Energy Capital of the World
Energy Capital of the World
Discover Texas's energy powerhouse! In the Energy Capital of the World module, students will explore Texas’s energy resources, review the TEKS, and make connections between disciplines and across and their impact on daily life. Through an engaging investigation of the Texas Electric Grid, they will review the TEKs and deepen their understanding of key 6th-8th grade science concepts, including:
- Energy Flow and Conservation—Energy transformations, transfers, conservation, and efficiency, conservation of resources;
- Properties and Changes of Matter—Physical and chemical properties and changes and the conservation of mass;
- Science in the Workforce—Workplace safety and body systems; and
-
Environmental Impact—Human interactions with natural resources and sustainability.
This collection was created in collaboration with JASON Learning and Region 4 Education Service Center located in Houston, TX.
Included Materials
Included Materials
Students gain access to a module featuring six integrated STEM lessons, each designed to be completed in 25 minutes while aligning with grade-level TEKS. Learn more in our Educator Overview.
The six activities in this module are intentionally sequenced and should be completed in order. Students will deepen their understanding of critical energy-related concepts as they progress through each activity. Most importantly, they will create and enhance connections between:
- Science strands, including: Matter & Energy, Force, Motion & Energy, Earth & Space Science, and Organisms and the Environment.
- Related TEKS across 6th, 7th, and 8th grades
- Science concepts and real-world applications in society
Stage 1: Energizing Our Grid—Transfer & Transformations
Discover the key components of the Texas Electric Grid while reinforcing energy concepts. Then, step into the role of an energy detective! Using interactive graphs and maps, students will analyze real-time grid conditions and explore Texas's energy infrastructure.
Stage 2: Energizing Our World—Chemical Potential Energy
Students will explore the role of hydrocarbons in powering our daily lives—from fuels to plastics! Along the way, they’ll uncover the importance of carbon, the essential element behind these powerful compounds. Finally, they’ll step into the world of workplace safety by analyzing Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) for common hydrocarbons.
Stage 3: Energizing Innovation—Conservation of Energy
Students will learn about the principles of energy efficiency, conservation of energy, and the flow of energy through different components of the U.S. economy. Using their knowledge of energy, efficiency, the electric grid, climate, and natural disasters, they will develop two short-term and two long-term goals for modernizing and innovating Texas’s electric grid.
Key Concepts & Vocabulary
Key Concepts & Vocabulary
Charge, chemical property, compound, conservation of energy, crude oil, current, demand, discharge, dissipate, efficiency, electric grid, electrical energy, element, energy conservation, energy efficiency, energy infrastructure, energy security, energy sources, energy storage resources, forecast, fossil fuel, hazard, hazardous material, hydrocarbon, inexhaustible, the law of conservation of energy, MegaWatt (MW), metal, metalloid, mixture, natural resources, nonmetal, nonrenewable, OSHA, organic compound, physical property, power plant, PPE, Quad, rejected energy, renewable, Safety Data Sheets, supply, thermal energy, toxicity, transformation, transformer, transmission line, voltage, weather
Appropriate Age Levels
Appropriate Age Levels
Grades 6-8
Subscription Term
Subscription Term
One year
Share
Couldn't load pickup availability
