This activity introduces students to basic circuitry and to how energy flows through a system. Students will work individually to build their own Solar Houses, then join together to connect them into a Solar Town. Students will also engage in the Solar Scavenger Hunt activity to understand how solar panels work and how to make them operate most efficiently. Students will apply this knowledge and use basic electrical engineering skills to design and build an electrical system that is powered by their solar panel.
The Details
Materials
- AA battery pack
- 2 AA batteries
- 2ft Uncoated wire
- 2 White LEDs
- 2 Colorful LEDs
- 2 Index cards
- 1ft Aluminum tape
- 1 Solar panel
- Motor
- Motor wheel
- Switch
- Pair of clamp wires
- Scissors
- Clear tape
- Wire stripper
- Multimeter
Next Generation Science Standards
Cross-Cutting Concepts
- Cause & Effect
- Energy & Matter
- Engineering
- Influence of Engineering & Science on Society & the Natural World
- Interdependence of Science & Technology
- Patterns
- Technology
Disciplinary Core Ideas
- ETS1.A Defining & Delimiting an Engineering Problem
- ETS1.B Developing Possible Solutions
- ETS1.C Optimizing the Design Solution
- PS3.A Definitions of Energy
- PS3.B Conservation of Energy & Energy Transfer
Learning Objectives
- Know the fundamental parts of a windmill
- Be able to use the scientific method to isolate and adjust variables in a model windmill
- Understand energy conversions and transfers, and how a windmill converts moving air into usable mechanical energy
- Have constructed a functional windmill that lifts weights