Energy Carousel: Collaborative Sensemaking on Energy and How We Measure It – CE – Clean Energy. Bright Futures.

Energy Carousel: Collaborative Sensemaking on Energy and How We Measure It

Student structures created in this unit. From left to right; a KidWind wind turbine, a posterboard with a green space and a blue waterway that has tiny home models incorporated, and a student model of a playground. In the back is a Powerwheel.

Learning Goals

Learning Goals

Energy is the ability of an object or a system to perform work. (Clean Energy Definition)
Creativity and innovative thinking are essential life skills that can be developed. (VA: Cr1)
Make observations to provide evidence that energy can be transferred from place to place by sound, light, heat, and electric currents. (4-PS3-2)
Use evidence to construct an explanation relating the speed of an object to the energy of that object. (4-PS3-1)
Analyze components in visual imagery that convey messages. (VA:Re.7.2.4a)
Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W 4.10

Materials List

Handouts

Energy Summary Worksheet

Classroom Supplies

My Home Snap Circuit Kit (example)
Batteries
Wires with clips
Light bulbs
Small fans with motors
Dixie cups (5 per student)
Straws (2 per student)
Pencils (1 per student)
Hole punches
Fan with multi-speeds (or windy day)

Important Links

Lesson 3 of 7 / Time: 2 periods of 1 hour

This lesson appears as a part of the following:
– Water Power Implementation Toolkit

This introductory lesson aims to help students investigate answers to the questions: “What is Energy?” and “How can we see or measure energy?”. The lesson serves as a first step in understanding energy as a phenomena, and will help scaffold students’ abilities to better comprehend renewable resources later. Using the energy summary sheet to collect data, students are challenged to: (1) visually see energy at work at three energy carousel tables and (2) measure the energy using tools or visual counting at the stations.These simple engineering experiments build community and lay groundwork for students to work successfully in pairs and small groups throughout the unit. Students discuss their discoveries once the Carousel ends.

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