Curated OER
Solar Car activity
Young scholars study the basic concept of solar energy. They build a working solar car. Students comprehend how solar energy can be produced via a solar panel. They examine the physics that describe how a solar panel works.
Curated OER
Solar Kit Lesson #5 - Build a Simple Ammeter
Emerging electricians build a simple ammeter for making measurements on an electric current. They test the placement of solar cells in both series and parallel circuits and examine the magnetic field produced by the movement of electrons...
Cornell University
Making a Battery
Don't be shocked when your class has a blast making their own batteries! Science scholars examine a dry cell battery, then design and construct a wet cell battery. The activity guides them through the parts of a battery, the variables...
Curated OER
Solar Car Series: During what part of the day can t most Sun power be collected?
Students participate in an outdoor activity in which they make direct but safe observations of the Sun. Students use a solar cell and voltmeter apparatus to collect data on the amount of DC voltage produced by the solar cell during a...
Curated OER
Running on Renewables
Students investigate the costs and benefits of switching their school to sustainable technology energy production. They use software called HOMER developed by the National Renewable Energy Lab to do the cost/ benefit analysis. They then...
Curated OER
Our Amazing, Powerful Sun
Middle schoolers examine where energy comes from and how it can be used. In this solar energy lesson students explore different aspects of the sun.Â
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How Do We Explore Strange Environments?
Students identify and label the different parts of a robot, rover, or a spacecraft. They discuss and record all of the features their robot will need to accomplish its mission and be able to explain why they chose these features to...
Curated OER
Newton's Laws: Making Simple Rockets
Students can use rocketry to understand Newton's Three Laws of Motion.
Illustrative Mathematics
Hours of Daylight 1
The midline of the mathematical model of the number of hours of sunlight is not 12 hours. Pupils use the modeling cycle to determine a function that will model the number of hours of sunlight at a location of their choosing. Using...
DiscoverE
Sun-Warmed Treats
Treat your class to a fun activity, complete with treats. Groups create a solar oven from a pizza box. They then use it to heat up some food ... that's what an oven is for, after all!
Curated OER
Collecting the Rays
Students investigate the affect shape has on the ability of a solar panel to collect sunlight. In this collecting sunlight using a solar panel lesson, students determine which solar panel shape collects the most sunlight. Students use...
Curated OER
Let's Make a Solar Car
Students transform a car that they have built out of K'NEX into a solar car. Students add one or two solar cells to the car to power a DC motor then connect the motor to the car and come up with a method to drive the car. This is the...
Curated OER
Heat Transfer
Students examine heat transfer using energy efficient houses. In this heat transfer lesson students calculate the heat that is transferred between a system and its surroundings.
Curated OER
Cosmic Rays and Solar Cells
In this cosmic rays and solar cells worksheet, students read about how cosmic rays damage the electrical output of solar cells over time on satellites. Students use a graph of the solar power output compared to the year for the SOHO...
Curated OER
Look at those Leaves!
Students observe leaves for patterns and similarities. In this science lesson plan, students sort through a pile of leaves to find patterns and take measurements. Students make leaf rubbings to view the details of the leaves.
Curated OER
Air Pollution: The Issue of Global Warming
Here is an outstanding 10-page lesson plan on global warming. Learners discover that there is a lot of controversy surrounding this topic in that the science behind global warming is difficult to prove. The best thing about this plan is...
Illustrative Mathematics
Telling a Story With Graphs
Turn your algebra learners into meteorologists. High schoolers are given three graphs that contain information about the weather in Santa Rosa, California during the month of February, 2012. Graph one shows temperatures, graph two...
Curated OER
Electricity
Students explore where electricity comes from and how it is used in their everyday lives. Through discussion and hands-on activities, they define electricity and explain how it travels to our homes. Students make informed choices based...
Curated OER
The Greenhouse Effect
Why does it get so hot inside of our cars in the summertime? The greenhouse effect! Lab groups experiment to see what happens to an ice cube enclosed in a jar and placed in sunlight as compared to an ice cube outside of the jar. They...
Illustrative Mathematics
How is the Weather?
This activity asks learners to interpret data displayed on a graph within the context of the problem. Students are given three graphs that show solar radiation, or intensity of the sun, as a function of time. They are also given three...
Curated OER
Design That Makes a Difference: Focus on Shelters and Water
Students analyze three different types of temporary shelters and their designs for environmental factors. In this shelter design lesson plan, students analyze how designers address environmental problems for homeless or refugees....
Curated OER
Satellites and Solar Cells
In this satellite and solar cells learning exercise, students determine the electrical power generated by the solar cells on the IMAGE satellite. Students solve 3 problems including finding the usable area of the satellite, determining...
Curated OER
What Is Energy? Short Demos
Students engage in three short, hands-on, in-class demos which expand students' understand of energy. First, using peanuts and heat, students see how the human body burns food to make energy. Then, they create paper snake mobiles to...
Curated OER
ESL/EFL Lesson Plan - Nuclear Power Plants
Students participate in ESL/EFL activities as they read an article about nuclear power plants. In this ESL/EFL lesson, students read an article entitled, "Germany To Close All Nuclear Power Plants." They work on building vocabulary,...