Lesson Plans for Teachers LESSON ONE Oil Crisis: Get Into the Game A global oil crisis has begun. Oil usage worldwide has increased to where the oil supply can only meet 95 percent of the demand. Begin the inquiry into the effects of less oil in our lives. LESSON TWO: How Bad Can It Get? Fuel prices rise in anticipation of when actual supplies start to run short. It's clear that there is no quick fix to the shortage. Tensions start to rise. LESSON THREE: Life Is Starting to Change Widespread changes are starting. Goods and services that depended on cheap oil are failing. LESSON FOUR: Elasticity and Collapse This lesson investigates the factors that define elasticity in relation to oil—factors such as lifestyle, geography, setting and community. LESSON FIVE: Oil Dependency Among Nations The oil crisis has caused some nations to reconsider their foreign policy objectives—and to aggressively seek to acquire oil. LESSON SIX: Food Without Oil The impact of oil on our food supply is one of the most serious aspects of the oil crisis. Shortages are forcing many people to look for locally grown food. LESSON SEVEN: Breakdown Governments have been hit as hard as anyone by the crisis, leading to the existence of red and green zones in cities and refugee camps in rural areas. LESSON EIGHT: Preparation and Community With problems piling up and the government unable to help, many communities across the nation are turning inward for solutions. LESSON NINE: Lessons Learned Now that the crisis has stabilized, how do we go forward? How do we balance our desire for energy's benefits with the risks and costs of procuring it? LESSON TEN: Your World Without Oil Help out the World Without Oil team. Script and deliver your own citizen report that communicates what is happening to you in the crisis.

TEACHERS: LESSON THREE Life Is Starting to Change

Introduction

As the oil crisis continues, widespread changes are starting to occur. Resources that were getting expensive are now becoming unavailable. Airlines are cutting flights, outages are beginning at local gas stations, people are being laid off and stores are closing. The changes are occurring most rapidly and severely to those goods and services that depended the most on cheap oil.

As you present developments in the oil crisis, ask the students to deal realistically with these developments in their own lives. As they try to anticipate what will happen next in the crisis, they will naturally explore the role that resources have in their lives.

Lesson Objectives

Students will:

• Continue to immerse themselves in the realistic WWO scenario.
• Examine the effects of the oil crisis on the day-to-day lives of individuals, including themselves.
• Consider how people must alter their daily routines to adapt to the new conditions in light of the current situation.
• Understand how markets are affected by a decrease in resources.
• Continue to develop strategies predicated upon anticipated events.
• Continue to reflect on the life changes that would occur during a prolonged oil shortage.

Before the Lesson

• Read the Week 9 news report.
• Preview the resource materials (links below).
• Prepare your own "in-game" reaction to the events unfolding in World Without Oil. Which of the latest ramifications of the oil shock have you personally seen? What actions are you taking in response to these developments? If you can, blog it and have your students follow your blog.

Part 1: Set the Stage

Student Page for this lesson >>
This page summarizes ideas and instructions for students.

1. Re-immerse the students: briefly remind them of what's happened previously in a World Without Oil.

2. Show three short videos:

• Kal's "The Shortage Hits!" video
• FallingIntoSin's "Store Forced To Close" video
• Olympe's "Stranded In The Netherlands" video

3. Have students read some or all of the following citizen reports about shortages:

• A town without water
• Going electric vs. "this isn't happening"
• We may outlive the net
• It's the little things
• Researching alternative fuels

Part 2: Take Action

As a class discuss your reactions. Do any of these shortages and outages hit home? Are they likely to affect you or your family? Why or why not?

Part 3: Lesson Activity

1. Quickly review with the students the economic concepts of scarcity and opportunity costs.

2. Have students create a chart on paper or on the computer with three columns: article title/topic, scarcity and opportunity cost.

3. In the small groups, apply the concepts to some or all of the citizen reports from the first part of this lesson. You might want to walk students through this process with one of the articles or with a relevant example from your own life. For example, you might put "gasoline for my Ford Explorer" in the first column, "no gasoline today" and "regular $6.79 a gallon" and "20 gallon limit STRICTLY ENFORCED" in the second column and "no more driving to my friend's house" and "no more money for premium cable" in the third column.

4. When finished, each group should share their findings. As a class, discuss how the lack of oil has become a significant market force. During this session, direct students to consider the choices they will have to make in the coming days. How will their choices affect others locally and nationally? Are they looking out primarily for themselves or the community as a whole?

Part 4: Reflect

Life is definitely changing for everyone in a World Without Oil. Students should focus their reflections on what commodities might become more scarce and what choices they will have to make as resources are depleted. Use the following questions to help guide their reflection:

• What items that you use on a daily basis, have become scarce? What changes do you have to make?
• How do you have to prioritize your needs and your wants? What are your feelings about giving things up? Do you feel you have alternatives?
• Are you worried about losing necessities such as food, water and power? Do you think other people are worried about losing these things?

Part 5: Take It Further

Distribute this to your students:

Now that we are starting to feel the impact of the crisis, it is time to start making some real world changes. To take it further today, you are being challenged to take on one or more of the WWO Missions.

• First, consider the amount of plastics you use on a day-to-day basis. Try using a reusable water bottle instead of drinking bottled water or purchasing some reusable grocery bags as Fallingintosin suggests.
• If you are more ambitious, start compiling a list of things you can do without oil. PeakProphet came up with a list from A to Z. Can you match him?

Make sure to record your feat on your blog, using photographs, drawings or video to help illustrate your accomplishment. Good luck!

Additional Resources

• The long fingers of petroleum
• Petroleum uses
• SF supes vote to ban plastic bags in stores

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View the student page for this lesson >>

View lesson four >>

World Without Oil Classroom Home >>

McREL Standards