New Statewide School Curriculum Has Students Energized

Portland, ME, October 03, 2009 --(PR.com)-- A new statewide academic curriculum aimed at changing our children’s approach towards energy concepts was launched at Yarmouth Elementary School today.

Developed by Efficiency Maine, a program of the Maine Public Utilities Commission (MPUC), and the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance (MMSA), the PowerSleuth Energy Education Curriculum is a project tasked with producing a coherent set of standards and resources for energy education purposes. These academic programs have been developed for three grade-spans: grades 4-5, 6-7 and 7-8.

All of these programs are available at no cost to schools. Teachers have access to both hard copy and companion website support materials for the curriculum.

John Brautigam, MPUC Director of Energy Programs, said Efficiency Maine is committed to providing more and more engaging ways for Maine’s students to become involved in the energy education process.

“Educating today’s youth on energy efficiency is very important. To truly lead the way to a brighter future, we have to encourage our sons and daughters to take serious strides towards energy independence. With this free PowerSleuth curriculum, we have taken major steps towards achieving this,” he said.

Mary Jo Moore, a fourth grade teacher at Yarmouth Elementary is the first teacher to utilize the new course offerings. Her students were introduced to the curriculum today through “Energy Lights Maine,” a nine-lesson course exploring light as energy, light emitting technologies, simple circuitry, safe electrical use, conduction and insulation properties and energy conservation.

“I’m pleased with how convenient it was to use these lessons. Videos and links are featured on the website, which helps, because I can see the kids interest peak when we’re doing the lesson’s activities,” said Ms. Moore.

On hand for Ms. Moore’s first “Energy Lights Maine” lesson was the curriculum’s mascot, The PowerSleuth Fox. Donning a trench coat and magnifying glass, The PowerSleuth Fox captured the children’s imaginations as he led by example in solving energy mysteries.

Lynn Farrin of the MMSA, said curriculum materials were refined and tested over a three-year period to determine what plans worked best for both teachers and students. Also, every piece of content in the PowerSleuth Lessons was reflective of national and State of Maine Standards.

“We have taken great strides with these lessons to ensure that students will gain a strong scientific understanding of energy related principals and their roles in our daily activities,” she said.

Currently, the PowerSleuth website hosts the three separate curriculums for all three grade-spans. These documents are titled: “Energy Lights Maine” for grades 4-5. “Energy Heats Maine” for grades 6-7 and “Energy for Maine” for grades 7-8. Both “Energy Lights Maine” and “Energy Heats Maine” are finalized lesson plans, while “Energy for Maine” is still in the field-testing process, but materials for lessons are still available in draft form.

For more information on the PowerSleuth Energy Education Curriculum please visit powersleuth.org or call (207) 287-8350.

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For further information please contact Pekka Paavonpera at (207) 775-5227.