Human energy use and biofuels and their role in managing global climate change are urgent current socio-scientific issues facing our society. The Next Generation Science Standards recommend that students learn about these about issues. However, the story is complex and students will need multiple opportunities to work through it. The materials provided here provide a way to launch a study of biofuels. We recommend that you tell the story of biofuels and post a story wall in your classroom. The included online Prezi presentation version can serve as an introduction and review of the story.

This combination of an oral story and pictures serves four functions:

1. Students remember stories because they are coherent and connected to a plot line.
2. The story wall can act as a reference for students as they work through multiple activities (See teacher guide for details).
3. The story wall can act as a focal point for discussions and elaborations as students’ knowledge grows.
4. The combination of oral, written, and pictorial versions of the story provide students with multiple representations of the complex issue giving students with different learning skills access to the material.