In part one of the activity students will be asked to create a simple solar heater, measure the temperature change in a vial of water, then calculate the heat energy transferred to a vial of water. Students will construct the solar heater, place a set amount of water into a vial in the collector and place it in direct sunlight. After a set time students will measure the final temperature of the water and calculate the heat energy transferred to the water from the sun.

Part 2 builds on part 1, asking students to design a solar heater that more effectively collects solar energy. Students are provided with various building supplies and are asked to change one variable from the standard to construct a new, more effective solar heater.

This third lesson can be staged as a competition or simply a personal challenge to beat the standard solar heater created in Lesson 1. During this stage of the lesson students are asked to analyze data and results from Lesson 2 and identify which characteristics of a solar heater maximize its effectiveness.