Turbine in the Wind
Lesson Plans
Grades6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12Earth and Space Sciences
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Provided by ACE
What it is
- This resource provides instructions for building and testing a Savonius wind turbine.
- During the lesson, students will view videos about air pollution and clean energy sources, design and build their own small wind turbine, experiment with small adjustments to improve its efficiency, and reflect on the implications of their experiment.
Teaching tips
Positives
- This resource includes a student worksheet and teacher guide that are available as a PDF and a Google Document.
- The lesson includes hands-on components and provides for small group work and engineering design opportunities.
Additional Prerequisites
- Teachers must create an account and sign in to access this lesson.
- To simplify the materials required, you could substitute paperboard or construction paper for the cardboard and pencils for the dowels.
Differentiation
- Students can work in small groups to draft different wind turbine designs and choose one to build.
- The questions on the Google Doc can be adjusted to ensure all students are challenged to work at their level.
- Students could research wind farms in their area and/or research different designs of wind turbines prior to completing this activity.
- Other resources about wind energy include this e-book, this interactive data resource, this video, and this interactive table.
From the scientist review
The resource offered insights on the workability of wind turbines and how it can be designed by students using clear illustrations. This is recommended for teaching.
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