LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Advanced Placement Earth and Environmental Science

Goal 4: The learner will build an understanding of the distribution, ownership, use and degradation of renewable and nonrenewable resources.

Objective 4.05. Analyze and compare conventional and alternative energy sources.

  • Coal.
  • Natural gas.
  • Oil.
  • Nuclear power.
  • Solar energy.
  • Biomass.
  • Energy from the Earth's forces: Wind, Water, Geothermal, Tidal.
  • Energy conservation.
  • Identify facility parts (Coal, Nuclear).
  • Monthly/annual costs.

Additional related resources

We’re in the process of aligning our content for students to the Standard Course of Study. As we do, you’ll find it here.

General resources

Aligned lesson plans

Who has seen the wind? Harnessing alternative energy
In this lesson plan, students conduct a series of investigations in order to understand issues surrounding the production of energy from wind, informed by the video "Roping the Wind in Texas" on the Powering a Nation website. Activities include discussing a video about the siting of a wind farm in Texas; conducting calculations based on local wind data; and using Google Earth, windNavigator software, and hands-on investigations to assess the potential for producing wind energy in the students' local area.
Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 English Language Arts and Science)
By Linda Schmalbeck.
Evaluating woody biomass options for North Carolina's electricity future
In this high-school lesson, students learn about the pros and cons of co-firing woody biomass fuels with coal to produce electricity.
Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 English Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies)
By Dana Haine.

Resources on the web

You've got oil ... or maybe you don't
In this Xpeditions lesson, students are called upon to role-play in an international oil summit. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 Science and Social Studies)
Provided by: National Geographic
Star power! Discovering the power of sunlight
In this Science NetLinks lesson, students discover that sunlight and the electromagnetic spectrum are the main tools with which we study objects in the solar system. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 Science)
Provided by: American Association for the Advancement of Science
Renewable energy sources
In this lesson, students will use Internet resources to investigate renewable sources of energy. The students should already have a basic understanding of energy, and know several examples of renewable and nonrenewable sources. This lesson is designed to... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 6 and 9–12 Science)
Provided by: American Association for the Advancement of Science
Natural resources extraction
This Xpeditions lesson encourages students to think about where the natural resources we use come from and the processes by which these resources are extracted. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 Science)
Provided by: National Geographic
Low-level nuclear waste: A geographic analysis
In this Xpeditions lesson, students learn how to analyze the problems surrounding nuclear waste. They compare and contrast low- and high-level nuclear waste, and make decisions concerning how to dispose of low-level nuclear waste. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 Science)
Provided by: National Geographic