Provided by: Colorado Agrivoltaic Learning Center |Published on: May 15, 2026
Scientific Reports
3-12
Synopsis
In this science literacy activity, students will read a grade-level-appropriate adaptation of a peer-reviewed article that examines the replacement of a small portion of farmland devoted to growing corn for ethanol with solar panels.
The resource includes 5 leveled versions of the article, adapted for 3rd, 4th-5th, 6th-8th, 9th-10th, and 11th-12th grade reading levels.
The differentiated versions of the scientific article make this lesson accessible for students of varying abilities.
Students will enjoy playing the included Kahoot to demonstrate their understanding.
Prerequisites
This article requires students to read numbers as percentages and understand what this means.
It will help students to be familiar with solar energy as a clean energy source and to understand the difference between clean energy sources and fossil fuels.
Differentiation & Implementation
After reading about ecovoltaics, students can check out this tour of an ecovoltaic solar garden.
After reading the article and recording their answers to the questions, students can discuss how this study poses ecovoltaics as a way to address some of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Students can choose one of the SDGs addressed by ecovoltaics and cite evidence from the paper to support their selection.
Scientist Notes
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Related Teaching Resources
All resources can be used for your educational purposes with proper attribution to the content provider.
