Lesson 3.4 Guide

Lesson 3.4Designing a Wind Turbine

Energy ConversionsLesson Guides

Lesson 3.4

© The Regents of the University of California

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Students are introduced to their first hands-on design challenge: to design and build a wind turbine. Students receivetwo proposed solutions to the blackout problem in Ergstown, both of which are intended to bring more energy to theelectrical system: installing solar panels or installing wind turbines. In order to make an informed choice between thetwo proposed solutions, students are given a design challenge: to build a wind turbine that meets certain designcriteria. Students then engage in the design cycle as they explore the available materials and plan, make, and test theirwind turbine designs. The purpose of this lesson is to provide students with the opportunity to design, make, and test asolution to a problem.

Unit Anchor Phenomenon: Ergstown has frequent blackouts.Chapter-level Anchor Phenomenon: The devices in Ergstown usually work when they are plugged into the electricalsystem.Investigative Phenomenon: Electrical devices work when they are plugged into an electrical system and there is anenergy source.

Students learn:

Overview

• Generators function to convert energy from a source into electrical energy.

• Generators and motors serve different functions, but have similar parts.

• The faster something moves, the more energy it possesses.

Lesson 3.4Energy Conversions

Lesson Guides


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Lesson at a Glance

ACTIVITY

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Introducing Possible Solutions (10 min)Students receive a message from Ergstown: The City Planner has proposed

two solutions to address Ergstown’s blackout problem: installing new solar

panels or new wind turbines. This activity serves as a launch for the wind

turbine design challenge in which students will engage over the next few

lessons.

TEACHER-LEDDISCUSSION

2Getting Ready to Design (10 min)Students observe a simple electrical system in which the teacher spins the

axle of a generator to light an LED. They discuss the parts of a wind

converter, recognizing that the generator of a wind converter needs to spin

to convert motion energy to electrical energy. They refine their design

challenge to be getting a turbine to spin in the wind.

HANDS-ON

3Designing a Wind Turbine (40 min)This activity affords students the opportunity to engage in the design cycle

as they consider criteria and design, make, test, and refine their wind

turbines. This activity includes an On-the-Fly Assessment opportunity that

may be used to assess how well students are able to meet criteria as they

design and make their wind turbines.

HANDS-ON


Lesson 3.4


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VOCABULARY

• converter

• design

• engineer

• generator

• system

UNPLUGGED?

Digital Devices Not Required

Students can complete this lessonwithout the use of individual digitaldevices.

DIGITAL RESOURCES

Energy Conversions InvestigationNotebook, pages 52–53

Materials

For the Classroom Wall

For the Class

For Each Group of Four Students

For Each Student

Materials & Preparation

• Electrical Safety Guidelines

• 1 motor

• 2 cables with alligator clips

• 1 LED

• 50 plastic cups

• 50 disposable plates

• 200 craft sticks

• scissors*

• marker, wide tip*

• masking tape*

• electric fan with multiple settings*

• 1 copy of It’s All Energy

• 1 tray*

• 1 pencil with an eraser*

• 1 push pin*

• masking tape*

• scissors*

• Energy Conversions Investigation Notebook (pages 52–53)

Lesson 3.4 BriefEnergy Conversions

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https://learning.amplify.com/m/20ea822a1dfccdea/original/EC_Investigation_Notebook_Pages_52-53_NA.pdf

https://learning.amplify.com/m/20ea822a1dfccdea/original/EC_Investigation_Notebook_Pages_52-53_NA.pdf

*teacher provided

Safety Note: Students should keep fingers and all materials away from the fan when it is functioning—nothing shouldbe placed near the spinning fan blades. Students should exercise caution when handling the push pins and shouldkeep them away from each other’s faces, using them only to connect the spinning parts of their turbines to thepencil eraser.

Preparation

Before the Day of the Lesson

1. Locate materials (in the Energy Conversions kit) for the Electric Generator Demonstration. In Activity 2 of thislesson, you will demonstrate powering an electric generator by spinning it manually. This is similar to thedemonstration in Lesson 3.2, but emphasizes the relationship between spin speed and amount of energy.Locate the following:

• 1 motor

• 2 cables with alligator clips

• 1 LED

2. Locate (in your Energy Conversions kit) the following investigation materials. In addition to the items listedbelow, you will also need to provide one large electric fan (a table fan or floor fan with multiple speed settings)and, for each investigation group, one pair of scissors, one roll of masking tape, one pencil with an eraser, onepush pin, and one tray on which to store designs in progress.

• plastic cups

• disposable plates

• craft sticks

3. Prepare the simple electrical system for the Electric Generator Demonstration. Use the wires to connect themotor (generator) to the leads of the LED. Practice spinning the axle of the motor to light up the LED, as youdid in Lesson 3.2. Pinch the shaft of the generator between two fingers and give it a quick spin. You shouldobserve the LED flash, either green or red depending on which direction you spin the generator. A snappingmotion may be needed to turn the generator fast enough.

4. Choose a location for a testing station. In Activity 3 of this lesson, teams will design and make wind turbines.You will need a testing station for the wind turbines. There should be enough room for several teams to work.Find a safe place to put the electric fan so that teams can take turns using it.


Lesson 3.4 Brief


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Immediately Before the Lesson

5. Choose a location for consumable building materials. All student teams will be accessing plates, cups, andcraft sticks as needed during their design activity. You do not need to be limited to this list if you have otherappropriate materials, such as cardstock or paper. Students will also be using pencils, push pins, tape, andscissors, which you may either have with the building materials, or as materials teams already have at theirwork space. Note that students may need assistance with cutting certain items.

6. Assign teams. Students should work in groups of 3–4 for this activity.

7. Familiarize yourself with the materials. In this lesson teams will design, make, and test wind turbines that spinin the wind.

• There is no single best design. Exploration and inventiveness are highly encouraged. Therefore, we havenot provided a teacher reference of what a finished wind turbine should look like. In order to providesupport during their explorations, you may want to familiarize yourself with the materials and exploremaking some wind turbines yourself. On pages 53 and 55 of the Investigation Notebook, we haveprovided checklists with various criteria that students can strive to meet in their designs so that even ifstudents are not completely successful in their designs, they are still able to meet some of the desiredcriteria.

8. Prepare for On-the-Fly Assessment. Included in Activity 3 is an On-the-Fly Assessment providing anopportunity to gauge students’ understanding of how to design to meet criteria. Press the hummingbird iconon the menu bar and then select ON-THE-FLY ASSESSMENT for details about what to look for and how youcan use the information to maximize learning by all students.

1. On the board, write the Investigation Question. Write "How does energy get from energy sources to the rest ofthe electrical system?”

2. Set up the wind turbine testing station. Make an electric fan available in a safe place.

3. Set out the building materials. In a place that is easily accessible set out the following:

• plastic cups

• disposable plates

• craft sticks

4. Have on hand the following materials:

• trays (1 per group) with 1 pencil with an eraser, 1 push pin, 1 pair of scissors, 1 roll of tape

• copies of It’s All Energy

• Energy Conversions Investigation Notebook (pages 52–53)


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At the End of the Day

Embedded Supports for Diverse Learners

Physical exploration to support discussion. Providing students time to build a turbine to power a device gives students atangible frame of reference for the class discussion that follows. Referring to physical materials can make it easier andmore concrete for many students to contribute to class discussion.

Wind turbine criteria checklist. Providing students with a checklist of criteria for their wind turbines helps students getstarted with their design and promotes independent reflection. The checklist also provides support as studentsauthentically engage in a common engineering practice: testing their design against criteria.

Visual references. The Electrical System diagram supports students as they draw parallels between the parts of thesimple electrical system they observe and the four parts of the electrical system they are learning about. During theclass discussion, students can refer to the projection as they synthesize information about converters, generators,energy sources and wires.

Potential Challenges in This Lesson

Partner work with physical materials. Some students may have difficulty problem solving when they are using a widerange materials and working independently with a partner. Consider ways you can support students in focusing theirefforts on the specific goals for the activity.

Specific Differentiation Strategies for English Learners

Vocabulary support. By this point in the unit, students are expected to incorporate much of the content vocabulary intotheir oral and written vocabulary. The posted vocabulary cards are designed to support students as they discuss andwrite to share their conceptual understanding. Before you demonstrate the generator system, refer to the words on thewall, such as converter, electrical device, and source.

Specific Differentiation Strategies for Students Who Need More Support

Strategic partnering. Thinking about reading partners in advance can help ensure that all students are successfulduring making and designing their wind turbines. You may want to pair a student who might benefit from more supportproblem solving with a partner who is a slightly more adept at this skill. You may also want to provide pairs with moretime to make or design their wind turbines.

1. Store student designs. Students will redesign their wind turbines in Lesson 3.5. Find a place in the classroomwhere the turbines students build can be stored until then. You may wish to store them out in the open or putthem on display so that students have the chance to compare them and talk about them during other times inthe school day.

Differentiation


Lesson 3.4 Brief


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Additional teacher modeling of meeting design criteria. Some students may benefit from seeing an example of how thecriteria checklist can support them as they design. You can model how students can get started with their designs bythinking aloud about the questions for the first criterion on the list.

Specific Differentiation Strategies for Students Who Need More Challenge

Compare the different functions that fan blades can serve. Invite students to read pages 16–18 of It’s All Energy toconsider how fan blades can both convert electrical energy to motion energy as well as convert motion energy intoelectrical energy. Have students diagram and label each process of conversion.

Key

Practices Disciplinary Core Ideas Crosscutting ConceptsStandards

3-D Statement

Students develop solutions to convert motion energy to electrical energy by designing and making the wind turbine,part of a wind converter system (systems and system models).

Louisiana Student Standards for Science

Science & Engineering Practices

• PPrracticactice 6:e 6: Constructing explanations and designing solutions

• PPrracticactice 8:e 8: Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information

Crosscutting Concepts

• 4:4: Systems and System Models

• 5:5: Energy and Matter

Disciplinary Core Ideas

• PPS3S3.A: D.A: Definitions oefinitions of Ef Enernergy:gy: The faster a given object is moving, the more energy it possesses. (UE.PS3A.a)

• PPS3S3.A: D.A: Definitions oefinitions of Ef Enernergy:gy: Energy can be moved from place to place by moving objects or through sound, light,or electric currents. (UE.PS3A.b)

• PPS3S3.B: C.B: Consonserervvation oation of Ef Enernergy and Egy and Enernergy Tgy Trransansffer:er: Energy can also be transferred from place to place by electriccurrents, which can then be used locally to produce motion, sound, heat, or light. The currents may have beenproduced to begin with by transforming the energy of motion into electrical energy. (UE.PS3B.c)

• ETETS1.B: DS1.B: Deevveloping Peloping Poosssible Ssible Solutions tolutions to Eo Engineering Pngineering Prroblems:oblems: Testing a solution involves investigating how well itperforms under a range of likely conditions. (UE.ETS1B.d)


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• ETETS1.S1.C: OC: Optimizing the Dptimizing the Deesign Ssign Solution:olution: Different solutions need to be tested in order to determine which of thembest solves the problem, given the criteria and the constraints. (UE.ETS1C.a)

Louisiana Student Standards for English Language Arts

• RI.RI.44..6:6: Compare and contrast a firsthand and secondhand account of the same event or topic; describe thedifferences in focus and the information provided.

• SSL.L.44.1:.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) withdiverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.

• SSL.L.44.1.b:.1.b: Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles.

• SSL.L.44..4:4: Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriatefacts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.

• L.L.44..6:6: Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases,including those that signal precise actions, emotions, or states of being (e.g., quizzed, whined, stammered) andthat are basic to a particular topic (e.g., wildlife, conservation, and endangered when discussing animalpreservation).

Louisiana Student Standards for Mathematics

Standards for Mathematical Practice

• 1:1: Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.

Standards for Mathematical Content

• 44.MD.MD..CC.5.5.a:.a: An angle is measured with reference to a circle with its center at the common endpoint of the rays, byconsidering the fraction of the circular arc between the points where two rays intersect the circle.

• 44.MD.MD..CC..6:6: Measure angles in whole-number degrees using a protractor. Sketch angles of specified measure.


Lesson 3.4 Brief


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Students review and begin to consider two proposed solutions for solvingErgstown’s blackout problem.

Instructional Guide1. Refer to the Chapter 3 Question posted on the wall. Remind students that this is the question they have beeninvestigating for the last few lessons. Read the question aloud and have students think about what they’ve been readingand discussing recently.

1TEACHER-LED DISCUSSION

Introducing PossibleSolutions

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Introducing Possible Solutions10MIN

Given what you know now, where does the electrical energy for the devices in Ergstown come from?

[From energy sources; from power provided by sources such as wind, water, or the sun.]

Does anyone have any ideas how Ergstown might solve the problem of not enough energy in the system?

• Collect students’ ideas. If necessary, remind students of the Too Many Devices and the Energy in the Systemdemonstrations. If it’s not suggested by students, point out that one way to solve the problem might be to addanother energy source.

Let’s look at the sources of energy that Ergstown is currently using.

Lesson 3.4Activity 1



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2. Project the Ergstown Regional Map. Discuss the features of the map with students. Point out the key. Ask students tostudy the map.

3. Project Possible Solutions. Explain that Mr. Moore, the City Planner, has proposed two possible solutions for addingmore energy input to Ergstown.

What two sources of energy do the people of Ergstown use right now?

[Wind energy and fuel energy.]

• If necessary, point out that a group of wind converters is called a wind farm.

• Have a student read aloud the two possible solutions.




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4. Introduce the wind turbine activity.

5. Have partners share what they know about wind turbines.

6. Hold up a copy of It’s All Energy. Point out that the reference book is a good place to look to find out about how windturbines work.

7. Distribute the reference book to students. Provide one copy to each pair of students. Ask a student to refer to theindex (on pages 47–48) and tell you what page to turn to in order to read about wind turbines. [Page 18.]

8. Have students turn to page 18 of It’s All Energy. Let students know that while they may have already read this pagewhen searching for evidence in a previous lesson, you are going to read it again now that they are preparing to buildtheir own turbines. Have a student read aloud the paragraph at the top of the page.

Over the next few days you are going to explore these possible solutions. And it will be your job as systemengineers to select the best one—either to install new solar panels or install new wind converters.

First, you’ll need to look for evidence of which solution is the best one, and then you’ll write a design argumentabout why that’s the best solution.

• Hold up a solar panel. Remind students that they had opportunities to explore and learn about solar panels whenthey built their simple electrical systems.

• Point out that in this lesson, students will begin designing a wind turbine.

Before you start planning how to build your wind turbine, what kinds of things do you think you need to knowabout wind turbines?

[How they work; what parts they have.]

• Ask students to turn to a partner and briefly share what they already know about wind turbines or how they work.

• Remind them to think about what they read in the reference book, saw in the Energy Conversions Simulation, oralready knew about wind turbines before beginning the unit.

• Once partners have shared their ideas, invite a few students to share what they know with the class.

The book says “Moving air collides with the blades of the turbine, forcing them to spin.” I want to understand thisa little better. Where could I look to find out if the book has any more information about how air collides with theblades of the turbine?

[The table of contents or the index.]

Let’s try the index.




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9. Read about collisions. Ask the class to turn to page 45. Have a student read the Collisions paragraph. Then have theclass turn back to page 18.

Teacher SupportInstructional Suggestion

Providing More Experience: Today’s Daily Written ReflectionWhich of the engineering practices described in Sunlight and Showers did you find the most interesting? Why? Thisprompt (on page 52 in the Investigation Notebook) asks students to reflect on what they read about in the previouslesson. It also serves as an anticipatory activity for designing an energy converter in this lesson.

Instructional Suggestion

Providing More Experience: Reading About the Reliability of Energy SourcesRefer students to page 26 in It’s All Energy to revisit the concept that energy sources have varying degrees of reliability.Remind students that if a source of energy is reliable, that means it is available all the time it is needed. Ask students toshare an example of an unreliable energy source. If necessary, prompt students to think about when solar panels wouldbe unreliable. Point out that, as shown on the Ergstown Regional Map, wind and fuel are the sources of energy forErgstown. Invite students to search the reference text to find out more information about the reliability of fuel (page 29)and of wind (page 31).

• Have students turn to page 47, Index.

Do you see the word collides or a word that looks like it?

[Collisions]

On what page could I read more about collisions?

[Page 45.]

The book says energy is transferred, or passed on, whenever one object bumps into another, and this is called acollision. What does what we just read about collisions tell us about how a wind turbine works?

• Accept all student responses, then summarize:

When the book says the moving air collides with the blades of the wind turbine, it means the moving air, or wind,as we think of it, is hitting the blades. When the moving air hits the blades of the turbine, the energy is passedfrom the air to the blades, causing them to spin.

• Ask students if they can name other things that move or spin when moving air hits them. You might wish tomention windsocks or pinwheels if students do not.




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Background

Literacy Note: About Reading MapsIf students are unfamiliar with map reading, you may wish to include time for partners to discuss the Ergstown RegionalMap. Ask a few students to read the text associated with the icons in the key and locate those features on the map. Youmay also wish to explain that the map shows a large area that has been accurately reduced by a certain amount, calleda scale. Demonstrate that by using the scale students can see that the distance between Voltsburg and Riverton isabout 15 km or 9.3 miles.




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Students observe a simple electrical system powered by a generator. Then theylearn the rationale and the goal for an upcoming design activity.

Instructional Guide1. Emphasize that a generator can convert motion energy to electrical energy.

2. Demonstrate how to produce different amounts of electrical energy. Spin the shaft of the generator slowly and pointout how the LED is not lighting up.

Spin the axle faster, so that the LED lights up.

3. Have students turn to page 9 of It’s All Energy. Have students read this page to reflect on the relationship betweenspeed and energy, and then relate the text to the simple electrical system demonstration.

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2HANDS-ON

Getting Ready to Design

3

Getting Ready to Design10MIN

Before you design wind turbines, let’s think about how they’ll work.

• Hold up the simple electrical system you prepared and ask if students remember how to make the LED light up.[Spin the axle of the generator.]

• Spin the axle of the generator to make the LED light up.

The motion energy from my hand is causing the generator to spin, and that allows it to convert motion energy toelectrical energy.

Why do you think the LED doesn’t light up when I turn the axle of the generator slowly?[There’s not enough energy in the system.]

When I spin the axle of the generator faster, the LED lights up. What does that tell us?[The faster you spin the axle, the more energy goes into the system. When there is enough energy in the system,the LED will light up.]




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4. Project the Electrical System diagram. Hold up the simple electrical systems. Guide students to draw parallelsbetween the parts of the system and the four parts of the Electrical System diagram. As you identify each part of thesimple electrical system, have students identify the associated part on the Electrical System diagram.

5. Prepare students to use wind as an energy source. Explain that students will now use wind as an energy source. Do amock demonstration of a failing system—blow on a generator (a motor). Students will observe that there is no motion.Explain that some engineering work needs to be done for the system to function using wind as the energy source.

6. Have students turn again to page 18 of It’s All Energy. Refer to the first paragraph again and clarify the roles ofturbines and generators. Explain that the wind turbines are important parts of the wind converter system. Let studentsknow that the function of a wind turbine is to transfer energy from the source (wind) to the generator. Point out that thefunction of the generator is to convert the motion energy to electrical energy.

What does this tell you about the amount of energy that goes into the simple electrical system when I spin theaxle of the generator slowly, as compared to when I spin it quickly?[There is more energy going into the system the faster you spin the axle of the generator.]

• The human hand. [It is the energy source, so it goes with the other energy sources.]

• The generator. [It is a converter, like those under the second Part/Function box.]

• The wires. [In the diagram, they are the wires that carry the electrical energy from one converter to the other.]

• The LED. [It is a device converter, like those listed under the far right Part/Function box.]

We already know that our generators can convert motion energy to electrical energy if we can make them spin,so you will just be designing the part of the wind turbine that spins when the wind hits it.




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Teacher SupportInstructional Suggestion

Going Further: Revisiting the Energy Conversions SimulationIf you feel that your students need more exposure to the idea that the speed of an object is in direct correlation to theamount of energy it possesses, you may wish to revisit the Energy Conversions Simulation. Have students set up asystem with the hand-crank as the energy source, and then observe the electrical system and the energy graphs belowas they turn the crank slowly, and then again as they turn the crank quickly. Ask students to reflect on what they haveobserved and have them explain what happens to the electrical energy in the system as they turn the hand-crank slowlyand quickly. This activity will help students understand the correlation between the speed at which they spin thegenerator and the amount of electrical energy (in general terms) being transferred into the motor.

Background

Literacy Note: Generating Ideas from ImagesScience text relies heavily on using visual representations such as photos to convey information. The photos of windturbines in It’s All Energy expose students to a variety of wind turbine shapes and can help them generate ideas abouthow they will design the blades for their own wind converter. As you read, think aloud using both the text and images tomake sense of the reading. Invite students to share their ideas about how the various shapes of the blades weredesigned to be pushed by air.

Rationale

Pedagogical Goals: Wind Turbine Design Challenge and Generator DemonstrationThe wind turbine design challenge focuses students on just building the part of a wind converter that harnesses thewind to create a spinning motion. It may be tempting to have students connect their wind turbine designs to generatorsto convert the spinning motion energy into electrical energy that powers a device. However, it is unlikely that students’designs will be powerful enough or spin fast enough to power a device. The purpose of this demonstration in thisactivity is to connect students’ design challenge to the conversion of electrical energy and to emphasize that the speedat which their turbines spin matters. This helps students understand the rationale for their design challenge and avoidsthe frustration of not actually being able to produce enough electrical energy to power a device.

Assessment

Assessment Opportunities: Assessing Student Understanding of Speed in Relation to EnergyThis activity can be used as an opportunity to assess students’ understanding that the faster an object is moving, themore energy it possesses (DCI, CCC). If you would like to assess student understanding of this idea, you might extendthe discussion in step 2 of this activity. Turn the axle of the generator very slowly, and then increase the speed graduallyuntil the LED lights up. Then ask students to explain why the LED did not light up right away. Look for students’ ability toarticulate the idea that the axle has to spin at a high enough speed that it is generating enough energy to turn on thelight. If students have trouble with this idea, you might spend some time talking about more familiar examples. Forexample, you might ask students to imagine riding a skateboard. Ask them when it would take more effort tostop—when they’re moving fast on their skateboard or when they’re moving slow. [When they’re moving fast.] Then askthem to explain why this is so. Help students construct understanding that greater speed means an object has moreenergy, and this greater amount of energy is what causes effects such as the LED lighting up or the effort needed tostop a fast-moving skateboard.




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LSS connection: This formative assessment reveals student understanding and use of Disciplinary Core Idea PS3.A:Definitions of Energy, and the crosscutting concept of Energy and Matter.




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Students design wind turbines that spin when moving air blows over them.

Safety note: Students should keep fingers and all materials away from the fan when it is functioning—nothingshould be placed near the spinning fan blades. Students should exercise caution when handling the push pins andshould keep them away from each other’s faces, using them only to connect the spinning parts of their turbines tothe pencil eraser.

SAFETY NOTE

Instructional Guide1. Project Wind Turbine Criteria. Have a student read aloud the criteria. Point to the key concept posted on the wall:Engineers argue for one solution over others based on how well it meets criteria. Remind students that as systemsengineers, they will need to work to meet certain criteria as they design a wind turbine.

1 2

3HANDS-ON

Designing a Wind Turbine

Designing a Wind Turbine40

MIN

For this challenge, your goal is to make a wind turbine that will spin when air blows past it.




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2. Have students turn to page 53, Wind Turbine Criteria Checklist, in their notebooks.

3. Introduce constraints on materials. Show students the cups, plates, craft sticks, tape, push pins, pencils, andscissors. Explain that students should take materials only as they need them, and not take more than they need.

4. Provide design pointers. Hold up a push pin and a pencil. Point out that the push pin can poke through several of thematerials and can be stuck into the eraser on the pencil, so the pencil can be used as a post. Let students know thatwith the pencil as a post, there are many different ways to design the spinning part of the turbine. Encourage teams totry different designs.

5. Introduce testing.

6. Point out the testing areas. Show students the designated testing areas. Explain that the large electric fan will createthe wind that will be the power source. Discuss behavior norms and safety guidelines for working in the testing areas.Point out the following important safety guideline:

Why would you want your wind turbine to spin as fast as possible? [The faster it spins, the more energy it has andthe more energy the generator can convert into electrical energy.]

There are other criteria that you will try to meet as well. Not all of your wind turbines will meet all the criteria. Butevery group’s wind turbine should be able to meet some of the criteria.

• Read and explain the directions and discuss each of the criteria. Point out that students should ask themselvesthe questions listed under several of the items in order to figure out whether those criteria were met.

• Let students know that they will refer to the checklist as they plan what they will design, but that they should notyet check items on the list with their pencils; you will indicate when it is time to check items off the list.

• Point out how the last two criteria are important because wind conditions vary, so the best solutions will performin a range of conditions.

Engineers have a limited amount of materials to use when they design solutions, so they work very carefully anddeliberately with their materials. They try not to waste materials or use more than they need as they design theirsolutions.

In Sunlight and Showers, the student engineers tried building many different water heaters out of many differentmaterials. Does anyone remember what the student engineers did after they built each different kind of waterheater? How did they know if their solutions worked?[They tried them out; they tested them.]

After engineers design solutions, they always test them. You are going to test your wind turbines to make surethey meet the criteria. After you test, you’ll have the opportunity to go back and change your design if you didn’tmeet the criteria.

• Students should keep fingers and all materials away from the fan—nothing should be placed near the spinningfan blades.




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7. Teams plan their designs. Explain that before students begin using materials, they should discuss their plans. Pointout that students’ plans may change, however, during the design process—and that’s okay! Encourage teams to sketchtheir ideas on scratch paper as they plan. Remind students that they may refer to It’s All Energy for inspiration andideas. Provide students with a few minutes to discuss their plans.

8. Invite students to collect materials. Call up one student from each group to collect turbine-building materials. Letstudents know they may only have one pencil and one push pin, but remind them that they may get more of the othermaterials later if needed.

9. On-the-Fly Assessment: Designing to Meet the Criteria. Have teams begin designing their wind turbines. Circulateand provide support as needed.

10. Teams test wind turbines and refine designs. Let students know that once they have completed their wind turbines,they may send team members to test them in the testing area. Explain that they may continue to test and continue toimprove their wind turbines as time allows. As students begin to test, monitor the testing area to provide guidance andsupport as needed.

11. Students complete Wind Turbine Criteria Checklist on page 53. Gather students’ attention. Let students know it istime to complete the Wind Turbine Criteria Checklist for this version of their wind turbines. Explain that each groupshould discuss each point on the checklist, come to an agreement about whether or not criteria were met, and thenmark whether or not their design meets each of the criteria.

12. Have students clean up. Let students know that they may continue to work on their wind turbines the following day.Have students

• Point out variable settings on the fan to test for different wind conditions.

You’ll want to make sure to test with different settings on the fan to make sure your design works under a range ofconditions. If it doesn’t work under some conditions, that will help you figure out how you need to change yourdesign. Identifying difficulties through testing and failing is an important part of engineering—it helps engineersimprove their designs.

• Remind students to refer to the Wind Turbine Criteria Checklist on page 53 of their notebooks as a reminder of allof the things they need to consider as they build their wind turbines.

• As you circulate, have teams show you what they are doing and explain their ideas. Listen to check how studentsare taking the criteria into consideration as they plan and build their designs.

• If teams are having trouble getting their turbines to spin, suggest they wiggle the push pin to widen the hole inthe plate or cup, which the push pin pokes through.

• Encourage students not to push the pin all the way into the pencil eraser; if it holds the materials too tightlyagainst the eraser, it will be hard for the materials to spin.

• return unused materials;

• recycle or discard scraps;




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13. Conclude the lesson. Let students know that in the following lesson, they will have the opportunity to re-design theirwind turbines to try to meet as many criteria as possible.

Embedded Formative Assessment

Teacher SupportRationale

Pedagogical Goals: Wind Turbine Criteria ChecklistDesigning a wind turbine is a challenging task, especially if students do not have access to an electric fan. The criteriachecklist is designed to provide groups with various levels of challenge. By meeting any of the criteria, all students canexperience some success with their design.

• place students’ wind turbines on trays in a space you designate for safe-keeping until the next lesson.

On-the-Fly Assessment 13: Designing to Meet the Criteria

Look for: As you circulate, ask students to describe their design plans for their wind turbines. Listen and look to checkhow well students are taking the criteria into consideration as they plan and make their designs. You will be checking inwith students at different stages in their design and making processes; however, you can assess students’consideration of the criteria at any phase. You may wish to ask questions such as these: “Why did you make_____________ that way?” “How will this wind turbine meet the criteria?” “Which criteria will your wind turbine meet?”and “What are you planning?” Students should be designing and making a turbine that will meet the following criteria:

Now what? If students are not understanding how the criteria relate to their designs, or are not applying the criteria totheir designs, review with them the Wind Turbine Criteria Checklist: First Design on page 53 of the notebook. Askstudents the questions on the checklist, but word them to reflect the stage at which their design currently is. Forexample, if a group is just beginning to build, you might ask “How will you ensure that your wind turbine spins when youblow on it?” If students are still not understanding how to consider the criteria in their designs, you may wish to providean example of a wind turbine that does not meet all of the criteria. (You could quickly build one from extra studentmaterials.) You can then step students through each question on the checklist and point out the features of the windturbine that are addressed by each of the criteria. Before proceeding to the next question, ensure that studentsunderstand the particular criterion you are discussing, and comprehend how it applies to their design.

• It spins as fast as possible.

• It spins when the air moves slow and when it moves fast.

• It spins when the air blows from different directions.




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Going Further: Mathematical ThinkingOnce students have designed and tested their wind turbines, provide protractors and rulers so that they can makemeasurements and use them to compare performance and make design improvements.


Classroom Management: Safety During TestingBlowing on their turbines continuously may cause students to get light-headed. Make sure that students take turns andtake breaks as they test their turbines. Encourage them to use the fan to test “high wind” conditions, rather thanexhausting themselves by blowing as hard as they can.

• Measure and analyze angles between each blade: Have students use a protractor to measure and record theangles between the center of each turbine fan blade. Ask students to add together the angles between all of theirblades. (Since the fan sweeps in a circle, the total for four angles should equal 360°.) Have students analyze theirmeasurements and answer these questions: “Are the blades at right angles, measuring 90°?” “Would the fanperform better if the angles between the fan blades were different?” Encourage students to re-design and testtheir turbines based on what they learned. Record the new angle measurements so that comparisons about fanblade performance can be made.

• Measure and analyze blade length: Invite students to use a ruler to measure the length of each turbine bladelength. Record their measurements. Ask students to compare the performance of turbines with different bladelengths. Ask: “Are all the blades the same distance from the center of the fan?” “Does that matter?” Encouragestudents to re-design and test based on what they learned.




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Lesson 3.4 Guide

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Transcript of Lesson 3.4 Guide