Trail Wind Elementary School

Location:
Boise, ID
Grade Level:
K-6
Technology Type:
PV System Size:
3.72 - kilowatts

This project was made possible in partnership with Idaho Power’s Solar 4R School’s Program through contributions from Idaho Power's Green Power Program. Trail Wind Elementary School is a K-6 school located at the southeastern edge of Boise with 698 students enrolled. In Spring of 2018, a 3.72 kW rooftop solar photovoltaic system was installed and generates an estimated 5,600 kWh of clean, renewable energy each year. Click on the links to view the 

... Read full project narrative >>

Vose Elementary

Location:
Beaverton, OR
Grade Level:
K-5
Technology Type:
PV System Size:
82.66 - kilowatts

Completed in Summer of 2017, this 82.66 kW roof top solar photovoltaic system generates about 91,000 kWh of clean, renewable energy each year. A total of 254 high efficiency panels provide the equivalent to powering 7 average US homes per year. Beaverton School District is commited to sustainability, renewable energy, and energy and resource conservation education for its students, staff, and community. See live production data for real time solar generation. Read full project narrative >>

Canton, OH - Educators' Workshop

Location:
Massillon, OH
Grade Level:
K-12

Arconic Foundation supported STEM teacher professional development for educators in the region surrounding Arconic facilities in Canton, OH in October 2017. Twenty-four educators from 12 school districts all came together at the R. G. Drage Career Technical Center in Massillon, OH to engage in a renewable energy educator workshop. The subjects taught by teachers at this training crossed many disciplines, including: science, robotics, social studies, math, agriculture, ELA, and natural resources. Participants were excited to engage in the topic of renewable energy and wanted to gain... Read full project narrative >>

Winsted, CT - Educators' Workshop

wind engineering Winsted, CT
Location:
Winsted, CT
Grade Level:
K-12

Arconic Foundation supported STEM teacher professional development for educators in the region surrounding Arconic facilities in Winsted, CT in September 2017. Thirteen educators from four different school districts met at The Gilbert School to engage in a training focusing on renewable energy education. Representatives from Arconic Power & Propulsion, CREC (Capitol Region Education Council), and Eversource Energy were present to participate in the training and share information about energy-related careers and local energy resources. This effort was part of Arconic Foundation’s... Read full project narrative >>

Branford, CT - Educators' Workshop

teachers building sun ovens Branford, CT
Location:
Branford, CT
Grade Level:
5-9

Arconic Foundation supported STEM teacher professional development for educators in the region surrounding Arconic facilities in Branford, CT in January 2018. Thirteen educators from five schools across four districts convened to participate in a Regional Renewable Energy Inquiry & Engineering workshop hosted at Francis Walsh Intermediate School. Workshop facilitators collaborated with the host to create a custom workshop opportunity geared towards middle school educators. Teachers engaged in hands on activities that focused on expanding their knowledge and application of the NGSS... Read full project narrative >>

Sato Elementary

Location:
Portland, OR
Grade Level:
K-5
PV System Size:
82.66 - kilowatts

Completed in Summer of 2017, this 76.2 kW roof top solar photovoltaic system generates about 91,000 kWh of clean, renewable energy each year. A total of 269 high efficiency panels provide the equivalent to powering 7 average US homes per year. Beaverton School District is commited to sustainability, renewable energy, and energy and resource conservation education for its students, staff, and community. Electricty... Read full project narrative >>

Learning About Solar Updraft Towers

Solar Updraft Tower
Average Rating:
0
Intended Grade Level(s):
3-8
Subject Area(s) Covered:
Solar updraft towers
renewable energy innovations
passive solar energy usage
Estimated Activity Length:
0 sec
Learning Goal(s):
  1. Students will be able to define and explain what a solar updraft tower is.
  2. Students will make connections between their previous engineering challenge and a real world solution to the world’s growing energy demands, including careers.

This lesson helps students learn about solar updraft towers being planned and built around the world to help solve the energy crisis by using unlimited power from the sun. This will provide real world context to the engineering challenge they engaged in during the previous lesson. A video is shown to the class; then students are encouraged to... View full description >>

Let's Build Our Wind and Solar Energy Toy

Solar Updraft
Average Rating:
0
Intended Grade Level(s):
3-8
Subject Area(s) Covered:
wind energy
engineering design
Solar Updraft Tower
solar energy
energy transformations
Estimated Activity Length:
3 hours
Learning Goal(s):
  1. Students will determine that thermal energy resulting from the sun’s radiation can create an updraft that will power a turbine to spin.                                                
  2. Students will identify characteristics of turbine design that improve the success of their device.
  3. 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 combine what they learned in previous lessons using their investigations of convection-related phenomena to design a device that will convert light energy from the sun into thermal energy and utilize the resulting convection currents. Their primary objective will be to design a device that uses energy from the sun when placed on a... View full description >>

Wind Power: A Hands on Experience

WindMaterials_DSCN2143.jpg
Average Rating:
0
Intended Grade Level(s):
3-8
Subject Area(s) Covered:
wind energy
engineering design
energy transformations
Estimated Activity Length:
2 hours
Learning Goal(s):
  1. Students will understand that wind energy can be converted into other forms of energy.
  2. Students will determine different methods to increase the effectiveness of a wind turbine blade at harnessing and converting the mechanical energy of the wind.

This lesson challenges students to work in teams to design successful turbine blades for the “KidWind Firefly”. The firefly has an LED light that lights up when the students have designed turbine blades that spin effectively. This lesson provides students with hands on experience in designing turbines blades. This will scaffold them nicely into... View full description >>

Where Does Energy Go?

Thermal Convection
Average Rating:
0
Intended Grade Level(s):
3-8
Subject Area(s) Covered:
Convection currents
properties of matter
Energy Fundamentals
energy transformations
Estimated Activity Length:
5 hours
Learning Goal(s):
  1. Students will understand that hot air rises
  2. Students will understand why hot water and hot air rise and cold air and cold water sink.
  3. Students will learn that wind is produced by warm air rising and cold air sinking.
  4. Students will learn that the energy of moving hot air can be converted into other forms of energy.
  5. Students will understand that energy from the sun can be converted into heat.
  6. Students will discuss the effects of the chimney stack phenomenon.

This lesson consists of six demonstration activities that show examples of ways in which water and air absorb heat to transfer energy from one place to another. These demonstration activities act as unique phenomena in which students can generate questions to lead subsequent investigations with each activity in learning centers.  Through... View full description >>