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Nuclear Power and Climate Change Educator Guide
https://climate.mit.edu/til-about-nuclear-power-educator-guide

Climate Portal MIT

This is a companion/extension to the podcast TIL about nuclear power. Students learn about the risks of nuclear power and compare the pros and cons (risks/accidental death/pollution) of using different types of power around the world. Students are asked to make predictions about power use, risks of activities, and compare their predictions to actual data from several sources. Students then analyze carbon dioxide emissions data from countries across the world and make comparisons to the types of energy that the countries use in order to look for patterns and make recommendations about how countries could change their energy mix.

This learning activity takes two 45 minute class periods.

Learn more about Teaching Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness»

Grade Level

Online Readiness

Topics

Energy Literacy

This Activity builds on the following concepts of Energy Literacy.

Click a topic below for supporting information, teaching ideas, and sample activities.

Notes From Our Reviewers The CLEAN collection is hand-picked and rigorously reviewed for scientific accuracy and classroom effectiveness. Read what our review team had to say about this resource below or learn more about how CLEAN reviews teaching materials
Teaching Tips | Science | Pedagogy | Technical Details

Teaching Tips

  • The lesson might bring up strong emotions since the topic of accidental death is discussed. Be prepared for different types of emotions to arise.
    Teachers should approach this lesson using a trauma-informed approach and should let their students know ahead of time that there may be discussions about human accidents and mortality. Refer to this pagefor supporting resources and strategies for supporting positive climate mental health.
  • Teachers don't necessarily need to use everything provided in the resource (each activity can be a standalone and does not depend on previous activities).

About the Content

  • This is a collection of activities that are all linked to a podcast about nuclear energy.
  • The activities can be done together or as stand alone. The data is real-life data and digitally available.
  • The topic of nuclear energy can be confusing to students but this resource explains everything and has plenty of resources available for the student.
  • Note that this resource does not include information about micro-nuclear reactors, which educators may want to incorporate into this lesson.
  • Also note that this resource uses scientific data to show students that nuclear energy is a plausible energy source.
  • Passed initial science review - expert science review pending.

About the Pedagogy

  • The lesson is set up to be flexibly used either as stand-alone activities, or for the activities to be used together in sequence.
  • Students are engaged through readings, worksheets, and data investigations. The lesson is organized step-by-step and allows students to consider multiple factors that surround the idea of energy use.
  • It requires students to analyze data and graphs, then answer questions to spur critical thinking. This resource includes a student guide with four student pages.
  • The resource also includes a teacher's guide and teacher supporting pages, including a section on social-emotional learning and risk discussions.

Technical Details/Ease of Use

  • Teachers may want to convert some of the tables and maps into slides or may need to develop worksheets that include spaces for students to answer the many great questions that go along with the student pages.
Entered the Collection: July 2025 | Last Reviewed: May 2025

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