ACF Educational Resources Update

Occasionally, the American Coal Foundation sends out an email with some helpful resources for educators. We receive this in the form of an email newsletter, but we wanted to share this great information with our readers too.

Winter 2016-2017 Edition

Spreading the Word about Coal: Our Source for Low-Cost Electricity

Through the American Coal Foundation website, we strive to offer engaging and meaningful ways for classrooms across the U.S. to learn about coal and its importance as an abundant, affordable, and reliable source of the electricity we depend on every day.

One such method for conveying the message that coal is one of the least-expensive ways to generate electricity is our exciting new video, Lighting Up Our Lives: The Story of Coal-Powered Electricity. The 2 1/2-minute video, presented in a state-of-the-art “motion graphics” format with compelling visuals and dynamic typography, is designed to match coal’s role as a 21st-century resource for our modern world.

The video can be found on www.teachcoal.org, home to a broad selection of free educational resources for educators, including the lesson plans and activities featured below.

Coal Lesson Plans

Hands-on, standards-based lesson plans for all grade levels and a variety of subjects are available for download on the ACF site. Here are a few of the latest additions, geared towards grades 3-5:

• How Much Do We Use? (math)
  Students create graphs and charts about the cost of electricity.
• Coal to Electricity (science)
  Students learn about what electricity is and where it comes from.
• Writing About Science and the Environment (language arts)
  Students read about land restoration in the coal industry and write their own proposals.

Web Activities on teachcoal.org

Exploring the ACF website becomes an even more rewarding experience for students when guided by our interactive features. The latest of these is the ACF Treasure Hunt, which lets students (recommended for grades 4-5) discover and collect digital badges as they browse the ACF website.

Students can also embark on a Coal Fact Safari through six quizzes based on facts found on the ACF website (recommended for grades 2-3).

Community Outreach Resources

The ACF coal sample kits have been extremely popular with teachers, and we are now making them available for the energy industry to purchase in bulk quantities. The coal sample kits (which include bituminous, lignite, anthracite, and peat) are ideal for distributing during events in the community.

Also now available for purchase in bulk quantities is the print version of the All About Coal activity guide and coloring book (available digitally on the ACF Digital Library as well).

Order online or contact amy@aplus-media.com.

For more information, call 847-509-9711.