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Alternative Energy Sources A model WebQuest science unit for grades 11-12 exploring the use of alternative energy sources for Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky could be adapted for New Jersey. www.dmrtc.net/~embrys/top.htm
Exploring Solar Energy (2004-2005) These
5 middle school lessons provide a good overview of both solar thermal and
photovoltaics. This unit contains a core student reading, overhead masters
and hands-on experiments. The equipment utilized can be purchased for $350
from the NEED Project.(www.NEED.org). "Lesson 4 - Solar Electricity" from
Solar Energy Education Resources, Solar Energy Association of Oregon,
contains a simulation in which students act out how the sun’s energy is
converted to electricity in PV cells. Although written for middle school,
this simulation can be used with high school students. Photovoltaics (2004-2005). These 5
secondary lessons contain a core student reading, overhead masters and
hands-on experiments. The equipment utilized can be purchased for $350 from
the NEED Project (www.NEED.org). The Power of Solar Energy (Grades
7-12) The National Center for Appropriate Technology wrote 9 lessons to
accompany Montana’s Sun4Schools Project, which has installed PV systems on
12 schools within the NorthWestern Energy service territory. These simple,
hands-on activities use inexpensive or free materials and are accompanied by
useful graphics and diagrams. The site also contains a very good list of
additional links. Schools Going Solar Activities: Activities for
Schools with Solar Installations (2004-2005) These 16 activities
have been assembled from projects around the country and have to be
downloaded from their respective sites. This unit contains a helpful list of
16 statements under “what your students should know about solar energy,” an
overview reading and an introduction to key solar education sites. The Need
Project Solar Energy Science Projects,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy (1995).
Three solar thermal projects (Solar Air Heater, Solar Water Heater and Solar
Hot Dog Cooker) and one PV project (Effects of Amount and Wavelength of
Light on a Solar Cell) are clearly illustrated and use low-cost materials. Solar in Schools Program Curriculum–For Grades
9-12, Madison (WI) Gas & Electric, (2001-2). This comprehensive
resource for an in-depth solar education project contains a renewable energy
conceptual framework, good hands-on experiments with solar cells, and access
to live data from solar schools, as well as a thoughtful article on “what we
have learned” from this program. Solar Matters by Susan Schleith &
Blanche Sheinkopf (1999) An extensive solar energy science unit for
intermediate 4th-8th grades developed by the Florida Solar Energy Center and
the University of Central Florida Brevard Campus. A clear outline of the
scientific process forms the basis for many of these hands-on activities’
procedures. Content is organized around these topics: Sun and Energy
Information, Sun Tracking and Shadows, Solar Thermal, Photovoltaics, and
Solar Energy and Me – with implications for social studies. Sources for
needed equipment are listed in the Resources section under “Miscellaneous
Materials” and “General Solar Equipment.” Watts on Schools (1999-2004) American
Electric Power has provided PV systems to 19 schools in their service
territories in Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas. This site provides excellent
activities explaining “the path of solar energy from the Sun to a school”
and how PV systems work, focusing on the individual schools’ systems and how
they compare with one another. It also provides an “Interactive Energy
Calculator” to compare different forms of energy and the pollution
equivalents from energy usage. |