Teachers’ Energy Conservation Training with Watt Watchers

The planet, our home, and even our schools can benefit from energy conservation efforts. The money your school saves on utility bills can then be used for other resources and investments to benefit your classrooms and your students’ education.

At Watt Watchers of Texas, our energy conservation specialists are dedicated to helping schools in Texas join the energy-saving effort. We are also committed to helping teachers prepare to teach energy conservation literacy at any grade level. That is why we have developed various resources to assist teachers, administrators, and parents in teaching and reinforcing the energy conservation lessons they have been working on with their students.

How Watt Watchers Helps

Conserving our planet’s resources is a group effort, and everyone can participate, even kids. To assist with the task, Watt Watchers has developed resources for teachers to add into their energy conservation curriculum.

We have also designed a program just for kids to join in the effort and have fun at the same time. It’s called the Student Patrol Program.

Resources

The Watt Watchers activities and lessons you can use to supplement your energy conservation curriculum are divided into six themes. These themes are:

• Electricity
• Water
• Materials
• Cooling and Heating
• Transportation
• Food

Many of these activities are appropriate for a single day’s class time or take-home learning while others may span several class periods. They can also be used individually or in conjunction with one another for a more well-rounded learning experience. It is entirely up to you how you incorporate them into your Texas classroom, and we at Watt Watchers are excited to see how you can adapt them for the benefit of your students.

All of our lessons and activities are aligned with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) science curriculum standards from Kindergarten through 12th grade. Following each task or activity, we have included a list of the TEKS standards that the training meets to be more easily used as part of your science curriculum.

Student Patrol Program

As a fun and innovative way to get kids involved in and excited about energy conservation, we have developed the Student Patrol Program, the heart of Watt Watchers of Texas. Your students will become official Watt Watchers and will join Lil’ Tex and Ann in their effort to save Texas from the fiendish Wasters Gang. Before you begin your school’s participation in the Student Patrol Program, be sure to meet with your school administrators so they are aware of how the program works, what the kids will be doing, and how it will benefit both the students and your school.

To get your school off on the right foot, we have provided all of the Patrol program materials you can need; you just have to print them out and share them. We even have an 8-page downloadable comic called “Texas is Too Good to Waste” that you can share with your class to help them understand what they are participating in and why. You will select students to be Watt Watchers and then begin your patrols. Once the students see that they have some control over the school’s energy usage and how it can affect those around them, they will feel empowered and excited to go on their next patrol.

Fun Ways to Save Energy

Divided among the themes are dozens of activities and lessons for you to use in your classrooms. We have explained the various tasks and easy DIY experiments for you to do with your students. From Kindergarten through 12th grade, there is something for every grade level in each of the themes. Students will be learning about saving energy and having a great time doing so. Some of the older students may even find a potential career path thanks to some of the activities that focus on energy conservation and industry jobs.

Whether you allow your students to go on patrols throughout the school or teach them the importance of “ugly produce,” energy conservation is all about education and the demonstration of benefits. Kids will love having the power to turn off lights in unused classrooms or giving out awards to other classes for a job well done. Older students will get to see the effects of energy conservation in the real world and may even feel inspired to continue to make a difference in college and their future careers.

Energy Education in Texas

Are you an educator in Texas and looking for ways to spread awareness at your school about saving energy? In that case, Watt Watchers of Texas has the resources, activities, lessons, and more to help you get your students interested in saving energy at school. We are a state-sponsored STEM program designed to help boost kids’ energy literacy from Kindergarten through 12th grade. Watt Watchers is dedicated to assisting Texas schools in saving money and conserving energy - a win-win for the school and the environment.

We know that it is never too early to start learning about the benefits of energy conservation. That is why we have developed lesson plans and activities that can be used to supplement an entire energy conservation and efficiency curriculum and have them available for free for teachers, administrators and parents. Check out all of our resources, and let us help you bring energy conservation awareness to your Texas school. And don’t forget to encourage your students to join Lil’ Tex and Ann to save Texas from the Wasters Gang’s sinister plans. Texas is too good to waste!