Junior cycle resources
Enhance your Junior Cycle students' knowledge, skills and competencies with these online activities, videos and ideas.
These resources developed by SEAI in collaboration with CASTeL at Dublin City University are a collection of online activities. They are designed to support the teaching and learning of energy and sustainability in the Junior Cycle. They are suitable for students of Science, CSPE, Geography, Home Economics and Religion. Learning outcomes for each specification are highlighted in each section.
An inquiry approach to energy and sustainability in our daily lives
These resources have been developed for use with an inquiry approach to education. They aim to enhance students' scientific knowledge, skills and competencies. The focus is on providing students with opportunities to consider and tackle problems that the future holds, e.g. sustainable practices in schools, homes and beyond.
It will develop young peoples' knowledge across a range of topics such as, energy sources, efficiency, conservation, climate change and global warming. These concepts will then be linked to students' daily lives.
Additional resources
At the end of this page you will find a number of factsheets on energy and climate action that will help students to do their own research and ideas on how they can take climate action. They can also help to lead a class discussion. You will find details on how to order posters for your school.
Four themes
There are four different themes in the programme. These contain subsections with associated downloads and materials.
What is energy
Heat energy
Energy and its impact
Taking action
1. What is Energy
- Energy Sources: An introduction to the primary and secondary sources of energy.
- Changing Energy: There are 7 activities in this section to help students understand different forms of energy including gravitational potential energy, elastic potential and kinetic energies.
- Exploring Energy Generation: Find out about Ireland's energy targets. Then examine how electricity is generated as well as new sustainable ways to generate.
- Energy and Food: Examine where energy comes from and how it can be measured. Explore the connections between work, energy and food.
- Learing Outcome links for the above actvities for Science, Geography, CSPE and Home Economics
2. Heat Energy
- Heat Energy and Temperature: These activities will show your students how to calibrate thermofilm, design and construct a thermometer and learn the difference between heat and temperature.
- Heat Transfer by Conduction: Activities using a metal kitchen sieve, coin on paper and boiling water in a paper cup will show heat conduction.
- Heat Transfer by Convection:This section looks at convection in water, simulates ocean currents and shows the importance of insulation.
- Heat Transfer by Radiation: Examine what surfaces absorb heat and looking at how solar energy works.
- Solar Energy: This activity will demonstrate how solar energy works.
- Retaining Heat Energy: This section looks at insulation and how it works. Learn about home heating and U Values.
- Learning Outcome links for the above activities for Science, Geography and Home Economics
3. Energy and its Impact
- Energy and Sustainability: Examine issues around the impact energy use has on the planet.
- The Environmental Impact of Using Energy: Examine the impact of energy generation from a variety of sources.
- Energy Sankeys: A Sankey diagram show the flow of energy from energy stores, transfers and where energy is lost. Learn how to read and construct a Sankey diagram.
- Global Warming: Explore what is Global Warming and Climate Change though investigations on carbon dioxide and melting ice.
- Learning Outcome links for the above activites for Science, Geography, Home Economics, CSPE and Religion
4. Taking Action
- My Energy Audit: Get students to look at their own energy use, test their energy efficiency and learn how to read and use energy labels.
- Saving Energy: Students will learn how to look at energy use at home and in school and see what savings could be made.
- Smart Packaging: Learn about different types of packing, issues around landfill and how to recycle waste.
- Electric Vehicles: Learn about the alternatives to petrol and diesel cars.
- Learning Outcome links for the above activites for Science, Geography, Home Economics, CSPE and Religion
Factsheets
These factsheets will give you ideas to discuss the various topics in class, resources to help you teach them and ideas for projects your pupils can do. Many of these activities can help towards various Green Flags.
Free posters available
Order a set today for your school
A set of 5 different posters were inspired by the winners of the SEAI One Good Idea competition over the last number of years.
Stickers to remind you to turn things off are also available
To order free resources for your school complete this short line form.
Teacher workshops and presentation
SEAI provide free teacher workshops on the Energy in Action Junior Cycle resources. These have been developed in conjuction with the Junior Cycle for Teachers STE(A)M initiative.
Download - Energy Efficiency Presentation
Download - Sustainable Solutions Presentation
Useful links
- The Climate Jargon Buster website to help you understand all the terms used when taking about energy, climate change and the environment.
- Wind Energy Ireland have some useful educational video and information to learn more about wind energy.
- See what work other students are doing in the EPA's Story of Your Stuff competition.