Students across the country are returning to school this week. Whether you are an educator, a parent, or involved in community outreach, these resources can help create an impactful lesson plan about our nation’s largest source of carbon-free electricity.
As the world transitions to clean energy, knowledge about our clean energy transition is essential, and nuclear power will ensure we’re giving our families clean air to breath, as well as the power to keep our communities up and running.
Nuclear energy also provides long-lasting, high-paying jobs in many sectors, and as the industry gears up to build the next-generation of reactors, more talent will be needed. The earlier students learn about career opportunities in expanding energy sectors like nuclear energy, the more they’ll consider becoming a part of our clean energy future.
For Elementary School Students
- Video: Watch this short animation from the UK’s National Nuclear Laboratory explaining how nuclear energy generates electricity.
- Lesson Plans: Discovery Education, the American Nuclear Society and the Department of Energy’s Nuclear Energy Office put together a program called Navigating Nuclear that helps students explore energy and the benefits of nuclear through digital lessons and STEM projects.
- Book: In “George’s Energy Adventure,” a boy named George attends Edison's Inventors Camp and learns that one source of energy is not enough to power his city. (Ages 5-8)
- Book: “Marie’s Electric Adventure” follows Marie and her dog as they figure out why her night light went out and how to turn it back on. (Ages 6-8)
- Book: Investigate the Nukie Nuclear Power Plant in “Nuclear Power: How a Nuclear Power Plant Really Works!” to figure out what’s going on inside. This book was a Mom’s Choice Award Recipient. (Ages 7-9)
- Book: “Marie Curie For Kids: Her Life and Scientific Discoveries, with 21 Activities and Experiments” is packed with historical photos, informative sidebars, a resource section and 21 hands-on activities and experiments that illuminate Curie's life and work. Kids can examine real World War I X-rays, make a model of the element carbon, and much more. (Ages 9 and up)
- Book: Learn about two women scientists who paved the way for nuclear energy in “Radioactive! How Irène Curie and Lise Meitner Revolutionized Science and Changed the World.” (Ages 10 and up)
For Middle School Students
- Video: This set of videos, made by U.S. Women in Nuclear, walks you through activities that allow a Girl Scout troop to virtually complete the "Get to Know Nuclear" Patch, which is sponsored by the American Nuclear Society.
- Video: “Inside a Nuclear Reactor Core” takes viewers to an Austrian nuclear power plant to explain how boiling water reactors work.
- Lesson Plans: The Harnessed Atom is a STEM curriculum extension from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy that teaches about atoms and nuclear energy. It includes lesson plans, quizzes, vocabulary lists, games, activities and experiments.
- Lesson Plans: The Navigating Nuclear program has a module for middle schoolers that helps students explore applications of nuclear processes and the science behind creating energy with fission and fusion.
- Book: “Science Quest: Atomic Universe: The Quest to Discover Radioactivity,” published by National Geographic, details the discovery of radioactivity, its many uses, and historical figures like Henri Becquerel and Marie Curie.
For High School Students
- Video: The realities of climate change are all around us, and this video from the International Atomic Energy Agency explains how nuclear science and technology can help us mitigate, monitor and adapt to the effects of a warming planet.
- Video: Watch NEI’s explainer video on the importance of our carbon-free energy mix—wind, solar and nuclear energy.
- Video: “Nuclear Fission and Nuclear Fusion: What Exactly Happens in These Processes?” explains the differences between fission and fusion in a six-minute animation.
- Lesson Plan: The Navigating Nuclear high school curriculum debunks common misconceptions about nuclear, teaches how to think critically about nuclear reactor designs and explores the ways nuclear energy benefits society.
- Book: “Nuclear Energy: What Everyone Needs to Know” walks your student through the history of nuclear energy, its applications and what the future holds in an extended question and answer format.
Exploring Nuclear Careers
- Virtual field trips: With Navigating Nuclear’s virtual tours, take your students on a tour of the largest power plant in the US—or even into space! Hear from people working in the field about the exciting work they are doing to solve our energy and climate challenges.
- Online Resource: Read profiles and Q&A from a nuclear researcher, mechanical engineer and radiochemist to learn more about their roles in the field.
- Online Resources: Learn about more opportunities in nuclear such as welding, electrician, technician and operator jobs from the Center of Energy Workforce Development’s website.
Additional Resources
- Video: Watch NEI’s Ask an Expert Series to hear from our experts about topics such as safety and climate finance
- Video: NEI’s YouTube series “Off The Menu” features energy thought leaders who dive into the energy issues of the moment and give an inside view of the conversations that shape energy policy.
- Online Resources: NEI’s website has additional resources. In our Fundamentals section, your student can learn about what nuclear energy is, how a reactor works, advanced nuclear energy, applications of nuclear beyond electricity and more.
- Online Resources: Our Fast Facts sheet can help create a quick lesson plan by laying out the basics of nuclear energy, and Just the Facts talks about nuclear in the United States. Also check out our map of U.S. nuclear plants and click on your state to learn about how nuclear powers your neighborhoods.
For access to other programs, community resources and more, contact your local nuclear utility.
