4.RI.7

Solar Updraft Towers Unit Overview

Grades:

3-8

Unit:

Description:

Students will combine research, direct observations, and hands-on investigation to lead them into an engineering design project involving the construction of a solar updraft tower. During this process, students will make references to specific phenomena...

Energy Content:

Electricity Generation,

Energy Fundamentals,

Light (Visible),

Solar Thermal,

Sources of Energy,

Thermal Energy (Heat),

Wind Energy

More Details Less Details

Learning Goal(s):

Students will understand ten renewable and non-renewable energy sources on the earth.Students will learn the locations of different energy sources on the earth.Students will learn the history of energy sources and how humans have used them.Students will learn about innovations and inventions used to find, recover, store, and release energy for human consumption.Students will understand that hot air risesStudents will understand why hot water and hot air rise and cold air and cold water sink.Students will learn that wind is produced by warm air rising and cold air sinking.Students will learn that the energy of moving hot air can be converted into other forms of energy.Students will understand that energy from the sun can be converted into heat.Students will discuss the effects of the chimney stack phenomenon.Students will understand that wind energy can be converted into other forms of energy.Students will determine different methods to increase the effectiveness of a wind turbine blade by harnessing and converting the mechanical energy of the wind.Students will determine that thermal energy resulting from the sun’s radiation can create an updraft that will power a turbine to spin. Students will identify characteristics of turbine design that improve the success of their device.Students will utilize content from previous phenomena they investigated, such as the chimney stack effect and Norwegian candle toys, to determine how to best harness the energy transformed by their device from the sun.Students will be able to define and explain what a solar updraft tower is.Students will make connections between their previous engineering challenge and a real world solution to the world’s growing energy demands.

Pedagogy & Practice:

Engineering Design,

Phenomena-Driven Instruction,

Research-Secondary

NGSS Science and Engineering Practices:

1: Asking Questions and Defining Problems,

2: Developing and Using Models,

3: Planning and Carrying Out Investigations,

4: Analyzing and Interpreting Data,

6: Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions,

7: Engaging in Argument from Evidence,

8: Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information

Author:

Lisa Morgan

Relevant NGSS PE:

4-PS3-2,

4-PS3-3,

4-PS3-4,

4-ESS3-1,

3-5-ETS1-1,

3-5-ETS1-2,

3-5-ETS1-3

Other Subjects Covered:

ELA: Informational Text,

ELA: Writing,

ELA: Vocabulary Development,

Math: Measurement,

Math: Ratios & Proportions

Estimated Activity Length:

10 hours

Engineering with Renewable Energy: Solar Water Pumping

Grades:

4-5

Description:

Students will learn that energy from a renewable resource can be converted to electrical energy to do work by engineering a water pump system powered by the sun. They will compare the volume of water pumped by different designs and graph data collected and...

Energy Content:

Circuitry,

Electrical Energy,

Solar Photovoltaic

More Details Less Details

Learning Goal(s):

The students will be able to learn what a solar cell looks like and how light energy triggers the cell to release negative charges to move toward the positive side, creating power as it moves from one side to the other. Students will be able to arrange four panels into the correct order to create power for an object and interact with a 3D model of a module to understand how the electricity to power the fan is created. The students will be able to experiment with solar panels (angle, direction) to power a small fan/LED light/circuit board. Students will be able to identify the best position/angle for maximum power. Students will apply scientific ideas to design and test a solar powered water pump that moves water at the fastest rate. Students will experiment and build understanding of parallel and series wiring and how energy moves in these circuits.

Pedagogy & Practice:

Engineering Design,

Group Work/Collaboration,

Hands-on Materials

NGSS Science and Engineering Practices:

3: Planning and Carrying Out Investigations,

4: Analyzing and Interpreting Data,

6: Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

Author:

Jamie Repasky

Relevant NGSS PE:

4-PS3-2,

4-PS3-4,

4-ESS3-1

Other Subjects Covered:

ELA: Writing,

ELA: Vocabulary Development,

Math: Graphing & Representation,

Math: Measurement

Estimated Activity Length:

2 hours

Informative Writing: Where Does Energy Come From?

Grades:

3-8

Unit:

Solar Updraft Towers

Lesson Number:

Description:

This lesson is a (stand alone or in-unit) guided non-fiction research and writing project, which includes a differentiated choice menu and list of ideas for publishing the completed project. Each student will choose one of ten energy sources to research,...

Energy Content:

Biomass Energy,

Electrical Energy,

Electricity Generation,

Energy Fundamentals,

Fuels,

Geothermal Energy,

Hydrogen,

Hydropower,

Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion,

Solar Photovoltaic,

Solar Thermal,

Sources of Energy,

Tidal Energy,

Wave Energy,

Wind Energy

More Details Less Details

Learning Goal(s):

Pedagogy & Practice:

Research-Secondary

NGSS Science and Engineering Practices:

1: Asking Questions and Defining Problems,

7: Engaging in Argument from Evidence,

8: Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information

Author:

Lisa Morgan

Relevant NGSS PE:

4-PS3-2,

4-PS3-3,

4-PS3-4,

4-ESS3-1,

3-5-ETS1-1,

3-5-ETS1-2,

3-5-ETS1-3

Other Subjects Covered:

ELA: Informational Text,

ELA: Reading: Scientific & Technical,

ELA: Writing,

ELA: Vocabulary Development

Estimated Activity Length:

10 hours

School Energy Hunt

Grades:

3-4

Unit:

Cooking with the Sun and Solar Ovens

Lesson Number:

Description:

The purpose of this lesson is to help students understand that everything that is powered by energy comes from a source from nature. This is meant to be an introductory lesson on identifying sources of energy

Energy Content:

Sources of Energy

More Details Less Details

Learning Goal(s):

At the end of this lesson students will be able to list equipment in the school that is powered by energy. They will also be able to identify the various types of energy that power the equipment.

Pedagogy & Practice:

Place-Based Learning,

Research-Secondary

NGSS Science and Engineering Practices:

1: Asking Questions and Defining Problems,

3: Planning and Carrying Out Investigations

Author:

Lisa Morgan

Relevant NGSS PE:

4-PS3-2,

4-ESS3-1

Other Subjects Covered:

ELA: Informational Text,

ELA: Vocabulary Development

Estimated Activity Length:

1 hour

Our Sensational Sun

Grades:

3-5

Unit:

Cooking with the Sun and Solar Ovens

Lesson Number:

Description:

The purpose of this lesson is to record information that the students learn about the sun on a chart. This chart will be used for the entire unit. It will serve as a good reference for guiding the lessons and providing information for student research.

Energy Content:

Sources of Energy

More Details Less Details

Learning Goal(s):

At the end of this lesson, students will have written numerous facts about the sun that they 1) already know, 2) want to know and 3) have learned.

Pedagogy & Practice:

STEAM/Arts

NGSS Science and Engineering Practices:

8: Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information

Author:

Lisa Morgan

Relevant NGSS PE:

4-ESS3-1,

5-ESS1-1

Other Subjects Covered:

ELA: Writing

Estimated Activity Length:

30 min

Let's Build Sun Ovens

Grades:

3-5

Unit:

Cooking with the Sun and Solar Ovens

Lesson Number:

Description:

The purpose of this lesson is to introduce the students to three different styles of inexpensive solar ovens. Students will work together to build a File Box oven, an auto shade/bucket oven and a “Copenhagen” style oven. Students will follow written...

Energy Content:

Solar Thermal,

Thermal Energy (Heat)

More Details Less Details

Learning Goal(s):

Students will follow written directions and use what they have learned about necessary components of a solar oven to build three different ovens in small groups.

Pedagogy & Practice:

Group Work/Collaboration,

Hands-on Materials,

Project-Based Learning

Author:

Lisa Morgan

Relevant NGSS PE:

4-PS3-2,

4-PS3-4,

3-5-ETS1-1,

3-5-ETS1-2,

3-5-ETS1-3