Activity

Canada’s Most Wanted Energy Wasters

Grades 3-5

Subjects: Science

Overview

Canada’s Most Wanted Energy Wasters increases students’ awareness of their energy wasting habits and reinforces simple energy-saving behaviors.

In this activity, students construct wanted posters for “energy crimes” that they have committed over the past week.

Strand: Leering & Living Sustainably – Big Idea: Responsible and Sustainable Application

Explain the activity to the students. Exhibit the sample wanted poster.
Use a digital camera to take front and side view “mug shots” of each student to generate enthusiasm for the activity. Print out the pictures.
Brainstorm with the students a list of the common ways that they waste energy daily, for example:
- Leaving the TV on.
- Taking long (or too many) showers.
- Leaving the water running while brushing teeth/washing dishes.
- Leaving doors/windows open with heat/AC on.
- Asking for a ride when walking or riding a bike would be appropriate.
- Running dishwasher/washing machine half empty.
- Leaving unnecessary lights on.
Brainstorm appropriate punishments for the crimes. (Skipping a favorite TV show, for example, as punishment for leaving the TV on. Or, washing the dishes by hand as punishment for running the dishwasher half empty.)
Using the list, have each student keep a daily record of the energy crimes that he/she has committed over a designated time period.
Construct wanted posters for each student. If you did not take “mug shots” of the students before you began the activity, have the students draw or take pictures of themselves. Use a water-soluble ink pad to take fingerprints. Students should write their own crime descriptions using their daily crime records.

Activity downloaded from The NEED Project – National Energy Education Development Project