For Educators
Implementation guidance for teachers, curriculum coordinators, and homeschool parents adopting How Public Utilities Work.
This page is for the people who actually teach the curriculum. If you’re considering adopting How Public Utilities Work, (or have already adopted it and want to get the most out of it), this is where our current guidance lives.
Where to start
You will consider this curriculum from different starting points:
I’m a teacher considering adopting it for my classroom
Start by requesting the free sample packet. It contains one complete lesson, the corresponding assessments, the answer keys, and the matching instructor entries. If you can teach that lesson comfortably, you can teach the whole curriculum. Once you’ve reviewed the sample, the Standards page shows how the curriculum maps to NGSS, C3, and CCSS-ELA, and the Scope and Sequence page shows the full 34-lesson arc.
I’m a curriculum coordinator evaluating it for a school or district
Three documents will matter most to your evaluation: the sample packet (to see the actual content), the Standards alignment crosswalk (a 30-page PDF showing per-week alignment to NGSS, C3, and CCSS-ELA), and the Scope and Sequence (the 34-week overview). All three are available below. For district-level adoption, we will provide letters of reference once those relationships are established.
→ View the Standards Alignment Crosswalk
I’m a homeschool parent planning my child’s year
How Public Utilities Work is designed to work in homeschool settings as readily as in classroom settings. You can choose the Student Edition if your child studies in a group or the complete workbook if your child will self study. The 34 lesson structure maps naturally to a school year. The in-book design means no outside materials are needed for any activity. The instructor guide assumes no prior expertise so a homeschool parent without any utility-sector background can teach this curriculum confidently.
Homeschool families can purchase a single copy and work through it with one student, or with siblings of similar ages who can share. Bulk pricing through our quote-request process is available for homeschool co-ops or support organizations purchasing for multiple families.
How the curriculum is structured
The curriculum is organized into 34 lessons across 5 units. Each lesson stands alone but builds on prior lessons. The five units, in order:
- Unit 1 — Foundations: how utilities work, who watches them, who owns them, and how they got that way
- Unit 2 — At Home: reading bills, understanding usage, time-of-use pricing, energy efficiency at home
- Unit 3 — Safety: electrical safety, gas safety, water safety, the rare-but-serious hazards everyone should know
- Unit 4 — Regulation: rate cases, consumer rights, public service commissions, how decisions get made
- Unit 5 — Future: clean energy, infrastructure choices, careers in the utility industry
There are multiple ways to adopt the curriculum. Some examples include:
- Year-long elective course — one lesson per week of school, across two semesters
- Semester course — two lessons per week, covering the full curriculum in one semester
- Selective unit adoption — using only specific units that fit an existing curriculum (most common in STEM electives or social studies courses adding a utility module)
- Selective Bundles available through TeachersPayTeachers.com – specifically curated topics with lessons and supporting materials directly from the workbook
Three reading levels in one book
This is the most distinctive design feature of the curriculum, and it’s worth understanding before you adopt.
Each weekly entry contains the same content presented at three reading levels in the same book — a Level A version for grade-5 to grade-7 readers, a Level B version for grade-8 to grade-10 readers, and a Level C version for grade-11 to grade-12 readers. The Level A version uses shorter sentences, simpler vocabulary, and more explicit scaffolding. The Level C version uses more sophisticated language and assumes more prior knowledge.
In a single-grade classroom, the teacher selects the appropriate level for the class as a whole. In a mixed-ability classroom, the teacher can assign different students different levels of the same week. The vocabulary and core concepts are consistent across all three levels — only the presentation differs.
The instructor guide includes specific facilitation notes for each grade band, including suggested discussion questions, common student misconceptions, and extension activities for advanced students.
What you don’t need to bring to this curriculum
A common worry from teachers considering adoption is whether they have enough prior knowledge to teach it. Here’s the honest answer: probably yes.
- You do not need an engineering background. The technical material is introduced at the level students can absorb, and the instructor guide explains every concept the curriculum covers.
- You do not need a regulatory background. Rate cases, public service commissions, and consumer rights are all explained from scratch. Every regulatory concept is introduced with a glossary entry and a worked example.
- You do not need a math background beyond what your students have. The curriculum’s math content is grade-appropriate — arithmetic and ratios for the lower grades, basic algebra for the higher grades. No calculus, no complex modeling.
- You do not need supplementary materials. Every activity is in-book. No external readings to assign, no videos to find, no equipment to procure.
What you do need, ideally:
- Comfort with student-led discussion. Many weeks include policy scenarios where there’s no single right answer — students are asked to analyze trade-offs and defend their reasoning. A teacher comfortable facilitating that kind of discussion will get more out of these weeks than a teacher who needs to lecture from authority.
- Willingness to learn alongside your students. Most teachers haven’t learned this material themselves. The instructor guide will teach you what you need to know one week at a time.
Frequently asked questions from educators
Can I photocopy pages from the book?
Yes, with limits. Teachers who have purchased the curriculum may photocopy assessments and answer keys for use only with their own students, during the academic year the curriculum is in use. You may not reproduce the curriculum for use beyond your classroom, post pages on the public internet, or use them in commercial training materials. See Section 7 of our Sales Policy for the full licensing terms.
Can multiple teachers share one copy?
Not effectively. The in-book activities and assessments are designed for each student to work directly in the book. Sharing one copy across multiple students or teachers defeats the design. For multi-classroom or multi-school use, please order one copy per student through the bulk pricing tiers.
How does this fit alongside other curricula I’m already using?
How Public Utilities Work is a focused supplement rather than a replacement for a broader science or social studies curriculum. Most adopters use it as a standalone STEM elective, as a module within a high school economics or government course, or as a complete unit within a middle school physical science class. The Scope and Sequence page shows how the 34 lessons can distribute across the school year.
Can I assign it as homework rather than classroom work?
Yes. Each lesson is designed for two to three class periods, but the structure also supports five-day homework distribution. For example, a teacher might assign the reading on Monday, an in-book activity for Tuesday, the assessment for Friday, and use one class period mid-week for discussion. The instructor guide includes suggestions for both classroom-intensive and homework-distributed approaches.
Is there a teacher’s manual separate from the book?
The instructor guide is bound into the same book as the student materials. There is no separate teacher’s manual. This is by design. Teachers have everything they need in one place, and we don’t have to coordinate two SKUs. If an instructor wants to give students more self study options, you can use the Student Edition, which does not include instructor guidance, answer keys and other resources. The instructor guide pages are visually distinct from the student pages (different page design and header treatment) so teachers can find them quickly. Just check the back pages!
Can I customize the curriculum for my class?
Yes — within the bounds of normal classroom use. You can rearrange the order of lessons, skip lessons that don’t fit your needs, spend more time on lessons that matter most to your students, and supplement with local examples. What you cannot do is reproduce or redistribute the curriculum, post it online, or use it as a basis for derivative commercial materials. The license is for classroom use, not for republication.
Do you offer professional development for teachers adopting the curriculum?
Not currently. We are evaluating whether to develop a teacher-training program; the most likely first step would be a self-paced online course teachers can complete before or during their first year of use. If that interests you, contact us and we’ll add you to the notification list. In the meantime, the instructor guide is designed to function as self-contained professional development. A teacher reading through the instructor entries before starting each lesson will be well-prepared.
Stay in touch
Utility Campus sends occasional updates to educators. We envision sending 4 to 6 emails per year covering new publications, supplementary materials, and resources for current adopters. We do not sell or share email addresses, and unsubscribing takes one click.
Already adopted How Public Utilities Work? We’d love to hear from you — what’s working, what isn’t, what you wish was different. Contact us!