The Olympic Flame: Energy and Emissions CER – Teacher

Summary

Teacher Guide: Olympic Flame Energy and Emissions CER Lesson

This teacher guide supports instruction for the Olympic Flame Energy and Emissions CER lesson by providing background context, facilitation guidance, discussion prompts, and a complete answer key. It is designed to help teachers confidently guide students through quantitative energy calculations and evidence-based reasoning.

The guide explains the assumptions used to model Olympic flame systems and provides strategies for addressing common misconceptions, including confusion between power and energy and the assumption that electricity is always emission-free. Facilitation notes emphasize how electrification shifts emissions upstream and why energy source matters when evaluating environmental impact.

Worked solutions and example reasoning are included for all calculation and reflection questions, including the CER task. The guide emphasizes evaluating trade-offs rather than identifying a single correct answer, supporting rich classroom discussion while minimizing teacher preparation time.

This guide is part of the Olympic Flame Energy & Emissions CER lesson, and students complete the calculations and reasoning using the accompanying student CER worksheet.