sitting on one side of the stage, the Rebel friends are sitting on the other. UV Wan KenUV sits in the middle between them. No one looks happy to be there.)
UV WAN KENUV: Thanks for meeting here everyone. Hopefully we can peacefully negotiate how to share the sun’s energy between us.
DARK SPACER: (Breathing heavily) That star belongs to the Villain Empire now. We need its energy and we don’t want to share.
HAN SOLAR: Solar energy is free, dude. No one owns the sun.
PRINCESS RAYA: Every day, the sun radiates, or sends out, an enormous amount of energy.
LUKE STARGAZER: The sun’s energy is renewable. It won’t ever run out.
SPACEBLOOPER 1: Our first problem is we need a source of light. The Dark Star is pitch black.
HAN SOLAR: We use the sun’s energy to see.
UV WAN KENUV: The sun sends out radiant energy as rays of light. It will shine on the Dark Star and provide you light to see.
A Star War – Battle for the Sun
PRINCESS RAYA: Light from the sun is the key to photosynthesis, too.
SPACEBLOOPER 1: Foe – Toe – What now?
PRINCESS RAYA: Photosynthesis. It’s a process where plants use radiant energy or light from the sun to grow.
UV WAN KENUV: Plants absorb radiant energy from the sun and turn it into glucose, or simple sugars. Plants keep some of the sugars in their roots, stems, fruits, and leaves. It is stored as chemical energy.
LUKE STARGAZER: Animals and people eat a lot of plants. We depend on them for food and energy.
SUNBLACCA: Ergghh! Ergghh!
HAN SOLAR: I know you hate spinach. I do too, buddy.
PRINCESS RAYA: The sun’s energy is so important to Earth.
HAN SOLAR: We use the sun’s energy for heat, too.
PRINCESS RAYA: The sun’s radiant energy is changed into heat as it’s absorbed by the land, water, and air on Earth and objects in space. The sun’s energy makes life possible on Earth. Without the sun, it would be too cold for humans to survive.
SUNBLACCA: Ergghh! Ergghh!
LUKE STARGAZER: It’s called the greenhouse effect.
UV WAN KENUV: Solar energy also powers the water cycle and creates wind - two renewable sources of energy that can generate electricity.
THE GALAXY: Shining light, making heat, Solar energy can’t be beat!
Growing plants, making wind, The water cycle spins again.
DARK SPACER: (Breathing heavily) What else does the sun’s energy do?
UV WAN KENUV: Ahh, it can be a very powerful force when used in a solar collector. A solar collector captures sunlight and transforms it into heat energy, or thermal energy.
HAN SOLAR: Sometimes my space cruiser is a solar collector. As sunlight passes through the windows, the seat covers, side panels, and floor of the spaceship absorb it. The absorbed energy transforms into thermal energy and is trapped inside the cruiser.
LUKE STARGAZER: Yeah, so is the smell…
SPACEBLOOPER 2: What about us living on the Dark Star? Our home is freezing cold. It’s a major problem.
A Star War – Battle for the Sun
PRINCESS RAYA: Don’t worry, the sun’s energy can heat your home, too, in a process called space heating or passive solar heating. Sunlight passes through the windows and heats the walls and floor inside the house. The light can get in, but the thermal energy stays trapped inside.
HAN SOLAR: Lucky for you the Dark Star is painted black. It will absorb more solar energy than if it was painted white.
SPACEBLOOPER 2: Keeping us warmer. (Spacebloopers high-five each other)
(H2-H2 comes forward with P-VGO holding a solar oven filled with cookies.)
LUKE STARGAZER: Over here guys. H2-H2 makes the best chocolate chip cookies in his solar oven.
H2-H2: Whistle, beep, beep, whoop, beep!
SPACEBLOOPER 1: Mmmm, those cookies smell delicious. How did you make them?
P-VGO: This solar oven is a solar collector. As sunlight passes through the window, the cookies absorb it. The absorbed energy transforms into thermal energy, stays trapped in the oven, and the food cooks.
SPACEBLOOPER 2: We need a cookie baking solar oven on the Dark Star.
DARK SPACER: (Breathing heavily) I don’t smell anything…
THE GALAXY: Sunlight streaming in your home, Heating spaces where you roam. Collecting sunlight in a box, Cooking food until its hot.
SPACEBLOOPER 3: We have another problem on the Dark Star. Our water is icy cold.
PRINCESS RAYA: I used to have the same problem. I had to take cold showers because Sunblacca used up all the hot water taking his baths.
SUNBLACCA: Ergghh! Ergghh!
HAN SOLAR: He’s got a lot of fur to wash!
PRINCESS RAYA: So, I recently installed a solar water heater at my palace.
SPACEBLOOPER 3: How does it work?
PRINCESS RAYA: There is a solar collector mounted on the roof. It faces south to capture the most sun. The sunlight heats water and stores it in a tank. The hot water is piped to faucets throughout the palace.
A Star War – Battle for the Sun
HAN SOLAR: You’re a lucky Princess, no more cold showers.
SPACEBLOOPER 4: What about electricity? We need it, and fast! We can’t charge up our cell phones on the Dark Star.
H2-H2: Whistle, beep, beep!
SPACEBLOOPER 4: Or the robots, either.
UV WAN KENUV: Solar energy can be used to produce electricity. Two ways to make electricity from solar energy are photovoltaic systems and systems using thermal energy.
LUKE STARGAZER: I’ve installed a photovoltaic system at my house. They are panels with solar cells on the roof. When the sun’s radiant energy shines on the solar cells, they make electricity.
SPACEBLOOPER 4: Maybe we could add solar cells to the Dark Star.
H2-H2: Whistle, beep, beep, whoop, beep.
P-VGO: That’s right! Last week, H2-H2 and I helped build a concentrating solar power system in the desert.
UV WAN KENUV: Concentrating solar power systems use thermal energy and steam turbines to generate electricity.
SPACEBLOOPER 4: How does it work?
P-VGO: Since sunlight is so spread out when it hits the ground, it needs to be concentrated, or intensified, to be useful. Huge mirrors concentrate sunlight onto a receiver. The receiver is a container or pipe filled with fluid. The concentrated sunlight produces very high temperatures that heat the fluid in the receiver. This heat energy is transferred to a heat exchanger, which produces steam. The steam pushes a turbine that drives a generator to make electricity.
PRINCESS RAYA: It’s not a system you could use for the Dark Star, but it’s great for utilities in areas like California and Arizona, where they have a lot of solar energy on Earth.
THE GALAXY: Water heated by the sun, There’s enough for everyone. PV makes electric power, Only in the daylight hour.
DARK SPACER: (Breathing heavily) Solar energy sounds too good to be true.
HAN SOLAR: Solar energy won’t meet all your energy needs. There are some limitations.
A Star War – Battle for the Sun
LUKE STARGAZER: My photovoltaic system doesn’t generate any electricity at night, and it isn’t the best for energy intensive uses like heating.
PRINCESS RAYA: Large-scale photovoltaic systems require a lot of surface or land and they can be expensive.
UV WAN KENUV: The manufacturing process for some solar electric technologies can have harmful effects on the environment.
P-VGO: Concentrated solar power facilities use a lot of water, but they are usually located where water is scarce. They can affect wildlife in the area, too.
SUNBLACCA: Ergghh!
HAN SOLAR: But there are some great benefits to using solar power.
LUKE STARGAZER: Solar electric systems are safe, clean, quiet to operate, highly reliable, and require little maintenance. They are cost-effective in remote areas and may provide a backup during power outages.
PRINCESS RAYA: Solar energy is free, and its supplies are unlimited. It can’t be controlled by any one nation or industry. It is domestically produced.
P-VGO: Making electricity with solar energy produces no greenhouse gases and does not pollute the environment.
UV WAN KENUV: You see Dark Spacer, as we improve the technology to harness the sun’s enormous power, we can work together toward a sustainable energy future.
DARK SPACER: (Breathing heavily) Let’s work together to benefit from the sun’s energy. (Shakes hands with UV Wan KenUV)
(Everyone stands, shakes hands with each other, slaps each other on the back, walk off stage as a group.)
NARRATOR: After grabbing some hot chocolate to go, the Hero friends get back in the space cruiser and head for home.
Closing Scene
(Setting: In the Space Cruiser.)
(Luke Stargazer, Princess Raya, Han Solar, and Sunblacca are sitting in the space cruiser when H2-H2 and P-VGO rush in.)
H2-H2: Beep whistle beep beep!
P-VGO: Master Luke! Master Luke! We just intercepted another communication from the Dark Star.
A Star War – Battle for the Sun
HAN SOLAR: What are those Spacebloopers up to now?
P-VGO: They’ve stolen all the chocolate chip cookies from the solar oven!
PRINCESS RAYA: Those Spacebloopers are always causing trouble.
LUKE STARGAZER: I’ll grab my lightsword.
HAN SOLAR: I’ll put the space cruiser into hyper speed. Nobody steals my afternoon snack. Sunny, are you ready to fight another epic star war?
SUNBLACCA: Ergghh! Ergghh!
EVERYONE: (shout together) Let’s go!
Captain Biomass and the Pooper Scooper Problem
Teacher Guide
Concepts
Biomass is a renewable source of energy.
Biomass is organic material made from plants and animals that were once alive. Wood, crops, food and yard waste in garbage, animal manure, and human waste are biomass.
The energy in biomass comes from the sun. During photosynthesis, plants absorb the sun’s radiant energy and convert it into chemical energy.
Biomass can be burned directly or converted to liquid biofuels or biogas that can be burned as fuels. When biomass burns, its chemical energy is released as heat. The heat is used to make steam to heat buildings, for industrial use, make electricity, or to power modes of transportation.
Combustion directly burns solid forms of biomass like wood, crops, and garbage. A waste-toenergy plant burns garbage to produce heat.
Fermentation changes biomass into ethanol, a liquid biofuel made from corn.
Biomass can be converted into biodiesel, a liquid biofuel made from soybean oil.
Bacterial decay changes biomass in a landfill into landfill gas. Bacterial decay changes biomass in an anaerobic digester into biogas.
A Vocabulary
Anaerobic
Chaos
Combustion
R Assessment
Decompose
Exaggerate
Hypnotize
Manure
Organic
Sewage
1. What is biomass? (Biomass is a renewable source of energy. Biomass is organic material made from plants and animals that were once alive. Wood, crops, food and yard waste in garbage, animal manure, and human waste are biomass.)
2. Describe how energy flows from the sun through a waste-to-energy plant to power your school. (Answers may vary, but one solution is: radiant energy in the sun, photosynthesis in growing grass stores chemical energy, yard is mowed/grass clippings in garbage bags, a waste-to-energy plant burns the garbage to generate electricity – chemical energy in grass transforms into heat, heat makes steam, steam turns the turbine generator to move electricity.)
3. List four ways to release the energy stored in biomass. (combustion/burning, fermentation, conversion to liquid fuel or biogas, and bacterial decay)
Cast of Characters
Narrator 1: Dramatic voice, introduces and closes the story, future Water & Liquid Waste Treatment Plant & System Operator
Narrator 2: Dramatic voice, introduces and closes the story, future Methane Gas Generation System Technician
Georgia: Hannah’s best friend, loves science and a bit of mischief, future Environmental Engineer
Hannah: Georgia’s best friend, loves science and a bit of mischief, future Chemical Engineer
Woody: One of the Forester twins, loves camping and roasting marshmallows, future Plant Scientist
Twiggy: One of the Forester twins, loves camping and roasting marshmallows, future Chemical Technician
Daisy: One of the Flower sisters, loves to ride go carts, future Biodiesel Engine Specialist
Rose: One of the Flower sisters, loves to ride go carts, future Biofuel or Biodiesel Technology & Product Development Manager
Lily: One of the Flower sisters, loves to ride go carts, future Chemist
Mr. Grump/Captain Biomass: Cranky science teacher, turns into a superhero when fingers snap, future dog walker and pooper scooper
Smellvin: Inventor of contraptions, loves homework, future Robotics Engineer
Robot: Smellvin’s high tech invention, the non-verbal Pooper Scooper 2000, future Power Plant Distributor and Dispatcher
Lunch Lady 1: Lazy cafeteria worker, future co-author of Meatloaf Surprise, a Lunch Lady Cookbook
Lunch Lady 2: Lazy cafeteria worker, future co-author of Meatloaf Surprise, a Lunch Lady Cookbook
Scientists: Class or Cast
Extensions
Explore STEM Careers – In the characters list, find each characters’ future career (listed in bold print). Choose one in bold. Use online resources such as Science Buddies (www.sciencebuddies. org/science-engineering-careers) or the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook (www.bls.gov/ooh/) to do research, then share with a small group:
Median salary or hourly wage
Education level or degrees required
Work environment
Special training, personal qualities or skills required
Three things this person does on the job
Interesting fact or job duty
Present Captain Biomass and the Pooper Scooper Problem to an audience.
Brainstorm and make simple costumes for each character. For example, the lunch ladies could wear hair nets, aprons, and rubber gloves. Captain Biomass could wear a garbage bag cape.
Brainstorm and make simple props, such as Smellvin’s handheld robot controller, which could be a tissue box covered in foil.
Discuss the benefits and drawbacks of using a home-sized biogas digester system. This off-grid system allows families around the world to make a renewable source of energy out of waste material. A new company that has made an impact is HomeBiogas. On their website, www. homebiogas.com, learn how the system works, check out the biotoilet, calculate how much buying a system would cost and its payback period, and decide if your home meets the criteria for installing a biogas digester. Can you think of any places in the world that would benefit from this system? Where are they located, and why do you think the biogas digester would be beneficial?
Captain Biomass and the Pooper Scooper Problem Teacher Guide
Characters
NARRATOR 1: Dramatic voice, introduces and closes the story, future Water & Liquid Waste Treatment Plant & System Operator
NARRATOR 2: Dramatic voice, introduces and closes the story, future Methane Gas Generation System Technician
GEORGIA: Hannah’s best friend, loves science and a bit of mischief, future Environmental Engineer
HANNAH: Georgia’s best friend, loves science and a bit of mischief, future Chemical Engineer
WOODY: One of the Forester twins, loves camping and roasting marshmallows, future Plant Scientist
TWIGGY: One of the Forester twins, loves camping and roasting marshmallows, future Chemical Technician
DAISY: One of the Flower sisters, loves to ride go carts, future Biodiesel Engine Specialist
ROSE: One of the Flower sisters, loves to ride go carts, future Biofuel or Biodiesel Technology & Product Development Manager
LILY: One of the Flower sisters, loves to ride go carts, future Chemist
MR. GRUMP/CAPTAIN BIOMASS: Cranky science teacher, turns into a superhero when fingers snap, future dog walker and pooper scooper
SMELLVIN: Inventor of contraptions, loves homework, future Robotics Engineer
ROBOT: Smellvin’s high tech invention, the non-verbal Pooper Scooper 2000, future Power Plant Distributor and Dispatcher
LUNCH LADY 1: Lazy cafeteria worker, future co-author of Meatloaf Surprise, a Lunch Lady Cookbook
LUNCH LADY 2: Lazy cafeteria worker, future co-author of Meatloaf Surprise, a Lunch Lady Cookbook
SCIENTISTS: Class or Cast
Scene I - Introduction
NARRATOR 1: Unless you live under a rock, you know the epic tales of famous superhero Captain Underpants.
NARRATOR 2: He was created by George Beard and Harold Hutchins, two young friends who love to pull pranks at school and write comic books in their backyard treehouse. These hilarious stories are usually stinky and rude.
NARRATOR 1: What you probably don’t know, is that Captain Underpants isn’t the only school superhero in town. Let’s meet Georgia and Hannah, two young friends who love to behave at school and do science experiments in their backyard treehouse.
NARRATOR 2: One of their science experiments accidentally…
NARRATOR 1: sort of on purpose…
NARRATOR 2: hypnotized their cranky old science teacher, Mr. Grump. Now, whenever they snap their fingers, Mr. Grump transforms into a superhero science teacher, Captain Biomass.
NARRATOR 1: Science is fun again. That is, until Captain Biomass gets sprinkled with water, then he turns back into Mr. Grump.
NARRATOR 2: So, sit back and enjoy this epic tale of superhero Captain Biomass. And don’t worry, this story gets stinky, too.
Captain Biomass and the Pooper Scooper Problem
Scene II – Backyard Treehouse
GEORGIA: Are you excited about the Invention Convention tomorrow at school?
HANNAH: It’s so cool that we’re focusing on bioenergy this year. But, I’m a little nervous. I heard Smellvin Smeedly invented a robot pooper scooper to clean up after his dog.
GEORGIA: Oh, boy! Somehow his inventions always lead to chaos.
HANNAH: Hopefully the robot is just a display because nobody wants to smell dog poop at school.
GEORGIA: Well… we do need poop for our biogas digester. (Hannah and Georgia giggle together.)
HANNAH: Okay, let’s practice our presentation.
(Georgia and Hannah stand up. They use loud, confident voices, as they are giving an important speech.)
GEORGIA: Biomass is a renewable source of energy. It is an organic material, made from plants and animals that were once alive.
HANNAH: The energy in biomass comes from the sun. During photosynthesis, plants absorb the sun’s radiant energy and convert it into chemical energy.
GEORGIA: Wood, crops, food and yard waste, or garbage, animal manure, and human waste are all biomass. We can use their stored chemical energy as sources of fuel.
HANNAH: To release the chemical energy in biomass, it needs to be burned. The process of burning something is called combustion. Some biomass is burned in its solid state. Some biomass needs to be converted into a liquid or a gas fuel before it’s burned. Whenever biomass burns, its chemical energy is released as heat.
WOODY and TWIGGY: (Voices call from off stage, in unison) Georgia! Hannah! Are you up in the treehouse?
GEORGIA: It’s Woody and Twiggy, the Forester twins. We’re in here. (Woody and Twiggy enter.)
TWIGGY: Could you help us with our project for the Invention Convention?
HANNAH: Sure, tell us about your invention.
WOODY: Our Mom is a lumberjack. We invented a laser beam that splits logs so she won’t have to chop wood with an axe. Our invention works great.
TWIGGY: The problem is, after it’s cut, our pile of wood just sits there. It doesn’t give off any energy.
GEORGIA: Have you ever sat near a campfire?
WOODY: Sure, we love to roast marshmallows over the heat of a fire.
TWIGGY: Oh! To get the energy out of the wood we need to burn it!
Captain Biomass and the Pooper Scooper Problem
HANNAH: That’s right. People have burned wood to heat homes and cook food for thousands of years. Until the mid-1800s, wood was the main source of energy for the world.
GEORGIA: These days, most homes use natural gas and electricity for heating and cooking.
HANNAH: But in many developing countries, families still depend on wood as a main source of fuel.
GEORGIA: In the United States, it’s mostly industry producers who burn wood and wood waste as fuel.
WOODY: What’s wood waste?
HANNAH: It’s the material leftover after paper mills make paper or manufacturers make products from wood. Tree bark, sawdust, wood chips, and scrap lumber are wood wastes.
GEORGIA: When burned, they give off heat. The heat is used to produce steam and electricity, or it’s used to heat buildings.
HANNAH: Remember that burning biomass can pollute the air, so you probably shouldn’t burn your wood pile inside the school.
TWIGGY: Too bad, it would have been fun to roast marshmallows during the Invention Convention.
WOODY: Thanks for your help, we’ll see you tomorrow!
(Woody and Twiggy exit.)
SCIENTISTS: Burning wood, gives off heat. Biomass energy, can’t be beat!
HANNAH: Alright, back to our presentation.
GEORGIA: (Stands and speaks using her “giving a speech” voice.) Industry uses biomass to make products. The transportation sector uses biomass by consuming ethanol and other biofuels. Power companies use biomass to generate electricity.
DAISY: (off stage) Georgia! Hannah! Are you up in the treehouse?
HANNAH: It looks like the Flower sisters are here. Come on in.
(Daisy, Rose, and Lily enter.)
ROSE: We made two go carts for the Invention Convention. They run on biofuels. Would you like to take them out for a spin?
GEORGIA: Definitely! But tell us about the biofuels first.
LILY: Agricultural crops are biomass. They can be burned as fuel. Or, crops can be converted into a liquid biofuel, like ethanol or biodiesel.
DAISY: In the United States, most ethanol is made from corn. The starch in corn is broken down into sugar.
Captain Biomass and the Pooper Scooper Problem
Then, in a process called fermentation, the sugar is changed into alcohol.
ROSE: In other parts of the world, sugar cane and sugar beets are used to make ethanol.
LILY: Scientists are studying how to make ethanol from fast growing grasses and trees, from agricultural waste such as corn cobs, and from wood wastes like sawdust, and wood chips.
DAISY: We have a fireplace that hangs on the wall. We pour bio-ethanol into it. When we light the fireplace, the bio-ethanol burns making light and heat.
ROSE: Fuel ethanol is mixed into gasoline. It is burned in the engines of most cars and trucks on the road.
LILY: And it powers one of our go carts. The other runs on biodiesel.
DAISY: Biodiesel is produced from vegetable oils, animal fats, and even used cooking oils and grease.
ROSE: In the United States, most biodiesel is made from soybean oil.
LILY: Biodiesel is blended with diesel fuel. It can be burned as a heating oil or burned in the diesel engines of buses, trucks, and tractors.
HANNAH: Or that go cart! Should we go take a ride?
DAISY: Let’s go!
(Everyone exits.)
SCIENTISTS: Burning biofuels, gives off heat. Biomass energy, can’t be beat!
Scene III – At the Invention Convention
(Mr. Grump stands in the center of the stage. Georgia, Hannah, Smellvin and the Robot stand to one side, Lunch Lady 1 and 2 stand on the other.)
MR. GRUMP: (Speaks in a very grumpy voice) I guess I have to welcome everyone to Biome Compostowitz Elementary School’s annual Invention Convention. I’m not sure why you bothered to be here… Our theme this year is bioenergy. As if any cares about dead plants or animal poop…
GEORGIA: Mr. Grump seems extra grumpy today.
MR. GRUMP: The children worked very hard on these inventions. Copied them off the internet probably… Thank you for coming. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out… (Mr. Grump stomps off the stage.)
HANNAH: Hey, Smellvin. How did your robot turn out?
SMELLVIN: I invented the Pooper Scooper 2000. It does a lot more than just scooping poop. I’ll show you.
Captain Biomass and the Pooper Scooper Problem
(Smellvin turns to the Robot, pushes a button on the hand-held control device, and uses a commanding voice.) Robot, throw a baseball.
(Robot pretends to wind up a pitch and throw a baseball. Then stands back at attention.)
GEORGIA: Wow! That’s so cool. Does it do anything you tell it to do?
SMELLVIN: He isn’t very good at eating my vegetables at dinner but we’re working on it.
LUNCH LADY 1: (In a loud voice, to catch everyone’s attention) The students of Biome Compostowitz Elementary School make a lot of trash. We’re tired of carrying garbage bags to the curb.
LUNCH LADY 2: Our invention is the Lunch Lady Landfill. It holds the garbage in the middle of the cafeteria.
HANNAH: I think we better check this out.
WOODY and TWIGGY: (Run across the stage holding their noses) Ewww – it smells so gross in here!
(Georgia, Hannah, Smellvin and Robot walk over to Lunch Lady 1 and 2 and hold their noses.)
SMELLVIN: Ladies, what you have here is MSW. Municipal Solid Waste. Better known as – garbage. And it stinks!
LUNCH LADY 1: Even though it’s stinky, garbage can be a good thing.
LUNCH LADY 2: At a waste-to-energy plant, garbage is burned as fuel. Heat from the fire makes steam to heat buildings, for industrial uses, or to make electricity.
SCIENTISTS: Burning garbage, gives off heat. Biomass energy, can’t be beat!
LUNCH LADY 1: Garbage in a landfill makes energy, too, during a process called bacterial decay.
GEORGIA: Bacteria that stay alive without any oxygen are called anaerobic bacteria. They live naturally in landfills.
HANNAH: The bacteria feed on plant and animal materials, decomposing them. As food waste, leaves, grass clippings, wood, and materials like paper and cardboard decompose, it produces a biogas rich with methane.
SMELLVIN: It’s called landfill gas. It is collected, cleaned, and burned to generate electricity.
LUNCH LADY 2: Just think, yesterday’s meatloaf surprise could be lighting our kitchen someday.
GEORGIA: Unfortunately, there’s no anaerobic bacteria here. This is just a stinky pile of garbage.
HANNAH: Smellvin, can your robot scoop this up?
Captain Biomass and the Pooper Scooper Problem
SMELLVIN: Of course! The Pooper Scooper 2000 is the greatest invention of all time. (Smellvin turns to Robot, pushes a button on the hand-held control device, and uses a commanding voice.) Robot, take out the trash.
(Robot pantomimes scooping up garbage and putting it into a trash can while the conversation continues.)
GEORGIA: Let’s show everyone our invention. It’s an anaerobic digester for our treehouse.
LUNCH LADY 1: How does it work?
HANNAH: Anaerobic bacteria live inside the digester. They feed on dead plant and animal material - including animal manure and human waste!
LUNCH LADY 2: That’s so gross!
GEORGIA: Human waste is a biomass resource. Some cities have sewage treatment plants that use anaerobic digesters during the waste treatment process. The biogas produced is burned to heat the digesters or to make electricity to use at the facility.
HANNAH: Some dairy farms use anaerobic digesters to make biogas from their cows’ manure. Also, some livestock farms collect biogas from cow manure decaying in holding ponds. They burn the biogas to heat water and buildings, or to generate electricity to use on the farm.
(Robot moves about the room, pantomimes picking up a ball, winding up and throwing it across the room.)
GEORGIA: We’re going to put dog poop and food waste in our digester. The biogas it makes will fuel our Bunsen burner in the treehouse science lab.
SCIENTISTS: Burning biogas, gives off heat. Biomass energy, can’t be beat!
HANNAH: On no! Look what the robot is doing. It’s scooping up garbage and throwing it at the parents!
GEORGIA: Smellvin! Do something!
SMELLVIN: (Pushes the button on the hand-held controller, voice sounds frantic) I can’t get it to shut off! It has a life of its own!
HANNAH: I think we need some help here. Let’s get Captain Biomass.
(Georgia and Hannah do an exaggerated SNAP! with their fingers. Captain Biomass rushes onto the stage.)
CAPTAIN BIOMASS: Fa La Laaa!!!! Your robot wrangler to the rescue!
(Captain Biomass wraps a rope around Robot pinning its arms to its side.)
Captain Biomass and the Pooper Scooper Problem
CAPTAIN BIOMASS: (While walking Robot off stage) I’ve got a recycling bin with your name on it!
SMELLVIN: Whew, that was a close one. Good thing Captain Biomass was here to save the day.
GEORGIA: I guess we should turn him back into Mr. Grump again.
HANNAH: Or…, we could just wait until the Invention Convention is over.
(Everyone giggles and nods in agreement and walks off stage together – except Smellvin, who sneaks off the stage after his robot.)
Scene IV – Conclusion
NARRATOR 1: You may be wondering, “What happened to our superhero after the Invention Convention?”
NARRATOR 2: Captain Biomass smelled so bad after wrangling the robot that he went home and took a shower. That turned him back into cranky old Mr. Grump.
NARRATOR 1: Smellvin secretly gathered the pieces from the Pooper Scooper 2000 out of the recycling bin. He is busy working on his next great invention, the Veggie Eater 2000.
NARRATOR 2: But before we can tell you that story, we have to tell you this story.
NARRATOR 1: Woody and Twiggy got sick to their stomachs eating too many roasted marshmallows. The Flower sisters got a speeding ticket for zooming around the neighborhood on their biofuel go carts. And, the lunch ladies earned an award for their meatloaf surprise. They are thinking about writing a cookbook.
NARRATOR 2: Up in the backyard treehouse, Georgia and Hannah are using biogas for their Bunsen burner. Science experiments are underway. They may…
NARRATOR 1: or may not…
NARRATOR 2: be working on a long-lasting super-duper water-proof science teacher hypnotizing potion.
Bathman Teacher Guide
Cast of Characters
Narrator: Dramatic voice offstage
Magma: Leader of the geothermal energy cartel and owner of the Hot Rock Spa
Bobbin: Bathman’s partner in his liquid capers (wears any swimming garb)
Bathman: Superhero specializing in hot water (wears shower cap and towel for cape)
Citizens: Class or cast
Flo: Hydropower energy leader
Ray: Solar energy kingpin
Gale: Wind energy head honcho
Peat: Biomass energy chief
Concepts
Renewable sources of energy include biomass, geothermal, hydropower, solar, and wind.
The United States relies on renewable and nonrenewable sources of energy to meet our needs.
Many different sources of energy can be used to heat the water used in your home. Some generate electricity (fossil fuels, wind, hydro, solar) and some can heat water directly (burning biomass, geothermal and solar water heating).
A Vocabulary
covert
dilemma
dire
R Assessment
drought
fermentation
frigid
peril
reservoir
scheme
sinister
subterranean
villian
1. Explain why the United States depends on all ten sources of energy to meet our energy needs. (Each source plays a big part of meeting our daily needs and not all sources are easily used for everything we need.)
2. What is baseload power? How does the electric utility’s management of baseload power affect you? (Baseload power is the amount of electricity that must be generated all the time. It must be cheap and reliable.)
3. In your opinion, is Bathman a superhero or super clueless? Why do you think so? Cite at least one example from the play that supports your point of view. (Answers will vary)
Extensions
Have students write a few paragraphs describing what they think will happen when Ray talks to the fossil fuels. Will the energy sources cooperate and share energy-making duties? Will Bathman and Bobbin need to come in and save the day again? Let students read their story endings to the class.
Visit your school’s boiler room and have the custodian explain how hot water is made in your school. What source of energy is heating your water? Have students find out how their water is heated at home and compare. As a class, brainstorm ways to use less hot water at home and school. Discuss why it is important to conserve hot water.
Break into small groups and prepare informative digital presentations, video clips, posters, or info boards for each renewable source of energy. Use the NEED Energy Infobooks found on the NEED website at www.need.org/need-students/energy-infobooks/. Share the projects with the class.
Present Bathman to an audience:
Brainstorm costumes to represent each energy source. For example, Ray (solar energy) could wear yellow clothes, a lot of shiny bling (gold jewelry), and sunglasses. Gather the materials for the costumes and make simple scenery.
Use the informative projects created to teach your audience about the renewable sources of energy before the play begins. Then, perform the play.
Bathman
Characters
NARRATOR: Dramatic voice offstage
MAGMA: Leader of the geothermal energy cartel and owner of the Hot Rock Spa
BOBBIN: Bathman’s partner in his liquid capers (wears any swimming garb)
BATHMAN: Superhero specializing in hot water (wears shower cap and towel for cape)
CITIZENS: Class or cast
FLO: Hydropower energy leader
RAY: Solar energy kingpin
GALE: Wind energy head honcho
PEAT: Biomass energy chief
Scene I
(Setting: Hot Rock Spa)
NARRATOR: Right this very minute there are superheroes living among us. These marvelous meddlers are always saving the day. They protect the public. They do good deeds. They outwit evil-doers at every turn. Without these superheroes we would live in sheer chaos. Not too long ago, on a day just like today, the fearless duo of Bathman and Bobbin saved us from chilling peril and certain doom. This, dear citizens, is their story.
(Bobbin is sipping a hot drink and enjoying a spa treatment when Magma enters and rushes over.)
MAGMA: Taking some time off from fighting crime, Bobbin?
BOBBIN: I’m just enjoying my annual spa day, Magma. This is a nice place you have here. I love the steam bath.
MAGMA: Thanks to my geothermal energy I have all the hot water and steam I need to keep the spa running forever.
BOBBIN: Geothermal is clean energy from underground, right?
MAGMA: If you and your energy wasting partner, Bathman, weren’t still wet behind the ears, you would know about my renewable way of turning the heat up by drilling down. Geothermal energy comes from heat within the Earth. People around the world use geothermal energy to produce electricity, to heat homes and buildings, and to provide hot water for a variety of uses, such as cooking and bathing.
BOBBIN: No need to get steamed! So, what’s up, or should I say, what’s down, Magma?
MAGMA: Bathman, our city’s favorite superhero, is down…down the drain that is. I’m turning off the major sources of energy that heat our city’s water.
BOBBIN: You can’t do that.
MAGMA: It’s already happening. My subterranean connections have helped me with some earthquakes around your oil and gas pipelines and coal mines.
BOBBIN: The earthquakes will shut them down! We won’t have the nonrenewable fuels we need to make electricity.
MAGMA: Exactly. People will need to conserve hot water. Without nonrenewables, there will be a shortage of hot water. Now I, and the other renewables, will get the respect we deserve in the energy market! And as a bonus, everyone will run to the Hot Rock Spa for a steam bath.
BOBBIN: I’ve got to warn Bathman.
MAGMA: Not even Bathman can stop me.
BOBBIN: It’s not that. I’ve got to warn him before he takes his afternoon bubble bath. (Runs out.)
CITIZENS: Without a way to heat up water, We would freeze indeed. Each source of energy plays a part, To meet our daily needs.
Scene II
(Setting: Bathman’s living room)
NARRATOR: Bobbin hurried over to Bathman’s house as fast as he could pedal his bicycle. But when he arrived, the situation was dire. Very, very, dire.
BOBBIN: Bathman! Hey, Bathman!
BATHMAN: (Offstage.) Is that you, Bobbin, my trusty companion? Speak up. You know I can’t hear you when the water is running. By the way, have you seen my rubber duckyyyyeeeeooooowwwww!
BOBBIN: What’s the matter?
BATHMAN: (Enters wearing his shower cap, towel cape, towel wrap, and flip-flops.) It’s the end of the world as we know it! There’s no hot water!
BOBBIN: That’s why I’m here. I just ran into Magma at the Hot Rock Spa.
BATHMAN: Don’t tell me he’s carried out his threat to get into hot water by cutting off the nonrenewables.
BOBBIN: He has. Oh, Bathman, why are we always in hot water? I mean cold water.
BATHMAN: The life of a superhero is never easy. Our city is in danger, Bobbin. It is up to us to stop Magma’s sinister plot before we’re doomed to a frigid, hot waterless existence.
BOBBIN: Let’s go to the source of all water, hot or cold.
BATHMAN: I’m not going down to the sewer!
BOBBIN: No, Bathman. The city reservoir. We’ll talk to Flo, the leader of the hydropower energy network, about our problem.
BATHMAN: Right, Bobbin. Hydropower has been a reliable source of renewable energy for years.
BOBBIN: Hopefully, Flo can connect us with the other renewable energy sources: wind, solar, and biomass. If we work together, maybe we can undo what Magma has done.
BATHMAN: And I can get back to my bubble bath. (They exit.)
CITIZENS: Without a way to heat up water, We would freeze indeed. Each source of energy plays a part, To meet our daily needs.
Scene III
(Setting: The reservoir)
NARRATOR: The city reservoir has long been known as a hot spot for secret meetings and covert operations. Today is no exception. The renewable energy leaders are soaking up the sun. And it appears they have been water skiing, too.
(Flo is splashing around in the lake as Bathman and Bobbin arrive. Ray, Gale, and Peat are sunning nearby.)
FLO: Water, water everywhere...
BATHMAN: (Bathman and Bobbin enter.) But none of it is hot.
FLO: So you know about Magma’s plot to control our city’s hot water? I’d love to splash his evil plan right down the drain.
BOBBIN: Since Magma cut off our fossil fuel and nonrenewable supplies, we need to find renewable sources of energy that can make hot water.
FLO: Let’s see if the boss has a bright idea. You know, all renewables get their energy from the sun. Lucky for us, Ray is just over there soaking up some rays. (Flo yells across the stage to Ray.) Put down the sunblock and come over here quick! We need your help. (Ray, Gale, and Peat rush over.)
RAY: How cool. It’s Bathman and Bobbin. Great job solving the rubber duck kidnapping last week. Did you come to the reservoir to cool off?
BATHMAN: We’re facing a terrible situation, Ray. Magma ruined my tub time. His latest scheme shut down our city’s fossil fuels and we’re left without any way to heat our water.
BOBBIN: We’re hoping you can help.
RAY: Of course we’ll help. Geothermal energy is just one way to heat water. My solar energy can make hot water using a solar water heater. In fact, Bathman, you really ought to install one on your house.
BATHMAN: How does it work?
RAY: A solar collector is mounted on the roof of your house. It collects sunlight and converts it to heat. When the collector becomes hot enough, heat transfer fluid is pumped through the collector. The heated fluid goes to a storage tank where it heats water. And snap, you have hot water for you shower, directly from the sun.
BATHMAN: That’s great when the sun is out, but how can we make hot water when it’s cloudy outside?
GALE: My wind energy can help out, too. Wind is produced when the sun heats the surface of the Earth unevenly. For example, land heats up faster than water. Warm air over land expands and rises, and heavier, cooler air over water rushes in to take its place. The moving air is wind.
BOBBIN: How does wind make hot water?
GALE: We need a machine called a wind turbine to generate electricity. Then we can use the electricity produced to power water heaters that heat our water. The more turbines we build, the more electricity we can generate. A lot of wind turbines working together to produce electricity is called a wind farm.
BATHMAN: Using the wind to make electricity sounds like a good idea, but you rely on the sun to make the wind. How will we make hot water all day and all night?
GALE: That’s a good point, Bathman. Wind turbines depend on the availability of the wind, as well as the speed of the wind. So, wind turbines can’t operate all the time. But, over the course of a year, modern wind turbines generate electricity over 90% of the time.
BOBBIN: We need a more constant supply of electricity.
RAY: You know demand for electricity is not steady; it goes up and down. People use more electricity during the day when they’re awake and less at night when they’re asleep. We use more electricity when the weather is very hot or very cold.
BOBBIN: (Looks pointedly at Bathman.) And when you take a lot of bubble baths.
RAY: Electric utility companies have to produce electricity to meet these changing demands. Baseload power is the electricity that utilities have to generate all the time. Baseload power has to be cheap and reliable.
FLO: I can help with that. My hydropower is the cheapest way to generate electricity, and it is very energy efficient, too. I’m about 90 percent efficient at converting the kinetic energy of moving water into electricity. And hydropower is reliable, because my fuel supply, flowing water, is always available. Although, if our city is facing a drought, I can’t produce as much electricity.
BATHMAN: What other options do we have?
PEAT: Don’t forget about me! I can heat water, too. I have the sun’s energy stored in all parts of me—from the wood in trees to paper and other organic waste in our garbage.
BATHMAN: How can we use your energy?
PEAT: My fires were probably man’s first energy source. Today, much of the energy I provide comes from burning wood, garbage, and sawdust. My fires can heat hot water.
BOBBIN: But like coal, oil, and natural gas, don’t you pollute the air?
PEAT: Yes, but there are ways of turning biomass into liquids and gases that burn much cleaner. Through fermentation, corn can be made into ethanol, a gasoline additive. As organic material decays at the city landfill, it produces methane. This gas is collected and used as an energy source. Burning garbage in a wasteto-energy plant makes steam that can generate electricity. As long as we have biomass around, I can help provide hot water.
BATHMAN: It sounds good, but we can’t sit around waiting for trees to grow. I need hot water now!
BOBBIN: All of the renewable sources of energy have something to offer when it comes to generating electricity and making hot water. But none of them is a stand-alone solution to our hot water dilemma.
FLO: Magma can be pretty hot under the collar, but maybe he’d be willing to work with us to be part of the solution.
RAY: Let’s try to convince him to change his mind. It’s time to pay a visit to the Hot Rock Spa. (They all exit.)
CITIZENS: Without a way to heat up water, We would freeze indeed. Each source of energy plays a part, To meet our daily needs.
Scene IV
(Setting: Hot Rock Spa)
NARRATOR: So Bathman and his trusty side kick Bobbin ventured out in search of Magma at the Hot Rock Spa. The renewable energy leaders went along to support the water obsessed superheroes. Bathman and Bobbin have learned a lot about renewable sources of energy. Hopefully, their new knowledge will be enough to save us.
(Magma is relaxing in his Hot Rock Spa. Bathman, Bobbin, Ray, Flo, Gale, and Peat enter.)
MAGMA: It’s the washed up duo of Bathman and Bobbin. Here to enjoy a steam bath?
FLO: We’re here too, Magma. It is time for you to stop giving renewables a bad name.
MAGMA: I’m doing it for all of us. We renewables have been second-class energy sources for too long. Today, we provide about 8.5 percent of U.S. energy. Twenty years from now, we could provide much more of the nation’s energy needs. We must fight the powerful fossil fuels.
BATHMAN: But, the fossil fuels are not the enemy. We need them, too.
MAGMA: What do you mean? I’ve got all the heat I need for my steam baths and soaking pools.
RAY: True, but where are your customers? (Magma looks around puzzled.)
PEAT: They’re staying home because there’s no gasoline for their cars.
GALE: And they’re home because there’s no electricity or natural gas to wash and dry their clothes.
FLO: And they are probably huddled together for warmth because there’s no heat for their homes.
RAY: You hurt everyone, including yourself, by shutting down the nonrenewables.
BATHMAN: Don’t you see, Magma, we all must work together—the nonrenewables and the renewables—for abundant energy.
MAGMA: What do you mean, work together?
PEAT: Converting my biomass into ethanol can provide transportation power, so I can work with gasoline.
FLO: I can help natural gas, coal, and uranium make electricity using my hydropower.
GALE: And using my wind energy, too.
RAY: With my ability to make heat and electricity, I can help all the fossil fuels warm our homes and power industry.
BOBBIN: Magma, a geothermal power plant is an excellent source of baseload power. You’ll be able to produce cheap electricity and sell it to utilities all of the time. I can see it now, the Hot Rock Spa and Geothermal Power Plant.
BATHMAN: Unless we all work together, we all lose.
MAGMA: But if I release the nonrenewables, who will make them work with us so that we can all benefit from safe, clean, renewable energy sources?
RAY: They need us, too. And, we play soccer together on Saturdays, so I should be able to convince them.
BOBBIN: Well, Bathman. It looks like this one is all cleaned up. Good work!
Bathman
MAGMA: And with the nonrenewables back on line, there is no excuse for you to not take a bath! (They all hold their noses and slowly drift away from Bathman.)
CITIZENS: Without a way to heat up water, We would freeze indeed. Each source of energy plays a part, To meet our daily needs.
NARRATOR: Our sizzling superheroes did it again, saving our citizens from chilly showers and icy baths. And life as we know it returned to normal. Until Bathman’s tub overflowed and his rubber ducky floated away. But we’ll save that story for another day.
The Jetsons: Trouble in the Sea of Tranquility Teacher Guide
Cast of Characters
Cosmo Spacely: President of Spacely Entertainment, Inc.
RoboBoss: Mr. Spacely’s executive management android
George Jetson: An employee of Mr. Spacely
Jane Jetson: His wife
Judy Jetson: Their daughter
Elroy Jetson: Their son
Tour Guide: An employee at Luna Spacely
Environmentalist: An employee at Luna Spacely
Tourists/Employees: Class or cast
Concepts
Energy use in the future may be different than energy use today.
Using nonrenewable energy sources wisely can increase the amount of time they are able to be used.
Different energy sources are best suited for different locations and uses.
A Vocabulary
bellowed
emulate
erratic
ionosphere
R Assessment
manufacturing
photovoltaics
sabotage
traitor tranquility waste-to-energy
1. What is the real reason behind Luna Spacely needing to refund ticket prices? (Employees are calling in sick so rides are unable to operate. The employees want to make Mr. Spacely aware of their unhappiness with his policy on dumping garbage in craters.)
2. List three different energy sources from the play and describe how they are used. (Solar is used to heat water and generate electricity, biomass, or waste-to-energy, is used to make electricity, lunathermal energy is used to generate heat, fossil fuels are used to make products, for transportation and generating electricity, hydropower is used to generate electricity.)
3. Draw a picture of the amusement park. Use details from the story to make it accurate.
4. Make a diagram comparing the Jetson’s world to ours. How have things changed? What things are still the same? (Changed: fusion energy being used on Earth, trips to the moon are commonplace, fossil fuels used only for manufacturing. Same: waste disposal is an issue, amusement parks are family vacation destinations, photovoltaics are used to generate electricity, brothers and sisters pick on each other.)
Extensions
Write another scene for the play where the Jetson’s house is shown with the sources of energy they use there.
Write a story about Judy or Elroy time traveling to visit you. What things would you show them?
There are several examples of alliteration in the play. Find at least two; then use the vocabulary words in sentences that use alliteration.
Explain how Martin Luther King, Jr. would have reacted to the situation at Luna Spacely. What might he have suggested the employees do?
The Jetsons: Trouble in the Sea of Tranquility
Characters
COSMO SPACELY: President of Spacely Entertainment, Inc.
ROBOBOSS: Mr. Spacely’s executive management android
GEORGE JETSON: An employee of Mr. Spacely
JANE JETSON: His wife
JUDY JETSON: Their daughter
ELROY JETSON: Their son
TOUR GUIDE: An employee at Luna Spacely
ENVIRONMENTALIST: An employee at Luna Spacely
TOURISTS/EMPLOYEES: Class or cast
Scene I
(Setting: The Spacely Entertainment, Inc. office headquarters.)
SPACELY: I have just been informed we are not making a profit at Luna Spacely Amusement Park. What is going on?
ROBOBOSS: We have had to refund ticket prices because some of the rides are unable to operate.
SPACELY: It must be sabotage! I need to find out who is at the bottom of this. (Yells) Jetson!!
(George enters the office.)
GEORGE: You bellowed, Mr. Spacely?
SPACELY: (Jumping with fright) Jetson, don’t ever sneak up on me like that. Now what do you want?
GEORGE: You called for me, sir.
SPACELY: I did? What did I want you for? RoboBoss, why did I want Jetson?
ROBOBOSS: We were discussing the sabotage at Luna Spacely, sir.
SPACELY: Right. But why did I want Jetson?
ROBOBOSS: Perhaps you wanted to send one of your most loyal and competent employees to Luna Spacely to investigate the unrest, sir.
SPACELY: Right. But what did I want Jetson for?
ROBOBOSS: To send to Luna Spacely, sir.
The Jetsons: Trouble in the Sea of Tranquility
SPACELY: Let’s not debate the issue. (To George) Jetson, since all the competent employees are on vacation right now, and at least you are loyal, I want you to go up to Luna Spacely immediately and find out who is sabotaging my park. RoboBoss will fill you in.
GEORGE: Yes, sir, Mr. Spacely. Right away, Mr. Spacely. You can count on me, sir. I’ll round up those saboteurs.
SPACELY: Why don’t you take the whole family with you to Luna Spacely on this assignment? Make it a family affair.
ROBOBOSS: That’s an excellent idea, sir. Traveling with the family will provide a good cover. (To Jetson) You can use the new MTV Astrocar for the trip.
SPACELY: A car that can tune into Music Television?
ROBOBOSS: No, it’s a Megahertz Teleportation Vehicle. It tunes in energy waves broadcast from today’s modern, efficient fusion power stations.
GEORGE: Great! I’ll go pack.
(All exit.)
Scene II
(Setting: The Jetsons are in their Astrocar en route to Luna Spacely located near the Sea of Tranquility on the moon. Judy and Elroy are in the back seat.)
JUDY: Elroy’s looking at me. Make him stop.
ELROY: Am not. You’re looking at me.
GEORGE: If I have to slow down to sub-orbital speed, you two won’t be allowed to go to Space and Buster’s Atom Smasher tonight. Just settle down.
JUDY: Are we there yet? I’m hungry.
ELROY: Are we there yet? I need to go to the bathroom!
JANE: It won’t be long now. You know there aren’t any rest stops in the ionosphere. Just relax and watch for the Interluna Spaceway signs.
(Signs are held up one at a time: Speed Limit 23,000 MPH - Strictly Enforced, Slow - Black Holes Ahead, CautionFlying Asteroids, Yield to Unmanned Satellites, No Passing Through Meteor Showers, Turn on Laser Beams in Time Tunnels, Last Chance to Get Your Photovoltaics Ahead)
ELROY: I’m seeing photovoltaics everywhere. Why doesn’t the moon have fusion energy like Earth?
GEORGE: With the moon’s airless surface, solar power is very efficient. All the sunlight can reach the surface, without being deflected by the atmosphere like it is on Earth.
The Jetsons: Trouble in the Sea of Tranquility
ELROY: But what about when the sunlight is not reaching the moon as it rotates? What do they do for energy then?
GEORGE: Well, right now people in moon colonies just have to do without and remain in the dark during those times. However, there are plans to sink shafts deep into the moon’s core to look for lunathermal energy. If it can be used, Luna Spacely can stay open all day and all night. Right now, they are only open when the sun is shining on the moon’s surface.
JANE: We need to be careful and keep an eye on the sun’s position so we can leave before it sets. It’s very cold, you know, without heat from the sun, and we didn’t bring warm coats.
JUDY: Geothermal and solar energy were once used on Earth, weren’t they?
GEORGE: Oh, yes, Judy. All the renewable energy sources—solar, geothermal, wind, hydropower, and biomass—were widely used over the last 100 years to bridge the energy gap between the fossil fuels and today’s fusion power.
ELROY: We must be almost there. I can see lunar craters from here. Wait, it looks like that crater is filled with garbage. That can’t be right!
GEORGE: Oh, you’re right, Elroy. Those are Spacely Enterprise’s garbage dumps. Studies have shown that there are enough craters on the moon to hold 1,000 years’ worth of trash.
JUDY: But, it looks awful. We’ve had laws about garbage for years on Earth. Why are they allowed to use landfill craters here?
GEORGE: We’ll have to ask my boss, Mr. Spacely. He owns the property.
JANE: We’re about to land. Fasten your seat belts. Luna Spacely, here we come.
(They land, get out of their Astrocar, and stretch.)
ELROY: Can we eat now? I’m starved.
JUDY: Can we please go to the Photosynthesis Food Court? It’s my favorite place.
(Setting: The loading platform for the Yesterday in Energy Time Travel Tram Ride. Tour guide enters with a group of tourists.)
TOUR GUIDE: Well, folks, I hope you enjoyed your visit to the windmills from 17th century Holland all the way to wind farms in 21st century California.
TOURISTS: It was very informative, if a bit long-winded.
The Jetsons: Trouble in the Sea of Tranquility
TOUR GUIDE: To continue your whirlwind tour, follow me to the wind simulator. In here, we replicate the conditions on Earth to show how wind is produced—right down to the uneven heating of the Earth’s surface. Please walk this way.
(Tour guide walks in a funny way—swinging arms like a windmill—and all the tourists walk the same way as they exit. The Jetsons enter.)
GEORGE: Boy, that sure was a great buffet. I really liked the AgriWaste Salad. The fruit pits, corncobs, and rice hulls really hit the spot.
JANE: Well, what do you all want to see first?
ELROY: I want to go to the Crater Critter Corral Petting Zoo.
JUDY: I want to go to the Meteor Merchandise Mall.
JANE: Well, why don’t we ride the Yesterday in Energy Time Travel Tram first, since we’re right here?
GEORGE: That’s a good idea. And keep your eyes peeled for strange behavior by the employees. I’m here to work, remember.
(The Tour Guide and some Tourists return.)
TOUR GUIDE: All Aboard! (Tourists, Judy, Elroy, and Jane get on tram. George is still looking offstage.) Come on, Jetson, if you want to ride. The Tram is leaving. (George hurries on.)
GEORGE: I wonder how the tour guide knew my name.
TOUR GUIDE: Welcome to the Yesterday in Energy Time Travel Tram Ride. This trip will take you back to 2025 in the U.S.A. Here we go! (Lights, confetti, or other special effects.)
TOURISTS: This is so fascinating. (Begin coughing and rubbing eyes.)
ELROY: (Coughing and rubbing his eyes.) Hey, my eyes are burning and my throat feels raw. What is this?
TOUR GUIDE: We’re traveling through a traffic jam in the city. That smell and smog come from the combustion of fossil fuels—the main source of energy at the time.
JUDY: Fossil fuels—they used to burn them? Gross! We use them to make lots of different products now.
JANE: Fossil fuels were an important feedstock used to make products back then too, like plastic, chemicals, and nylon.
GEORGE: Fossil fuels were an important source of energy for transportation, too. Back then cars and trucks stayed on the ground. Most people drove gasoline-powered cars. Diesel-powered trucks moved goods around the country.
JANE: Back then, fossil fuels were the main source of energy used to generate electricity.
The Jetsons: Trouble in the Sea of Tranquility
TOURISTS: Those fossil fuels sure were useful.
JUDY: (Coughing and rubbing her eyes) But what about the environment?
TOUR GUIDE: Burning fossil fuels releases air pollutants into the environment, and carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere.
ELROY: I’m glad we stopped burning fossil fuels since they’re a nonrenewable resource.
GEORGE: Now we have resources left to manufacture all the products we can’t live without, like my new selfflying car.
JANE: I’m glad we’re using so many renewable sources of energy these days.
ELROY: I’m getting hot and thirsty. Can you take us to Niagara Nozzle?
TOUR GUIDE: I sure can. You can see what rivers looked like in 2025 when they were dammed to provide hydropower. Hydroelectric power plants produced about six percent of the electricity in the U.S. at that time, depending on the amount of rainfall.
JUDY: I want to go on the Penstock Flume Ride that connects the storage pool with the lower reservoir.
JANE: Be careful, dear. It looks dangerous.
TOUR GUIDE: I’m sorry; it’s not in service today.
ELROY: Can I go surfing in the Tidal Wave Pool that’s powered by the tidal energy of the moon?
TOUR GUIDE: It’s out of order, too.
TOURISTS: Why, is the water too cold?
TOUR GUIDE: No, the water is always warm, thanks to the abundant solar energy here on the moon. The employees who operate these rides called in sick today. It’s happening all over Luna Spacely, Mr. Jetson.
GEORGE: What’s making the employees sick? Is there a lunar virus going around? And how do you know my name?
TOUR GUIDE: Rumors travel faster than the speed of light up here, sir. We heard Mr. Spacely was sending somebody up here to investigate. We need your help, sir.
GEORGE: Help with what? I don’t engage in sabotage!
TOUR GUIDE: Neither do we, Mr. Jetson. We think this is the greatest amusement park in the solar system.
GEORGE: Then why are the employees not working?
TOUR GUIDE: Because Mr. Spacely is using the moon’s craters as garbage dumps, even though we’ve asked him several times to stop.
The Jetsons: Trouble in the Sea of Tranquility
(Environmentalist and several Employees enter, carrying protest signs: Clean Up the Craters/Recycle Now/Burn that Biomass/No More Dirty Dumping.)
EMPLOYEES: (Chanting) Spacely makes us sick! Spacely makes us sick!
ENVIRONMENTALIST: Mr. Jetson, I’m an environmentalist who cares about the moon. I have a petition signed by all the employees of Luna Spacely asking Mr. Spacely to stop dumping the garbage from the park in the moon craters. We want him to set up a program to recycle as much trash as possible and build a wasteto-energy plant to make electricity with the materials that can’t be recycled.
JANE: George, you shouldn’t be dumping garbage. Convince Mr. Spacely that recycling and making renewable energy from trash is just good business.
ELROY: The waste-to-energy plant can provide heat and electricity for the times when the surface of the moon is not in sunlight. Then Luna Spacely can stay open all the time!
GEORGE: Good idea, Elroy. I’ll talk to Mr. Spacely right away.
ENVIRONMENTALIST: Get him to sign this conservation contract. (Hands George a piece of paper.) Then we’ll all go back to work.
GEORGE: Thanks, Employees.
ENVIRONMENTALIST: It’ll be so nice to have the Sea of Tranquility back to being tranquil again. Thank you, Mr. Jetson.
(Everyone slowly exits.)
JUDY: Now let’s ride the Flywheel Ferris Wheel.
ELROY: No, the Renewable Diesel Rollercoaster.
GEORGE: Let’s race down the Solar System Slide.
JANE: What about the Biomass Blaster Bumper Cars?
Sparkle White and the Seven Dwarfuels Teacher Guide
Concepts
Using renewable energy sources provides energy and promotes a clean environment.
Renewable sources of energy include hydropower, biomass, solar, wind, and geothermal.
Of all the renewable sources, biomass provides the most energy in the U.S.
Of all the renewable sources, wind energy generates the most electricity in the U.S.
Ethanol, biodiesel, and renewable diesel are clean burning transportation fuels made from biomass materials.
A Vocabulary
alternative
biomass
dungeon
energy policy
ethanol
R Assessment
flexible fuel vehicle
photovoltaic cell
pollution
radiant energy
realm
reservoir
ridiculous royal soot
waste-to-energy plant
1. List the five renewable energy sources. (Biomass, geothermal, hydropower, solar, wind.)
2. Describe the problems in Purestan and how the energy advisors solved them. (Sparkle White’s clothes are dirty and there is air pollution because citizens are burning wood. Solved by using solar collectors on the roofs and opening blinds on sunny days, using geothermal energy, and using renewable sources of electricity. The King needs a renewable transportation fuel, solved by making ethanol, biodiesel, and renewable diesel from biomass. Sparkle White needs electricity to charge her electric vehicle, solved by generating electricity at a waste-to-energy plant, burning landfill gas or biogas, using solar photovoltaics, hydropower, geothermal, and wind.)
3. If you were to use one renewable energy source in your house, which would you choose and why? (Answers will vary.)
Extensions
Design a house that utilizes as many renewable resources as possible. Write a paragraph describing your house and how each energy source is used.
Research which energy sources are used by your city or town for generating electricity, heating homes, and operating personal and mass transportation vehicles. Devise a plan for incorporating more renewable resources into the mix. Write a letter to your City Council outlining your plan and encouraging the use of renewable resources.
C ast of Characters
Narrator: Introduces and closes the story
King: Ruler of Purestan
Drop: Advisor for Hydropower
Sparkle White: Princess of Purestan
Citizens: Class or cast
Sunny: Advisor for Solar
Breezy: Advisor for Wind
Steamy: Advisor for Geothermal
Woody: Advisor for Biomass
Wasteful: Advisor for Biomass
Corny: Advisor for Biomass
Sparkle White and the Seven Dwarfuels
Characters
NARRATOR: Introduces and closes the story
KING: Ruler of Purestan
DROP: Advisor for Hydropower
SPARKLE WHITE: Princess of Purestan
CITIZENS: Class or cast
SUNNY: Advisor for Solar
BREEZY: Advisor for Wind
STEAMY: Advisor for Geothermal
WOODY: Advisor for Biomass
WASTEFUL: Advisor for Biomass
CORNY: Advisor for Biomass
(Setting: The King of Purestan’s castle. The King is pacing around the room, very upset.)
NARRATOR: Once upon a time, Purestan was the cleanest and healthiest kingdom in the realm. It was ruled by a wise king who always sought the advice of his renewable energy advisors—the Seven Dwarfuels. They knew the value of using clean, renewable energy to provide the citizens of Purestan with the energy they needed. The King was so proud of his clean energy policy that he named his daughter Sparkle White.
(Sparkle White skips in, wearing a grey outfit)
SPARKLE WHITE: Father, would you like to go fishing with me down at the reservoir?
KING: (Holds up a stack of papers.) I wish I could Sparkle White, but I’m buried in paperwork. I’m trying to figure out why the dry-cleaning bills are so high. Oh my, why are your clothes such a mess?
SPARKLE WHITE: I went for a walk through the village. When I sat on a bench to read, my outfit got dirty. There’s soot and ash everywhere. It’s impossible to keep my clothes sparkling white these days.
KING: Purestan is supposed to be clean!
SPARKLE WHITE: (Coughs) And there’s so much smoke in the air it’s hard to breathe. I’m afraid we might have to fire Dwarfuel Woody.
KING: But we rely heavily on biomass throughout the realm. We consume more energy from biomass than from any other renewable source.
SPARKLE WHITE: Exactly! When the citizens are chilly, they throw extra logs onto the fire to heat their homes. They cook their meals on wood-burning stoves, and heat water over the fire, too. At night, they use light from the fires to see. The citizens of Purestan are burning a lot of wood to meet all their energy needs at home.
Sparkle White and the Seven Dwarfuels
KING: I had no idea Woody was causing such a big problem for the kingdom. Let’s gather the other advisors and see what they think.
SPARKLE WHITE: (Shouting) Drop! Sunny! Breezy! Steamy! Come quick. We need your help.
(Drop, Sunny, Breezy, and Steamy enter)
SUNNY: What’s up?
KING: I think I may need to fire Dwarfuel Woody.
DROP: Fire Woody! Sire, if you fire Woody, who will heat all the homes in the kingdom?
SPARKLE WHITE: Burning wood is causing air pollution in the village.
SUNNY: I thought we got rid of air pollution when we ran Ole King Coal out of town.
BREEZY: In the end, that fossil fuel was nonrenewable and couldn’t be king.
KING: Advisors, we need an alternative way to heat homes and water in the kingdom. Who can take the heat of this assignment?
CITIZENS: Wind and solar quite a pair, biomass is everywhere. Hydropower hits the spot, geothermal’s looking hot. Clean, renewable energy, it is good for you and me.
SUNNY: Your Majesty, if you open the blinds and let the sunshine in during the day, I can help with space heating. Installing solar collectors on south-facing roofs will heat water, too. I provide radiant energy during the day, but I don’t work at night.
STEAMY: Your Majesssty, I can asissst, too. I have enough hot water and sssteam ssstored underground to heat all the homesss in Puressstan. It’sss called geothermal energy.
KING: Wonderful! You’ll work together to heat homes and provide hot water without burning wood. We’ll all breathe easier and I’ll no longer have a ridiculous dry cleaning bill.
SPARKLE WHITE: While we’re gathered here, I do have another problem.
DROP: How can we help, Your Royal Highness?
SPARKLE WHITE: I want to get my driver’s license. It’s so embarrassing going to school in the royal carriage.
SUNNY: Sparkle White, you know cars run on petroleum and fossil fuels aren’t used in Purestan.
KING: What we need is a renewable transportation fuel. Who can provide it?
(Drop, Breezy, Steamy, and Sunny look around the room and pose like they are thinking hard)
DROP: Your Majesty, I can float a boat down the river.
Sparkle White and the Seven Dwarfuels
BREEZY: Your Majesty, I can push a hot air balloon across the kingdom.
STEAMY: Your Majesssty, my hot water ssssupply can wasssssh the royal carriage until it gleamsss.
SPARKLE WHITE: Not helping! Sunny, what about your photovoltaic cells?
SUNNY: I’m afraid there are no solar-powered cars for sale, Your Highness.
SPARKLE WHITE: I’m going to find Woody, Corny, and Wasteful. Since this kingdom relies heavily on biomass for energy, surely, they can help.
(Sparkle White rushes offstage to search for them.)
BREEZY: Wow. First, Woody is the problem. Now, Woody is the solution.
(Sparkle White hurries in with Woody, Corny, and Wasteful.)
KING: Ahh, Woody. You are my oldest energy advisor. You have made it possible for Purestan to heat its homes with wood for centuries, but now it’s time...
WOODY: To modernize! Usually, we burn wood and use its energy for heat and light, but there are many other ways to use biomass energy.
CORNY: I’m so excited, I’m about to pop!
WASTEFUL: Your Majesty, we can make renewable transportation fuels from biomass.
CORNY: Ethanol is a renewable fuel made from corn and other plant materials. Flexible fuel vehicles can use E85 for fuel.
WASTEFUL: Biodiesel is a renewable fuel made from vegetable oils, animal fats, or recycled restaurant grease. Diesel vehicles can use biodiesel for fuel.
WOODY: Renewable diesel is made from fats or soybean oil. All diesel vehicles can use renewable diesel as fuel.
STEAMY: Biomasss offersss many optionsss.
BREEZY: Your Majesty! We should upgrade the royal carriage. We need a vehicle with a little more horsepower.
KING: Splendid idea! Let’s get a royal blue pickup truck. And you know, I’ve always wanted a speedy little red convertible for myself.
DROP: We’ll shop ‘til we drop!
SPARKLE WHITE: Well, I have my heart set on an efficient electric vehicle. White, of course.
WOODY: Then you’ll need electricity to charge the car’s batteries, Your Highness.
CORNY: But we ran Ole King Coal out of town years ago.
Sparkle White and the Seven Dwarfuels
CITIZENS: Wind and solar quite a pair, biomass is everywhere.
Hydropower hits the spot, geothermal’s looking hot.
Clean, renewable energy, it is good for you and me.
WASTEFUL: Not to worry, Your Majesty! We can burn biomass and generate electricity at my waste-to-energy power plant. Even though burning biomass makes some ash, it can be contained at the power plant and not released into the air, keeping the environment clean.
CORNY: Biomass to the rescue again!
WASTEFUL: We can also generate electricity by burning landfill gas collected from the landfill and biogas collected from the sewage treatment plant.
DROP: Your Majesty, my hydroelectric dams provide baseload power 24 hours a day. I’m very reliable.
STEAMY: Your Majesssty, my underground sssteam can ssspin a turbine and make electricity, too. I’m hot ssstuff.
SUNNY: Your Majesty, my PV panels make electricity, too, as long as it’s sunny out.
BREEZY: Your Majesty, my wind turbines make more electricity for the kingdom than any other Dwarfuel. (Shouts) I’m king of the renewables!
DROP: (Speaks directly to Breezy) Soon to be king of the dungeon!
KING: Purestan is rich with renewable resources able to generate electricity for the kingdom.
SPARKLE WHITE: Now citizens have electricity to light their homes at night, to cook and clean using electrical appliances, and to charge their electric vehicles and cell phones, too.
WOODY: We’ll only need to light a fire to roast marshmallows.
SPARKLE WHITE: The renewables make a good team—heating homes, powering vehicles, and generating electricity!
KING: Thank you, Dwarfuels. It takes everyone’s help to meet our kingdom’s energy needs.
CITIZENS: Wind and solar quite a pair, biomass is everywhere.
Hydropower hits the spot, geothermal’s looking hot.
Clean, renewable energy, it is good for you and me.
NARRATOR: The Seven Dwarfuels saved the day, finding good solutions to Purestan’s energy problems. The kingdom was clean and healthy again, Sparkle White could read on any bench in the village, and not surprisingly, the King got his first speeding ticket. The End.
Character
Narrator
Pecos Bill Teacher Guide
Concepts
Renewable energy sources provide cleaner energy options.
The renewable energy sources are hydropower, wind, solar, biomass, and geothermal.
A Vocabulary
corralled
lassoed
reservoir
R Assessment
switchgrass
turbine
whirled
1. List three renewable energy sources and how Pecos Bill used them. (Hydropower was used to make electricity and create a reservoir for recreation. Wind was used to spin turbine blades, which generate electricity. Solar energy was used for cooking, light, and heat. Biomass was used to make biofuels, or ethanol. Geothermal energy was used for heating.)
2. Which renewable energy source do you think was used the most in the “Old West?” Support your opinion with examples.
Extensions
Research the ways renewable energy sources were used in the West during the expansion of the United States. Which sources are used for the same purposes today? Which sources are used differently?
Write a poem about the nonrenewable energy sources and a legendary American character.
Pecos Bill
Pecos Bill is a legend of old
A greater story has never been told
Whirled his lasso over his head
Filled polluters’ hearts with dread Renewable energy – YAHOO!
Pecos’ renewable energy stand
To bring clean power to all the land
Lassoing water, wind, and sun
Harnessing energy for everyone
Renewable energy – YAHOO!
He lassoed a river and built a dam
Creating a reservoir where people swam
Moving water is hydropower
Clean electricity for every hour
Renewable energy – YAHOO!
He lassoed a twister and corralled the air
Had engineers put a turbine there
Blowing wind spins the turbine blades
An energy source that will never fade
Renewable energy – YAHOO!
The sun was next on his lassoing list
A clean power source he couldn’t resist
To use for cooking, light, and heat
Solar energy can’t be beat
Renewable energy – YAHOO!
Bill lassoed some biomass from the plains
Switchgrass, corn, and sugar cane
Turned these plants into ethanol
Biofuels help meet the call
Renewable energy – YAHOO!
He threw out his lasso one last time
Heating his ranch was on his mind
Captured the heat from under the ground
Where geothermal can be found
Renewable energy – YAHOO!
Pecos Bill, a cowboy helping the west
His whirling lasso can finally rest
Since renewable resources won’t run out
Go right ahead and give a big shout
Renewable energy – YAHOO!
Aladdin Teacher Guide
Cast of Characters
Aladdin: A poor commoner
Jasmine: Aladdin’s love and daughter of the Sultan
Earth Genies: Class or cast
Propane: Methane’s sibling, an Earth Genie
Butane: Methane’s sister, an Earth Genie
Methane: The Earth Genie of Natural Gas
Sultan: Ruler of Skuwatt and Jasmine’s father
Concepts
Natural gas is made of methane, propane, and butane.
Methane is found as a gas and must be transported by pipeline.
Propane and butane are found as gases but can be easily compressed into liquids for transportation.
A Vocabulary
abundant
brine
Btu
compressed
R Assessment
desalinate
envious
malcontent
portable
sustainable
vapor
1. Which of the gases that compose natural gas can be easily turned into liquids? (Propane and butane)
2. Which of the three ingredients in natural gas is most abundant? (Methane)
3. Where in the world do you think the country of Skuwatt would be located? Support your answer. (The country of Skuwatt is most likely located in the Middle East. A country such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, or Yemen would have similar energy resources, desert land, and salt water nearby.)
Extensions
Make a solar water desalination plant.
a. Fill a large plastic bowl with one inch of water mixed with two tablespoons of salt.
b. Place one empty glass upright into the middle of the bowl making sure it remains empty.
c. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and seal with tape. Place a small rock in the middle of the plastic wrap directly over the glass but not touching it.
d. Place the bowl in a sunny location. Record observations over the next few days.
Research how industry uses natural gas, methane, propane, and butane.
Aladdin
Characters
ALADDIN: A poor commoner
JASMINE: Aladdin’s love and daughter of the Sultan
EARTH GENIES: Class or cast
PROPANE: Methane’s sibling, an Earth Genie
BUTANE: Methane’s sister, an Earth Genie
METHANE: The Earth Genie of Natural Gas
SULTAN: Ruler of Skuwatt and Jasmine’s father
Scene I
(Setting: The country of Skuwatt [pronounced “Squat”]. Jasmine and Aladdin are walking together along a shore.)
ALADDIN: Your father will never accept me, Jasmine. He does not understand our love.
JASMINE: It has been so long since love touched his heart, he does not remember.
ALADDIN: But why has he not loved for so long?
JASMINE: He spends all his time trying to find enough water to supply his country. He says he has no time for love.
EARTH GENIES: Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink.
ALADDIN: (Pointing to the sea) Jasmine, look at all that water and yet the land of Skuwatt is a desert.
JASMINE: This land would be a paradise if we could only free the water from its salty brine.
ALADDIN: There must be a way to make the water useful to us.
JASMINE: There is, Aladdin. But it takes enormous energy to desalinate the water—energy we do not have.
ALADDIN: If only I could find an abundant energy source—surely your father would accept me then.
(Aladdin trips on a bottle buried in the sand. He picks it up and shakes it.)
JASMINE: What did you find, my love? Listen! It has a liquid inside. I hope it’s something to drink.
(Aladdin struggles to open the bottle. As the top comes off, there is a giant commotion—lights, noise, confetti, and Propane and Butane appear dressed as genies.)
Aladdin
PROPANE: (Gloriously loud and stretching) Free! Free at last after so many years bottled up as a liquid.
BUTANE: We’re no longer under pressure! I am finally free to expand to my full potential.
ALADDIN: Who are you?
JASMINE: What are you?
PROPANE: I am the fiery Gen Propane and this bright flame is my sister, Gen Butane. We are siblings of the Grand Vapor of the Earth Genies—Gen Methane.
EARTH GENIES: Ooohhh, the Grand Vapor.
JASMINE: Of course, I was taught all about Gen Methane when I was a child—the powerful Earth Genie of Natural Gas. Gen Methane and the Earth Genies of Coal and Petroleum are the Great Fossil Fuel Gens.
ALADDIN: And we were also taught about the Great Sky Genies—Oxygen and Hydrogen. It is legend how they combined their power to form the most important resource of all—water.
JASMINE: But why have we never heard of you two? You must be a family secret.
PROPANE: Probably because we have been trapped in that bottle for thousands of years.
BUTANE: Our powerful and abundant sibling, Methane, was jealous of our freedom and put a spell on us in the form of moderate pressure—that’s all it takes to turn us into liquids. Gen Methane put us in this bottle and buried us underground.
EARTH GENIES: Malcontent Methane makes up the natural gas majority.
ALADDIN: Why was Gen Methane envious of you?
PROPANE: I guess Methane wanted to be the only Gen to provide the gift of clean burning energy. My sister and I can do most of the same jobs that Methane can do.
JASMINE: What kinds of jobs?
BUTANE: Heating buildings, cooking food, heating water, and generating electricity, to name a few.
PROPANE: Not to mention we have about the same Btu content.
ALADDIN: What’s a Btu?
EARTH GENIES: A British thermal unit.
(Butane holds up cue cards that read: “Btu = British thermal unit” and “1 Btu = the energy to heat one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit, or burn one match”)
PROPANE: But the real reason Methane is so jealous is that we can go anywhere, while Methane can only go where there is a pipeline. You see, we’re portable. Put a little pressure on us and you can take us anywhere. We’re known in the family as the Bottled Gases.
Aladdin
EARTH GENIES: Pressurizing Propane makes it portable.
BUTANE: That’s right. When we’re compressed into a liquid, we take up 270 times less space than as a gas, so we can fit into a small bottle.
EARTH GENIES: Bottling Butane makes it beneficial.
JASMINE: No wonder Methane is jealous! You can go anywhere but Methane can’t. There are places where it isn’t physically possible to lay pipeline or it doesn’t make sense economically. Your portable fuel is a wish come true for wilderness areas and sparsely populated farming communities.
BUTANE: A wish come true? That’s exactly what we are—and what we’re going to do. Now we’ll give Aladdin five wishes as a thank you for releasing us from that bottle.
PROPANE: What would you like, Aladdin, riches beyond belief?
BUTANE: Your name in Arabian lights?
PROPANE: To be a star in a Disney movie?
ALADDIN: (Looks at Jasmine) No, I only wish Jasmine’s father would accept our love.
PROPANE: I can do that. (Waves arms around) One little poof and...
ALADDIN: Wait! Wait! I want the Sultan to accept us without magic.
(Jasmine nods in agreement.)
BUTANE: That’s very wise.
ALADDIN: I don’t want to make a wish for myself. I only wish that the land of Skuwatt had an abundant source of energy.
PROPANE: That’s a mighty powerful wish. Let’s see what I can do.
EARTH GENIES: POOF!
(Methane enters with the same commotion as Propane and Butane.)
METHANE: Who dared to summon the great Earth Genie of Natural Gas? Ahh, it’s my siblings, Propane and Butane. I almost didn’t recognize your tiny little flames.
PROPANE: So, you still think your Btus are better than ours, I see.
METHANE: It’s as plain as the chart in your hand.
(Propane holds up a pie chart that shows the breakdown of natural gas is 90 percent methane, five percent propane, and five percent butane and other gases.)
Aladdin
EARTH GENIES: Malcontent Methane makes up the natural gas majority. Pressurizing Propane makes it portable. Bottling Butane makes it beneficial.
METHANE: Methane wins by a landslide.
BUTANE: Actually, landslides can be hazardous to pipelines.
PROPANE: In places where it’s not possible to move methane through natural gas pipelines, we can provide energy with bottled propane and butane instead.
ALADDIN: Sounds like there’s a need for all of you out there. Why don’t you work together as one big natural gas family? You’d make a powerful team.
(The three genies put their heads together and whisper.)
JASMINE: Your family reunion warms my heart, but what about Aladdin’s wishes?
METHANE: We will give this land energy in abundance—oil and natural gas—the sources of methane, propane, and butane. I’ll go arrange it with the rest of the Earth Genies.
(Methane walks off stage.)
ALADDIN: Oh, thank you. I’ll dream of genies the rest of my life. I just wish the Sultan of Skuwatt were here to witness this day.
EARTH GENIES: POOF!
(The Sultan appears, looking around in disbelief.)
SULTAN: What am I doing here? Jasmine, why are you here with that commoner?
JASMINE: You see father, we were walking in the desert when we found these genies and Aladdin made a wish to save our country.
SULTAN: I don’t want to hear squat about genies and wishes. I’ve got to get back to work. Can someone help me find a magic carpet?
PROPANE: I can help. I’m Gen Propane, an alternative transportation fuel used in propane-powered cars and trucks. We can order you an Uber.
(Propane starts leading Sultan offstage, but suddenly, Sultan notices Butane and gives a formal bow.)
SULTAN: It’s a pleasure to meet you.
BUTANE: I am Gen Butane.
SULTAN: And I am the Sultan of Skuwatt. Welcome to the kingdom that I’ve built with the sweat of my brow using the lumber from the Arabian Forest.
Aladdin
BUTANE: You mean the Arabian Desert, don’t you?
SULTAN: Ahhh, yes… well… maybe I used a little too much wood building the kingdom.
BUTANE: Thanks to Aladdin, you now have clean-burning fuels, like natural gas, to generate electricity for your country, but it is important to care for the environment where you live, too. Would you like to go for a walk and discuss these rich resources?
(Sultan nods. Butane and Sultan move upstage.)
PROPANE: Don’t get your hopes up, Aladdin. I don’t think saving the country will melt that old man’s heart. Only love can do that.
ALADDIN: Speaking of melting—I sure wish you could make me an ice cream shake to cool off.
PROPANE: Your wish is my command.
EARTH GENIES: POOF!
(Aladdin begins to scream and shake.)
JASMINE: (Yelling) He didn’t say make him scream and shake—he said an ICE cream shake.
ALADDIN: (Still screaming and shaking.) I wish I were back to normal.
EARTH GENIES: POOF!
(Aladdin stands normally again.)
PROPANE: Back to normal. Sorry about that! Now, you’ve used up four wishes, there’s only one left.
(Butane and the Sultan return.)
BUTANE: Soon I’ll be just a genie in a bottle again, providing portable energy wherever it is needed.
SULTAN: Butane, I know you do important work, but I don’t want you to go. You are such a bright light. I think I have fallen in love with you.
BUTANE: My heart is ablaze too, Sultan.
ALADDIN: Jasmine, I have an idea. (Aladdin whispers in Jasmine’s ear, then speaks to everyone.) My last wish is for Butane to become a real person.
PROPANE: I won’t let them pressure you Gen Butane. Only you will decide your destiny.
BUTANE: Oh Propane, do I look like a compressed liquid? I’m free and I want to share my energy with the world. Aladdin, I promise to do much good for Skuwatt ruling alongside the Sultan. Thank you for making our dream come true.
Aladdin
PROPANE: As you wish. Butane shall be a real person.
EARTH GENIES: POOF!
(Butane and the Sultan high-five.)
SULTAN: And now a gift for you, Aladdin. I give you and Jasmine my blessing. (Aladdin and Jasmine high-five.)
ALADDIN: Thank you, Sultan. I wish you and Butane a warm and happy life.
BUTANE: Now we’re off to develop sustainable energy resources for Skuwatt. Maybe we can even reclaim the Arabian Forest in time.
JASMINE: And thanks to Gen Methane and our abundant supply of natural gas, Aladdin and I will set up the desalination plant to produce fresh water.
EARTH GENIES: Water, water, everywhere, and soon enough to drink!
(Sultan, Butane, Aladdin, and Jasmine link arms and happily walk offstage together. Propane hurries after them.)
PROPANE: Wait up, Aladdin! Where can I get some good barbeque?
The Simpsons: A Nuclear Outing Teacher Guide
Concepts
A nuclear power plant operates using uranium for fuel.
Uranium 235 atoms are split to release energy as heat in the reactor to boil water. This creates steam to drive a turbine generator to make electricity.
Spent (used) fuel rods are radioactive and must be stored in sealed containers to keep people and the environment safe.
A Vocabulary
blubbering
containment barriers
generator
megawatt
R Assessment
1. What fuel source do nuclear power plants use to generate electricity? (Uranium 235.)
2. List one advantage and one disadvantage to using nuclear energy to generate electricity. (Advantages: does not pollute the air, generates a lot of electricity with a small amount of fuel. Disadvantages: nonrenewable resource, creates radioactive wastes.)
3. Explain how nuclear power plants generate electricity. Draw a diagram to help explain your answer. (Uranium 235 atoms are split and release heat in a reactor. The heat is used to boil water into steam. The high-pressure steam spins a turbine generator to make electricity.)
Extensions
Use a map of the United States to mark where nuclear power plants are located.
Use a world map to mark where nuclear power plants are located.
Do research to answer the following questions:
a. What natural physical feature does a nuclear plant need in order to be sited in a particular area?
b. How does the United States compare to other countries in the world in nuclear power use?
c. Where is the next nuclear power plant or reactor proposed to be built?
d. Where is uranium found? How is it extracted? How much energy goes into this process?
e. List some of the safety features a nuclear power plant must have in place. Who regulates the nuclear power industry and makes sure our plants are operating as safely as possible?
f. What are some careers in the nuclear energy industry?
Engage in a class debate about where radioactive wastes should be stored. Be sure to discuss the attitude of NIMBY—not in my backyard.
Cast of Characters
Mr. Burns: Homer’s boss, owner of the nuclear power plant
Lisa Simpson: The daughter
Homer Simpson: The father
Bart Simpson: The son
Marge Simpson: The mother
Control Operator #1: An employee at the nuclear power plant
Control Operator #2: An employee at the nuclear power plant
Neutrons: Class or cast
The Simpsons: A Nuclear Outing
Characters
MR. BURNS: Homer’s boss, owner of the nuclear power plant
LISA SIMPSON: The daughter
HOMER SIMPSON: The father
BART SIMPSON: The son
MARGE SIMPSON: The mother
CONTROL OPERATOR #1: An employee at the nuclear power plant
CONTROL OPERATOR #2: An employee at the nuclear power plant
NEUTRONS: Class or cast
SCENE I
(Setting: The Simpsons’ home. Pounding on the door and Mr. Burns yelling offstage.)
MR. BURNS: Simpson! Where are you? Simpson!!!
(Lisa crosses the stage to the door and opens it and Mr. Burns’ hat blows off.)
LISA: Your hat, sir? (handing him his hat)
MR. BURNS: Of course it’s my hat! Where is your father? Simpson!
HOMER: Yes, sir, Mr. Burns, come in, come in, please come in!
MR. BURNS: I am in, you idiot! Now, stop blubbering and listen to me. I’ve been asked to go to Washington, D.C. to testify about using nuclear power and I must leave right away!
HOMER: So what does that have to do with me?
MR. BURNS: I asked you for a report, you idiot! Where is it?
HOMER: It was right here a minute ago…Bart!
BART: Hey, man. What’s up?
HOMER: You used my report to put under the dog food bowl!
BART: Sorry. You said that I needed to clean…
HOMER: Never mind…here you go, Mr. Burns. As you can see, although our nuclear power plant doesn’t use fossil fuels that pollute the air and release carbon dioxide when burned, we do use a nonrenewable fuel called uranium.
The Simpsons: A Nuclear Outing
MR. BURNS: So, Simpson, what does that mean?
HOMER: It means that it doesn’t replenish itself as we use it. But the good news is that we have an 80-100 year supply of uranium at least. Advanced mining and reactor technology could make the uranium supply last thousands of years!
MR. BURNS: Sounds good to me! Thanks, Simpson. Now all I need to do is find someone to manage the plant while I’m away.
MARGE: Mr. Burns, nuclear power is in Homer’s blood. Did you know that he was born in Shippingport, Pennsylvania? The world’s first nuclear power plant began generating electricity there in 1957! He’d be the perfect boss while you are gone!
MR. BURNS: Is that right? Well, we will see!
HOMER: Yes, sir! It would be a piece of cake!
MR. BURNS: No, thanks, I’m not hungry.
LISA: Mr. Burns, what do they do with all the used nuclear fuel that is produced at the plant?
MR. BURNS: We call that used fuel spent fuel. It’s stored at the plant right now… I think.
HOMER: Yes, Sir, Mr. Burns. Spent fuel is cooled by submerging it in a pool of water for several years. Then it is moved to a special air-conditioned above-ground storage container at the power plant. But, we can’t store all our spent nuclear fuel at the power plant forever! The final step of the nuclear fuel cycle is moving spent fuel to a permanent underground storage facility, but currently, the U.S. doesn’t have one.
LISA: Mr. Burns, while you are in Washington, maybe you can find out what the plan is for a national underground repository for nuclear waste.
MR. BURNS: Oh, that’s right, I’m on my way to Washington. Goodbye, Simpsons.
MARGE: Mr. Burns, aren’t you forgetting something?
MR. BURNS: Well, I guess I’ll take that piece of cake now…
MARGE: No, Mr. Burns. Who is going to run the plant while you’re gone?
MR. BURNS: Well, I’d planned to leave the plant in good hands while I was gone, but I’m running late. I guess I’ll have to leave you in charge, Simpson.
HOMER: You have nothing to worry about, Mr. Burns. That plant is like my second home.
MR. BURNS: (Looking at the audience) That’s what I’m afraid of. There are 92 nuclear reactors in this country producing electricity, and Homer Simpson has to work at mine!
The Simpsons: A Nuclear Outing
BART: Hey, the back-up safety systems and containment barriers will handle most disasters Homer might cause. (Mr. Burns exits.) I hope!
HOMER: I told you, don’t call me Homer! Call me Boss! Tomorrow, you’re all in for a big treat. I’m taking you to the nuclear power plant to see how it works.
NEUTRONS: We split the atoms to use nuclear energy. They are radioactive so we must store them carefully.
Scene II
(Setting: Springfield Nuclear Power Plant Control Room. Two control operators are at their stations.)
OPERATOR 1: Water level? Steam pressure? Neutron flux?
OPERATOR 2: OK…Nominal….Normal.
OPERATOR 1: How about that? So far, so good. How come everything’s workin’ right?
OPERATOR 2: It must be Homer’s day off.
(The Simpsons enter.)
LISA: (To Marge) Is this where Dad makes electricity?
MARGE: That’s right, honey. He splits uranium 235 atoms into lighter atoms. This releases heat in the reactor.
BART: Homer really cracks me up, too.
LISA: Be quiet, marshmallow-head. This is interesting! (To Marge) What do they do with the heat?
MARGE: Let’s ask one of the operators. (Looks to Operator 1) What happens to the heat produced during atomic fission?
NUCLEAR OPERATOR 1: It’s used to heat water. The water turns into high-pressure steam that drives a turbine generator. The generator makes electricity.
LISA: Hmm…splitting atoms to make heat, to boil water, to make steam, to turn turbines, to make electricity…
BART: …and the green grass grew all around…
LISA: You are such a knucklehead.
OPERATOR 2: Nuclear energy provides constant, reliable, carbon-free power. Nuclear generators supply about 18 percent of the electricity we use in America.
LISA: The United States produces more electricity from nuclear power than any other country in the world.
The Simpsons: A Nuclear Outing
MARGE: That’s right, dear. How did you know that?
LISA: Dad told me.
MARGE: See, that’s why they made your father the boss for today.
HOMER: (Wakes up from having fallen asleep at his station.) Huh, boss? Is Mr. Burns back? What day is it?
BART: Yeah, because he is about thirty-five percent efficient—just like power plants.
HOMER: Well, I hope you enjoyed this little field trip. Not every family gets the opportunity to see a nuclear reactor producing one gigawatt (GW) of electricity.
LISA: Yes, we learned a lot.
MARGE: Good. It’s just about dinnertime. Let’s go home and be a nuclear family!
NEUTRONS: We split the atoms to use nuclear energy. They are radioactive so we must store them carefully.
Ahoy, Mateys! An Offshore Treasure Hunt Teacher Guide
Cast of Characters
Pirate: Searching for treasure to fund retirement. An expert on a pirate’s way of life.
Parrot: Pirate’s pet and best mate. An expert on knowing just the right thing to say.
Jacques Crustacean: A helpful, friendly lobster. An expert on offshore resources.
Baby Whale: Swimming by during their migration. An expert on petroleum, natural gas, and sand and gravel.
Mama Whale: Swimming by during their migration. An expert on petroleum, natural gas, and sand and gravel.
Dolphin 1: Likes to jump in ocean waves. An expert on wave energy, tidal power, and surface ocean currents.
Dolphin 2: Likes to jump in ocean waves. An expert on wave energy, tidal power, and surface ocean currents.
Dolphin 3: Likes to jump in ocean waves. An expert on wave energy, tidal power, and surface ocean currents.
Tuna: Likes to swim in warm, tropical ocean water. An expert on Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion.
Grouper: Likes to swim in warm, tropical ocean water. An expert on Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion.
Swordfish: Likes to swim in warm, tropical ocean water. An expert on Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion.
Sea Turtle: Enjoys beach clean ups. Unfortunately, an expert on marine debris.
Pelican: Likes to soar through the air offshore. An expert on wind energy.
Concepts
Natural resources found offshore are important and valuable to humans.
There are renewable and nonrenewable sources of energy in the land, water, and air offshore.
The force of moving air or water can be captured by a turbine and used to generate electricity.
Scientists and engineers are working to improve and develop new technologies that use offshore energy resources to generate electricity.
Offshore sources of energy may have a significant role in our nation’s energy future.
There are many careers directly related to developing and using offshore resources.
Marine debris is a global pollution problem and a threat to the environment.
A Vocabulary
abundant
aquaculture
debris
dredge
gear box
R Assessment
marine
minerals
offshore
roughneck
rotor
shaft
tropical
viable
1. Describe at least three specific ways you use offshore resources in your daily life. (Answers will vary. Some examples include: using natural gas to heat a home or school, using gasoline in the family car, using diesel fuel in a school bus, using items made from petroleum such as make up, plastic water bottle, plastic grocery bag, or eating sea food.)
2. As a pirate setting up your home on this deserted island, which offshore energy resource would you like to use first, and why? What obstacles might you face trying to use it? (Answers will vary. Discuss with students, significant obstacles to utilizing offshore energy resources in addition to cost and logistics. For example, companies must go through bidding, leasing, and permitting processes with the government before they can drill for oil or build a wind farm, and there are strict government and environmental regulations to follow. Other examples include: maintenance of machinery in the ocean environment, energy resources are only available in certain places, transmitting electricity from where it is generated to where it is needed onshore.)
3. Why are the most populated cities in America located near coasts? (milder climates, access to shipping ports/on rivers, well established cities, jobs)
4. How might offshore resources benefit the entire country? (As populations grow in coastal cities, they will demand more electricity, construction materials, food, etc. Using offshore resources to generate electricity, provide construction materials and food where it is most needed, will help offset the demand benefiting the whole country.)
Extensions
Exploring Offshore Careers – Choose a career connected to offshore resources. Research it at https:// www.bls.gov, and share what you learned with the class. Check out all of NEED’s career-focused content, including Energy Career Excursions and Your Future in Marine Hydrokinetics, at www.NEED. org/product-category/career-and-workforce-development/.
Garbage Patch Patterns – Project a world map on a white board. Label the world’s oceans, surface ocean currents, ocean gyres, and known garbage patch locations. Analyze and discuss patterns. Why do garbage patches form in certain locations?
Learn more about our nation’s offshore resources using these NEED materials, available as free PDF downloads from www.NEED.org/shop: Exploring Ocean Energy, Exploring Marine Hydrokinetics, Floating Offshore Wind, Offshore Wind is Energy, Wonders of Offshore Wind, Energy from Offshore Wind, and Exploring Offshore Wind.
Ahoy, Mateys! An Offshore Treasure Hunt
Characters
PIRATE: Searching for treasure to fund retirement. An expert on a pirate’s way of life.
PARROT: Pirate’s pet and best mate. An expert on knowing just the right thing to say.
JACQUES CRUSTACEAN: A helpful, friendly lobster. An expert on offshore resources.
BABY WHALE: Swimming by during their migration. An expert on petroleum, natural gas, and sand and gravel.
MAMA WHALE: Swimming by during their migration. An expert on petroleum, natural gas, and sand and gravel.
DOLPHIN 1: Likes to jump in ocean waves. An expert on wave energy, tidal power, and surface ocean currents.
DOLPHIN 2: Likes to jump in ocean waves. An expert on wave energy, tidal power, and surface ocean currents.
DOLPHIN 3: Likes to jump in ocean waves. An expert on wave energy, tidal power, and surface ocean currents.
TUNA: Likes to swim in warm, tropical ocean water. An expert on Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion.
GROUPER: Likes to swim in warm, tropical ocean water. An expert on Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion.
SWORDFISH: Likes to swim in warm, tropical ocean water. An expert on Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion.
SEA TURTLE: Enjoys beach clean ups. Unfortunately, an expert on marine debris.
PELICAN: Likes to soar through the air offshore. An expert on wind energy.
SCENE I
(Setting: On the beach. Pirate is holding a map with a big “X” on it. Jacques Crustacean is lying on a beach towel.)
PIRATE: We be walking around this island all day, but this pirate can’t find any buried treasure. Doesn’t “X” mark the spot?
PARROT: Your map is upside down. Your map is upside down.
PIRATE: (Slaps forehead) Aye! You’re right! This pirate be going the wrong way!
JACQUES CRUSTACEAN: Excuse me, you’re blocking the sun.
PIRATE: Sorry, there mate. This pirate didn’t see you on me hunt for buried treasure. Unfortunately, this here parrot forgot to charge me smartphone. It ran out of battery and this pirate be lost without me treasure hunting app.
JACQUES CRUSTACEAN: What are you searching for?
PIRATE: Diamonds and rubies, the usual pirate stuff. Once this pirate gets me hands on some treasure, it be time to retire and live here on this deserted island. It looks like a great place to hide me loot.
JACQUES CRUSTACEAN: This is a great place to live, but we’re off the grid. There’s no electricity here to charge your smart island gadgets. You’ll need to find sources of energy that can power the island and generate electricity.
PIRATE: Well shiver me timbers!
Ahoy, Mateys! An Offshore Treasure Hunt
JACQUES CRUSTACEAN: No worries, mate. I can help you. I know just where to find all kinds of treasure.
PIRATE: Where?
JACQUES CRUSTACEAN: Let’s go sailing on your pirate ship and I’ll show you.
PIRATE: This pirate doesn’t exactly have a ship, but, me do have a rowboat. It stays afloat… most of the time.
PARROT: S-O-S… S-O-S…
JACQUES CRUSTACEAN: Luckily, I can swim.
(Pirate, Parrot and Jacques Crustacean walk offstage.)
Scene II
(Setting: Pirate, Parrot, and Jacques Crustacean are in a rowboat, out in the ocean - staying mostly afloat.)
PIRATE: (Looking around through binoculars) When will the treasure chest be floating by?
JACQUES CRUSTACEAN: Silly pirate, there isn’t an actual treasure chest floating out here. But there is treasure all around us. It is in the land, the water, and the air off the coast. We call this area offshore.
PARROT: Offshore. Offshore.
(Mama Whale and Baby Whale pop up next to the rowboat.)
JACQUES CRUSTACEAN: Hello ocean friends! This pirate is hunting for treasure. Are there any riches found in the land under the ocean?
BABY WHALE: Some areas offshore have rich deposits of petroleum and natural gas buried under the ocean floor.
MAMA WHALE: These fossil fuels took hundreds of millions of years to form. They are nonrenewable sources of energy because we can’t replenish our supply as quickly as we can use them.
BABY WHALE: Special machines and technologies find, extract, and produce petroleum and natural gas from under the ocean and transport them to the shore. Petroleum and natural gas are refined and made into products people use.
PIRATE: These rich treasures be perfect for a pirate. How can this pirate be using them?
MAMA WHALE: Natural gas is burned for home heating. It is also burned in a power plant to generate electricity.
BABY WHALE: Petroleum is made into gasoline, a fuel for cars; into diesel, a fuel used by trucks and buses; and into marine fuels, used by ships sailing right here on the ocean.
Ahoy, Mateys! An Offshore Treasure Hunt
MAMA WHALE: Petroleum and natural gas are also made into all kinds of products you use every day, like plastics.
JACQUES CRUSTACEAN: Petroleum and natural gas are offshore energy treasures.
PARROT: Energy treasure. Energy treasure.
BABY WHALE: The land offshore is also rich with non-energy treasures called minerals. For example, sand and gravel.
MAMA WHALE: Workers use a dredge to mine sand and gravel from the ocean floor. A dredge uses a scoop or a suction hose to bring sand or gravel up to the surface. Then it’s dumped onto a barge or sent through a pipe directly to shore.
JACQUES CRUSTACEAN: Sand and gravel are the most abundant non-energy mineral resources offshore.
PIRATE: These treasures be perfect for a pirate. How can this pirate be using these important minerals?
BABY WHALE: Sand and gravel are used in construction to make concrete and to build structures like homes, schools, factories, roads, and bridges. Industry uses high-quality sand to make glass.
MAMA WHALE: Sand from offshore is also used to restore beaches that have eroded away.
PARROT: Sandcastle. Sandcastle.
JACQUES CRUSTACEAN: Sand and gravel are offshore treasures.
PIRATE: This pirate had no idea there be treasure buried under the ocean. SCUBA diving lessons be in me future.
BABY WHALE: Good luck with your treasure hunt, Pirate!
(Mama Whale and Baby Whale swim away.)
JACQUES CRUSTACEAN: Alright mate. Look around. Do you see all the energy treasure?
PIRATE: (looks through binoculars again) It just be water as far as me eye can see.
(Dolphins 1, 2, and 3 pop up from behind the rowboat.)
DOLPHIN 1: Ahoy, land lubbers. Welcome to our home.
JACQUES CRUSTACEAN: Hello dolphins. We’re searching for energy treasure. Is there anything valuable in the water offshore?
DOLPHIN 2: The movement of ocean water is a very powerful source of renewable energy.
PIRATE: What be renewable energy?
Ahoy, Mateys! An Offshore Treasure Hunt
DOLPHIN 3: A source of energy that won’t disappear or run out.
JACQUES CRUSTACEAN: Scientists and engineers are building and testing new technologies that harness the energy in moving ocean water and turn it into electricity. It is an emerging industry with hundreds of potentially viable technologies.
PARROT: Feeling seasick. Feeling seasick.
PIRATE: Sorry, mate. The waves be rough today. Polly, want a ginger cracker?
DOLPHIN 1: As the wind blows across the surface of the ocean, waves are formed. We love to jump and splash in them all afternoon.
DOLPHIN 2: Ocean waves are a source of renewable offshore energy.
DOLPHIN 3: In wave energy technologies, the force of a moving wave pushes water against a turbine’s blades, making them spin. The spinning motion powers a generator which makes electricity.
PARROT: Wave energy. Wave energy.
PIRATE: This pirate thought waves only be good for surfing!
DOLPHIN 1: Another source of renewable offshore energy comes from the tides.
DOLPHIN 2: Tides are the rising and falling water near the coast. This phenomenon is caused by gravitational forces between the earth, moon, and sun, and the earth’s rotation.
DOLPHIN 3: As the tides rise and fall, the force of the moving water can be used by turbines to generate electricity.
PARROT: Tidal power. Tidal power.
DOLPHIN 1: Surface ocean currents have a lot of power, too.
DOLPHIN 2: Ocean water moves and flows in regular patterns around the earth. These patterns are called currents.
DOLPHIN 3: Fast moving currents of ocean water can be used by turbines to generate electricity. It’s another source of renewable energy.
PARROT: Ocean currents. Ocean currents.
PIRATE: Moving water be perfect energy treasure for a pirate. How can this pirate be using it?
DOLPHIN 1: The power in flowing water - from waves, tides, and surface currents - can be captured by technologies to generate electricity.
JACQUES CRUSTACEAN: Wave energy, tidal power, and surface ocean currents are offshore energy treasures.
DOLPHIN 2: Good luck with your treasure hunt, Pirate!
Ahoy, Mateys! An Offshore Treasure Hunt
DOLPHIN 3: We’re off to splash in some waves.
PIRATE: Have fun, mateys!
(Dolphin 1, Dolphin 2, and Dolphin 3 exit.)
PARROT: Sunshine. Sunshine.
PIRATE: Aye, it be a sunny day. (Pirate puts a pair of sunglasses on Parrot.)
JACQUES CRUSTACEAN: (Pointing down towards the floor) I see a school of fish. Hello there! Are you having a nice swim?
(Tuna, Grouper, and Swordfish pop up near the rowboat.)
TUNA: We love the tropical warm water near the surface.
JACQUES CRUSTACEAN: Perhaps you could help us? We’re searching for treasure in this water offshore.
GROUPER: The ocean is full of thermal energy treasure. Thermal energy can be captured by a power plant and used to generate electricity.
SWORDFISH: It starts with the sun. As radiant energy from the sun hits Earth, some is absorbed by the surface of the ocean and transformed into heat. The ocean holds thermal energy in its warm, surface water.
TUNA: But deep ocean water does not receive any sunlight, so it stays cool. In some places, there is a big difference in temperature between the warm surface and the cool, deep ocean.
GROUPER: An Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion power plant, or OTEC plant, uses two technologies, a heat exchanger and a condenser, to capture the power of thermal energy as it moves naturally from hot to cold.
PARROT: O-Tech. O-Tech.
SWORDFISH: This is how an OTEC power plant works.
TUNA: Warm seawater is pumped into the heat exchanger. It passes through an evaporator and vaporizes the working fluid, ammonia. The ammonia vapor passes through a turbine, rotating a generator, making electricity.
GROUPER: As the lower pressure vapor leaves the turbine it flows through a condenser. Deep, cold sea water flows through the condenser, too. The ammonia vapor condenses back into a liquid. The liquid ammonia leaves the condenser and is pumped back into the evaporator to cycle through the system again.
SWORDFISH: OTEC is a renewable source of energy.
PIRATE: No need to shiver me timbers, this rich energy treasure be perfect for a pirate. How can this pirate be using OTEC on me island?
Ahoy, Mateys! An Offshore Treasure Hunt
TUNA: An OTEC system can make electricity 24 hours a day. During the process, some systems also produce fresh drinking water.
GROUPER: Cold ocean water from the OTEC system has additional uses. It can be used in a seawater air conditioning system to cool buildings, in agriculture to grow plants, and in aquaculture to grow fish and seafood.
JACQUES CRUSTACEAN: OTEC is offshore energy treasure.
PIRATE: Last year, me captain made me walk the plank and take a bath in the warm ocean. But this pirate didn’t know cold ocean water be valuable, too.
PARROT: (Pinches nose as if Pirate smells) Time to walk the plank. Time to walk the plank.
SWORDFISH: Good luck with your treasure hunt, Pirate.
(Tuna, Grouper, and Swordfish swim away.)
JACQUES CRUSTACEAN: I agree with the parrot. We could all use a refreshing swim. Lobster overboard!
(Pirate, Parrot, and Jacques Crustacean jump into the water for a swim, and exit.)
Scene III
(Setting: Pirate, Parrot, and Jacques Crustacean are in a rowboat, out in the ocean - staying mostly afloat. Marine debris is floating nearby.)
PIRATE: Aye! Swimming in the ocean be very refreshing. But now it be time to hunt for treasure. (Resumes looking through binoculars and points out to the horizon.) Well shiver me timbers! There be energy treasure!
JACQUES CRUSTACEAN: Sadly, Pirate, that’s not treasure.
PARROT: Marine debris. Marine debris.
JACQUES CRUSTACEAN: The ocean is filled with items that don’t belong there. Marine debris is a global pollution problem and a threat to our environment.
(Sea Turtle pops up by the rowboat.)
SEA TURTLE: It’s a threat to my habitat, too. Last week, I got trapped in a lost fishing net.
PIRATE: Shiver me timbers! What did you do?
SEA TURTLE: Luckily, some SCUBA divers were able to cut me loose. They saved my life! The divers were from NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
JACQUES CRUSTACEAN: NOAA has a Marine Debris Program that monitors waste and cleans up the shorelines, with the help of students, volunteers, and pirates. NOAA scientists research where marine debris comes from and how it affects the environment.
Ahoy, Mateys! An Offshore Treasure Hunt
PIRATE: What be marine debris?
SEA TURTLE: Marine debris is any solid, man-made material that ends up in the ocean or Great Lakes. Some marine debris gets into the water unintentionally, like a vessel destroyed by a hurricane. Unfortunately, some marine debris is intentionally put there, for example, abandoned fishing gear and litter.
JACQUES CRUSTACEAN: Marine debris is a widespread pollution problem for Earth’s oceans.
PIRATE: What can this pirate do about this problem?
SEA TURTLE: Marine debris is totally preventable. The best thing we can do is prevent litter and trash from ever entering our waterways and oceans.
PARROT: Prevention is key. Prevention is key.
PIRATE: This pirate be rounding up me mates tomorrow to clean up the beach.
SEA TURTLE: That’s a great idea, Pirate. I want to help, too. See you tomorrow!
(Sea Turtle swims away.)
JACQUES CRUSTACEAN: So, we’ve found some treasure in the land and water offshore, but we’re not done yet.
(Pelican swoops over to the rowboat.)
PELICAN: Need a bird’s eye view?
JACQUES CRUSTACEAN: Hey there, pelican. This pirate is hunting for treasure. Are there any riches found in the air offshore?
PELICAN: Moving air is a source of renewable energy called wind. The movement of air can be used by wind turbines to generate electricity.
JACQUES CRUSTACEAN: The wind is a powerful source of offshore renewable energy. (Makes a big show of turning Pirate around to look in a new direction.) Look over there.
PIRATE: Well shiver me timbers! That be the strangest lighthouse this pirate has ever seen.
PARROT: Wind turbine. Wind turbine.
PELICAN: That’s an offshore wind turbine. When air moves over its blades, they move. The motion turns a rotor, connected to a moving shaft inside. The shaft spins a generator, making electricity. The electricity travels through undersea cables buried in the ocean floor. When the transmission lines reach land, they connect to the power grid.
JACQUES CRUSTACEAN: Areas with the best wind resources are offshore and usually in deep water. In order to use wind turbines there, engineers are developing new technologies, such as floating offshore wind platforms.
Ahoy, Mateys! An Offshore Treasure Hunt
PIRATE: The wind be rich treasure, perfect for a pirate. How can this pirate use it?
PELICAN: Offshore winds are usually strong during the day, so a turbine will efficiently produce electricity for you. This is great because that’s also when people typically use the most electricity.
JACQUES CRUSTACEAN: Offshore winds have other uses, too.
PELICAN: The wind pushes against the sail of your ship making it move through the water, and thanks to the wind, you can enjoy a cool, ocean breeze on a warm afternoon.
JACQUES CRUSTACEAN: Wind energy is an offshore energy treasure.
PIRATE: Aye! The wind be keepin’ me ship’s flag waving!
PARROT: Win-dy. Win-dy.
PELICAN: Enjoy all your treasure, Pirate.
(Pelican flies away.)
PIRATE: Arrr! This pirate can’t wait to get me hands on all the treasures found offshore – petroleum to fuel me boat, natural gas to heat me home, sand to restore the beach and gravel for construction, fresh water to drink, cold water to grow plants and fish to eat, and cold water for a seawater air conditioning system.
PIRATE: Most of all, this pirate needs a way to generate electricity so me smart island phone stays charged. There be so many energy treasures offshore that can make electricity – natural gas, wave energy, tidal energy, surface currents, an ocean thermal energy conversion system, and wind energy. Which one should this pirate choose?
JACQUES CRUSTACEAN: Keep in mind, your location is an important factor. These technologies require specific ocean conditions in order to make electricity. For example, a tidal energy system requires a location with very high and low tides each day.
PIRATE: This pirate can tell there be challenges to using each offshore resource, but there be advantages in using them, too. This pirate be needing to think about all these factors while making me decisions.
JACQUES CRUSTACEAN: The most populated cities in the United States are located near oceans. As their populations continue to grow, these cities will demand more electricity. Since they are conveniently located near coasts, offshore sources of energy may have a significant role in our nation’s future.
Ahoy, Mateys! An Offshore Treasure Hunt
PARROT: R and D. R and D.
JACQUES CRUSTACEAN: That’s right, Parrot. Our nation’s scientists and engineers are working hard to keep technologies that will harness the power in moving water and moving air to generate electricity. Research and development of offshore renewable energy would be an exciting career path for pirates heading to college.
PIRATE: Some pirates prefer to be working outdoors.
JACQUES CRUSTACEAN: Whatever your interests, there are job opportunities working offshore. Someday you might weld pipes on a deepwater drilling rig, pilot a sand barge, operate a crane constructing a floating wind turbine, SCUBA dive to check undersea cables, or perform maintenance on a floating wave buoy. According to NOAA, the highest paid pirates in the ocean economy work in offshore mineral extraction.
PIRATE: Aye, this pirate may have to rethink retirement. Me pirate skills be great for a roughneck on an oil drilling rig.
JACQUES CRUSTACEAN: Uh, mates? I think we have a problem. We’re taking on water and sinking fast.
PIRATE: Shiver me timbers! This boat won’t become marine debris on this pirate’s watch!
JACQUES CRUSTACEAN: Heave ho! Everybody row for shore.
PARROT: S-O-S… S-O-S…
(Pirate, Parrot, and Jacques Crustacean exit, carrying the rowboat offstage.)
Cast of Characters
Charlie Brown Teacher Guide
Charlie Brown: A not-soconfident student
Lucy: A sometimes overly confident student
Peppermint Patty: An athletic student
Linus: Lucy’s younger brother
Chorus: Class or cast
Adult Voice: Classic “Peanuts” adult voice
Schroeder: A deep thinking student
Franklin: A student
Pig Pen: A rather messy student
Sally: Charlie Brown’s younger sister
Little Redheaded Girl: A student
Contestant One: A student
Contestant Two: A student
Contestant Three: A student
Concepts
There are many different ways to save energy.
Each person is responsible for making educated energy decisions.
A Vocabulary
admirably
compact fluorescent
conservation
counselor
R Assessment
deciduous tree
efficient
incandescent
materialistic
programmable thermostat
recycle
1. List at least three energy saving tips from the play. (Deciduous trees shade the sun’s rays in the summer, but allow light through in the winter. Installing programmable thermostats saves energy. Riding bikes is an efficient mode of personal transportation. Put on a hoodie or cover up with a blanket instead of turning up the heat at home. Switch the most used lights in your home to energy-efficient LEDs. Short showers save hot water and energy. To avoid “vampire” loads, unplug appliances and electronics when not in use. Reduce home heat loss through windows by installing and using drapes. Decide what you want before you open the refrigerator door. To stop drafts, you should install weather-stripping and caulk windows. If you have to wait in your car it is best not to idle but to turn off the engine. You can save on your energy bill with every degree you lower your thermostat in winter.)
2. Which character traits does Charlie show throughout the story? Use evidence from the play to back up your opinions. (Hope, as evidenced by his positive outlook on the beginning of the ball season. Fair play, as evidenced by his unwillingness to throw a “bean ball.” Lack of self-confidence, as evidenced by phrases such as, “I’m a failure. I can’t do anything right. I’m a born loser.” Hard work, as evidenced by going home to study for the contest. Self-confidence, as evidenced by his attitude changes during the energy contest.)
3. What are some energy saving activities you could do in your home or in your daily life? (Answers will vary.)
Extensions
Add in dialogue for the adult voice in the story. Make sure to look at sentences around the adult’s words to put in things that would make sense.
Make a Charlie Brown brochure for saving energy at home. Try to put at least 10 tips into the pamphlet.
Write a paragraph explaining which character you would most like to be friends with. Why?
Characters
Charlie Brown
CHARLIE BROWN: A not-so-confident student
LUCY: A sometimes overly confident student
PEPPERMINT PATTY: An athletic student
LINUS: Lucy’s younger brother
CHORUS: Class or cast
ADULT VOICE: Classic “Peanuts” adult voice
SCHROEDER: A deep thinking student
FRANKLIN: A student
PIG PEN: A rather messy student
SALLY: Charlie Brown’s younger sister
LITTLE REDHEADED GIRL: A student
CONTESTANT ONE: A student
CONTESTANT TWO: A student
CONTESTANT THREE: A student
Scene I
(Setting: The pitcher’s mound on the ball field that has seen all of Charlie Brown’s losses. It is the first day of a new season. Charlie Brown is standing alone on the pitching mound contemplating a ball in his hand.)
CHARLIE BROWN: I love the first day of a new season. We have high hopes for the team. I love the smell of the freshly mown grass in the outfield, the crisp white lines in the infield. This could be the season for Team Peanuts.
(Lucy enters from left, Linus and Peppermint Patty enter from right.)
LUCY: Look at you, Charlie Brown. You’re dreaming again, aren’t you? It’s NOT going to happen! You’ll still throw the same old pitches, the other team will still hit them, and Peppermint Patty is still the only one that’ll get a hit for our team.
PEPPERMINT PATTY: Hi, Chuck. Are you ready to throw today?
(Lucy lies down on the mound, looking up at the sky.)
LINUS: I can’t wait for the game to start. It’s always good to get that first loss behind us.
LUCY: Hey, guys. Look at these cloud formations.
(They all lie down on the mound.)
CHARLIE BROWN: I could spend all day watching the clouds.
Charlie Brown
PEPPERMINT PATTY: You know, Chuck, if you use your imagination, you can see all sorts of things in clouds.
LUCY: What do you see, Patty?
PEPPERMINT PATTY: (Pointing) I see a tree right over there.
CHORUS: Saving energy’s smart. Here’s one way to start.
CHARLIE BROWN: That would be a deciduous tree the way its branches spread out. Do you know a deciduous tree is good for saving energy? In the summer, it provides shade from the sun. In the winter when its leaves are gone, it lets the sun shine on your house.
PEPPERMINT PATTY: What do you see, Linus?
LINUS: (Pointing) That looks like a blanket to me.
CHORUS: Saving energy’s smart. Here’s one way to start.
CHARLIE BROWN: Do you know you can save energy on home heating by pulling on a hoodie or covering up with a blanket instead of turning up the heat?
LUCY: That looks like an empty cardboard box over there.
CHORUS: Saving energy’s smart. Here’s one way to start.
CHARLIE BROWN: If our school recycled one ton of paper and cardboard a year, we would save as much as 7,000 gallons of water!
LINUS: Boy, Charlie Brown, you sure know a lot about energy.
CHARLIE BROWN: I learned great stuff at that NEED workshop last month.
LUCY: Oh, yeah, plant a tree. In twenty years you’ll get some shade. Great stuff, Charlie Brown, did they teach you anything you can do in real life, like how to pitch?
(The rest of Team Peanuts enters. Everyone talks, high-fives, etc.)
ADULT VOICE: Wah...wah!
PEPPERMINT PATTY: Okay, team. We can beat these guys. A little hustle now.
CHORUS: Saving energy’s smart. Here’s one way to start.
CHARLIE BROWN: (To Linus) Look, Linus. The other team rode their bikes to the game. Do you know bikes are the most efficient form of personal transportation?
LUCY: Never mind that useless information. I’ve got a plan. I know their first batter. He’s good. I want you to throw a bean ball at him.
CHARLIE BROWN: I can’t do that.
Charlie Brown
LINUS: Sure you can, Charlie Brown. Just try to throw a strike.
CHARLIE BROWN: No, I mean it wouldn’t be right.
LUCY: (Yelling) You wanna win, don’t you? (To team) Goody two shoes, here, won’t throw a bean ball.
SCHROEDER: Good Ole’ Charlie Brown has good morals.
FRANKLIN: What about the morality of wasting energy?
PIG PEN: Is it more immoral to throw a bean ball or to waste energy?
LINUS: What is the relative morality of a spitball?
PEPPERMINT PATTY: Chuck, just do your best, I always say.
ADULT VOICE: Wah...wah...wah...wah...wah.
(Team spreads out around the stage. Charlie Brown remains on mound.)
CHARLIE BROWN: Good Grief. We might not win any games, but we sure have interesting discussions at the mound.
(Charlie Brown throws first pitch. Everyone exits.)
Scene II
(Setting: Charlie Brown’s room. Linus and Charlie Brown are working on a lamp.)
LINUS: I think this is gonna be a great project, Charlie Brown.
CHARLIE BROWN: The best, Linus. We’ll show everybody how energy-efficient lighting can save lots of energy. Did you get that LED bulb from the store?
LINUS: I got it, Charlie Brown.
CHORUS: Saving energy’s smart. Here’s one way to start.
CHARLIE BROWN: Light emitting diodes, or LEDs are the most energy-efficient lighting technology. They use less energy, give off just as much light, and are cool to the touch. To save energy, switch the most used lights in your home to energy-efficient LEDs. (Pause) Now, if I can only get this thing wired up we’ll be done. Maybe this time I can get something right. I’m tired of being a failure. There! That ought to do it.
LINUS: Can I try it out, Charlie Brown?
CHARLIE BROWN: Go for it, Linus.
(Linus claps his hands twice. Nothing happens.)
CHARLIE BROWN: See, I can’t even get the Clapper to work. (Charlie Brown buries head in his hands.)
Charlie Brown
LINUS: (Solemnly) We are so close to controlling millions of light bulbs in homes all across America, Charlie Brown.
(Sally enters.)
SALLY: Hi, Linus. You look very nice today. What’s the matter with you, big brother? (She begins to fiddle with the lamp.) You’re looking a little depressed. How’s your energy project going?
CHARLIE BROWN: I am depressed. I can’t do anything right. First, I lost the ball game and now I can’t get my Clapper to work.
SALLY: It wasn’t your fault the other team scored. The ball knocked you out.
CHARLIE BROWN: But it was my first pitch. I’m a born loser. Now that you’ve fiddled with the lamp, I’ll try it again. (Claps hands twice. The light comes on.) Oh, good grief. Even my little sister is better than I am. I’m a failure.
LINUS: Charlie Brown, I’m sure you can be a winner at something.
ADULT VOICE: Wah...wah....wah.
CHARLIE BROWN: A bath! See what I mean? Baseball players get sent to the showers. I have to take a bath.
LINUS: Lucy says baths waste energy. She takes showers instead. Is she right, Charlie Brown?
CHORUS: Saving energy’s smart. Here’s one way to start.
CHARLIE BROWN: That depends, Linus. A long shower can waste a lot of hot water. Since it takes a lot of energy to heat the water in your home, taking a shorter shower saves hot water and energy.
LINUS: You sure know a lot about energy conservation, Charlie Brown.
(There is a knock at the door.)
CHARLIE BROWN: Come in.
(Lucy enters.)
LINUS: Gee, Charlie Brown, if you could help all those energy losers learn about conservation, you’d be a winner, then, wouldn’t you?
LUCY: Charlie Brown, a winner? That’s a joke. What about that ball game this morning? You shoulda beaned that guy, like I told you. You need professional help, Charlie Brown. (Lucy sets up “The Psychiatrist Is In” sign.)
CHARLIE BROWN: Maybe I do need help.
LUCY: You can tell me anything.
CHARLIE BROWN: Anything! That’s just it. I can’t succeed at anything. I’m a failure. I’d be happy if I could just dread one day at a time.
Charlie Brown
LUCY: Well, look on the bright side. At least you don’t carry around a dumb ole’ blanket like my goofy brother over there.
LINUS: My blanket is a necessity. It’s my best friend!
LUCY: Let me tell you, Charlie Brown, it isn’t easy going through life with a brother like that. It’s so embarrassing to have everybody at school always asking me why he carries around that stupid blanket. I get depressed, too, you know. Why, just last week…
CHARLIE BROWN: Hey, I thought I was supposed to be telling you MY problems.
LINUS: Charlie Brown, I think you can be a winner.
LUCY: A winner at what, little brother? Tell me just one thing Charlie Brown can do.
LINUS: Energy! That’s what! I know you could win that Energy Conservation Contest, Charlie Brown. You know everything about energy.
LUCY: He’ll choke, Linus. Without my professional help, he’ll choke.
CHARLIE BROWN: You really think I could win that contest, Linus?
LINUS: I know you can. Didn’t that NEED workshop teach you how to be a leader? You can do it, Charlie Brown.
CHARLIE BROWN: I can? (Pause) I can. I know I can! I’m gonna be a winner!
LUCY: Wait’ll I tell the gang about this.
(Lucy exits.)
LINUS: I’ll even let you borrow my blanket for luck.
CHARLIE BROWN: I’d better start studying right away. Thanks, Linus, for your confidence. (Both exit.)
Scene III
(Setting: A classroom. The whole gang is sitting in chairs. Linus is in the front row beside Charlie Brown, Lucy is seated behind him.)
LUCY: You’re not really gonna enter this contest, are you, Charlie Brown? As your counselor, I must tell you I don’t think you’re ready.
CHARLIE BROWN: (Loudly) I can do it!
ADULT VOICE: Wah...wah...wah?
CHARLIE BROWN: Actually, I’d like to be in the contest.
(Lucy covers her face with her hands.)
Charlie Brown
SCHROEDER: He’ll be competing against the best energy students in the school. But it seems to me that Charlie Brown really knows his stuff.
LINUS: He went to that energy workshop last month, remember?
CHARLIE BROWN: I went over my Energy Infobook and notes last night. I know I can be a winner with NEED information.
PEPPERMINT PATTY: I’ll be rootin’ for you, Chuck.
FRANKLIN: Me, too, Charlie Brown. Score a big one for the team.
LITTLE REDHEADED GIRL: You can do it, Charlie Brown.
PIG PEN: Clean sweep, Charlie Brown.
ADULT VOICE: Wah...wah...wah.
(Contestants One, Two, and Three move to front of room. They have numbers on their chests.)
LINUS: Here’s my blanket, Charlie Brown. Good luck.
CHARLIE BROWN: Yes, I’m coming. (Charlie Brown moves to end of line.)(To Linus) I hope I don’t mess this up.
CHORUS: Saving energy’s smart. Here’s one way to start.
CONTESTANT ONE: (Loudly) Reduce your home’s heat loss through windows by installing and using drapes. (Class cheers.)
ADULT VOICE: Wah...wah...wah...wah?
CONTESTANT TWO: The EnergyGuide labels on appliances that let consumers compare cost and energy usage are...RED?
ADULT VOICE: Wah...wah.
(Contestant Two sits down. Charlie Brown raises his hand.)
CHARLIE BROWN: I believe the EnergyGuide labels are yellow. (Class cheers.)
ADULT VOICE: Wah...wah...wah...wah?
CHORUS: Saving energy’s smart. Here’s one way to start.
CONTESTANT THREE: (Loudly) Decide what you want before you open the refrigerator door.
Charlie Brown
(Class cheers.)
LINUS: It’s Charlie Brown’s turn.
SCHROEDER: I’m sure he will perform admirably.
ADULT VOICE: Wah...wah...wah...wah...wah...wah?
CHARLIE BROWN: (Nervously, but loudly) To avoid “vampire” loads, unplug appliances and electronics when not in use. Many electronics continue to draw power even when they’re switched off.
(Long pause. Everyone looks where adult voice is located.)
ADULT VOICE: Wah...wah.
(Class cheers.)
LINUS: Nice going, Charlie Brown.
ADULT VOICE: Wah...wah...wah...wah...wah...wah?
CONTESTANT ONE: One percent?
ADULT VOICE: Wah...wah...wah...wah.
(Contestant One sits down. Charlie Brown holds up his hand.)
ADULT VOICE: Wah...wah?
CHARLIE BROWN: (Loudly with more confidence) About 15 percent of the energy used in the home is to heat water.
(Class cheers.)
LUCY: Wow! I can’t believe he’s doin’ it. There are only two contestants left. Go, Charlie Brown. You CAN do it.
CHORUS: Saving energy’s smart. Here’s one way to start.
CHARLIE BROWN: (Loudly, proudly) To stop drafts, you should install weather-stripping and caulk windows.
(Class cheers loudly.)
SCHROEDER: Way to go, Charlie Brown.
ADULT VOICE: Wah...wah...wah...wah?
CHORUS: Saving energy’s smart. Here’s one way to start.
CONTESTANT THREE: If you have to wait in your car, it saves energy to turn off the engine rather than idling.
Charlie Brown
(Class cheers.)
ADULT VOICE: Wah...wah...wah...wah?
PEPPERMINT PATTY: Come on, Chuck, you can do it!
CHORUS: Saving energy’s smart. Here’s one way to start.
CHARLIE BROWN: To save the most energy and money, set your programmable thermostat as low as is comfortable in the winter and as high as is comfortable in the summer, as well as when you’re sleeping or away from home.
(Class cheers.)
ADULT VOICE: Wah...wah...wah...wah...wah?
CONTESTANT THREE: Umm…incandescent bulbs are more efficient than LEDs?
ADULT VOICE: Wah...wah.
CHARLIE BROWN: The right answer is that LED bulbs are more efficient—they use at least 75 percent less energy than standard incandescent bulbs.
LINUS: If Charlie Brown gets this last question right, he’ll be the winner.
ADULT VOICE: Wah...wah...wah...wah?
CHARLIE BROWN: The purpose of home insulation is... (He drops Linus’ blanket.)
LUCY: He’s choking. I knew he’d choke. I told him he’d choke. I can’t look! (Covers her eyes.)
CHARLIE BROWN: (Picks up blanket.) Blanket...blanket... (Shouting) That’s it. Insulation acts like a blanket for your home. It keeps the heat in during the winter and keeps it out during the summer.
(Class cheers loudly. Congratulations, Yeah, Charlie Brown.)
LUCY: You did it, Charlie Brown! That was amazing! You’re actually a winner!
CHARLIE BROWN: I did it! I really did it! I’m a winner!
ADULT VOICE: Wah...wah...wah...wah...wah...wah!
(Linus, Schroeder, and Peppermint Patty crowd around Charlie Brown. Other students exit.)
LINUS: You’re a winner, Charlie Brown. I knew you could do it.
SCHROEDER: Congratulations, you did a fine job, Charlie Brown.
PEPPERMINT PATTY: Great job, Chuck. Home run.
CHORUS: Saving energy’s smart. That’s why we should start.
Concepts
Conservella Teacher Guide
Simple behaviors can help use less energy.
It’s easy to waste energy when we don’t think about it.
A Vocabulary
Caulk
Conservation
Efficiency
ENERGYSTAR®
Hydrocarbon
R Assessment
Idling
Inefficient
Inflated
Insulate
Kilowatt
Strategy
Thermostat
Virtue
Weather stripping
1. List three things that members of Conservella’s family did that wasted energy. (Left engine running, constantly wanting the thermostat turned up or down, wanting shoes dried in the oven, leaving windows and doors open, leaving lights turned on, wanting the refrigerator door left open, driving a vehicle that has poor fuel efficiency)
2. List three things that Conservella did to conserve energy. (Caulked around windows and doors, increased insulation, closed windows and doors when left open, turned lights off when left on, hung clothes on a clothesline, rode her bike instead of driving)
3. Imagine Conservella is made into a movie. Design a movie poster on a blank sheet of paper that advertises for the movie. Choose current movie stars to star in your movie.
4. Write a script for a news story that describes Conservella and her family. Report on how they use energy and where they can change their behavior to use less energy.
Extensions
Conduct a student survey of your school, noting energy saving and energy wasting behaviors they see. Have students write recommendations for saving energy and present them to the principal.
Change the roles in the play so that the stepmother and stepsisters are energy savers and Conservella is an energy waster. Have students rewrite the story.
Write an additional scene to this play where Conservella’s stepmother and stepsiblings visit Conservella and Prince Voltaic in his castle.
Cast of Characters
Conservella: Hard working young woman, earnest in her efforts to conserve and use energy efficiently.
Stepmother: Mean spirited and vain, obsessed with flaunting her wealth in ways that are wasteful.
Stepsister 1: Cruel and wicked like her mother, she enjoys bullying Conservella.
Stepsister 2: Cruel and wicked like her mother, she enjoys bullying Conservella.
Prince Voltaic: PV for short bachelor heir to the kingdom; a champion of energy efficiency and conservation.
Fairy Green Mother: A wood sprite, gifted with magical powers who has taken note of Conservella’s goodness.
Narrator 1: The storyteller.
Narrator 2: The storyteller.
NEED wishes to thank Alison George, Mitch Shirrell and Richea Smith for creating this Energy on Stage skit.
Characters
Conservella
CONSERVELLA: Hard working young woman, earnest in her efforts to conserve and use energy efficiently.
STEPMOTHER: Mean spirited and vain, obsessed with flaunting her wealth in ways that are wasteful.
STEPSISTER 1: Cruel and wicked like her mother, she enjoys bullying Conservella.
STEPSISTER 2: Cruel and wicked like her mother, she enjoys bullying Conservella.
PRINCE VOLTAIC: PV for short, bachelor heir to the kingdom, a champion of energy efficiency and conservation.
FAIRY GREEN MOTHER: A wood sprite, gifted with magical powers who has taken note of Conservella’s goodness.
NARRATOR 1: The storyteller.
NARRATOR 2: The storyteller.
NARRATOR 1: This is the story of a beautiful, energy-aware young woman living with her evil and energy wasting stepmother and stepsisters in a drafty, energy inefficient old mansion. Conservella was forced to cook, clean, and tend to the laundry. And yet she still found time to caulk around windows, insulate the drafty cracks in the walls, and install weather stripping around the doors.
NARRATOR 2: When she scrubbed, she saved energy and water by using two dishpans to wash and rinse the dishes. The clean laundry was hung on the solar clothes dryer in the backyard. Unlike her stepmother, who traveled everywhere in a gas guzzling car, Conservella rode her bike on errands every time she went into the village.
STEPMOTHER: Conservella, bring my SUV around to the front gate, and leave it running with the air conditioner on high. I’m leaving for the village in an hour and want it to be nice and cool!
CONSERVELLA: Yes, Stepmother.
NARRATOR 1: Conservella cringed at the exhaust emissions and fuel that would be wasted by the car idling in the driveway, but took some comfort in having recently tuned the engine and properly inflated the tires the night before.
STEPSISTER 1: Conservella, turn down the thermostat! I’m about to dry my sneakers in the oven and I don’t want the kitchen to be too hot for me to eat after you fix my lunch.
NARRATOR 2: Conservella watched as her stepsister put her shoes on the oven rack and left with her mother. She quickly turned off the oven and carried the shoes to the clothesline in the sunniest part of the backyard to dry in the sun.
STEPSISTER 2: Conservella, turn up the thermostat! I’m going out to play in the garden pool and I don’t want my room to be too cold when I come inside dripping wet. I might catch a chill.
NARRATOR 1: Conservella shook her head and carried towels to her stepsister so she could dry off BEFORE entering the house. She had already mopped the hallway and her sister’s room and she KNEW her stepsister would take a long, long, long, wasteful hot shower as soon as she came in.
Conservella
NARRATOR 2: The following day, Conservella rode into town on her bicycle for groceries to find banners everywhere announcing that Prince Voltaic was having a Grand Energy Conservation and Efficiency Ball that very night! Conservella quickly finished her shopping and returned home bubbling over with excitement as she shared the news of the ball with her family.
CONSERVELLA: Everyone listen! I’ve found out the most wonderful thing. Prince Voltaic is having an Energy Ball tonight and he’s invited the whole kingdom!
NARRATOR 1: Sadly, Conservella realized her sisters were already dressed in ball gowns and arranging their hair and jewelry.
STEPSISTER 1: I don’t know why you’re surprised. We’ve known about the ball for weeks, Conservella. Why do you think we’ve been away on so many shopping trips?
STEPSISTER 2: We’ve travelled far and wide to find the most beautiful gowns from the most exotic dressmakers to catch the eye of Prince Voltaic.
STEPSISTERS 1&2 TOGETHER: He is the dreamiest, most eligible bachelor in the kingdom!
STEPSISTER 1: If he would just quit blabbering about boring old kilowatts and hydrocarbons and stuff.
STEPSISTER 2: With all the money the king has, you’d think he’d find something more interesting to talk about.
STEPSISTER 1: And drive a bigger car.
STEPSISTER 2: And build a bigger castle.
STEPMOTHER: Now Conservella, you know that you would be bored at the palace, and besides, the floors need scrubbing and the oven needs cleaning. There’s quite enough to keep you busy without embarrassing us at the ball! You will be needed at home.
NARRATOR 2: As the SUV sputtered away into the night with Conservella’s stepmother and stepsisters, she wept quietly to herself, and as she walked through the house turning off lights and closing windows. In the kitchen, she picked up the laundry basket to hang the clothes on the line and walked out the door to the garden. There stood the figure of a woman, oddly dressed in leaves, with a green complexion.
CONSERVELLA: Who are you?
FAIRY GREEN MOTHER: I’m your fairy green mother. I’ve been watching how responsible you have grown to be. Tonight you will go to the ball!
CONSERVELLA: (Sobbing) But I don’t have a dress to wear.
FAIRY GREEN MOTHER: (Points to a shabby dress on the clothesline.) What about that one?
NARRATOR 1: With a quick flick of her wand, the shabby, old dress transformed into a beautiful ball gown.
CONSERVELLA: But Fairy Green Mother, I’ll never reach the ball in time riding on my bicycle.
FAIRY GREEN MOTHER: Not to worry, I have a faster, emissions-free ride for you.
NARRATOR 2: Then Fairy Green Mother swept her arm through the air and changed Conservella’s trusty bicycle into a sleek, energy-efficient electric car.
Conservella
FAIRY GREEN MOTHER: Now away with you child. Obey the speed limit and be back by midnight, or it will be a long ride home.
CONSERVELLA: (Runs offstage.) Thank you, Fairy Green Mother!
NARRATOR 1: As she approached Prince Voltaic’s castle, Conservella was in awe of the brilliant LED lighting and the gleaming solar panels reflecting in the moonlight. Conservella climbed the front stairs, walked through the front door and into the grand hall, where she found herself face to face with the Prince.
PRINCE VOLTAIC: Well hello, who are you?
CONSERVELLA: I’m Conservella, I love the thermo-pane windows of your castle. Are they reflective as well?
NARRATOR 2: The Prince and Conservella spent the rest of the evening dancing, dining, and discussing the virtues of ENERGYSTAR® appliances and green building strategies. As she admired the smart thermostat, Conservella realized that the clock was striking midnight.
NARRATOR 1: Conservella fled the ballroom and ran to the parking lot, where her electric car battery had discharged, transforming back into her bicycle. Conservella rode away into the night, on her bike, leaving nothing behind but her tiny carbon footprint.
NARRATOR 2: By morning, Prince Voltaic had recovered from the shock of Conservella’s disappearance from the ball. He assembled a troop of knights to accompany him in search of the elusive energy saver with the tiny carbon footprint who had captured his heart. Couriers with trumpets were dispatched to ride ahead and announce the Prince’s goal.
STEPSISTER 1: Did you hear? The Prince is searching for a girl he met at the ball. He wants to marry her! I think it must be me.
STEPSISTER 2: Of course I heard! The herald said once Prince Voltaic has found her, he will propose on the spot. I know it has to be me.
STEPSISTER 1: Conservella! Turn up the air-conditioning and open the windows so we can hear the approach of the Prince.
STEPSISTER 2: Conservella! Prepare a feast and leave the kitchen door ajar so the Prince can smell the deliciousness! Open the refrigerator doors so he can view the delicacies we have to share!
NARRATOR 1: Conservella ignored their silly requests, of course, and put the stepmother’s SUV in the garage so the Prince wouldn’t pass by their home without stopping.
NARRATOR 2: At last, the Prince arrived. In his hand was the tiny green carbon footprint he had discovered after Conservella ran away into the night.
NARRATOR 1: After a polite introduction, Prince Voltaic measured the carbon footprints of the stepmother and each stepsister in turn.
Conservella
(Prince Voltaic holds up a small green footprint comparing it to larger yellow and red footprints. He shakes his head then starts to walk offstage.)
NARRATOR 2: Disappointed, Prince Voltaic was about to leave.
CONSERVELLA: Won’t you check my footprint, fair Prince?
NARRATOR 1: While he didn’t recognize Conservella in her shabby dress, the sparkle in her eye was familiar enough that Prince Voltaic took her measurement as well.
(Prince Voltaic holds up a small green footprint and compares it to Conservella’s identical small green footprint.)
PRINCE VOLTAIC: Are you the same young woman who stole my heart and spoke so earnestly at the ball?
CONSERVELLA: I am, your highness!
PRINCE VOLTAIC: (Bows on one knee in front of Conservella) Then I beg you to marry me at once and rule at my side, promoting energy efficiency and conservation throughout our kingdom!
CONSERVELLA: (Smiling broadly) I will, PV!
NARRATOR 2: And they lived happily, saving energy, ever after!
Cast of Characters
Energilocks Teacher Guide
ENERGILOCKS: Storyland’s energy expert
CARETAKER: Person in charge of Sleeping Beauty’s castle
JUMP-BE-NIMBLE: The next great jumper with a hot problem
FAIRY GODPERSON: Cinderella’s Fairy Godperson
CHARACTERS: Class or cast
WOLF: A big personality
RUBBA: Storyland’s plumber
DUB 1: Storyland’s plumber
DUB 2: Storyland’s plumber
BIG BEAR: A very big bear who enjoys hot porridge
MIDDLE BEAR: A middle-sized bear who enjoys cold porridge
LITTLE BEAR: A little bear who enjoys porridge that is just right
Concepts
It takes a lot of energy to heat a home, to make hot water, to power lights, appliances, and electronic devices.
It’s important not to waste energy.
There are many different ways to save energy.
A Vocabulary
audit
caulking
demolish
destitute
R Assessment
enthusiasm
exaggerated
incandescent
light emitting diode
sage savvy
sensible
smart thermostat
1. List three conservation tips from the story. (Use public transportation. Cover bed with blankets to lower the temperature at night. Install a smart thermostat to control the heat for time of day and season. Install weather-stripping and caulking to keep drafts out of doors and windows. Install proper insulation in walls and attics. Use LED bulbs. Ride bikes instead of using the car. Plan trips. Check tire pressure regularly. Drive the speed limit. Keep vehicle weight low. Install a low flow shower head to conserve water and save energy on hot water. Take short showers. Use cold water instead of hot water when possible. Install an insulating blanket around hot water heaters. Carpool. Use microwaves instead of ovens to reheat or cook food. Only open the refrigerator door to get what you need. Power down office equipment and put computers to sleep when not in use. Unplug electronic devices that are done charging. Turn off the water while brushing teeth. Turn off lights and video game equipment when leaving a room.)
2. Compare and contrast Goldilocks and Energilocks. (Both stories involve three bears and a young girl. Goldilocks happened upon the Bears’ house, Energilocks had an appointment. Goldilocks let herself in when it appeared no one was home while Energilocks was invited in by a note. Both Goldilocks and Energilocks like porridge.)
3. Write a newspaper article about a character in Storyland. (Student articles should include a major character, the energy problems they had, and the solutions provided by Energilocks. Additional reporting could include background information about the character.)
Extensions
Develop Storyland conservation brochures for Energilocks to hand out to other characters.
Write an additional scene to the play that includes more fairy tale characters such as Snow White, Hansel and Gretel, or Beauty and the Beast.
Characters
Energilocks
ENERGILOCKS: Storyland’s energy expert
CARETAKER: Person in charge of Sleeping Beauty’s castle
JUMP-BE-NIMBLE: The next great jumper with a hot problem
FAIRY GODPERSON: Cinderella’s Fairy Godperson
CHARACTERS: Class or cast
WOLF: A big personality
RUBBA: Storyland’s plumber
DUB 1: Storyland’s plumber
DUB 2: Storyland’s plumber
BIG BEAR: A very big bear who enjoys hot porridge
MIDDLE BEAR: A middle-sized bear who enjoys cold porridge
LITTLE BEAR: A little bear who enjoys porridge that is just right
Scene I
(Setting: A Storyland bus stop. Caretaker, Jump-Be-Nimble, and Fairy Godperson are waiting at the bus stop as Energilocks enters.)
ENERGILOCKS: (Waves to audience) Hi! I’m Energilocks. It’s my job to make sure all the characters in Storyland are saving energy. I’m saving energy by walking over to the Three Bears’ house for an energy audit. (Looks around at the bus stop) I notice several characters using public transportation, which saves energy, too. (Caretaker, Jump-Be-Nimble, and Fairy Godperson recognize Energilocks and all start shouting at once.)
CARETAKER, JUMP-BE-NIMBLE, FAIRY GODPERSON: Energilocks! I’ve got an energy problem. Please help! Me first! No, me first.
ENERGILOCKS: Hold on! I can’t help every character at once. Let’s solve one problem at a time.
CARETAKER: I’m the caretaker of Sleeping Beauty’s drafty castle. Sleeping Beauty has been asleep in her room for two years. The king is getting destitute. Heating that castle uses a lot of energy. If Prince Charming doesn’t show up soon, we’re going to be in trouble.
ENERGILOCKS: Heating is the number one energy-consuming job in all castles. But, not to worry, there are many ways to save energy on the castle’s heating bill. First, cover Sleeping Beauty with lots of blankets so you can lower the temperature while she sleeps. Next, install a smart thermostat to control the heat for time of day and season. Finally, block drafts around doors and windows with caulking and weatherstripping, and add insulation in the attic and dungeon.
CARETAKER: Will do! Thanks, Energilocks.
Energilocks
JUMP-BE-NIMBLE: I’m Jump-be-nimble. You probably remember my grandpa, Jack-be-nimble, Jack-bequick, Jack jumped over the candlestick.
ENERGILOCKS: Sure, how can I help?
JUMP-BE-NIMBLE: When my dad, Jack Junior, took over the story, he liked to jump over lightbulbs. Jack-benimble, Jack revamps, Jack jumps over incandescent lamps. But incandescent light bulbs were too hot, and he got burnt out. So, I’m Storyland’s jumper now, and I want a long lasting, efficient light bulb that doesn’t give off so much heat.
ENERGILOCKS: Today’s technology is called light emitting diodes, or LEDs. They use less energy, give off just as much light, and are cool to the touch. To save energy, switch the most used lights in your home to energyefficient LEDs.
JUMP-BE-NIMBLE: You’re so energy savvy, thanks! Jump-be-nimble, jump indeed, I’ll jump over the LEDs.
FAIRY GODPERSON: Energilocks! I need advice, too. I’m Cinderella’s Fairy Godperson.
ENERGILOCKS: What’s the problem?
FAIRY GODPERSON: My dear Cinderella is cooking and cleaning from morning ‘til night. How can I help with the chores?
ENERGILOCKS: Cinderella needs ENERGYSTAR® certified appliances, like a dishwasher, clothes washer, and clothes dryer. Appliances that earn the ENERGYSTAR® label are very energy-efficient, helping you save energy and money while you get the chores done.
FAIRY GODPERSON: This is great, thank you Energilocks!
ENERGILOCKS: Ok characters, I’ve got to run to the Three Bears’ house. I’m almost late!
(Energilocks hurries offstage.)
CHARACTERS: Saving energy is smart! Now is the time to start!
Scene II
(Setting: The Three Bears’ house. Energilocks sees a note on the door.)
ENERGILOCKS: There’s a note for me. It says, “Dear Energilocks, we’re riding our bikes to the store to buy more porridge. Please bear with us if we are late. Your friend, Little Bear.” (Speaks to the audience) The Three Bears are saving energy already, riding their bikes instead of using their car for errands.
(Wolf runs onstage and yells outside the door.)
Energilocks
WOLF: Open up in there, or by the hair of your chinny-chin-chin, I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house in.
ENERGILOCKS: Excuse me, what are you yelling about?
WOLF: I’m the Big Bad Wolf, and I’m here to demolish the third little pig’s house.
ENERGILOCKS: Well, this is the Three Bears’ house. The Three Little Pigs live on the other side of the forest.
WOLF: Rats! I just drove here from over there. I was napping at Grandmother’s house this morning.
ENERGILOCKS: Wolf, you can save energy by carefully planning your errands. Next time, huff and puff at all the pigs’ houses in one energy-saving trip. You can also save energy while driving by keeping your tires properly inflated, driving the speed limit, and removing excess weight from the trunk.
WOLF: Good tips, thanks, Energilocks.
CHARACTERS: Saving energy is smart! Now is the time to start!
(Rubba, Dub 1, and Dub 2 walk up to Wolf and Energilocks.)
RUBBA: Hello! I’m Rubba, this is my friend Dub, and this is my other friend Dub. We’re the best plumbers in Storyland.
WOLF: Aren’t you the only plumbers in Storyland?
DUB 1: (Holds phone screen towards Wolf) Here’s our latest TikTok. Rub a dub dub, three plumbers dancing in a tub.
(Wolf does a little dance as if mimicking the TikTok.)
DUB 2: We brought the low-flow shower head you ordered, Energilocks.
ENERGILOCKS: Installing a low-flow shower head is a good way to conserve water in the shower and save energy on hot water. This will make the Three Bears’ shower just right.
RUBBA: It takes a lot of energy to make hot water, so it’s important not to waste it.
ENERGILOCKS: That’s right. Every character can save energy on hot water by taking short showers instead of filling the bathtub. You can use cold water to wash clothes and rinse dishes, too.
DUB 1: We’re heading over to the third little pig’s house next. We’re installing an insulating blanket around the hot water heater to save energy.
DUB 2: The third little pig’s house is one of the most energy-efficient homes in Storyland.
WOLF: Are you telling me that house is so well built and energy-efficient that my huffing and puffing can’t
Energilocks
blow it down?
ENERGILOCKS: Exactly, but it can’t hurt to try. You can save energy by carpooling over to the third little pig’s house together. Off you go.
(Energilocks pushes Rubba, Dub 1, Dub 2, and Wolf offstage.)
CHARACTERS: Saving energy is smart! Now is the time to start!
ENERGILOCKS: Phew! I can finally get started on the energy audit of the Three Bears’ house.
(Energilocks enters the house and looks around.)
ENERGILOCKS: Oh, they left three bowls of porridge cooling here on the table. (Makes an exxagerated wink at the audience.) Do you think the Three Bears will mind if I take just one bite?
(The door opens. Big Bear, Middle Bear, and Little Bear enter.)
BIG BEAR: Sorry we’re so late! It took a while to get home from the store. First, we pedaled too fast.
MIDDLE BEAR: Then, we pedaled too slow.
LITTLE BEAR: Finally, we pedaled just right, and here we are!
ENERGILOCKS: Great, let’s get started. Big Bear, I noticed that you overheated the porridge then left it out to cool. You’ll save energy if you use the microwave to cook everyone’s porridge at their favorite temperature.
BIG BEAR: Bears like to eat, but we also want to save energy while cooking.
ENERGILOCKS: Also, don’t leave the refrigerator door wide open as you poke around for salmon. To save energy, only open the door to grab what you need.
BIG BEAR: That’s sounds very sensible.
ENERGILOCKS: Middle Bear, I see you left your computer and office equipment on while you were gone. You should always power down equipment and put the computer to sleep when it’s not in use.
MIDDLE BEAR: Thanks for the sage advice, Energilocks.
ENERGILOCKS: Also, save energy by unplugging electronic devices when they are done charging.
MIDDLE BEAR: Bears like to use electronic devices, but we also want to save energy.
Energilocks
LITTLE BEAR: What about me, Energilocks? How can I save energy at home?
ENERGILOCKS: Well, Little Bear, you can save energy by turning off the water while you brush your teeth. Also, turn off the lights and video game equipment when you leave the room.
LITTLE BEAR: I will, Energilocks, I will!
ENERGILOCKS: I wish all the characters in Storyland were as eager to change their habits as you, Little Bear. Your enthusiasm for saving energy is just right! (Makes an exaggerated wink to the audience) Now, may I have some of that delicious smelling porridge?
CHARACTERS: Saving energy is smart! Now is the time to start!
Harry Spotter and the Quest for the Right Light Teacher Guide
Cast of Characters
Fluorenzo: A prankster who loves to stir up trouble
Halley: Extremely intelligent student, passionate about causes
Rodney: Easily frustrated student, passionate about saving energy
Harry: Student with a calming influence on his friends
Nevi: A curious friend
Professor Dieseldore: Headmaster
Friends: Class or cast
Teacher Tip
Stop your class after Scene II. Have the students predict what kind of deal Halley is planning.
Concepts
LED bulbs are more energy efficient than incandescent bulbs.
ENERGY STAR® qualified light bulbs and appliances are the most energy efficient you can purchase.
Spending more to purchase an efficient product now will save more money in the long run on utility costs.
A Vocabulary
appliance
antiques
certified
efficient
emissions
R Assessment
ENERGY STAR®
flummoxed
humanitarian
initially
LED
proposal
quarrelling
unique
1. Name ways to save energy mentioned in the play. (Answers will vary, but may include: switching out old bulbs to LEDs, turn down the thermostat, buy ENERGY STAR® appliances.)
2. Write a letter to your household giving them suggestions on how they could reduce their electric and/or utility bills.
3. Draw a picture cause/effect chart showing what happens in Professor Dieseldore’s office.
Extensions
Draw a blueprint of your house, indicating the light bulbs in each room. Compute how much a household could save on their electric utility bill by switching to LEDs. What impact would changing this many bulbs have on the environment? Go to www.energystar.gov for helpful information and resources.
Conduct a survey of your school. Are there ways you could save energy? Write a proposal to your principal with your suggestions.
Continue the story. What do you think should be done with the additional money saved at Hogwatts?
Harry Spotter and the Quest for the Right Light
Characters
FLUORENZO: A prankster who loves to stir up trouble
HALLEY: Extremely intelligent student, passionate about causes
RODNEY: Easily frustrated student, passionate about saving energy
HARRY: Student with a calming influence on his friends
NEVI: A curious friend
PROFESSOR DIESELDORE: Headmaster
FRIENDS: Class or cast
Scene I – Hanging Out in the Potion Room
(Setting: Halley is sitting at a table with newspaper ads spread around her, reading, and occasionally circling items with a quill. Rodney sits nearby with his head in his hands. Fluorenzo, Nevi, and friends are mixing potions.)
FLUORENZO: Hey Halley, are you wishing on the stars all over that newspaper ad that your potion will mix itself?
HALLEY: It’s the ENERGY STAR®. This mark indicates which household appliances are most energy efficient. And BTW, I mixed my potion yesterday!
FRIENDS: ENERGY STAR® light, ENERGY STAR® bright, Energy efficiency is always right.
I wish I may, I wish I might, Save energy and money with some STARs tonight!
(Harry enters the room. Rodney’s head pops up.)
RODNEY: Harry! About time! Maybe you can talk some sense into her.
HARRY: What has she done now?
HALLEY: SHE is right here. And SHE is just doing the humanitarian thing. Of course, it takes a HUMAN to understand that.
RODNEY: Did…did…did she just say I wasn’t HUMAN?
HARRY: What are you doing, Halley… (shuffles through newspapers) looking at kitchen stuff?
NEVI: Hogwatts just received a big grant and Professor Dieseldore is asking students to submit proposals on how to spend the money. Halley and Rodney are quarrelling over how to spend it.
Harry Spotter and the Quest for the Right Light
FLUORENZO: Let’s propose a new headmaster—(chanting) Dieseldore, is a bore, Dieseldore, is a bore.
FRIENDS: (Giggle quietly in the background.)
RODNEY: Harry, you know we need brighter lights on the Quiddich field. During the last match, the crowd didn’t realize the game was over for fifteen minutes!
HALLEY: Although sports are entertaining, they aren’t as important as the House Elves’ working conditions.
NEVI: Here we go again…
HALLEY: During my chore time in the kitchens, I saw the appliances the House Elves use. They’re antiques!
RODNEY: So let them sell the antiques for money to buy new ones!
HALLEY: (Giving Rodney a dirty look) As I was saying, they have to run the dishes through the dishwasher twice after every meal, because the old dishwasher doesn’t work. Do you know how many dirty plates there are after all the students eat? The washing machines only hold one robe at a time, and the refrigerators are ancient!
NEVI: But they can still do their jobs using the old appliances. We NEED those lights—our athletes can’t perform in the dark!
HALLEY: You are all impossible! (Exits the room).
HARRY: I’m flummoxed; they both sound like important causes.
RODNEY: Give me those advertisements, I need to look up how much new lighting will cost.
Scene II – Lunch Time in the Dining Room
(Setting: Nevi, Rodney, Fluorenzo, Halley, and Harry are sitting at a table. Other friends are eating nearby.)
NEVI: Hey, Rodney, what did you find out about the new lights for the field?
RODNEY: I learned that the incandescent bulb, Thomas Edison’s light bulb from 1879, is really inefficient. In an incandescent bulb, 90 percent of electric power is converted into heat, not light.
FLUORENZO: We don’t want those for our field, it’s too hot down there already!
HALLEY: Actually, traditional incandescent bulbs are so inefficient, they are no longer manufactured or sold in the United States. But, it’s likely many homes and schools are still using these energy-wasting bulbs. I even found one in the House Elves’ broom closet!
NEVI: Did you find a better option?
Harry Spotter and the Quest for the Right Light
RODNEY: Light emitting diode technology, or LEDs, are an energy-efficient option. The technology does not give off as much wasteful heat.
HALLEY: LED bulbs use less energy and last longer than other types of lighting, such as halogens or fluorescents. LED bulbs are manufactured in many shapes and sizes, so there’s a perfect bulb for every room at Hogwatts.
FLUORENZO: But, when you go to the store, there are so many choices, it’s hard to figure out what to buy.
HARRY: True. There are many lighting options, and consumers may be tempted to grab the cheapest light bulb on the shelf.
HALLEY: It’s easy. Look for the ENERGY STAR® label on the packaging.
RODNEY: Only LED bulbs that have earned the ENERGY STAR® label are certified to deliver high quality, save energy, and help protect the environment.
FRIENDS: ENERGY STAR® light, ENERGY STAR® bright, Energy efficiency is always right.
I wish I may, I wish I might, Save energy and money with some STARs tonight!
RODNEY: Always choose ENERGY STAR® certified LED bulbs because they’re more energy-efficient than standard bulbs. They use less electricity to operate.
NEVI: So, each LED bulb we install will save money on our electric bill.
HALLEY: And using less electricity means releasing less carbon dioxide emissions into the environment.
HARRY: Hogwatts saves money and helps the environment. Very cool.
FLUORENZO: We should start by replacing that incandescent bulb in the broom closet!
RODNEY: Let’s look at the ENERGY STAR® website. It has information to help us choose the best light.
HALLEY: Do they have information on ENERGY STAR® qualified appliances on their website too?
RODNEY: They do! Go to www.energystar.gov. There’s information on clothes washers and dryers, dishwashers, refrigerators and freezers, dehumidifiers, room air conditioners, office equipment, electronic devices, and smart thermostats.
HALLEY: You know, Rodney, I’m thinking we can work out a deal on this proposal.
Harry Spotter and the Quest for the Right Light
Scene III – The Meeting in Professor Dieseldore’s Office
(Setting: Rodney and Halley are sitting at his desk, the rest of the friends gather around the office.)
PROFESSOR DIESELDORE: I understand the two of you are submitting a joint proposal for the grant money.
RODNEY: We want to use the money to buy ENERGY STAR® certified light bulbs for the playing fields, classrooms, and dorms.
PROFESSOR DIESELDORE: Sounds expensive, Rodney.
RODNEY: It will cost more initially, but in the long run, Hogwatts will save on its electric bill.
FLUORENZO: We also want to share what we’ve learned with the community during Friday’s half time show. There will be flying tricks and a band…
HARRY: We’ll just give a short presentation about energy efficient lighting and appliances, and we’ll have a booth where we can answer questions.
NEVI: Every family at Hogwatts that changes their five most frequently used light bulbs to ENERGY STAR® certified LEDs can save energy costs every year.
PROFESSOR DIESELDORE: Saving money sounds like an excellent idea. But Halley, what about new appliances for the House Elves?
HALLEY: Our proposal is actually a two-part plan.
HARRY: With the new efficient lighting, Hogwatts will save lots of money on its utility bill.
PROFESSOR DIESELDORE: I’m guessing you have plans for that money?
HALLEY: We want to use our savings to buy ENERGY STAR® certified appliances for the House Elves. When buying an appliance, it has two price tags: what you pay to take it home and what you pay for the energy and water it uses. ENERGY STAR® certified appliances incorporate advanced technologies that use less energy and water than standard models. The money Hogwatts will save on our utility bills can more than make up for the cost of more expensive, but more efficient, ENERGY STAR® models.
PROFESSOR DIESELDORE: Sounds like a great proposal!
HARRY: But wait—there’s more!
RODNEY: With the money we save using the energy-efficient appliances, we want to buy everyone new winter robes. Then we can turn down the thermostat next winter.
HALLEY: And that will save Hogwatts even more money.
PROFESSOR DIESELDORE: OK, I’m convinced. You get your new lights, and your new appliances. This is the first time I’ve given away money and saved at the same time!
FRIENDS: ENERGY STAR® light, ENERGY STAR® bright, Energy efficiency is always right. I wish I may, I wish I might, Save energy and money with some STARs tonight!
The Mystery of the Carbon Footprint Teacher Guide
Concepts
Burning fossil fuels to generate electricity produces carbon dioxide emissions. Carbon dioxide is one of the greenhouse gases. The buildup of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is one cause of global climate change.
A carbon footprint calculates the greenhouse gas emissions caused directly and indirectly by an individual, product, organization, or event.
There are many simple ways to save energy and decrease your personal carbon footprint.
A Vocabulary
crisis
drastic
emissions
idle
R Assessment
looming paparazzi
purify reforestation
sewage
trudge
verge waylaid
1. The Mayor of Energyville plans to shut down the power plant to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. What impact would this have on the residents and businesses of Energyville? (Residents and businesses will have to change their behaviors in order to make it through the day. They will then find how much more responsible they can be.)
2. The detectives find carbon footprints all over Energyville. Describe what a carbon footprint is and explain how individual choices impact the size of a carbon footprint. (A carbon footprint is the greenhouse gas emissions caused by a person, product, organization, or event. Individual choices can increase or decrease the size of one’s footprint).
3. Trace your shoe on a sheet of paper. Inside the footprint, write or draw pictures showing three ways you can reduce your personal carbon footprint. Take your footprint home and educate your family, too.
Extensions
Conduct NEED’s Saving Energy Expo, found in Energy Expos at www.NEED.org/shop.
Calculate your carbon footprint at www.epa.gov/carbon-footprint-calculator.
Choose one energy saving action from the play and research how it reduces carbon dioxide emissions. Write a persuasive essay that encourages others to take this action in order to shrink their carbon footprints.
Cast of Characters
Narrator: Dramatic voice offstage
Genius: Member of the Energyville Detective Agency who loves to play video games
Sleuth: Member of the Energyville Detective Agency who hates wearing braces
Inspector: Member of the Energyville Detective Agency who loves music
Citizens: Class or cast
Lady Goo Goo: Pop star with a spoiled dog and too many shoes
Twin 1: Lazy twin who loves to read
Twin 2: Lazy twin who loves to read
Dr. Toothstein: Energyville’s dentist and obsessive tooth brusher
Davey Beckham: Energyville’s best soccer player
Vincent Van Stop: Dutch painter on the verge of creating a masterpiece
Mayor: The Mayor of Energyville
The Mystery of the Carbon Footprint
Characters
NARRATOR: Dramatic voice offstage
GENIUS: Member of the Energyville Detective Agency who loves to play video games
SLEUTH: Member of the Energyville Detective Agency who hates wearing braces
INSPECTOR: Member of the Energyville Detective Agency who loves music
CITIZENS: Class or cast
LADY GOO GOO: Pop star with a spoiled dog and too many shoes
TWIN 1: Lazy twin who loves to read
TWIN 2: Lazy twin who loves to read
DR. TOOTHSTEIN: Energyville’s dentist and obsessive tooth brusher
DAVEY BECKHAM: Energyville’s best soccer player
VINCENT VAN STOP: Dutch painter on the verge of creating a masterpiece
MAYOR: The Mayor of Energyville
Scene I
NARRATOR: In a small town named Energyville you’d expect everyone to be an expert on energy, but not so. There are a few energy smart students, though, and they run the Energyville Detective Agency, helping friends and neighbors in need. If there’s a mystery in Energyville, you can count on these young detectives to come to the rescue.
GENIUS: (Texting on cell phone.) Energyville needs our help!
SLEUTH: What’s going on?
GENIUS: I just got a notification that the Mayor is closing the power plant.
INSPECTOR: This sounds bad. Really bad. Without electricity, how will I charge my iPhone?
GENIUS: What about the big video game tournament this afternoon? Without power, it will be cancelled.
SLEUTH: Calm down everybody. Let’s figure out what’s going on.
GENIUS: Apparently the Mayor is concerned about the large carbon footprints around town, and decided to close the power plant to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
SLEUTH: Generating electricity is the biggest producer of CO2 emissions in the U.S., but completely turning off our electricity isn’t the best solution.
INSPECTOR: I need electricity to survive.
GENIUS: That’s a bit over the top, Inspector, but we do use electricity for a lot of things every day. It’s an important part of our lives. Unfortunately, we often waste it.
SLEUTH: Let’s go convince the Mayor there are easy ways for the citizens of Energyville to reduce their carbon footprints without shutting down the power plant.
The Mystery of the Carbon Footprint
CITIZENS: Reduce your carbon footprint, we’ll show you how to start. Adults and children everywhere, it’s time to do your part.
NARRATOR: So the detectives head off to find the Mayor, but on their way, a strange thing happens…
INSPECTOR: Hey, look at that huge footprint.
GENIUS: Wow, it sure is big. And there’s another one.
SLEUTH: I think we’ve found a trail of carbon footprints. Let’s follow them.
GENIUS: The trail leads to Lady Goo Goo’s house.
SLEUTH: Isn’t she a famous pop star?
INSPECTOR: Oh, yes. I love her latest song, “Joker Face.” You can really dance to it. It’s on Spotify if you want to hear it.
GENIUS: (Knocks on door.) I wonder why she has such a big carbon footprint?
LADY GOO GOO: (Pulls open the door and poses as if expecting photographers.) Oh hi, it’s just you kids. I thought you were the paparazzi at my door again. What’s up?
INSPECTOR: Hi Lady Goo Goo. Energyville is having a carbon footprint crisis, and we followed some carbon footprints right to your house.
LADY GOO GOO: Well come on in and tell me more about this shoe crisis you’re having. My closet is full of shoes; I should be able to help you.
GENIUS: (laughing) No, Lady Goo Goo, a carbon footprint doesn’t have anything to do with shoes.
SLEUTH: A carbon footprint refers to the greenhouse gas emissions caused both directly, and indirectly, by an individual, a product, an organization, or an event.
GENIUS: Each person on Earth has a personal carbon footprint based on several factors – how much energy you use, the way your electricity is generated, your water use, the types of transportation you use, foods you eat, and products and services you use.
INSPECTOR: By decreasing your personal carbon footprint you can help slow down climate change.
LADY GOO GOO: I definitely want to reduce my carbon footprint.
GENIUS: (shivering) Grrreat. Brrrrr. It’s so cold in here.
LADY GOO GOO: Of course! I keep my air conditioning as cold as possible all summer long. My precious little doggie, Princess, can’t stand the heat. It makes her hair frizz.
SLEUTH: Unless we start reducing your carbon footprint fast, the Mayor will shut down the power plant and there will be no electricity in Energyville.
LADY GOO GOO: Without electricity, Princess will become a giant, frizzy fur ball. We’ll be a laughing stock on the red carpet.
The Mystery of the Carbon Footprint
GENIUS: I know a way Princess can stay cool while you reduce your carbon footprint. Let’s install a smart thermostat. Properly using a smart thermostat in your home is one of the easiest ways to save energy, money, and help fight global climate change. A programmable thermostat helps you control your home’s temperature while you’re home or away on tour.
SLEUTH: You can reduce your energy use further by cleaning your air filter regularly. A dirty filter slows down air flow and makes the system work harder to keep you cool or warm. That wastes energy.
INSPECTOR: We can come back tomorrow and check your home’s insulation, too.
GENIUS: If everyone in Energyville does their part, we can convince the Mayor not to shut down the power plant.
LADY GOO GOO: Count me in! Now I’ve got an idea for my next hit song, “Just Conserve.”
SLEUTH: Come on detectives, we’ve got to go.
INSPECTOR: Hey Lady Goo Goo, look outside! The carbon footprint in front of your house is already smaller. The smart thermostat is making a difference.
LADY GOO GOO: Thanks for your advice, detectives.
CITIZENS: Reduce your carbon footprint, we’ll show you how to start. Adults and children everywhere, it’s time to do your part.
NARRATOR: So the detectives leave Lady Goo Goo to write her next hit and start out again for the Mayor’s office. But before they get very far, they stumble upon more footprints.
INSPECTOR: I see some more footprints across the street.
GENIUS: They lead up to this car.
INSPECTOR: It’s the twins! They must be getting a ride somewhere.
SLEUTH: Where are you kids going?
TWIN 1 AND TWIN 2: We’re trying to escape all these footprints by going to the library, but the footprints keep following us.
GENIUS: They will quit following you if you start using your feet for transportation. The library is just around the block. You can ride your bikes or walk there instead of using a car. You’ll save energy, reduce your carbon footprints, and enjoy some fresh air.
SLEUTH: Transportation is a large part of your personal carbon footprint because energy is needed for every form of transportation. Most cars and buses run on gasoline or diesel and these produce greenhouse gases as they burn fossil fuels. Even electric vehicles often have a carbon impact if their electricity came from burning fossil fuels or biomass. Walking or riding a bicycle has no carbon impact.
INSPECTOR: Carpooling and using public transportation help reduce your carbon footprint, too.
TWIN 1 AND TWIN 2: (Skip off stage.) Ok. Let’s skip to the library.
The Mystery of the Carbon Footprint
GENIUS: It’s great to see their carbon footprints shrink as they use their feet instead of riding in a car.
SLEUTH: Speaking of using our feet….
CITIZENS: Reduce your carbon footprint, we’ll show you how to start. Adults and children everywhere, it’s time to do your part.
NARRATOR: The detectives set out one more time for the Mayor’s office only to be waylaid by footprints yet again.
INSPECTOR: Oh great, I see more footprints next door. Will this ever end?
GENIUS: Let’s investigate.
(They knock and Dr. Toothstein answers the door with a foaming mouth full of toothpaste and toothbrush in hand.)
SLEUTH: It’s Dr. Toothstein. They tightened my braces last week.
DR. TOOTHSTEIN: Glug blug uggah eck (waves at kids to follow her inside).
GENIUS: I think they need to spit and rinse before they can talk.
INSPECTOR: Do you hear the water running?
SLEUTH: I know why Dr. Toothstein has such a big carbon footprint. They leave the water running while they brush their teeth!
GENIUS: Dr. Toothstein, Energyville is having an energy crisis. We need everyone to do their part to stop energy wasting behaviors.
DR. TOOTHSTEIN: I’m very careful. I’m a dentist. I never waste energy.
GENIUS: But you leave the water running while you brush your teeth.
DR. TOOTHSTEIN: I brush my teeth five times a day, and I like to rinse with fresh, cold water.
INSPECTOR: Wasting water is wasting energy.
DR. TOOTHSTEIN: Really? How so?
SLEUTH: The amount of water you use influences the size of your carbon footprint.
GENIUS: It requires a lot of energy to find, purify, treat, and transport water to every house in Energyville. After using water, it goes to a sewage or water treatment plant to be cleaned. These procedures use more energy, all of which adds to water’s carbon footprint.
SLEUTH: So the more water you use, the bigger your personal carbon footprint.
DR. TOOTHSTEIN: I see what you mean. I really want to reduce my carbon footprint and save energy.
INSPECTOR: It takes a lot of energy to heat the water in your home, too. A simple way to save water, and energy, is to take a shower instead of a bath.
GENIUS: And did you know a leaky faucet can cost you up to $1.00 per month? Repair all toilet and faucet leaks right away.
DR. TOOTHSTEIN: Thanks detectives. I’ll start saving water today.
The Mystery of the Carbon Footprint
INSPECTOR: That’s awesome, Dr. Toothstein.
DR. TOOTHSTEIN: And Sleuth, don’t forget to floss tonight.
SLEUTH: Awww! We’ve got to get to the Mayor’s office, so we better run.
CITIZENS: Reduce your carbon footprint, we’ll show you how to start. Adults and children everywhere, it’s time to do your part.
NARRATOR: There isn’t much time left before the Mayor takes drastic measures to reduce the carbon footprints in Energyville by cutting off the power supply. Will the detectives get there in time?
GENIUS: The citizens of Energyville really want to reduce the carbon footprints around here. I hope the Mayor will see the progress we’re making.
SLEUTH: Our work isn’t done just yet. Here are some more footprints.
INSPECTOR: They’re leading us into the park, to the soccer field.
GENIUS: The Energyville Ants had a game today. I hope they were victorious.
SLEUTH: Looks like they’re celebrating with bottles of sports drink and cans of soda.
DAVEY BECKHAM: Hey detectives. You missed a good game. We won 3-0.
INSPECTOR: Congratulations.
DAVEY BECKHAM: Sure is hot today! Good thing we have ice cold drinks to cool off. Mmmm, delicious. (Throws can into the trash.)
SLEUTH: Davey, haven’t you noticed the big carbon footprint looming around the team?
DAVEY BECKHAM: Yeah, so what?
GENIUS: We need everyone in Energyville to make changes that will reduce their carbon footprints. If we all work together, we can make a difference.
DAVEY BECKHAM: I’m a team player, what can I do?
INSPECTOR: You just threw your can into the trash instead of recycling it.
SLEUTH: It’s hard for people to think of individual products, like a single soda can or plastic bottle, as adding to their carbon footprint, but our product choices impact our carbon footprint. Every product has a life cycle which includes everything that had to happen to make, deliver, and dispose of the item. Recycling or reusing products is an easy way to decrease the size of your carbon footprint.
GENIUS: For example, if you recycle your aluminum can you are helping save energy. Using recycled aluminum requires about 95% less energy than manufacturing a new can. Using a reusable water bottle saves energy to manufacture the new plastic.
DAVEY BECKHAM: So recycling our cans after the game is an easy way to reduce the team’s carbon footprint. We’ll do it.
INSPECTOR: Hooray for the Energyville Ants.
The Mystery of the Carbon Footprint
CITIZENS: Reduce your carbon footprint, we’ll show you how to start. Adults and children everywhere, it’s time to do your part.
NARRATOR: Without even a sip of those cold drinks the energy smart students trudge on, determined to solve the carbon footprint crisis.
INSPECTOR: Is anybody else getting tired? I think I’ll crank up the Lady Goo Goo tunes to give me some energy.
SLEUTH: It is getting dark. We’d better hurry before the Mayor shuts down the power plant and Energyville is in the dark for good.
GENIUS: Not so fast. Look over there – more footprints.
INSPECTOR: They lead right up to the brightest building in town.
GENIUS: It’s an art studio. The Dutch painter, Vincent Van Stop, works here.
SLEUTH: (Knocks on the door.) Let’s find out why the place is so well lit.
VINCENT VAN STOP: Wonderful, my audience has arrived. Come in, come in. The masterpiece is ready. I call it, Starry Night over Energyville. It is my best work yet.
INSPECTOR: Actually, we’re here to talk to you about Energyville’s current energy crisis. The Mayor is about to shut down the power plant because of all the carbon footprints running around town, and here you are with every light on in your studio!
VINCENT VAN STOP: But I need bright light to showcase my greatest masterpiece. I call it, Starry Night over –
SLEUTH: Stop! Mr. Van Stop, you need to reduce your carbon footprint or your paintings will be hanging in the dark.
VINCENT VAN STOP: What can I do?
INSPECTOR: You can start by turning off these lights you aren’t using.
GENIUS: And we’ll help you install LED bulbs. They are really energy efficient and will provide great light while you paint, and help to show off your beautiful masterpieces.
VINCENT VAN STOP: My masterpiece will look so good in the bright light of these LEDs. You’ve inspired me detectives. I’m going to start my next great masterpiece right now. I will call it, Still Life with LEDs.
INSPECTOR: It looks like Vincent Van Stop’s carbon footprint is shrinking. Our work here is done, we can go.
CITIZENS: Reduce your carbon footprint, we’ll show you how to start. Adults and children everywhere, it’s time to do your part.
NARRATOR: Finally, the detectives arrive at the Mayor’s office, and not a moment too soon. Carbon footprints surround the building.
GENIUS: I hope the Mayor sees how the citizens of Energyville are working together to reduce their carbon
The Mystery of the Carbon Footprint
footprints and agrees to keep the electricity flowing.
INSPECTOR: Watch out for the carbon footprints! It looks like we have some work to do here first.
MAYOR: Hi, detectives. I’m glad you’re here. Have you seen the carbon footprints all over town? We need to make a change, so I’m closing the power plant. I don’t want to be responsible for global climate change.
SLEUTH: If you want to battle climate change, you need a better awareness and understanding of how individual actions affect climate change. Today we’ve been all over the city talking to the citizens of Energyville about things they can do to reduce their personal carbon footprints. Each and every action makes a difference.
INSPECTOR: Look outside, Mayor, and see for yourself.
MAYOR: Energyville is looking great. But, there are still a lot of footprints around City Hall. Maybe I better shut down the power plant anyway.
GENIUS: Using electricity isn’t wrong. It does put greenhouse gases into the atmosphere though, which contributes to global climate change. We just need to be smart about how we use electricity.
MAYOR: How can I do that?
SLEUTH: Here in your office, you can save energy by turning off the lights and your computer when you go home.
INSPECTOR: Office equipment and electronics use energy even when idle or in stand-by mode. To save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions at work, always activate the power management features on your computer and monitor.
SLEUTH: Unplug laptop power cords when they are not in use and turn off copiers and office equipment at the end of the day. Consider using a power strip that can be turned off when you’re done using your computer, printer, wireless router, and other electronics.
INSPECTOR: Recycling office paper, newspapers, and beverage containers will save even more energy. You’ll shrink your carbon footprint in no time.
GENIUS: We’ll come back this weekend and plant some trees around City Hall.
SLEUTH: Good idea, Genius. Reforestation is one way to combat carbon dioxide emissions. Plants and trees absorb carbon dioxide from the air, and through a process called photosynthesis, they release oxygen back into the environment.
MAYOR: Wow, these are great tips that seem easy enough. The citizens of Energyville really worked together today taking steps to reduce their carbon footprints. I’m proud to be Mayor of this great city, and it’s all because of you, detectives. I’m going to give you the keys to the city.
GENIUS: It’s great to see your carbon footprint shrinking, too.
The Mystery of the Carbon Footprint
INSPECTOR: I’m glad you’re keeping the power plant online. My earbuds’ battery is running low. I’ve got to get home and recharge it.
GENIUS: We can probably still make it to the video game tournament if we hurry.
SLEUTH: You’re invited, too, Mayor.
MAYOR: That sounds fun. But I’m warning you, I’m really good at MarioKart™ (Everyone walks off the stage.)
CITIZENS: Reduce your carbon footprint, we’ll show you how to start. Adults and children everywhere, it’s time to do your part.
NARRATOR: You might be wondering how things turned out in Energyville. The detectives received the keys to the city during a tree planting ceremony. Lady Goo Goo’s song, “Just Conserve,” made it to the top of the dance charts. The Energyville Ants were undefeated for the season, and Dr. Toothstein won an award for having the best flossing moves. Vincent Van Stop’s masterpiece, Still Life with LEDs, hangs prominently in the Mayor’s energy efficient office. The citizens of Energyville remain dedicated to saving energy and reducing their carbon footprints.
Cast of Characters
Pumpkin: Narrator
An Energy Nightmare on Elm Street Teacher Guide
Phantom: One of the Wattson children
Ghoul: One of the Wattson children
Werewolf: One of the Wattson children
Vampire: One of the Wattson parents
Mummy: One of the Wattson parents
Cougar: Our villain, Freddy Cougar, hunting down unsuspecting energy wasters
Scissorhands: Our hero, Etsy Scissorhands, cutting energy bills and teaching energy conservation
Concepts
Heating and cooling is the largest energy user in a home.
Water heating is the second largest energy user in a home.
We use many electronic devices daily that consume energy.
Energy conservation is a decision or behavior that uses less energy.
Using less energy saves money by lowering your energy bill.
A Vocabulary
cauldron
caulking
consumer electronics
dramatically
R Assessment
electric circuits
energy conservation
furnace
LED bulbs
national electric grid
weatherstripping
1. Explain the concept of energy conservation. (Choosing to use less energy)
2. Describe a specific example of something you can do at home to help your family save energy. (Answers will vary)
3. Choose a monster from the story and describe their energy related problem and at least one energy saving tip Etsy Scissorhands suggested. (Phantom experiences air leaks and drafts, solved with weatherstripping and caulking around doors and windows. Werewolf experiences a cold shower, solved by taking short showers, and washing laundry and dishes in cold water. Vampire is overwhelmed by all the electronic devices that consume energy, solved by turning off and unplugging devices when not in use.)
Extensions
To celebrate Halloween, wear costumes (change character names to match your costumes if needed) and perform this Halloween-themed play for other classes.
Build and test energy “haunted” houses to investigate the benefits of insulation. Download Energy House from www.NEED.org/shop
Conduct an energy audit of your classroom or school building. Download NEED’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation curriculum guides at www.NEED.org/shop
Each year, the U.S. Department of Energy designates October as Energy Awareness Month. During the month, many schools undertake energy efficiency and conservation activities. Energy Awareness Month activities are perfect submissions for NEED’s Youth Awards Program! Download NEED’s Youth Award Program guide at www.NEED.org/shop
Characters
PUMPKIN: Narrator
An Energy Nightmare on Elm Street
PHANTOM: One of the Wattson children
GHOUL: One of the Wattson children
WEREWOLF: One of the Wattson children
VAMPIRE: One of the Wattson parents
MUMMY: One of the Wattson parents
COUGAR: Our villain, Freddy Cougar, hunting down unsuspecting energy wasters
SCISSORHANDS: Our hero, Etsy Scissorhands, cutting energy bills and teaching energy conservation
Scene I
(Setting: The Wattson family home on Elm Street. Vampire is using a computer, Mummy is cooking dinner, and Phantom and Ghoul are playing a video game. Werewolf is offstage, taking a shower.)
PUMPKIN: Would you like to hear a ghost story—I mean a great story? (Encourage audience response.)
PUMPKIN: Once upon a time, on a very creepy night—I mean a very cool night, the Wattson family was relaxing in their haunted house—I mean their typical house—on Elm Street.
PHANTOM: Brrr. Keep your icy breath away from me, Ghoul!
GHOUL: That’s not me. That’s a draft coming through the windows and doors.
VAMPIRE: I’m chilly, too.
MUMMY: Vampire, dear, we should crank up the furnace.
PUMPKIN: The Wattsons didn’t know that heating and cooling is the largest use of energy in their home.
WEREWOLF: (Offstage) HOWWLLL!!!!
PHANTOM: Mummy! Werewolf is howling again!
MUMMY: (Calling towards offstage) Werewolf, dear, what’s the matter?
WEREWOLF: (Appears wearing a bathrobe.) There’s no hot water.
GHOUL: I’m not surprised. All the monsters in this family waste hot water taking their long showers.
WEREWOLF: But I have a lot of fur to wash!
MUMMY: Oh dear, I need to fill the cauldron with hot water for supper and soon I’ll be up to my eye sockets in dirty dishes.
An Energy Nightmare on Elm Street
PUMPKIN: The Wattsons didn’t know that heating water is the second largest use of energy in their home.
MUMMY: Vampire, dear, can you plug my cell phone into the charger? The battery is low.
WEREWOLF: And plug in my iPad..
PHANTOM: And my laptop…
WEREWOLF: And the video game controllers…
PHANTOM: And my headphones…
WEREWOLF: And my smart watch…
VAMPIRE: Hold on every-monster-body. I’m trying to work here. I’m already using the outlets for my home office equipment, computer, monitor, printer, paper shredder, pencil sharpener, coffee mug warmer…
PHANTOM: A coffee mug warmer, seriously?
VAMPIRE: It’s hard for a vampire to wake up in the morning.
GHOUL: The average family owns at least 24 consumer electronic products. We use these devices daily for communication, entertainment, and recreation.
PUMPKIN: The Wattsons didn’t know that many electronic devices continue to draw power even when they’re turned off, adding significantly to their monthly energy bill.
VAMPIRE: I’m just looking over our energy bill, and it’s huge. (Holds up a long scroll of paper covered in dollar signs that says “Energy Bill.”)
PHANTOM: Whatever.
WEREWOLF: Don’t care.
MUMMY: Vampire, dear, let’s just ignore that bill for now. I need to start brewing dinner.
VAMPIRE: Okay, I’ll go check on the hot water heater. (Carries the energy bill offstage.)
GHOUL: If only there was something we could do to lower our monthly energy bill.
(Suddenly the power goes out!)
WEREWOLF: Hey! Who turned off our video game?
MUMMY: And the refrigerator and the preheating oven?
PHANTOM: Enough with the howling! It’s not even a full moon.
VAMPIRE: (Hollers from offstage) I’m okay, but the lights went out in the basement.
GHOUL: Now we’re off the grid.
An Energy Nightmare on Elm Street
VAMPIRE: (Hollers from offstage) I’m using the flashlight on my cell phone to look around. The natural gas line has been cut and plugged, and the electric circuits have been slashed!
MUMMY: Oh dear, dinner is going to be late.
(Vampire dashes across the stage, chased by Cougar who is waving the energy bill at Vampire.)
VAMPIRE: Somebody help!
WEREWOLF: Was that a cougar?
(Vampire dashes onto the stage again, still chased by Cougar waving the energy bill. They stop in front of the monsters.)
PHANTOM: Who are you?
COUGAR: I’m your worst energy nightmare. I’m Freddy Cougar, the Elm Street Energy Slasher.
MUMMY: Cougar, dear, there’s no running in the house.
COUGAR: Sorry, Mummy.
VAMPIRE: But what are you doing in our house?
COUGAR: I’m here to slash the amount of energy you consume. You monsters waste more energy than any other home on Elm Street!
(All monsters make shocked faces.)
PUMPKIN: The Wattsons took energy for granted. They didn’t realize how much energy they were wasting in their home. They didn’t know wasting energy costs money. Now, it may be too late.
GHOUL: You could teach us how to use energy wisely instead of cutting off our entire energy supply.
MUMMY: That’s a great plan, Ghoul, dear.
WEREWOLF: Please give us another chance.
PHANTOM: Come on dude, don’t slash our energy.
VAMPIRE: We can change our energy habits. Just tell us how.
COUGAR: No, you’re just like all the other energy wasters...it’s too late to cut back...it’s time to permanently cut you off from energy.
SCISSORHANDS: (Charging onstage) Not so fast, Freddy Cougar!
COUGAR: Etsy Scissorhands! Not you again!
SCISSORHANDS: I hate to cut into your fun… (mimes scissor motion with both hands an gives an exaggerated wink to the audience)…but I’m here to save the neighborhood.
COUGAR: But...
An Energy Nightmare on Elm Street
MUMMY: Our hero! Thank you, Scissorhands, dear.
COUGAR: But they were wasting...
SCISSORHANDS: Energy conservation doesn’t have to be a nightmare on Elm Street. There are many painless ways to trim your energy use at home.
COUGAR: But they...
GHOUL: Energy conservation means choosing to use less energy to heat and cool our home, for water heating, and while using our electronic devices.
COUGAR: Seems like I’ve lost again. I can’t even cut into this conversation.
VAMPIRE: Then it’s time for you to cut out. (Takes back the Energy Bill while nudging Cougar offstage.)
MUMMY: (Calls after them) Cougar, dear, the Addams Family down the street could use your help slashing some overgrown bushes.
SCISSORHANDS: Now for the Wattson Family Energy Management Plan.
WEREWOLF: Ugh.
PHANTOM: Let the nightmare begin.
SCISSORHANDS: Energy conservation doesn’t NEED to be a nightmare. You don’t have to slash your entire energy supply. You can make better energy decisions without drastically changing your lifestyle.
PUMPKIN: The Wattsons didn’t know that small changes in their behaviors could make a big difference in how much energy they use.
GHOUL: Using less energy will lower our energy bill and save us money.
VAMPIRE: I like the idea of saving energy and money. (Passes the energy bill to Scissorhands.)
PHANTOM: What can we do about the icy drafts?
SCISSORHANDS: Installing weatherstripping around doors and caulking around windows could help you save ten percent or more on your energy bill. (Dramatically cuts off a chunk of the energy bill.)
GHOUL: Our home will be more comfortable all year round.
SCISSORHANDS: Switch out your thermostat to a smart or programmable model, and if you feel chilly, put on a sweatshirt or blankets instead of raising the thermostat. And, in the summer use fans to cool off instead of the air conditioner and close blinds to block out the hot sun and protect your Vampire. You will save energy and… (Cuts off a chunk of the energy bill.)
PHANTOM: Save money!
WEREWOLF: What about my cold shower?
An Energy Nightmare on Elm Street
SCISSORHANDS: To save energy on heating water, set your water heater to 120 degrees Fahrenheit or a little lower. Every monster should take short showers instead of baths. Use cold water to do laundry and rinse dishes. You will save energy and… (Cuts off a chunk of the energy bill.)
WEREWOLF: Save money!
VAMPIRE: How can our electronic devices use less electricity?
SCISSORHANDS: Turn off your home office equipment and computers when you aren’t using them. Turn off video games that prevent your computer from going into sleep mode. Turn off lights and electronics when you leave the room. Unplug chargers from the outlet when they’re not in use. You will save energy and… (Cuts off a chunk of the energy bill.)
VAMPIRE: Save money!
MUMMY: Scissorhands, dear, how can I save energy in the kitchen?
SCISSORHANDS: Cover the cauldron pots while you’re cooking. Keep the refrigerator door closed as much as possible. Use the microwave or air fryer instead of the big oven, and air dry the dishes. Also, the kitchen lights are some of the most used in the house. Replacing your lights with ENERGY STAR® certified LED bulbs will save energy and… (Cuts off a chunk of the energy bill.)
MUMMY: Save money! Thank you, Scissorhands, dear. We’ve learned a lot about energy conservation.
PHANTOM: As we choose to use less energy…
WEREWOLF: And make our home more energy efficient…
MUMMY: We can make our dear home more comfortable to live in...
VAMPIRE: While saving money on our energy bill…
GHOUL: And saving natural resources used to make energy.
SCISSORHANDS: Congratulations, you are no longer a family of monster-sized energy wasters! Here’s your new energy bill. (Holds up a small piece of paper with a couple dollar signs that says, “Saving Energy Pays”.)
PUMPKIN: The Wattson family has learned to use energy wisely. This particular nightmare on Elm Street is finally over. I hope you’ve enjoyed this ghost story—I mean this great story.
Youth Energy Conference & Awards
The NEED Youth Energy Conference and Awards gives students more opportunities to learn about energy and to explore energy in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math). The annual June conference has students from across the country working in groups on an Energy Challenge designed to stretch their minds and energy knowledge. The conference culminates with the Youth Awards Ceremony recognizing student work throughout the year and during the conference.
For More Info: www.need.org/youthenergyconference/
Youth AWards Program for Energy Achievement
All NEED schools have outstanding classroom-based programs in which students learn about energy. Does your school have student leaders who extend these activities into their communities? To recognize outstanding achievement and reward student leadership, The NEED Project conducts the National Youth Awards Program for Energy Achievement.
Share Your Energy Outreach with The NEED Network! This program combines academic competition with recognition to acknowledge everyone involved in NEED during the year—and to recognize those who achieve excellence in energy education in their schools and communities.
What’s involved?
Students and teachers set goals and objectives and keep a record of their activities. Students create a digital project to submit for judging. In April, digital projects are uploaded to the online submission site.
Check out:
https://youthawards.need.org/ for project submission information and more details. Be sure to explore the site to see past winning projects and garner inspiration!
Energy on Stage Evaluation Form
1. Did you conduct the entire activity?
2. Were the instructions clear and easy to follow?
3. Did the activity meet your academic objectives?
4. Was the activity age appropriate?
5. Were the allotted times sufficient to conduct the activity?
6. Was the activity easy to use?
7. Was the preparation required acceptable for the activity?
8. Were the students interested and motivated?
9. Was the energy knowledge content age appropriate?
10. Would you use the activity again?
What would make the activity more useful to you?
Yes
Other Comments:
AES
AES Clean Energy Development
American Electric Power Foundation
Appalachian Voices
Arizona Sustainability Alliance
Baltimore Gas & Electric
Berkshire Gas - Avangrid
BP America Inc.
Bob Moran Charitable Giving Fund
Cape Light Compact–Massachusetts
Celanese Foundation
Central Alabama Electric Cooperative
The City of Cuyahoga Falls
Clean Virginia
CLEAResult
ComEd
Con uence
ConocoPhillips
Constellation
Delmarva Power and Light
Department of Education and Early Childhood Development - Government of New Brunswick, Canada
Dominion Energy, Inc.
Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation
DonorsChoose
East Baton Rouge Parish Schools
East Kentucky Power Cooperative
EcoCentricNow
EDP Renewables
EduCon Educational Consulting
Enel Green Power North America
ENGIE
Entergy
Equinix
Eversource
Exelon
Exelon Foundation
Foundation for Environmental Education
FPL
Generac
Georgia Power
Gerald Harrington, Geologist
Government of Thailand–Energy Ministry
Greater New Orleans STEM
GREEN Charter Schools
Green Power EMC
Guilford County Schools–North Carolina
Honeywell
National Sponsors and Partners
Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory CouncilScale Up
Iowa Lakes Community College
Iowa State University
Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation
Illinois International Brotherhood of Electrical
Workers Renewable Energy Fund
Independent Petroleum Association of New Mexico
Kansas Corporation Energy Commission
Kansas Energy Program – K-State Engineering Extension
Katy Independent School District
Kentucky Environmental Education Council
Kentucky O ce of Energy Policy
Kentucky Power–An AEP Company
Liberty Utilities
Llano Land and Exploration
Louisiana State Energy O ce
Louisiana State University – Agricultural Center
LUMA
Marshall University
Mercedes Benz USA
Minneapolis Public Schools
Mississippi Development Authority–Energy Division
Motus Experiential
National Fuel
National Grid
National Hydropower Association
National Ocean Industries Association
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
NC Green Power
Nebraskans for Solar
NextEra Energy Resources
Nicor Gas
NCi – Northeast Construction
North Shore Gas
O shore Technology Conference
Ohio Energy Project
Oklahoma Gas and Electric Energy Corporation
Omaha Public Power District
Ormat
Paci c Gas and Electric Company
PECO
Peoples Gas
Pepco
Performance Services, Inc.
Permian Basin Petroleum Museum
Phillips 66
PowerSouth Energy Cooperative
Prince George’s County O ce of Human Resource Management (MD)
Prince George’s County O ce of Sustainable Energy (MD)
Providence Public Schools
Quarto Publishing Group
The Rapha Foundation
Renewable Energy Alaska Project
Rhoades Energy
Rhode Island O ce of Energy Resources
Salal Foundation/Salal Credit Union
Salt River Project
Salt River Rural Electric Cooperative
Schneider Electric
C.T. Seaver Trust
Secure Futures, LLC
Shell USA, Inc.
Shell Carson SMUD
Society of Petroleum Engineers
South Carolina Energy O ce
Southern Company Gas
Snohomish County PUD
SunTribe Solar
United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey
