LaPorte, IN--Educators' Workshop

LaPorte-Michigan City Teachers Group Photo
Location:
LaPorte, IN
Grade Level:
4-8

Arconic Foundation supported STEM teacher professional development for educators that teach students in districts surrounding their facilities in LaPorte, IN. LaPorte Community School Corporation and Michigan City Area Schools worked together to host a renewable energy teacher workshop at Boston High School in spring 2017.

Teachers chose to conduct this day of professional development for their first day of summer and enjoyed talking through the obstacles of what it would take to store solar energy as thermal energy. At lunchtime, representatives from the local utility NIPSCO spoke... Read full project narrative >>

Davenport, IA --Educators' Workshop

team awesome project
Location:
Riverdale, IA
Grade Level:
3-12

Arconic Foundation supported STEM teacher professional development for educators that teach students in districts surrounding their facilities in Davenport, IA. Pleasant Valley Administration Center hosted the Regional Renewable Energy Inquiry and Engineering professional development day to learn more about about local technical and energy-related jobs through hands-on activities by Solar 4R Schools and engaging local presentations from representatives at Arconic and MidAmerican Energy. Teachers modeled MidAmerican’s vision of a future with a 100% renewable energy grid by building and... Read full project narrative >>

Bloomsburg, PA -- Educators' Workshop

Teachers testing solar circuits
Location:
Milton, PA
Grade Level:
6-12

Arconic Foundation supported STEM teacher professional development for educators in the region surrounding Kawneer facility in Bloomsburg, PA. Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit (CSIU) hosted a “Solar Energy Inquiry and Engineering” workshop for 6th – 12th grade teachers from area school districts. CSIU, alongside numerous others throughout the state, acts as an educational resource provider for schools in this region.  The IU was responsible for reaching out to local districts, having each district nominate a few teachers that they would like to send to the... Read full project narrative >>

Timberland Middle School

Location:
Beaverton, OR
Grade Level:
6-8
Technology Type:
solar
PV System Size:
128.30 - kilowatts

Beaverton School District’s photovoltaic (PV) system was installed in summer of 2017. The installed 128-kilowatt PV installation demonstrates the practicality of photovoltaics while providing additional learning opportunities for vistors of the District. In addition to building a dedicated community of renewable energy educators, Solar 4R Schools has transformed the school's existing PV system into a hands-on classroom tool. ... Read full project narrative >>

Coeur d' Alene Tribe Natural Resources

Location:
Plummer, ID
Grade Level:
K-12
Technology Type:
solar
PV System Size:
14.25 - kilowatts

The Coeur d'Alene Tribe is excited to host a solar-electric demonstration project that will educate students who will become the leaders in the area in the next generations. This 14.25 -kilowatt system sits atop the Tribe's Natural Resources building and was installed in 2016.
Educators from across the... Read full project narrative >>

Passive Solar Water Heating

Solar Thermal Jug
Average Rating:
0
Unit:
Bioreactor Water Heating
Intended Grade Level(s):
6-12
Subject Area(s) Covered:
Passive Solar 101
Physical science
Energy Fundamentals
Sustainable energy
renewable energy
Estimated Activity Length:
2 hours
Learning Goal(s):

1. Students will cover/manipulate milk jugs to achieve the most solar energy absorption. 2. Students will calculate the joules of energy absorbed by the solar heated water. 3. Students will measure and graph the temperature changes of their solar milk jugs. 4. Students will gain an understanding of the amount of energy in sunlight.

Relevant Common Core Standard(s):

Students retrofit milk jugs to absorb and retain the most solar energy. This process involves students collecting data that measures the impacts of different variables on the solar energy absorbed by each collection device. Students should be able to see patterns in both the absorption and retention of heat by various types of designs. During... View full description >>

Mini Solar Houses Unit

Solar Mini House
Average Rating:
0
Unit:
Mini Solar Houses
Intended Grade Level(s):
4-6
Subject Area(s) Covered:
electricity
solar energy
current
voltage
photovoltaics
seasonality
Circuitry
energy transformations
Energy Storage
mini-houses
design challenge
photovoltaic installation
Estimated Activity Length:
8 hours
Learning Goal(s):

1. Students will understand how to use an Azimuth finder to determine the direction and altitude that solar modules will face. 2. Students will learn how to describe why a solar module is pitched at a particular angle. 3. Students will understand how to measure the voltage and current for an electrical energy source. 4. Students will learn how to build a circuit that will light a light bulb with a switch and without a switch. 5. Students will understand that the electricity flows through a circuit from an energy source to a load. 6. Students will understand the difference between open and closed circuits. 7. Students will understand the similarities and differences between solar cells and batteries as an energy source. 8. Students will understand how electricity flows through a circuit (from energy sources to loads) with more than one source and more than one load. 9. Students will understand how to build series and parallel circuit and the characteristics of each. 10. Students will learn to power both a light and a fan. 11. Students will learn how to find a fault in a circuit. 12. Students will understand that the electricity flows through a circuit from an energy source to a load. 13. Students will understand the difference between open and closed circuits. 14. Students will identify the causes and solutions to various complications that arise in the construction of circuits. 15. Students will use the design process to create a roof to hold an adequate number of solar modules to power an LED and a fan. 16. Students will understand how to make a geometric net (a 2D drawing that when folded creates a 3D shape) for designing a roof.

In Lesson 1, the lesson focuses on understanding how the angle and orientation affect the amount of energy that is generated through use of a solar cell. Paper azimuth finders, Keva Planks, and multimeters will be used in order for students to draw conclusions about the optimal placement of a solar cell. This lesson will prepare students for... View full description >>

Lancaster, PA - Educators' Workshop

Lancaster, PA thumbnail
Location:
Lancaster, PA
Grade Level:
6-12

Arconic Foundation supported STEM teacher professional development for educators in the region surrounding an Arconic facility in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  Intermediate Unit (IU) 13, a regional education resources agency for the Lancaster-Lebanon area, hosted this workshop at their conference center.  IU 13 works closely with regional districts and was able to pinpoint outreach through district leaders to the immediate Lancaster area and to the most high need schools.  All of the 14 participating teachers from seven schools from the School District of Lancaster, as well as their science... Read full project narrative >>

Pittsburgh, PA - Educators' Workshop

Pittsburgh workshop thumbnail
Location:
Pittsburgh, PA
Grade Level:
6-12

Arconic Foundation supported STEM teacher professional development for educators in the region surrounding Arconic facilities in Pittsburgh, New Kensington, and Cranberry Township in Pennsylvania.  This workshop was conducted with a partnership between Solar 4R Schools and ASSET Stem Inc.  The partnership was developed as a method of combining curricular resources and collaborating on new hands-on content for the workshop itself.  Specifically, workshop activities were reworked in order to be more inquiry driven and include formative assessment pieces that are effective for usage during... Read full project narrative >>

Wichita Falls, TX - Educators' Workshop

Location:
Wichita Falls, TX
Grade Level:
4-12

Arconic Foundation supported STEM teacher professional development for educators in the region surrounding Arconic facilities in Wichita Falls, Texas in Spring 2016. Twenty-four teachers across 18 schools in 14 Districts participated in a professional development experience organized by their Educational Service Center (ESC) that included one day focusing on renewable energy education with Solar 4R Schools. ESC Region 9 hosted this workshop and Ward Scientific sponsored lunch and door prizes. Teachers from 4th-12th grade took home one science kit to share for every school that included... Read full project narrative >>

Pages