MICHIGAN FORESTS FOREVER TEACHERS GUIDE

Overview

Wood Energy Curriculum for High School Classrooms

This curriculum is not well-developed in terms of lesson plans and activities.  The structure is simple with groups of discussion/research questions.  The student responses are intended to be  largely open-ended.  The curriculum is designed to be exploratory, generate discussion, encourage students to think about the right questions before trying to find answers, and to have students collaborate in their exploration.  Sharing and challenging is encouraged.  If you're looking for a more formal curriculum, the University of Florida has very good one [http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/FR/FR33200.pdf].  The Florida product is an award-winner from the Association of Natural Resource Extension Professionals.

For Michigan, the Michigan Wood Energy website has information and case studies that apply directly to Michigan, including a handful of schools that heat with wood chips. 

This curriculum is not directly tied to the Michigan Department of Education High School Content Expectations.  However, for the Sciences, the strongest application will be to the first expectation in most Content Areas "X1 - Inquiry, Reflection, and Social Implications".  For the  Social Studies, most of the Expectations seem to be in the Content Areas of "World History & Geography" and "Economics". 

Critical thinking and research skills are emphasized.  Students will rely heavily upon the Internet where source reliability becomes an issue, and where assessment becomes a valuable life skill.  By following the proposed design, the student work will coalesce with presentation skills and effective argumentation, or debate.  Better, more defensible answers, are found through collaboration with group members regularly questioning each other. 

This curriculum has a Michigan focus, although context extends to the USA and globally.  The importance of energy issues will continue to grow over the next several decades.  Students who engage these issues and apply them to their life choices will benefit, as well as contribute to social and environmental sustainability. 

The five sections are:

1-Big Energy

2-Wood As Energy

3-Environmental Aspects

4-Socio-Economic Aspects

5-Bringing It All Home

One implementation idea is to divide the class into five groups, with each group assigned/selecting one of the modules.  A pre-test (sort of) would be to have each group provide initial answers/opinions to each question, before any investigation.  Record the responses for future comparison.  Later, have each group research the answers using materials provided for each module, as well as other resources students might access (exploration encouraged, information brought to the table to be cited).  Have each group collectively prepare a response and presentation for each question. 

Make oral presentations to the entire class. 

Ideas for presentations, technologies, venues, evaluation, etc. are encouraged. 

Wood energy offers "real life" examples and applications of science and social studies. 

1.  The Big Energy Picture

• What are fossil fuel sources of energy?

• What are non-fossil fuel sources of energy?

• In what ways is energy used today in the USA?

• How much energy do we use in the United States?  In Michigan?  How does this compare to use in developing countries?  China?  Indonesia?  India?

• Where does the USA obtain its energy feedstocks?  How much is domestic?

• From what fuel sources does Michigan currently derive energy from?

• What is the relationship between reducing energy consumption vs. new energy plantations?

• Does conservation and efficiency mean going without choices?

• What Michigan non-fossil source of energy has the largest potential, in terms of units of energy production?

• Which countries have more advanced renewable energy?

2.  Wood As Energy

• What are some examples of where wood energy is used?

• How much money might your school save by using wood energy?

• What are some of the closest wood energy facilities near your school?

• How would you define woody biomass?

• Is all biomass the same?

• How much wood grows in Michigan each year?  How much is already used?

• How much more might new wood energy consumers use?

• What is district energy?

• What is combined heat & power or co-generation?

• How can wood be converted to ethanol?

3.  Environmental Aspects

• What is the carbon cycle?  Why is the carbon cycle relevant?

• How does woody biomass fit into the carbon cycle?

• What is a carbon footprint?

• What is a life cycle analysis?

• How does atmospheric carbon from wood differ from fossil fuel carbon?

• What atmospheric contaminants might come from wood, besides carbon?

• How does that compare with fossil fuel contaminants?

• How does wood compare to agricultural residues?

• What are the potential forest impacts of woody biomass harvesting?  (Nutrients?  Habitat?  Visual quality?)

• What is a carbon market?

• What is a carbon cap and trade system?

4.  Socio-Economic Aspects

• Why is cutting trees often considered bad?

• What sort of noise might a local wood energy plant cause?  Truck traffic increase?

• How might people in your town react to a local wood energy plant proposal?

• Who owns most of the forest in Michigan?

• Do forest owners manage their forest?

• What might be the economic impacts of wood-based energy?  Taxes?  Jobs?  

• How do ‘radical’ environmental groups affect public opinion about wood energy?

• Are government subsidies OK for wood energy?  Does the government subsidize other energy sectors? 

• Might woody biomass harvesting affect recreation?  Hunting? 

• Why is ‘energy independence’ a common catch phrase?

• What are the state government agencies that regulate wood energy?

5.  Bringing It All Home

• Where is your electricity generated?  From what fuel source?

• How does electricity arrive at your house?

• How many kilowatts does your home consume in one month?  One year?

• How is your home heated?  Where is the source of the fuel?  

• How much total energy does your household consume in a year? 

• What’s the mileage on the vehicle you usually drive? 

• What are some of the easiest ways that you could reduce fossil fuel use? 

	This website was developed and created by Michigan State University Extension for the teachers of the State of Michigan.

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