Renewable Energy Sources (3 of 3)

Welcome to Change is Simple’s Online Learning Platform!

Overview: Today we are going to be wrapping up our renewable energy lessons! Today you will learn all about wind power and then do an activity where you will build a wind turbine at home!

Grade Level: 4-6

**For younger students, ask a friend at home for assistance!

Theme: Energy Conservation

Supervision needed? No

Essential Questions: 

• What does renewable energy mean?

• How does wind power work?

Materials Needed:

• Recyclable items found on your home!

• Tape or glue

• Scissors

• Pencil

• Pin or tack

Standards:

Review

We learned a lot of information about our renewable energy sources and why they are so important from the two previous lessons. Let’s see how much you can recall! Answer the following questions before continuing.

Question 1: Define renewable energy source.

Question 2: What are fossil fuels?

Question 3: What types of structures/machines/technology works to help us harness energy from the sun and water?

Activity

In this activity, Change is Simple challenges you to get creative and make a wind turbine out of recyclable materials you have in your home! This means yours will be personalized and unique based on the materials you choose.

Materials:

• Recyclable items found on your home!

• Tape or glue

• Scissors

• Pencil

• Pin or tack

*** Depending on the material you have available, the activity instructions and material list might not match so get creative with how you make yours!

Step 1: Locate and clean recyclable items of choice.

Make sure they are washed and ready to use!

Step 2: Brainstorm what design you can make out of your materials.

Parts:

• Stand / tower

• Blades

Try to think about what items you have that would be best for each.

Step 3: Using the material you chose for the blades, draw and cut the shapes you will use for the turbine.

Be sure to have all the blades connected in the center for the next step.

Fold the blades down as pictured. This will help the blades catch the wind and rotate!

***The blade shape pictured are modeled after the standard shape for wind turbines used in real life, but many different shapes will work for this activity. Try experimenting with different shapes to see if it will work!

Step 4: Poke a hole through the center of your blades using the pin or tip of pencil.

The blades should fit loosely in the hole made so that they can rotate.

Step 5: Using the extra material from your blades, cut a piece of material in the pictured shape and fold.

This will be used to connect your blades to your stand!

*If you need to make your stand by folding, cutting, or constructing do that before this step!

Step 6: Poke a hole through the very top triangle and attach it to your stand using glue or tape.

Step 7: Reassemble the turbine by putting the blades on the tack and attaching it to the stand.

Leave room between the stand and the end of the tack (as pictured) so that the blades can spin.

Step 8: And done, you made a wind turbine! Place it in front of a fan, wind source, or blow on the turbine blades to see it in action!

*** Yours will most likely look different than the activity example depending on the materials you have available and that is totally awesome and encouraged! We would love to see the design you come up with!

Reflection

Awesome job this week! Here are some important take aways from this week’s lessons:

• Renewable energy sources are those which will never run out or be depleted and are healthy for the environment.

• Renewable energy is energy harnessed naturally from the environment (sun, water, wind).

• Using renewable and clean energy sources prevents pollution and excess carbon dioxide emissions.

• Renewable energy sources replace the use of burning fossil fuels which are harmful to the environment.

Making the transition to clean energy sources that benefit not only us, but the planet is what will help make our future a brighter place. The use of solar panels and hydropower turbines to power our energy grid lowers our carbon footprint (the level of carbon dioxide emissions we are responsible for) and the amount of pollution we produce. This is because when we are using clean energy we are not burning fossil fuels and polluting the environment. When there is less pollution and carbon dioxide in the air, our environment is healthier and so are we! If something has harmful effects on environment, it probably isn’t beneficial to our health either.

With today’s technological advancements, the transition to renewable energy has never been easier. This hopefully means we will be transitioned to clean energy sources in no time! But to do so, we all need to do our part in understanding why is important to use renewable energy sources and begin to take actions to help the environment in our daily lives. See how many answers you can brainstorm to the following questions!

1. Why is it important to use clean and renewable energy?

2. What does a healthy environment look like to you?

3. What are the benefits of having a clean environment to live in?

4. What actions can you start taking today to reduce your impact and help the environment?

Did you enjoy today’s activity? Stay tuned for more, and in the meantime…

Send us a photo of yourself doing today's activity and if you would like, please share your name(s) and where you are from with cisonline@changeissimple.org

Renewable Energy Sources (2 of 3)

Welcome to Change is Simple’s Online Learning Platform!

Overview: Next on the list of renewable energy sources is hydropower! Following solar power, hydropower is the second most popular renewable energy source in the US. In today’s lesson you will learn more about how water can generate electricity, how we use hydropower, and even create your own turbine! Check out the video below to get started.

Grade Level: 4-6

**For younger students, ask a friend at home for assistance!

Theme: Energy Conservation

Supervision needed? No

Essential Questions: 

• What does renewable energy mean?

• How does hydropower work?

Materials Needed:

• Bottle Cap

• Pencil/Pen

• Ruler

• Paper Plate

• Tape

• Scissors

• Stick

Standards:

Vocabulary:

• Electromagnetic generator: converts motive force or mechanical energy (in this case it is the water pushing the turbine) into electrical power

• Potential energy: mechanical energy, stored energy, or energy caused by its position (like when a ball is placed at the top of a hill)

• Transformer: a device that takes power from the generator and converts it to higher-voltage current which we can then use

• Gravitational pull: force which tries to pull two objects toward each other

Activity one

Today we will be creating our own hydropower turbines!!

You will need:

• Bottle Cap

• Pencil/Pen

• Ruler

• Paper Plate

• Tape

• Scissors

• Stick

Step One: Take the cap to a bottle and draw a circle around the center of the paper plate.

Step 2: Cut the edge of the paper plate off.

Step 3: Take the ruler and draw 4 lines across the plate. Top to bottom, side to side, and the middle sections - all through the center of the plate.

Step 4: Take the scissors and cut on the lines from the outside edge of the plate to the edge of the circle drawn in the center.

Step 5: Then fold the blades into position. Leaving a small lip at the edge of each blade that stays flat.

Step 6: If you want to make your blades more water proof, you can put tape over the blade edges.

Step 7: Take a stick or pole and stick it through the center of the plate. 

Step 8: Now test out your amazing homemade hydropower turbine!

**Tip! If it is too tight around the stick, it might not spin well. So make it a bit looser.

**Also, you can add a rubber band behind the blade on the stick if it slides off too easily.

reflection

Question 1: Try increasing the flow of water over your turbine. Does the turbine spin faster?

Question 2: Do you think more energy generated when the turbine spins faster? Explain your answer.

Refer back to the video if you need a refresher, or do independent research!

Did you enjoy today’s activity? Stay tuned for more, and in the meantime…

Send us a photo of yourself doing today's activity and if you would like, please share your name(s) and where you are from with cisonline@changeissimple.org

Renewable Energy Sources (1 of 3)

Welcome to Change is Simple’s Online Learning Platform!

Overview: Today, we are going to take a closer look at our renewable energy sources with Ashley! We are going to be learning all about solar power and then doing an activity where we will build our own sundial!

Grade Level: 4-6

**For younger students, ask a friend at home for assistance!

Theme: Energy Conservation

Supervision needed? No

Essential Questions: 

• What does renewable energy mean?

• How do we collect energy from the sun?

• How is the process of solar panels getting energy from the sun similar to what plants do?

Materials Needed:

• One sheet of paper

• Ruler

• Pencil/pen

• Tape

• 1 foot of string/ dental floss

• Smart phone with maps

Standards:

Check out the video below for today’s lesson to get started.

Vocabulary:

• Renewable energy: energy from a source that is not depleted when used, such as wind or solar power

• Terawatt: a unit of power equal to one trillion (1012) watts

• Photon: a light particle that carries energy

• Electron: a subatomic particle with a negative electric charge

• Photovoltaic: relating to the production of electric current at the junction of two substances exposed to light

Solar power is a great form of renewable energy technology that we can use instead of burning fossil fuels. This is one of the reasons making the switch to clean energy is one of the major steps to helping the environment! Many areas of the United States are great candidates for solar power. In fact, Massachusetts ranks as the 6th best state to have solar panels!

Reflection Questions

Question 1: What does the sun release that solar panels absorb to create energy?

Hint: it is not sunshine!

Question 2: Would your area be a good fit for Solar panels?

Think about the weather in your region throughout the year. Do you get a lot of sun?

Question 2: Why should solar panels be installed on south facing roofs?

Refer back to the video if you need a refresher!

Activity 1: Building a Sundial

Materials:

• One sheet of paper

• Ruler

• Pencil/pen

• Tape

• 1 foot of string/ dental floss

• Smart phone with maps

step 1: Measure 12 inches of floss/string and tie to pencil

Be sure to tie the string so all the excess is on one side of the knot.

step 2: measure 4 inches of the string starting from the pencil to the edge of the paper

* For better accuracy, measure while holding pencil up and down; the photo is to demonstrate string length and placement. See the next step for how to hold the pencil.

step 3: holding the string down to the edge of the paper (in the middle of the page), draw a semi circle from edge to edge

Before pressing down and drawing the circle, use the ruler to double check the point of your pencil measures 4 inches from the where you’re holding the string.

Be sure to hold your pencil straight up and down!

step 4: measure and mark the middle of your semi-circle

The diameter of the circle should be 8 inches making the middle at the 4 inch mark.

step 4: Using the ruler measure and label the following marks around the edge of the semi-circle

6 am: left edge of paper

7 am - 12: 11 mm

8 am - 12: 8 1/2 mm

9 am - 12: 6 mm

10 am - 12: 4 mm

11 am - 12: 2 mm

12 - 1 pm: 2 mm

12 - 2 pm: 4 mm

12 - 3 pm: 6 mm

12 - 4 pm: 8 1/2 mm

12 - 5 pm: 11 mm

12 - 6 pm: right edge of paper

Step 5: Draw lines from each hour marker to the middle of the clock

step 6: cut around the numbers of the clock

step 7: using the excess paper draw and cut a triangle with the following measurements

4 in x 3 in x 5 in

step 8: lay the triangle on the clock with the 4 inch side on the 12 line

Tape this edge down to the clock. Fold the triangle to the other side and tape this edge down as well.

This should allow the triangle to stand straight up. And then you’re done, you have made a sundial!

For extra fun, color and decorate however you would like!!

step 9: find the area in your house that gets the most direct sunlight throughout the day and orient your sundial

Once you have found a sunny area, place your sundial so that noon faces directly north. Use a map service/app to help with this step.

This is the same orientation roofs should have for solar panels to be the most effective! Ensuring the orientation is correct allows the sundial to be exposed to the sun for the duration of the day. When the marker for noon faces north, the sun shines on the southern side of the triangle casting the proper shadow.

STEP 10: watch your sundial track time!

Check back throughout the day and see what time it is based off the shadow the sun is casting!

See if you can use your sundial instead of a clock for the whole day!

Did you enjoy today’s activity? Stay tuned for more, and in the meantime…

Send us a photo of yourself doing today's activity and if you would like, please share your name(s) and where you are from with cisonline@changeissimple.org