Grade Level: 2nd
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Understanding Science and Engineering Through Solar Power
Students learn about electricity from solar power through building simple circuits, exploring how solar calculators get their electricity, and from designing and testing a solar water pump.
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Designing A Faster Water Pump
Students use available tools to design and test a solar water pump and apply the engineering design process to refine, test and evaluate their design.
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Solar Powered Water Pumping
Students make observations and record data about how different materials affect the speed of a solar powered water pump.
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Making Observations and Recording Data for Solar Powered Water Pumping
Students observe a solar water pump and follow sensemaking prompts to develop an understanding of the system. Students then make observations and record data about how quickly a solar module will drive a pump to move water.
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A Simple Circuit
Students observe a simple circuit and follow sensemaking prompts to develop an understanding of the circuit as a class. Students then draw and label the parts of a simple circuit as well as the direction/path that current is flowing.
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What is Energy?
In this lesson students will focus solely on the concept of what energy is. The very first thing will be to hand students a blank piece of paper and ask the students, “What is energy?” Give students a silent minute or two to write what they think energy is. Struggling students can draw what they…
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The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind Activity Guide
Learners will be inspired to put their own learning and imagination into action after reading the true story of, “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind”. This is a teacher recommended lesson from Centre of Excellence for Energy.
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How Can a Dam Change the Land Around It?
Students investigate the environmental and social impacts of dams on communities around them, and consider options for addressing these conditions.
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Solar Powered Calculator
Students develop an understanding of how light energy is transformed into electrical energy to power a solar calculator.
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Probes of Prior Knowledge
Students are guided through formative assessments (probes) of their prior knowledge about electricity
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Setting Expectations for Science and Engineering Projects
Students explore the ground rules for science discourse and how they will share their thinking about science concepts
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Designing a Sustainable City of the Future
The concept for this unit is to teach students about natural resources and renewable energy in the context of how these things impact people, communities, and the environment. They will study the actions of current and past environmental activists, learn to look critically at current energy systems, and possible solutions. The final outcome of the…
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Designing a City That Addresses Energy Needs
Students work collaboratively to design a sustainable city of the future with attention to water, energy, carbon footprint, waste, and city layout needs.
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What Are Some Possible Solutions To Current Energy Challenges?
Students explore possible solutions to current energy challenges, focusing on methane collection.
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Who Is An Activist?
This lesson introduces students to youth environmental activists involved in the work in creating an awareness about climate change issues. Students will begin to consider how they can use critical thinking to identify issues and their voice to address issues in their communities.
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What are Current Energy Systems and Challenges?
Students research and present different energy sources and challenges.
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How Does Human Use of Resources Impact the Environment?
Students learn about how human use of natural resources can impact the environment. Students create a fog catcher to make sense of the phenomenon. Students assess the impact of their actions on the environment through an ecological footprint/handprint activity.
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Natural Resources
This lesson introduces students to natural resources and creates a foundational understanding of how people use natural resources. Students will begin to understand the different forms of energy and how human activity and use of resources can impact the environment.
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Reflections with an Engineer
Students analyze their data from previous lessons and reflect about how solar technology and their structures kept the ground (earth’s surface) cooler.
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Add Solar Panel Redesign, Rebuild, Retest
Adding solar panels, motors, and fans to existing student built structures; students will observe temperature changes on the ground below their structure.
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Keeping it Cool with Solar Unit
Students will learn about cool and warm temperatures and apply their understanding to build a playground structure that keeps us cool on a hot day. Students are introduced to the engineering design process as they modify their designs.
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Structure Test
Utilizing thermo infrared thermometers and student built structures from Keeping it Cool with Solar Build Time, students analyze how structures change the suns affect the Earth’s surface.
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Build Time
Building the structures designed during Keeping it Cool with Solar: Design Time. Students use the phenomena of Engineers build with triangles to inspire their structures to create shade.
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Design Time
Students will learn the phenomena of how engineers use triangles to build. They will design their own structures to create shade.
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Making Shade
Students will observe the phenomena of how trees make different types of shade and use different types of paper to create different levels of shade.
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Hot Spot/Cool Spot
Students will investigate the phenomena of melting ice and solar heat on the playground