The U.S. Department of Energy now offers a virtual classroom for bolstering knowledge about energy. The Get Smart About Energy website features more than 350 lesson plans and activities relating to energy efficiency and renewable energy, all accessible for free.

DoE’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy division has long provided educational resources for K-12 students. Get Smart About Energy adds lesson plans and organizes them by grade level (K-4, 5-8, 9-12) and category – everything from where energy comes from to processing silicon in the production of solar panels.

Other topics include global warming and climate change, biofuels and biomass, efficiency, conservation, wind energy, passive solar, carbon footprints, and more.

Lesson plans come in both HTML and PDF formats, and include summaries, subject categories, materials needed, and national standards met.