Students will learn the difference between forms and sources of energy and that energy is useful to us because of its ability to change form.

Students will learn about the environmental, economic and social trade-offs of electrical power generation technologies.

Students will learn about work, energy and power and that using electrical appliances and devices has economic and environmental costs.

Students will learn about the forces that cause wind and how to measure these changes in the atmosphere.

Students will learn how topography and elevation affect wind speeds and will identify optimal locations for wind farms based on wind speed.

Students will learn the concepts of wind turbulence and wind shear—the smoothness and speed of the wind at different altitudes above the ground.

Students conduct a simple energy audit for the classroom and estimate what size wind turbine could power their classroom under local wind conditions.

Students will learn the fundamental parts of a windmill, how different rotor designs affect performance, and how energy is transferred from wind into usable mechanical energy.

Students will learn through experimentation how different blade designs are more efficient at harnessing the energy of the wind.

Students will learn how to design and construct different turbine blades to maximize the power output of a wind turbine.

Students will learn that different electricity generation sources have very different effects on wildlife.

Students will learn how bird behavior and ecology are related to avian impacts from wind turbines and how scientists study these impacts.

Students will learn about bat behaviors and propose a wind farm operational plan that could reduce the risk of bat mortality.

Students will construct and experiment with a mini wind turbine.

Students will design and construct small fountains that are powered by solar PV.

Students are tasked with constructing a simple windmill to lift weights out of basic materials.

Students will construct simple windmills.

Students will construct and test small cars that are powered by the wind.

Students will design and construct small boats that are powered by solar PV.

This guide is your one-stop-shop in helping your students complete a classroom energy audit. Many typical classroom appliances are listed on this guide, with directions on how to convert wattage to kWh.

This guide will help students understand how fast the wind from a typical box fan is at certain distances when testing their wind turbines.

This bibliography is a great resource for young students to learn more about wind power and energy in general. The books included in this bibliography range from adventurous and whimsical to informative and technical.

Students will learn how to measure the power output and efficiency of their constructed wind turbines by using a multimeter to collect data on wind speed and power capability.

This resource guide takes students through the steps to build a simple wind turbine out of PVC parts. Students will learn about the engineering design process, how to create efficient blades, and how wind turbines can convert the wind into usable energy.

Students will explore how solar panels work through experimentation and a scavenger hunt.