New Jersey
Offshore Currculum

KidWind, in partnership with the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, created guides that provide educators with foundational offshore wind information and student activities. Students will model the power grid, learn how the processes of wind farm siting, and do a cost-benefit analysis, among learning many other skills.

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Activity Guides

Check out the full activity guides for Elementary and Middle School!
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LESSONS

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Crosscutting Concepts
Disciplinary Core Ideas

How Does the Grid Power Our Community?

Elementary
Students model and discuss the power grid through creation and testing of a parallel circuit with different power sources such as batteries and solar panels.
systems-and-system-models ps2-b ps3-a ps3-b power-grid lesson njoffshore 3 4 5

How Windy Is It?

Elementary
Students will learn about wind and its impact on wind turbines then construct a simple anemometer and use it to collect and analyze data on wind speed.
cause-and-effect systems-and-system-models ess3-a ets1-b siting lesson njoffshore 3 4 5

Sail Car Activity

Elementary
Students learn how wind can be used to propel an object through the construction of a Sail Car with experimentation of different sail types.
energy-and-matter ets1-a ets1-b ets1-c ps3-a ps3-b engineering-design lesson njoffshore 3 4 5

Visual Impacts of Offshore Wind

Elementary
Students consider advantages and disadvantages and offshore wind turbines while learning about renewable and nonrenewable energy sources.
systems-and-system-models ess3-a ess3-c siting lesson njoffshore 3 4 5

Energy Economics: Connecting Cost to Kilowatts

Elementary
Students explore energy output and consumption and learn about the costs associated with energy through readings and a simple energy audit.
energy-and-matter ps3-a ps3-b ps3-c energy-economics lesson njoffshore 3 4 5

Power the Grid: Empowering NJ Communities

Middle
Students learn the basics of power grid systems and discover how energy is converted into power that is then transmitted and distributed.
energy-and-matter stability-and-change systems-and-system-models ps2-b ps3-a ps3-b power-grid lesson njoffshore 6 7 8

Making Choices: Energy by the Numbers

Middle
Students consider trade-offs of the most commonly used energy sources in the U.S. and use flowcharts to understand the end-use dimensions of each source.
patterns systems-and-system-models ess3-a ess3-c ess3-d energy-economics lesson njoffshore 6 7 8

Evaluating Offshore Wind Impacts

Middle
Students use Geographical Information Systems to explore human activity in the ocean and evaluate potential impacts of offshore wind turbine installation.
cause-and-effect stability-and-change systems-and-system-models ess3-c ls2-c siting lesson njoffshore 6 7 8

Floating Offshore Wind Turbine

Middle
Students construct a floating wind turbine that generates power in a simulated environment and learn solutions to offshore wind turbine problems.
cause-and-effect stability-and-change systems-and-system-models ets1-a ps3-a ps3-c engineering-design lesson njoffshore 6 7 8

Siting Offshore Wind Developments

Middle
Students explore the factors that impact where offshore wind developments are sited and evaluate maps to site their own wind farm.
cause-and-effect stability-and-change ess3-c ls2-c siting lesson njoffshore 6 7 8

EXTENSION ACTIVITIES

Programmable Anemometer

Coding, Middle, High
Students will build a simple device to measure wind and other environmental conditions using both hardware and software.

Control Wind Tower Lights

Coding, Middle, High
Students will learn how to code their designed models using micro:bits to reflect real-world wind turbine technology.

Foundations of Woodworking and Wind Energy

Woodworking, Middle, High
Students learn the foundations of woodworking and wind energy through career exploration in offshore wind, analysis of wind turbine form and function, and creation of a wind turbine tower.

Wind Turbine Blade Design and Woodworking

Woodworking, Middle, High
Students combine woodworking and wind turbine blade design first testing efficiency, then creating a blade prototype, and lastly making their finalized wood blades.

Millwrighting and Gear Ratio in Wind Turbines

Woodworking, Middle, High
Students identify roles of a millwright as they relate to wind turbine design and construction and learn to calculate gear ratio and draw angles for precision assembly.

Virtual Reality Loaner Program

Virtual Reality, Elementary, Middle, High
KidWind has partnered with Vinci VR to create a loaner program of VR equipment that can be used with students to explore a variety of offshore wind energy careers.