In this challenge, you will become an Energy Detective! Your mission is to spot energy waste, promote smart habits, and help your assigned classroom reduce electricity use.
Phase 1: Kickoff and Planning
Fill in the table below with information as your teacher provides it for you.
Your Detective Team Information
| Team Members | ____________________________________________________________ |
| Assigned Classroom | ____________________________________________________________ |
| Promotion Date | ____________________________________________________________ |
| Monitoring Dates | ____________________________________________________________ |
| Results Date | ____________________________________________________________ |
Power Down Challenge Checklist Items
Note: Your teacher will share the final checklist. Write the items you will monitor below.
| Finalized Power Down Challenge Checklist Items |
Promotional Materials
Discuss with your team what promotional materials you want to create for your assigned classroom.
| Ask your teacher how many promotional materials are required to be made per student on your team and record the number here. |
You can create posters that will be displayed in the classroom or hallway, or a set of presentation slides that your team will use to promote the Challenge on the promotion date. They should be engaging, clear and creative.
The goal for the promotional materials is to introduce the challenge to the students and staff in your assigned classroom, hype up participation in the challenge, and remind students to participate throughout the Challenge dates.
Phase 2: Action and Monitoring
On Promotion Day, your team will visit your assigned classroom with your promotional materials and give a short presentation to introduce them to the Power Down Challenge.
Presentation Guidelines:
- Time: 5-7 minutes
- Format: You may use posters, slides, or both. You should stand at the front of the class and deliver your message together as a team.
- Content to cover:
- Introduce the Challenge: Explain what the Power Down Challenge is and why it’s important.
- Share the Checklist: Show the actions that detectives will be looking for.
- Explain the Scoring: Describe how classrooms earn or lose points (-1 for energy-wasting evidence, +1 for energy-saving evidence per checklist item).
- Encourage participation: Remind students that the goal is teamwork and friendly competition, and promote rewards for winners (if used).
Create a Monitoring Schedule and System
Fill in the table with relevant monitoring information. Ensure it is in line with teacher guidelines and rules.
| How long is the Power Down Challenge? | ____________________________________________________________ |
| How many times a day will you visit the class with the checklist to find energy-saving and energy-wasting evidence? (gathering points) | ____________________________________________________________ |
| Which team member is responsible for gathering evidence on what day, and at what times? | ____________________________________________________________ |
| Where will you keep track of your classroom’s points throughout the Power Down Challenge? | ____________________________________________________________ |
Phase 3: Results and Celebration
Detective Debrief
Gather the following information and share it with your class (of fellow detectives).
- Top 2 Issues: The biggest wastes you observed in your classroom.
- Top 2 Tips: How to close those gaps and encourage better energy-saving habits.
Along with other detectives, use your data to create a classroom ranking (top to bottom points from all observed classrooms).
Recognition and Results
Create one slide or poster to present the results to your assigned classroom, providing them with their ranking compared to other classes that participated in the Power Down Challenge, as well as your top issues and top tips from the debrief.
Celebrate any positive trends you noticed in the data, such as improvement over the course of the Power Down Challenge, and a good ranking! Encourage the class to continue engaging in energy-saving actions even after the challenge is over.
Assessment Rubric
| Criteria | Excellent Detective | Good Detective | Rookie Detective |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teamwork and Collaboration | I actively contributed ideas, shared responsibility, and stayed engaged throughout the challenge. | I contributed ideas and stayed engaged most of the time. | I rarely contributed and showed little effort. |
| Promotion Materials | I created engaging, clear and creative materials and confidently used them to present the challenge to another class. | I helped with some parts of creating the promotional materials and presented with some participation. | I contributed little to promotional materials and did not present in class. |
| Detective Monitoring | I carefully observed, recorded, and scored daily checklist items with accuracy and notes. | I helped with checklist monitoring but missed some details or consistency. | I rarely participated in monitoring and left it to others. |
| Energy Awareness and Presentation | I identified examples of energy waste and saving, suggested strategies, and explained findings clearly during results. | I identified some examples of energy waste, and shared findings adequately. | I struggled to identify examples or share findings. |