Italian Classroom Materials Now Available!

Author: Darci Ramirez; Published: Sep 10, 2010; Category: Classroom materials, Classroom presentations, Education outreach, Energy, Energy Education, SPE members, Science, Uncategorized, Volunteering; Tags: Children, Classroom Instruction, Education, Energy, Energy4me, Lesson Plans, natural gas, oil, Petroleum, School, SPE, STEM, Student, Teacher, Volunteer; Comments: Be the first

Energy4me is excited to announce free downloadable Italian lesson plans and classroom activities on Energy4me.org!

Energy4me Kit materials and lesson plans that correspond with Energy4me’s “Oil and Natural Gas” book were translated into Italian for the “Energize Your Classroom Teacher Workshop” to be held during the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition (ATCE) on 22 September 2010 in Florence, Italy. All materials are also now available for teachers to download directly from Energy4me.org! The workshop and Italian materials are free for teachers thanks to a generous sponsorship from ExxonMobil.

The kit downloads include fun classroom activities and hands-on experiments, ready-to-go classroom presentations, teaching aids, and speaker resources. Materials are tailored to age groups (primary, intermediate, and secondary students.)

The lesson plans address topics including the formation of natural gas and oil, finding and retrieving petroleum, products from petroleum, and oil and the environment. They are designed for teachers to use with students ages 10-18 in conjunction with the “Oil and Natural Gas” book. They were created using the 5E constructivist learning cycle, helping students build their own understanding from experiences and new ideas. The 5Es represent the five stages of a sequence for teaching and learning: Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaboration and Evaluate.

Energy4me donates the “Oil and Natural Gas” book to teachers attending our teacher workshops around the globe. Books are also donated to the teacher when members of the Society of Petroleum Engineers give energy-related classroom presentations to students ages 5-18. Books can also be purchased and donated to teachers for wider distribution.

Energy4me’s educational materials are also available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish.

Building Blocks of an Engineering Career

Author: Guest Author; Published: Sep 2, 2010; Category: Classroom presentations, Education outreach, Engineering Careers, Math, Science; Tags: Careers, Children, Education, Engineering, Engineering Careers, Math, Parent, STEM, Student, Teacher, Volunteer; Comments: Be the first

Guest Author – Marva Morrow, Energy Education Consultant

What is your response when a child or student says “I like to build…” or “I want to build (blank) when I grow up?” Would your first reaction be to tell the child about engineering? The fact is, many people don’t connect engineering to these kinds of teachable moments. It’s a lost opportunity to introduce even small children to a rewarding career.

Here’s a way you can respond: Engineers are trail blazers! They do exciting things like design and create buildings, bridges, and low carbon cities. Engineers are people who solve problems and make things work.

There are over 200 types of engineering! This has lead to some confusion among students. Just like sports can be grouped into areas like football, baseball, soccer, tennis, golf, etc., the different types of engineering can be grouped into specializations: chemical, civil, electrical, engineering management, engineering sciences, geotechnical, mechanical, petroleum, and many others.

Engineers use innovation and creative ideas. Then they apply the principals of science and math to develop solutions to problems. Engineers make and maintain things with a practical purpose. Many engineers develop new products. During the process, they consider several factors. For example, in developing an industrial robot, engineers specify the functional requirements precisely; design and test the robot’s components; integrate the components to produce the final design; and evaluate the design’s overall effectiveness, cost, reliability, and safety. This process applies to the development of many different products, such as chemicals, computers, power plants, helicopters, and toys.

Become an engineer and love your work, live your life, be creative, work with great people, solve problems, design things that matter, never be bored, make a big salary, enjoy job flexibility, travel, make a difference and change the world!

Learn more about engineering careers!

Free Arabic and Chinese Lesson Plans Now Available!

Author: Darci Ramirez; Published: Aug 23, 2010; Category: Classroom materials, Classroom presentations, Education outreach, Energy, Energy Education, SPE members, Science, Volunteering; Tags: Children, Classroom Instruction, Education, Energy4me, Lesson Plans, natural gas, oil, Petroleum, School, SPE, Speaker, Student, Teacher, Volunteer; Comments: Be the first

Free lesson plans available for Arabic and Chinese "Oil and Natural Gas" books

Energy4me is excited to announce free downloadable Arabic and Chinese lesson plans on Energy4me.org.

 The lesson plans correspond with Energy4me’s Arabic and Chinese versions of the “Oil and Natural Gas “book. They address topics including the formation of natural gas and oil, finding and retrieving petroleum, products from petroleum, and oil and the environment.

The lesson plans are designed for teachers to use with students ages 10-18 in conjunction with the book. They were created using the 5E constructivist learning cycle, helping students build their own understanding from experiences and new ideas. The 5Es represent the five stages of a sequence for teaching and learning: Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaboration and Evaluate.

Energy4me donates the “Oil and Natural Gas” book to teachers attending our teacher workshops around the globe. Books are also donated to the teacher when members of the Society of Petroleum Engineers give energy-related classroom presentations to students ages 5-18. Books can also be purchased and donated to teachers for wider distribution.

Select materials from the Energy4me Kit are also free to download in Arabic and Chinese. The kit includes fun classroom activities and hands-on experiments, ready-to-go classroom presentations, teaching aids, and speaker resources.

Energy4me’s educational materials work together to make learning memorable and fun!

SPE Sabah Section Reaches 112 Students

Author: Darci Ramirez; Published: Aug 16, 2010; Category: Classroom presentations, Education outreach, Energy, Energy Education, Engineering Careers, SPE members, Volunteering; Tags: Children, Education, Energy, Energy4me, Engineering, Engineering Careers, natural gas, oil, Petroleum, School, SPE, Speaker, Student, Teacher, Volunteer; Comments: Be the first

Sabah Section plants “tree of hope” on the school compound to conclude program

A big thank you to the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Sabah Section for holding their first Energy4me educational outreach event in July. A group of 15 young professionals visited 112 pupils and 17 teachers at SK Kabajang in Beufort, Sabah. This was the first destination chosen as part of the Sabah Section’s strategic plan for educational outreach as part of their Corporate and Social Responsibility (CSR) program.

The program made children aware of the petroleum industry and its opportunities for careers. Lots of laughter got the program off to a great start during a fun, ice-breaking activity. A presentation on petroleum history and its benefits to the nation followed along with interactive activities. The event concluded with planting a “tree of hope” on the school compound.

The school children expressed excitement throughout the program and had a wonderful learning experience. They were especially excited to receive goodies and gifts as a token to remember the day, and to see a gift presented to their headmaster.

Energy4me encourages young industry leaders to get involved by giving classroom presentations or holding educational outreach programs in their area. Sharing educational and career possibilities with younger students can have a huge impact. Children often relate well to young professionals who are closer to their own age. Giving presentations not only inspires children, it also gives young professionals the opportunity to polish their leadership and public speaking skills.

Share your contributions and outreach efforts in your community that you are already making with Energy4me and inspire others to join in on the fun!

Thank you to the SPE Sabah Section for sharing!

World Cup Can Boost Math Skills

Author: Darci Ramirez; Published: Jun 29, 2010; Category: Classroom materials, Math; Tags: Children, Classroom Instruction, Education, Engineering, Lesson Plans, Math, Parent, Student, Teacher; Comments: Be the first

Photo credit: Omar Torres/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Using math during summer activities can keep skills sharp. And, let’s face it; math isn’t usually the first thing on a kid’s mind during summer vacation.

Sporting events, like the World Cup, make it easy to apply math while having fun. Any game that keeps score uses math. Which team is most likely to win?  Determine the probability by dividing the number of times that the team has won by the total number of events.

Ever noticed how a soccer ball (football) is made from several flat shapes? Kids can learn basic geometry by cutting and sewing pieces of cloth together and filling it with a soft material to make an indoor ball. By the way, did you know the shape of a soccer ball is called a “truncated icosahedron?”  You’re kids probably didn’t know either! Look it up with them and find out what it means.

Any geometry whizzes out there? Think from a goalkeeper’s perspective: if an attacking player approaches, where does the goalkeeper stand to prevent a score? How far in front of the goal? What would the position be to maximize reach while diving forward towards the ball rather than sideways? When positioned far from the goal, a goalkeeper can get a single player’s ball more easily, but the attacking player can more easily kick the ball over the goalkeeper. If a second opponent approaches at the same time, that player has a free path to the goal. Whew – that’s a lot of math!

If calculus is your thing, soccer matches are filled with complex aerodynamics. Analyze the way balls curve and swerve through the air. The shape and surface of a soccer ball, and its initial orientation, play a fundamental role in its trajectory. For example, the seams of a soccer ball cause more turbulence than would a perfectly smooth sphere with no seams.

Find more ideas from the NY Times for teaching and learning with the World Cup.