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 – six-page PDF 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

http://compost.css.cornell.edu/soda.html Building a Soda (soft drink) bottle bioreactor. 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.

Best management for composting horse manure on small farms. PDF document
http://njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/publication.asp?pid=E307

Lesson ideas for composting animal waste - Investigation of positive impacts of human activity and technology on the environment will take place, as well as explanation of how the solution to one problem may create other problems.
http://ourohio.org/index.php?page=waste-not

Lesson Plan idea – Compost: Transform Trash to Treasure
http://studentfarm.ucdavis.edu/edumat/Parr_03_Compost.pdf

Cow Power – Suggested activities for this episode is on page 10 of this PDF document. Activities 2 and 3 should be used with the other Down and Dirty Science episodes “Gas from Biomass: From Poop to Power” and “Cooking with Compost”.
http://www-tc.pbs.org/newshour/thenews/materials/cowlp.pdf

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