Energy Sciences

Instructional Strategies

The unit will begin by providing the students with background knowledge the structure of the earth and the many resources she provides like fossil fuels (oil, coal, natural gas), solar, water, and wind from the various countries and nations. A topic will be given to groups of four and students within their group will brainstorm, creating a web about the uses like an inquiry of science. This will break down the components of each topic, oil, coal, natural gas, solar, water, and wind from global, national, and the reservation.

As the unit advances the Dine' Philosophy of Education will be integrated focusing on Mother Earth (Nihodzaan). Students will learn about self as a Dine' and how the Circle of Life: Thinking, Planning, Life, and Happiness connect to all beings and all movement on the Earth and Sky. They will create a diorama of their four clans and how their clans connect to Nihodzaan.

After a week, the students will be focusing on the United States' and Colorado Plateau's & Navajo Reservation's resources. They will create comparison maps of the plateau and the reservation pinpointing mines, power plants, oil refineries, hydro-dams, wind turbines, solar panels, and other energy resources available. The maps will consist of closed and current facilities and they will discuss the pros and cons of the functioning services. They will research the Navajo Nation government to find out what our nation is doing in connection to resources like the environmental protection agency and the division of natural resources (land, water, archaeology) in comparison to the United States' agencies.

The main outcome of the unit is to teach students how the global and national events relating to resources will change their future, and they need to keep the balance with Nihodzaan. We will explore the renewable energy focusing on solar and wind because the southwest region is an ideal area for the two resources. They will create a scientific inquiry and a model of how solar or wind will help them at home in terms of saving energy.

Whole class direct instructions, team tasks cooperative learning, and individual independent learning are the grouping structures that will be utilized while teaching the unit. Visuals, pictorials, poetry chants and songs, color coding, and power point presentations are classroom input while learning about the unit.