Planet Earth Pages
Renewable Energy
Compiled by Sue LeBeau.
This issue's Planet Earth Pages feature
activities that focus on learning about renewable energy sources.
The ideas are divided into grade level
categories, but many of them may be adapted to several levels.
Have a look!
- Shifting Shadows
- What causes shadows? Talk about why shadows are different
lengths in the morning, midday and afternoon. Have
students measure their shadows with partners at different
times during the day and graph the results. This activity
can be extended throughout the year by comparing the
lengths of shadows during different seasons.
- Sun Prints
- Cut out shapes or silhouettes, or collect objects (keys,
coins, etc.) that you can arrange to create a design.
Place them on light sensitive paper (available in hobby
stores) or construction paper (black or red work best)
and set them in the sun. When the objects are removed,
have children title their art works and display them on a
class or school bulletin board.
- Energy Mobile
- Initiate a class discussion about energy in general and
renewable energy sources in particular. As each energy
topic is introduced have students draw a picture that
best illustrates for them that particular source of
energy. Arrange the pictures to form energy mobiles to be
displayed in the classroom.
- Sun Tea
- Place water and tea bags in a jar with a lid and set it
in the sun for 3 or 4 hours. Celebrate the sun's energy
with your students by serving your tea to special people
in your school or just enjoy it yourselves! You may want
to add sugar or lemon wedges.
- Wind Energy
- Begin a discussion about wind energy by having the students
share their experiences of being in the wind. What places
are very windy? Have they ever experienced a hurricane or
tornado or severe wind storm? Illustrate the enormous
power of the wind by having students make and fly kites
or create their own pinwheels. Older students may make
paper gliders and determine what variations to the
gliders will make them fly further.
- Legends
- Many stories, myths and legends relate the origin of the
sun or the role the sun plays in our world. Read and
discuss several of these with the students, pointing out
the difference between fact and fiction. Some suggested
books are: Legends of the Sun and Moon by
Erice Hadley; The Miser Who Wanted the Sun
by Jurg Obrist; and Sun and Moon by Marcus
Pfister. Have students write their own class story about
the sun and its importance to our world, or create a
legend about the sun's origin. Put your class story
together in the form of a "big book," include
illustrations, and share your big book with other
classes.
- Photovoltaics
- We can produce electricity from sunlight by using
photovoltaic (PV) cells -- or solar cells for short. They
have sometimes been called the ultimate source of
electrical energy because they can produce electricity
silently without any moving parts, turbines or
generators. When light hits a solar cell it releases
electrons. The electrons move across a grid in the cell
and are taken off by a wire. This flow of electrons is
electricity. Ask students to do research on the PV cell
and to illustrate on a chart or poster how solar energy
produces electricity through a PV cell. Discuss why
photovoltaics are not in wide use at this time.
- Wind Energy
- Wind is simply air in motion. The sun heats the air, the
warm air rises and the cooler air flows in to take its
place. At any given moment, half of the earth's
atmosphere is exposed to the sun and half is in shadow.
This uneven heating and cooling creates wind. About 2% of
the solar energy that falls on earth is converted to wind
energy. Wind can be used to generate electricity, but
only if its speed is over ten miles per hour. Wind power
is a renewable energy resource that can provide clean,
nonpolluting energy where wind is abundant and available
on a regular basis.
How much wind energy is available
where you live? Have students build a device to measure
wind speeds and discuss whether or not producing
electricity through wind would be beneficial in your
area. Conduct research to find which country is the
world's leading wind energy producer.
- Bumper Stickers
- After discussing the benefits of using renewable energy,
have students brainstorm slogans that promote the use of
various renewable energies. Ask students to create
colorful bumper stickers to illustrate their slogans.
These may then be displayed on class/school bulletin
boards, store windows or back windows of vehicles.
- Alphabet Books
- Read a number of science-oriented alphabet books with
your students to serve as models for this activity.
Suggested books are : The Desert Alphabet Book
by Jerry Pallotta; A Swim Through the Sea by
Kristen Joy Pratt; and The A,B,C of the Biosphere
by Professor Finch. Discuss with your students the
characteristics and writing style of these books. Be sure
to discuss the role that illustration plays. Have the
students work in groups of 3 or 4 to create a
"Renewable Energy Alphabet Book" that includes,
defines and illustrates words related to renewable
energy. Share the books with younger students.
- Poetry
- After reading different types of poetry, have students
create poems about renewable energy sources. You may wish
to display poetry, with illustrations, on a bulletin
board or compile the poems into a class book. Poems may
be categorized by subject or by poetry style. As an
alternative activity, write jingles or songs modeled on
already familiar tunes, that carry a "renewable
energy" theme.
- Fossil Fuels
- Many of the serious pollution problems that we face today
are a result of burning fossil fuels. Discuss with
students the effects of burning fossil fuels and what our
alternatives might be. Hold a classroom debate on the
question: Do the benefits of burning fossil fuels for
energy outweigh the negative effects of pollution?
- Letters to the Editor
- Discuss the purpose and characteristics of "Letters
to the Editor" and read several such letters from
your local newspaper. Then ask the students, either
individually or in pairs, to write a letter to the editor
of the local newspaper expressing their concern about the
energy of the future and what should be done on the local
level and nationwide to encourage a greater use of
renewable energy today. Encourage students to send their
letters to local newspapers for possible publication.
- Solar Vehicles
- Motor vehicles in many urban areas are the single largest
contributor to ground-level ozone, a major component of
smog. Motor vehicles generate three major pollutants:
hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide, as
well as large amounts of carbon dioxide, which has the
potential to trap the earth's heat and cause global
warming. Discuss the alternatives being developed today,
particularly solar powered vehicles, and have students in
teams build a model solar car using a solar cell and
small motor. Encourage creativity in design and hold a
race to determine the fastest car. Teachers may wish to
involve their students in The Junior Solar Sprint
competition. For information contact: U.S. Department of
Energy, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 1617
Cole Boulevard, Golden, CO 80401, (301) 231-7044. In
Canada, Alex Waters of Ontario's Kortright Centre for
Conservation can help you organize a regional race; call
(905) 832-2289.
- Reducing Vehicle Emissions
- As a continuation of the previous discussion of motor
vehicles, ask students to collect data for one week on
their families' transportation by creating and completing
a transportation log. Record the kinds, lengths and
purposes of trips, fuel used, potential alternative modes
of transportation, and any other information deemed
important. Analyze and graph the collected data. Discuss
ways that students and their families can reduce vehicle
emissions and vehicle use in general. Students may wish
to publish a class list of "Ways to Reduce
Emissions" and distribute it to their families and
other adults.
- Geothermal
- The word geothermal comes from the Greek words geo
(earth) and therme (heat). Geothermal energy comes
from the heat deep within the earth. Some of the visible
features of geothermal energy are volcanoes, hot springs
and geysers; but most geothermal resources cannot be seen
because they are deep underground. The earth is a hotbed
of geothermal energy. The most active geothermal
resources are usually found along major plate boundaries
where earthquakes and volcanoes are concentrated. Most of
the geothermal activity in the world occurs in an area
called the "Ring of Fire" which rims the
Pacific Ocean. After research, ask students to create and
label a world map which illustrates the location of the
"The Ring of Fire" and the locations of the
best known geothermal energy sources. Display maps and
posters in the school.
- Biomass
- Biomass is any organic matter -- wood, animal wastes,
crops, seaweed -- that can be used as an energy source.
It is probably our oldest source of energy and is still
the main source of energy for over half of the earth's
population. Ask students to investigate the process of
creating energy through biomass. Create a model of this
process and highlight the technology used to generate
electricity from this energy. Have students weigh the
pros and cons of biomass as a source of energy and
describe how biomass energy affects the environment. Hold
a class debate on these issues.
- Graphic Results
- The amount and sources of energy used around the world
vary from country to country. Ask students to choose at
least 3 developing countries and at least 3
industrialized countries (including their own) and make a
bar graph illustrating the annual per capita energy use.
Create another graph for each country that illustrates
the sources of energy. Draw conclusions about the use of
alternative sources of energy in these countries, based
on facts from their research. Share results with the
class. Ask students to predict the future energy needs of
these countries and make proposals for meeting those
needs with the least environmental impact.
- Hydropower
- Hydropower is energy that comes from the force of moving
water. Hydropower is called a renewable energy source
because it is replenished by snow and rainfall.
Electricity that is generated from water power is called
hydroelectric power. A typical hydropower plant is a
system with at least three parts: an electric plant, a
dam and a reservoir. Have students contact a local
utility to inquire about the process of making
electricity through hydropower. Discuss with them the
feasibility of using hydropower in your local area.
Further research should highlight: What role has
hydropower played in electricity production in North
America, past and present? What are the top hydropower
producing locations in the world today? How is solar
power responsible for producing hydropower? How does
hydropower affect the environment? Have students prepare
a short report with their findings and share their
information with the rest of their class.
- The Future Is Now
- Have students research and then create a skit that
portrays a community or a country that sees its fossil
fuel supply dwindling and is concerned about its energy
source for the future. The skit should include a plan for
the future that highlights the use of one or more
alternative energy sources. Ask students to perform their
skit for the class.
- Editorial Cartoons
- One of the ways in which the sun's energy can be changed
into electricity is through photovoltaic conversion. When
sunlight strikes photovoltaic (PV) cells it is changed
directly into electricity. Cars powered by PV cells will
greatly reduce harmful emissions while conserving fossil
fuels; however, at the present time, solar cars are
costly to produce and require frequent
"recharging" when travelling distances. Have
students create an editorial cartoon that reflects their
opinion as to whether or not research should continue on
the solar powered car.
Sue LeBeau teaches fifth grade at the West End School in Long
Branch, New Jersey.