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Using Wind for Improving the Future of Sustainable Energy

Author: Cassandra Mae Jordan

School/Organization:

James Sullivan Elementary

Year: 2021

Seminar: Renewable Energy Schemes

Grade Level: 1-4

Keywords: and Wind Turbines., Elementary Science, Eolic Energy, renewable energy, Renewable Energy Experiments, Science Lesson Plans, Wind Energy Experiments

School Subject(s): Science

Energy could be produced safely and economically by the sun, wind motion, and water flow—the following thematic unit provides five topics on how wind motion is a manufactured essential and influential renewable energy source. Each lesson plan was developed with second through fourth-grade students in mind. Young elementary school-aged children must have an opportunity to be taught the importance of producing then using renewable, sustainable clean energy. An essential question governs each lesson plan’s scope of its investigation. Topics cover an evaluation of greenhouse gasses and Wind Power, compare and contrast fossil fuels to wind energy, and non-renewable energy sources’ damaging effects on the environment. Hands-on experiments engage students with demonstrations, observations, research, and group presentations. The independent study lesson plan involves matching their interests to existing Wind Energy careers then researching that career.

Download Unit: Jordan-Cassandra.pdf

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Full Unit Text
Content Objectives

We must use sustainable wind energy instead of burning resources in order to provide a clean energy option for the future of our children and our planet. In the seminar with Jorge Santiago Aviles I have attended, he highlighted that we constantly use non-renewable fuel resources that pollute the atmosphere and destroy our environment. Our earth’s desperate need for non-renewable energy resonated because our children’s future depends on moving away from burning energy to using sustainable clean options. The ‘burning” of various natural resources (wood, oil, coal) must be addressed. Energy could be produced safely and economically by the sun (photo take), wind motion (iconic), and water (hydroelectricity) (course work with J. Aviles, March 24, 2021). Although the sun, wind, and water are natural resources, they are sustainable, unlike those burned. When resources are burned, they disperse the energy, and it is gone; that is consumed and not self-sustainable (course work with J. Aviles, February 10, 2021). Our generation must be challenged to continue promoting the best processes for energy that, when used, most of its energy produced is not lost. Moreover, burning fuel produces carbons that heat the area, and it creates climate change via global warning and air/water pollution (course work with J. Aviles, February 24, 2021). Sun, wind and water-powered energy sources shall reduce or eliminate carbon emissions that burning fuels constantly produce.

James Sullivan Elementary School is located in North Philadelphia and is classified as Title 1. A school is considered Title 1 if the number of low-income students enrolled in the free and reduced lunch program exceeds 50% (Section 1119 of the No Child Left Behind Act, 2001). We have large concentrations of low-income students with 100% participation in the free lunch program. Luckily, Sullivan receives supplemental funds from the Government to assist in meeting student’s educational goals. These additional supplemental funds are provided to assist in meeting student’s educational goals. The demographic of our 478 student population is 37% Black, 45% Hispanic, and 18% White, Chinese, and African. A majority of our students have or will be receiving English-as-a-Second-Language supports from the School District of Philadelphia website (https://sullivan.philasd.org/).

Young children in the urban setting must have an opportunity to be taught the importance of producing then using renewable, sustainable clean energy. It has become an essential part of and will shape their futures. It will be a choice of whether our children would be living on a clean planet or breathing through air filtration masks. Unfortunately, our Second and Third-grade children in Philadelphia are not privy to sustainable energy education. It is not taught to younger students or holds important as formal instruction that it should be. To “identify the types and uses of Earth materials for renewable, non-renewable, and reusable products” (SDP Common Core Objectives) is not part of our Science curriculum’s educational objectives until the last quarter of Fourth grade. Lower grades will discuss conservation and recycling on Earth Day but not too much more beyond that. At the most, this subject is added in as maybe a single class period, given as an ungraded assignment, and not held to the level of importance that it must be.

I have chosen to develop a thematic unit on how wind motion is manufactured and becomes essential and influential for younger students, especially in Philadelphia. Within 3-5 years, there will be a sudden demand for educated workers in this specific field in the tri-state area. Governor Murphy of New Jersey announced that there would be a wind turbine plant built on our adjoining waterfronts of his state and Pennsylvania in June 2020. It is expected to be completed in 2026 and a total offshore wind generation capacity by 2035. “Offshore wind is a rapidly growing industry, and the East Coast is set to be the epicenter of the next wave of growth…” (New Jersey Wind Port Project, press release September 2020). Second, through Fourth-grade students will be about twenty-two when the New Jersey Wind Port would need them to work as one of the 1,500 new high-quality jobs that it shall create. (New Jersey Wind Port Project, press release August 2020). Our children must be allowed information and education to work toward gainful employment in less than a generation. Our students must look toward various profitable careers in wind technology and save our planet from burning fuels for energy.

Teaching Strategies

I will quote Benjamin Franklin, an American statesman, author, publisher, scientist, inventor, and diplomat, to describe my teaching strategy,

“Tell me, and I forget. Teach me, and I remember. Involve me, and I learn.”

These lesson plans are formatted to educate and have students participate in their own learning experience. Each lesson plan will provide objectives, essential questions, vocabulary, procedures, assignments, experiments with materials, and an evaluation. Journaling will be included in every part of the lesson plans to develop hypnotizes then answer them with results from experiments. Students from Second to Fourth-grade level would benefit from these lessons, but my lesson plans can be expanded with additional independent projects for older students. I have chosen these grades because they are underserved in Science studies that pertain to sustainable energy. For example, using other than “burning” for energy is not fully explained in our Common Core Curriculum until Fifth-grade (SDP Common Core Objectives). In Philadelphia and its surrounding cities, our students in the urban setting would most benefit from these lessons because a wind turbine plant is being planned and built as we speak.

Classroom Activities

Essential questions/Lesson Plan Titles:
  • What are Greenhouse Gasses, and How do They Affect the Earth’s Atmosphere? (Instruction, experiment & observation)
  • What is Wind Power, and How Does a Wind Turbine Produce Energy from Wind Power? (Introduction, experiment & demonstration)
  • Compare and Contrast Fossil Fuels to Wind Energy; Why Should we Choose One for a Better Future? (Research & group presentation)
  • What are the Damaging Effects of Fossil Fuels on the Environment? (Experiment and observation)
  • What Types of Careers are in Wind Technology? (Independent study)

What are greenhouse gasses, and how do they affect the earth’s atmosphere?

Experiment: From Renewable Energy Discover the Fuel of the Future with 20 Projects (Sneideman & Twamley, 2016).

This lesson plan and experiment is an observation of how carbon dioxide emissions look when they are constricted. It will demonstrate the way the earth’s atmosphere captures greenhouse gases. Paraffin wax candles are used because they produce gases that can be seen, and they are made from the fossil fuel, petroleum.

Objective: 

Students will be able to identify and observe how greenhouse gases are formed in order to describe how greenhouse gases affect the environment.

Pennsylvania Common Core Standard: ESS3.A: Natural Resources Energy and fuels that humans use are derived from natural sources, and their use affects the environment in multiple ways. Some resources are renewable over time, and others are not.

Vocabulary: (Sneideman & Twamley, 2016).

Greenhouse Gases: When carbon dioxide and methane are expelled into the earth’s atmosphere by burning fossil fuels. These gases are toxic, causing acid rain and smog, many health problems, and congenital disabilities to all living near them.

Renewable Energy: Different types of energy that cannot be used up, like what is produced by the sun, wind, or water.

Fossil Fuels: Fuels that are burned to produce heat, power, and electricity. They are made from the fossils of animals and plants formed into coal, oil, and gas over millions of years underground.

Global Warming: This happens when our earth’s average temperature goes up to the point that it changes climates of various parts of the earth.

Procedures:
  1. After reviewing and discussing vocabulary, students will start their Science Journal with this lesson’s essential question; what are greenhouse gasses, and how do they affect the earth’s atmosphere?
  2. Use a K.W.L. graphic organizer (What I Know, What I want to know, What I Have Learned) to conduct a formative assessment and to include additional student questions to the essential question for them to answer. Fold a piece of paper into thirds; title each section with “What I Know, What I want to know, What I Have Learned.”
  3. Watch the YouTube video “What is the Greenhouse Effect?’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SN5-DnOHQmE)  to introduce students to the topic and practical use of our vocabulary words.
  4. Students will read “Fossil Fuels” and “Is Global Warming Real” in “Renewable Energy Discover the Fuel of the Future with 20 Projects.”
  5. Students will share out after completing the first two-thirds of their K.W.L. with words and drawings. The teacher will make up a chart of additional questions. At that time, students will choose a personal question for their Science Journal.
  6. The “What I Have Learned” section of the graphic organizer will be completed after their experiment.
  7. Homework: Students will complete the Edpuzzle on “What is the Greenhouse Effect?” The video is a multiple-choice assignment of three questions that reinforce today’s lesson’s main topic.
Experiment: Burning Fossil Fuels

From Renewable Energy Discover the Fuel of the Future with 20 Projects (Sneideman & Twamley, 2016, p. 12).

Supplies: Pyrex glass container (it must be Pyrex glass for this experiment), paraffin wax candle, bee’s wax candle, matches, or lighter an adult uses to light a candle.

  1. Fill the Pyrex container with ice water. With the help of an adult, light the candle with a match or lighter.
  2. Hold the glass cup of ice water directly above the flame for 2-3 seconds. Continue to hold the cup over the flame as you blow out the candle.
  3. Observe the bottom of the cup. What do you notice about your candle emission? What color is it, and what does it look like? (It turns the bottom of the glass black) What happens when you touch it? What do you think it is? Record your observations in your science journal.

Then, try the same experiment using a bee’s wax candle. Bees transform nectar from flowers into bee wax. Do you get the same results? What conclusions can y9ou draw from comparing the two results?

Conclusion: Complete K.W.L. and Assessment

Students will revisit their K.W.L. graphic organizer to complete the final third of “What I Have Learned.” with words and drawings. This information will come from their Science Journal. Grade this with a basic rubric used in your district and post works on a bulletin board as the first part of this unit. Assessment will be a Google Form that can be printed if a computer is not available.


What is Wind Power and, How Does a Wind Turbine
Produce Energy From Wind Power?

Experiment: From Energy25 Projects Investigate Why We Need Power & How We Get It (Reilly, 2009)

YouTube video “Learn About Wind Farms | Caitie’s Classroom” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5_cZ3IRUkU)

Understanding how the wind is used to produce electricity is the main focus of this unit. This lesson and project allow students to make a wind-measuring instrument to gauge the wind in their community. They will chart the wind speeds in their backyard, porches, and other accessible areas, to compare how structures affect the amount of wind documented.

Objective:

Students will be able to design an anemometer in order to measure, observe, and document how an area can change amounts of wind farmed.

Pennsylvania Common Core Standard: 4-ESS3-1 Obtain and combine information to describe that energy and fuels are derived from natural resources, and their uses affect the environment.

Vocabulary: (Reilly, 2009)

Wind Farm: Where multiple wind machines are placed to generate electricity from the strength of the wind.

Wind Turbine: There are four main parts of a wind turbine: the tower, blades, shaft, and generator. The central part of the wind machine is the turbine that will convert wind power into electricity. Large blades harness kinetic energy when the wind turns them. A generator makes electricity from the turning of these blades.

 Transformer: A device used to change the voltage of an electrical current.

 Voltage: An amount of force that is within electricity.

 Anemometer: An instrument used to measure the wind. The number of times it spins is calculated and converted into miles per hour.

Procedures:
  1. Watch the video “Learn About Wind Farms | Caitie’s Classroom” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5_cZ3IRUkU) to provide a base of understanding due to the fact that a majority of Early Elementary students might not have had the opportunity to learn about Eolic Energy.
  2. After discussing and reviewing vocabulary words, the class will outline a few questions about wind power.
  3. The YouTube video “How Energy is produced by the wind?” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8-9j3mXlYE)  and “How do wind turbines work?” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xy9nj94xvKA&t=126s)
  4. Students will do a Think, Pair, Share of these questions to determine if the video answered any of them.
  5. Teacher and students do a shared reading of Chapter Eight, “Wind Power” in Energy25 Projects investigate Why We Need Power & How We Get It (Sneideman & Twamley, 2016, p. 64).
  6. They will return to the initial questions to see if chapter eight answered any of them as they read.
  7. Homework: Choose open areas and next to buildings areas to conduct our anemometer experiment. Write these areas as labels on the chart to measure the wind speeds of each to compare. Write a hypothesis of which areas you think would produce the most and least amount of wind power.
Experiment: Make Your Own Anemometer

From Energy25 Projects Investigate Why We Need Power & How We Get It (Reilly, 2009, p. 70) This project allows students to make a wind-measuring instrument to gauge the wind in their community. They will chart the wind speeds in their backyard, porches, and other assessable areas, to compare how structures affect the amount of wind documented.

Supplies: Scissors, four paper cups, markers or paint in one or more colors, thick corrugated cardboard box, stapler, thin nail, hammer, thick wooden dowel, Science Journal

  1. Cut the rims off the paper cups. By cutting this will make them lighter and easier to turn. Paint one of the cups, leaving the others plain. Alternatively, you can paint three one color and the fourth another color.
  2.  Cut two strips about 20 inches long and 3 inches wide from the cardboard box. Put the strips down, and position the cups, so each is at one end of a cardboard strip for each pair of cups. Position them, so one open-end faces one direction, and the other cup faces the opposite direction.
  3. Lay the cardboard over the cups and attach each cup with a stapler. You should now have two cardboard strips. Each with a cup on both ends-be sure the cups are facing in opposite directions.
  4. Positions the strips, so they form an X. Try to make it as even as possible, so the cups are all the same distance from the center. Hammer the nail through the two cardboard strips into the top of the dowel.
  5. Turn the cardboard X a few times to loosen up the nail hole and allow your cups to spin freely. Then, test by blowing into the cups.

Take your anemometer outside and stick the dowel into the ground. Your anemometer will spin in the breeze. Use the colored cup as a gauge to count how many times your instrument spins per minute. Students will conduct this experiment and fill out their findings to see if their hypothesis was correct.

Conclusion and Assessment
  1. Students will present the results and answer these questions: How many revolutions did it make in each area? Was the wind faster in an open area or next to buildings? Why did the wind produce more revolutions in one area compared to the other?
  2. Students will record their findings in the science journal then convert this data into a bar chart.
  3. Students will explain why their hypothesis was correct or incorrect with the hypnosis on the top and their findings on the bottom of the bar chart.
  4. Grade this with a basic rubric used in your district and post works on a bulletin board as the second part of this unit. Assessment will be a Google Form that can be printed if a computer is not available.

Compare and Contrast Fossil Fuels to Wind Energy; Why Should We Choose One for a Better Future?

(Research & Group Presentation). YouTube videos are used to compare and contrast the differences between Non-Renewable and Renewable Energy. Students will gain insight into the imperative need to develop Renewable Energy sources.

Renewable Energy (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Giek094C_l4)

Non-Renewable Energy (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpEJnnpye-k)

Objective:

Students will be able to use researched information on renewable and non-renewable energy in order to compare and contrast the advantages to disadvantages of each.

Pennsylvania Common Core Standard: 4-ESS3-2 Generate and compare multiple solutions to reduce the impacts of the natural Earth process on humans.

Vocabulary: (Reilly, 2009)

Renewable Energy: Different types of energy that cannot be used up, like what is produced by the sun, wind, or water. They come from nature and will replenish themselves to be available to use forever.

Non-Renewable Energy: Sources of energy like coal, oil, natural gas, and nuclear drawn from the earth are limited and will not replenish themselves.

Eolic Energy: Air movement, or wind, is converted into electricity when it propels the blades of a wind turbine to spin.

Coal: Black rock taken for open pits in the earth. Fossils and plants form it thousands of years old.

Oil: Black Liquid is taken from the earth to make gasoline and other fuels.

Procedures:
  1. After a shared reading of “Keeping it Going” and “Where Does Our Energy Come From,” in the book Energy25 Projects Investigate Why We Need Power & How We Get It (Reilly, 2009, p. 67), students will then discuss the differences between wind energy and non-renewable energy.
  2. Write “Coal” and “Oil” on chart paper in four sections. Students will choose between the four that they will compare wind energy.
  3. This section will be titled “Non-Renewable Fossil Fuel Energy vs. Eolic Energy” in their Science Journals.
  4. Present the two videos: Renewable energy (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Giek094C_l4) and Non-Renewable Energy (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpEJnnpye-k). Using these YouTube videos will provide additional information about both types of energies to prepare them to begin their group project.
  5. Homework: Read pages 6-9 of Harvesting Solar, Wind, and Tidal Power (Baby Professor, 2017) and complete a Venn diagram graphic organizer to compare and contrast renewable and non-renewable energy.
  6. Each group will have a chart paper with a Venn diagram to place their non-renewable energy to compare with Eolic Energy.
  7. Students writing about coal will view the YouTube video “Pros and Cons of Coal Power” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCfFde-8aAE)
  8. Students writing about Oil Energy will view the YouTube video, “Oil Energy” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9OClWsVjHc)
  9. The Venn diagram will compare three statements of advantages and disadvantages for fossil fuel non-renewable resources to Iconic energy.
Conclusion and Assessment
  1. Students will present the results to the class. As they make their presentations, the rest of the class will grade their completed Venn diagram in a Google Form.
  2. Grade this with a basic rubric used in your district and post works on a bulletin board as the third part of this unit. Assessment will be a Google Form that can be printed if a computer is not available.

What are the damaging effects of fossil fuels on the environment?

(Experiment and observation)

Objective:

Students will be able to document observations from various science experiments in order to evaluate the destructive nature of non-renewable energy and its effect on the environment.

Pennsylvania Common Core Standard: 4-ESS3-1 Obtain and combine information to describe that energy and fuels are derived from natural resources, and their uses affect the environment.

Vocabulary:

Sorbent: A type of material that is used to collect oil from the surface of the water.
Mercury: A type of liquid metal that is poisonous, especially when it becomes airborne through coal burning

Experiments: Each group will conduct a different experiment
about their assigned non-renewable energy

Both experiments are from Energy25 Projects Investigate Why We Need Power & How We Get It (Reilly, 2009). At the teacher’s discretion, reading assignments can be given from each chapter as homework.

Oil (Chapter Five) Make Your Own Oil Spill Experiment (Reilly, 2009, p. 42)

Supplies: 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish, water, blue food coloring, stirring stick or spoon, cup, vegetable oil, cocoa powder, things to clean the “oil spill” such as cotton balls, a cup, paper towels, peat moss–these are your “sorbents,” bird feather

  1. Fill the baking dish with water. Add some blue food coloring to tint the water so you can see it more clearly. Mix until the coloring is dispersed evenly. Set aside.
  2. In the cup, mix three tablespoons of vegetable oil and two tablespoons of cocoa powder. Mix until it is well blended. Use this mixture as a representation of crude oil.
  3. Very slowly, pour the crude oil onto your water. Make sure you take your time and “ease” the oil onto the surface of the water so it floats but does not mix in.
  4. Use your sorbents to see which works the best–and which does not work at all. In your science journal, answer this question: How hard would it be to clean an entire area of the ocean with this material?

Finally, take your bird feather, dip it in your oil spill, or coat it with vegetable oil. The feather will separate into sections and look very ragged. In your science journal, answer these questions: How could it clean itself off? Would a bird be able to fly with feathers like that? Why or why not?

After conducting this experiment, watch the video “What Happens After an Oil Spill” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nshSoLw0tdI) . Then, in their Science Journal, students will write a paragraph about the damaging effects of an oil spill.

Coal (Chapter Six) Make Your Own Coal Mining Experiment (Reilly, 2009, p. 56)

Supplies: chocolate chip cookies, mining tools like paper clips or toothpicks, and a plate.

  1. Begin by evaluating the area you are going to mine, in this case, the chocolate chip cookies. The chocolate chips are the “coal” deposits, so that is what you are looking for. Then, without picking the cookies up (after all, real miners cannot look under the ground first), consider the best place to begin mining.
  2. Estimate how much “coal” you are going to be able to extract from your land. Actual mining operations have to decide if it will be worth the cost of all their efforts to retrieve coal from an area of land.
  3. Use your paper clip or toothpick tools to chip away at the cookies and dig out the “coal.” As you extract each “coal” chunk, put it on your plate.
  4. Once you have mined everything you can out of the cookies, examine what is left. In your science journal, answer this question: Would it be useable again if this were actual land area? Why or why not?

After conducting this experiment, watch the YouTube video “Coal 101: What’s Wrong With Coal?’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Wv2GKaukZU)  In their Science Journal, students will write a paragraph about the damaging effects of coal in our environment.

Conclusion and Assessment
  1. Students will discuss their results, observations, and Science Journal paragraphs about what they have learned regarding the disastrous effects of Oil or Coal on earth’s environments.
  2. Assessment will be a Google Form that can be printed if a computer is not available.

What types of careers are in wind technology?

(Independent study)

Objective:

Students will be able to make educated decisions investigating careers in order to explain why education and training are essential to planning for future careers in Eolic Energy.

Pennsylvania Common Core Standard:
13.1.F Career Awareness and Preparation: Explore how people prepare for careers.
13.1.G Career Awareness and Preparation: Explain why education and training plans are important to careers.

Information is constantly evolving with the Eolic Energy projects of the G7 and other renewable energy cooperatives. Projects like President Biden’s initiative to build the first wind farm off the Massachusetts coast; New Jersey’s governor also plans to have a wind turbine plant completed in a few years. These current projects demonstrate how crucial it is for our young children to learn about future high-paying careers in Iconic Energy, especially wherever plans move forth to manufacture, install, and utilize wind farms. This lesson plan is developed for students to investigate what careers are available that would match their interests. There are four categories in wind power careers: manufacturing, construction, operation, and maintenance.

Procedures:
  1. In these independent classwork assignments, students will research careers that match their interests. The teacher will present various types of interests then match them to careers in Eolic Energy. This information will be found in Careers in Wind Energy (Hamilton & Liming, 2009) (https://www.bls.gov/green/wind_energy/#relevproj)
  2. The teacher will provide cards with a statement “Do you like to ________?” on the front, and “then _________ is the career for you!” on its back.
  3. Students will walk around and select three cards that match their interests. They will continue to choose cards until they find three cards with the same career description on their reverse side.
  4. Once decided, students will research the essential questions relative to their choice.
  5. The following question will guide students’ research: Where are the Jobs? What experience do you need? What does it pay? Is this a growing career?
  6. At least one YouTube video is provided for students to begin their research. They are required to locate two additional resources to support their research into that career.
Vocabulary: (Hamilton & Liming)

Wind Turbine Technician: A person that monitors, install, maintain, and repair wind turbines.

Wind Turbine Engineer: A person involved in the design, production, and development of wind turbines. They also participate in the testing of components to troubleshoot issues.

Wind Turbine Scientist: A person researching environmental effects to protect wildlife and plants’ health and plants in the area plans to build a wind farm. They also do cultural resource studies to ensure that native and religious areas are not disturbed.

Wind Turbine Construction: A person responsible for the building of local access roads, foundations, assembly of the blades, tower, and turbines. They use heavy construction equipment in order to complete the whole project.

Essential Question: What is a Wind Turbine Technician?

Provided Resources: Wind turbine Technician Jobs (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RDyR9phErs)

A Day In The Life of a Wind Turbine Technician (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfUhBKZR4sU)

Essential Question: What is a Wind Turbine Engineer?

Provided Resource: Renewable Energy Engineering Jobs (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZbCSiabgKY&t=34s)

Essential Question: What is a Wind Energy Scientist?

Provided Resource: Lifecycle of a Wind Farm Ep. 3: Protecting Health & Environment (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naRlIhZEa-Y)

Essential Question: What are Wind Energy construction workers?

Provided Resource: Lifecycle of a Wind Farm Ep. 4: Construction (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7rutSbv90c)

Conclusion and Assessment

  1. Students will present to the class their research on a poster board highlighting their specific essential question. Each career will be presented in an order that the teacher chooses.
  2. Students will present the results to the class. As they make their presentations, the rest of the class will grade their presentations using a rubric-style response sheet.
  3. Grade using basic rubric used in your district and post works in the halls as the fourth part of this unit. Assessment will be a Google Form that can be printed if a computer is not available.

 

Resources

Hamilton, J., & Liming, D. (2009). Careers in Wind Energy & 20 Careers in Wind Energy. United States of America Bureau of Labor Statistics Division of Information and Marketing Services. https://www.bls.gov/green/wind_energy/

The Bureau of Labor Statistics has many pages on various green energy jobs in America. This section is specifically designed to cover all aspects of Eolic Energy. This report gives an in-depth explanation of manufacturing, project development, operations, and maintenance careers. The beginning of this site gives an outline of how the wind has been used to produce electricity. Maps that describe wind farms and turbine production facilities provide easy access to information by state. Diagrams of the supply chain and wind turbines as well as detailed charts of job descriptions with education/skills requirements and salaries is a conclusive review of what America has now and will expand on in the future. This resource is for adults looking for career planning or teachers to gain knowledge about Eolic Energy. Unfortunately, it has not been updated since 2009, but it is relevant and a resource for basic information.

 

New Jersey Economic Development Authority & New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (September 9, 2020) The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities & The New Jersey Economic Development Authority Approve Nearly Six Million for Offshore Wind and Clean Energy Projects. New Jersey Economic Development Authority. https://www.njeda.com/%e2%80%8bnjbpu-and-njeda-approve-nearly-6-million-for-offshore-wind-and-clean-energy-projects/

This was the first of many press releases regarding the beginning of a vast six-million dollar project for renewable energy that will change the trajectory of Eolic Energy production for the northeast states. The nature of a press release is to announce the most remarkable project ever created and provide all the positive expectations of its future. I found this and subsequent publications very informative with not-so-much prompt and circumstance expected in announcements from government departments. It is written in a way that if you are researching particular information, it would be located quickly due to well-designed text features.

 

Reilly, K.M. (2009). Energy: Twenty-Five Projects Investigate Why We Need Power & How We Get It. Norman Press. www.ipgbook.com

There are many different facets to this incredible text exploring what we use for energy, for better or worse. Each chapter outlines various types of energy with comparative history, definitions, followed up with hands-on experiments. Although some of the experiments need adult supervision, it is worth the time to ensure students are safely conduction to qualify for their hypostasis. It is recommended for grades three through 7 but can be changed for younger students to work from. I learned a great deal about Renewable and Non-Renewable energy from this text and would use it as a one-stop shop for developing lesson plans that will keep students engaged.

Sneideman, J., & Twamley, E. (2016). Renewable Energy: Discover the Fuel of the Future With Twenty Projects. Norman Press. www.ipgbook.com

Discover is what you will do when you use this book to develop exciting lesson plans. This text coves how and why we must invest in renewable energy and how non-renewable energy sources are detrimental to the health and well-being of our planet and ourselves. Icons, colorful text features, Q.R. codes, and highlighted definitions create an in-depth investigation into an exploration of presently known renewable energy sources. This resource is also recommended for grades three through seven but can be changed for younger students to work from. I suggested to use our Government’s website for basic information on the history of renewable energy; this book is excellent in looking into the future.

Houghton, P.M. & Houghton, T.J., (2005, revised 2007, Seventh Edition 2019). A.P.A.: The Easy Way. XanEdu Publishing. www.cust.serv@xanedu.com

As for an informational text, it provided basic outlines and demonstrations of how to organize scholarly papers. I would recommend this text for those with experience in writing papers within recent years. There is an outlined sample of a student’s paper with captions of when and where to use specific denotations outlined in its last chapter that’s very helpful for visual learners. Due to the fact that it depends on prior knowledge of research paper organization, it does not explain with enough detail topics beyond the mechanics of A.P.A. and expectations for documenting references.

NASA Space Place. (2020). What is the Greenhouse Effect?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SN5-DnOHQmE

Smile and Learn. (2020). Non-Renewable Sources – Types of Energy for Kids.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpEJnnpye-k

Smile and Learn. (2020). Renewable Energy Sources – Types of Energy for Kids.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Giek094C_l4

Student Energy. (n.d.) Wind Power 101. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5c50-_hcD0

Super Simple Play. (2020). Learn About Wind Farms | Caitie’s Classroom | Science For Kids. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5_cZ3IRUkU

Student Resources Annotated Bibliography

Baby Professor, (2017). Harvesting Solar, Wind, and Tidal Power; Environment for Kids | Children’s Earth Sciences Books. Speedy Publishing L.L.C. www.speedypublishing.com

This book is full of photographs, graphics, and dramatic images of solar, wind, and tidal power plants from around the world. It reads like a storybook, but it is informational text. There is no table of contents, glossary, or index, so you will have to page through the whole book to find specific information. I would gauge the vocabulary for eighth grade and up, but its topics are organized in an easy-to-follow pattern. First, the text introducing each energy source, then each source is described by how it works, its advantages, and disadvantages. There is a brief two-sentence summary on the final page with a mention of going to their website for more books from Baby Professor.

Baby Professor, (2019). Modern Inventions in Energy: Solar Panels and Wind Turbines; Physics Books for Beginners Grade Three Children’s Physics Books. Speedy Publishing L.L.C. www.speedypublishing.com

Baby Professor has an extensive library of physics books for beginners. This text explores harvesting sun and wind to provide renewable energy. It is recommended for students in Kindergarten through Twelfth grade. I thought that was particular until I read it; younger students would need support reading, but the colorful pictures and diagrams would entice them to ask questions about the text. Older students will find the table of contents direct and easy to locate specific information at a glance. With seventy-four pages of the current text, all grades can find what they are looking for regarding solar panels and wind turbines.

Baby Professor, (2018). The Power of the Wind Harvested: Understanding Wind Power for Kids \ Children’s Electricity Books. Speedy Publishing L.L.C. www.speedypublishing.com

Just like “Harvesting Solar, Wind, and Tidal Power” the text also has fabulous images of various types of machinery in the Eolic energy field. Although it is formatted in storybook form with no table of contents, glossary, or index, the easy-to-follow pattern makes finding specific information. First, it gives an overview of the history of windmills going up to present-day wind farms and their current uses. The following section discusses the causes of wind, defining wind power in more detail than the other book, and how wind turbines are created and works. Interesting facts conclude the book’s conclusive review of wind farms and harvesting.

Broadcast Media Services. (2014). A Day In The Life of a Wind Turbine Engineer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfUhBKZR4sU

EDP Renewables. (2020) Lifecycle of a Wind Farm Ep. 3: Protecting Health & Environment https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naRlIhZEa-Y

EDP Renewables. (2020). Lifecycle of a Wind Farm Ep. 4: Construction. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7rutSbv90c

Empire. (2014). Pros and Cons of Coal Power. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCfFde-8aAE

Engineering with Rosie. (n.d.). Renewable Energy Engineering Jobs: My Education and Career Path as a Mechanical Engineer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZbCSiabgKY&t=34s

Gilbert, S. (2020). Wind turbine Technician Jobs. A Career That is Expanding Faster and Doesn’t Require a Degree! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RDyR9phErs

Life Noggin. (2020). What Happens After An Oil Spill? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nshSoLw0tdI

Najam Academy. (2020) Oil Energy | What is Oil Energy? Oil Energy and How Does it Work? Physics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9OClWsVjHc

National Sierra Club. (2013). Coal 101: What’s Wrong With Coal?’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Wv2GKaukZU

Appendix

ESS3.A: Natural Resources Energy and fuels that humans use are derived from natural sources, and their use affects the environment in multiple ways. Some resources are renewable over time, and others are not.

13.1.F: Career Awareness and Preparation: Explore how people prepare for careers.

13.1.G: Career Awareness and Preparation: Explain why education and training plans are important to careers.

S4.D.1.2.2: Identify the types and uses of Earth materials for renewable, non-renewable, and reusable products (e.g., human-made products: concrete, paper, plastics, fabrics)

4-ESS3-1: Obtain and combine information to describe that energy and fuels are derived from natural resources, and their uses affect the environment.

4-ESS3-2: Generate and compare multiple solutions to reduce the impacts of the natural Earth process on humans.