Cover image
    Lesson

    Harnessing Wind Energy

    Strawbees Team

    Challenge students to learn about sustainable development in wind power, as they discover where strong winds blow on earth and the history and future of wind power. Students will also make wind turbine prototypes and further their learning with extension activities.

    Earth and Human Activity
    Energy
    Engineering Design
    Forces
    Renewable Energy
    8-14+
    3:15:00
    Student Journal

    Overview and Objectives

    00:15

    Lesson Structure

    When students go through this lesson in each section, the objectives they will learn are:

    • Warm-up – Explore what causes the wind and global wind patterns.
    • Imagine – Discover the past, present, and future of wind power and its contribution to sustainable development.
    • Create – Create a simple vertical wind turbine and tinker with catching the wind.
    • Build – Build a larger wind turbine as a model for wind power.
    • Reflect – Share your learning through written reflection on wind power and wind turbines.
    • Challenges – Extend your turbine prototypes and further your learning through creative open-ended challenges.

    After this lesson students will be able to:

    • Recognize that fossil fuels are derived from the earth and that their use affects the environment.
    • Make an argument for wind energy as a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels.
    • Explain the process of energy transfer from the wind to another object through the use of windmills and/or wind turbines.
    • Articulate ways that people have utilized wind energy throughout history.
    • Compare and contrast various wind zones on earth.
    • Describe how wind energy helps to address climate change.
    • Create wind turbine prototypes that harness wind energy.
    • Evaluate future uses and applications of wind energy.
    • Differentiate between careers in wind energy.

    Structure

    In this lesson, I can:

    • Recognize that fossil fuels come from the earth and that their use affects the environment and human health.
    • Make an argument for wind energy as a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels.
    • Explain the process of energy transfer from the wind to another object through the use of windmills and/or wind turbines.
    • Share ways that people have used wind energy throughout history.
    • Compare and contrast various wind zones on earth.
    • Describe how wind energy helps to address climate change.
    • Create a model for reducing human impact on the environment.
    • Evaluate future uses and applications of wind energy.