Clean Energy Topic: Engineering Design
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When and Why Do We Build Dams?
Students will demonstrate basic understanding of electricity generation and basic components of a hydroelectric dam. They will research, design and test turbines for hydroelectric generation. Students will research and defend(opinion stance) various people groups and social justice factors(tribal rights, salmon protection & energy access) connected with water storage, flood/irrigation support and electricity production/distribution.
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Renewable City
This Renewable City Unit aims to help students dive in and actively explore sustainability, renewable resources, and how they might personally help solve our climate change problem. As students use multiple methods for investigating, creating, and thinking about these critical issues, they will be encouraged to develop pliable minds and action-oriented skills to address climate…
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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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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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Building Wind Turbines with the Engineering Design Process
Students will use kits to build their own model wind turbines, exploring how different variables affect the operation of the turbine and developing blueprints for designs that reflect their findings.
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How Variables Impact Hydroelectric Output
Students will interact with a hydroelectric model, testing how different variables connected to real-world design features affect the power output of the generation source.
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Turbine Blade Design Engineering
Students test the effects of manipulating variables in wind turbine design on the overall power output and effectiveness of the turbine design.
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Tragedy of the Commons
In this lesson, students will engage in a simple game in order to model and understand Tragedy of the Commons. During the game, students discuss their ideas about sustainability.
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Designing a Renewable City Model
Students will use their collective understandings built throughout an entire unit of sustainability topics to develop their own sustainable city. This lesson uses a variety of visual and physical hands on tools for students to make their ideas and climate solutions come to life. Students will wrap up their development by presenting their “Renewable City”…
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Idea Game Generator
Students will select a combination of geogrpahies and technologies to be tasked with developing “land art.” In this process, they will creatively plan the integration of these technologies into the land in a way that allows for environmental and societal benefits. This planning activity can be launched into a larger unit of engineering design or…
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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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Adrift in a Sea of Plastic
Students will explore the phenomenon of plastic garbage islands and develop engineering solutions to address the problem. Students will use 3-D modeling and 3-d pens and printers to create their model solutions, and conduct research on the problem and present on the problem and their solution (4 lessons).
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Design and Engineer Solutions
This lesson is designed to span 9 days with 50-minute sessions. The students will use a Design and Engineering Journal to guide them in the design and engineering process. In small groups they will use the research from lesson 2 to formulate solutions to the problem of plastic trash islands. The students will build models…
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Engineering 101
This lesson is designed for three 50-minute sessions. The students will engage in multiple mini-engineering challenges to develop their understanding of structures and how to build models. The students will also learn to use the 3D pens to create a 3D object.
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The Problem of Plastic Trash Islands
This lesson is designed for 3 days, 50-minute sessions. The students will watch videos and take 2 column notes to guide independent research. The students will examine different solutions that are already being tried and experimental solutions that have not yet been implemented. The students will research the problem and then develop a Google Slide…
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TinkerCAD: Introduction to 3D Printing
This lesson is designed to span 5 days with 50-minute sections. After the introduction day, each day the students work toward mastery on the TinkerCAD tutorial online to learn how to create printable 3D models. At the end of the 4 days the students will have created a small 3D model to specifications to print…
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Exploring Center of Gravity
Since the concept Center of Gravity (mass) is a key factor in a mobile, students will participate in some activities to help them experience and understand this principle so it can be applied to their final Solar Mobile design. This lesson starts with a teacher demonstration of the discrepant event of a bird that can…
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Engineering Clean Energy For Our Community
Students will explore how different clean energy methods can power a motor. Using the engineering design process students will evaluate each energy source and relate it to e-waste concepts from previous lessons. They will learn about wind turbines and design a wind turbine. They will learn about solar power and design a solar boat. They…
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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.