Video: What's the Deal with Fossil Fuels?

Most energy in the United States is produced by coal, petroleum, and natural gas.  Petroleum is also made into a lot of everyday items, from toothpaste to laptops.  It seems like fossil fuels are important to us, so what's the problem?

Grade level: 6-10
Length: 4 minutes
​NGSS Disciplinary Core Ideas: MS-ESS2.A, MS-ESS3.A, MS-ESS3.C, MS-ESS3.D, MS-PS1.B

Discussion Questions

1. What are fossil fuels?

2. What are the three main types of fossil fuels? How did they form, and how long did it take?

3. How do fossil fuels produce energy?

4. What is petroleum used for?

5. What are some of the benefits of fossil fuels? What are some of their drawbacks?

6. What is the ‘greenhouse effect’? What does it do?

7. How are fossil fuels related to the greenhouse effect?

8. What have been the effects of our increased use of fossil fuels?

9. What is a ‘nonrenewable resource’? Why might using a nonrenewable resource be a problem?

10. What solutions have some people come up with to decrease their use of fossil fuels? What are some ways that you can reduce your use of fossil fuels?

11. What do you think ‘sustainable’ means? Can you name something that is sustainable? How about something that isn’t sustainable?

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