World 3

Windmill Projects Checklist
How can we take better care of the world and its resources? What are potential future sources of renewable energy? How do they work? What advantages and challenges do they pose? What hurdles must be overcome before they are considered viable?

Students will study and build wind turbines as they explore the answers to these questions. They will use wind to generate electricity. They will experiment with different blade designs to achieve maximum efficiency and power. They will wire multiple wind generators in series and in parallel.

CA Content Standards (Physical Sciences)
1. Energy from the Sun heats Earth unevenly, causing air movements that result in changing weather patterns. As a basis for understanding this concept
2. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept and addressing the content in the other three strands, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations.
3.Students know electrical energy can be converted to heat, light, and motion

CA Content Standards (Language Arts)
1. Structural Features of Informational Materials: Understand how text features (e.g., format, graphics, sequence, diagrams, illustrations, charts, maps) make information accessible and usable.
2. Structural Features of Informational Materials: Analyze text that is organized in sequential or chronological order.
3. WRITING STRATEGIES: Students write clear, coherent, and focused essays. The writing exhibits the students’ awareness of the audience and purpose. Essays contain formal introductions, supporting evidence, and conclusions. Students progress through the stages of the writing process as needed.
4. Research and Technology: Use organizational features of printed text (e.g., citations, end notes, bibliographic references) to locate relevant information.
5. Evaluation and Revision: Edit and revise manuscripts to improve the meaning and focus of writing by adding, deleting, consolidating, clarifying, and rearranging words and sentences.

Required Resources:
Need.org
Kidwind.org
Solarworld.com
wikipedia
discovery learning (United Streaming)
Captain Hydro

Required Assignments – Detailed rubrics can be found on Mr. Competition’s Page.
1. Where Does Wind Come From? - Essay
2. What Tools do we use to Measure Wind? -Essay
3. Wind Machine Timeline – Graphic Timeline
4. Pros and Cons to Wind Energy - Essay
5. How do Windmills Convert Wind into Electricity? – Summary of an Article
6. How Will You Design Your Blades? – Lab Experiment

Optional Assignments
1. Windmill Art - Collage
2. Wind Circuits Diagram– Mindmap
3. Surveys – Blade Design Etc…
4. Chronological PowerPoint - Instruction Manual
5. Power Output - Graphing
6. Ratios – Gearing

Students who participate in this project will have a clearer picture of the challenges and potential benefits to exploring and utilizing alternative energies. They will discover that energy and electricity are not synonymous, and that many forms of energy are all around us. Burning fossil fuels is not necessarily the best way to convert those many forms of energy into electricity. Students will learn 4th and 5th grade contents standards in an authentic, project based, environment. They will feel empowered to address the question, “How can we take better care of our world and its resources?”