Teacher Resources & Lesson Ideas

Resources explaining biomass energy with diagram of photosynthesis products
http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/kids/energy.cfm?page=biomass_home-basics-k.cfm

Biofuels as an alternative energy source
http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/technology/biofuels/

Biomass Power – getting energy from Biomass – kid friendly website
http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/story/chapter10.html

Brief history of the use of biomass for energy
http://www.aesenergy.net/biomass-energy.html

Getting what you want from animal manure – a six-page PDF document on using manure as an energy source for heat and food. Has chart for anaerobic and aerobic microorganisms
http://www.abe.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/g/G87.pdf

Building a soda (soft drink) bottle bioreactor and bringing in mathematics to a real world situation. Soda bottle bioreactors are designed to be used as tools for composting research. They are small and inexpensive enough to enable students to design and carry out individualized research projects, comparing variables such as reactor design, moisture content, and nutrient ratios of mixtures to be composted. http://compost.css.cornell.edu/soda.html

The Quest provides a variety of resources, student activities and projects as well as alternative assessment strategies. This is a five page PDF document with a video link.
http://www.kqed.org/quest/files/download/27/113a_fromwastetowatts.pdf

COW POWER – Suggested activities for this episode is on Page 4 Lesson Plan 2 of this PDF document. Activities 1 and 3 should be used with the other Down and Dirty Science episodes “From Animal Waste to Human Waist” & “Cooking with Compost”.
http://www-tc.pbs.org/newshour/thenews/materials/cowlp.pdf