May 9, 2014
Energy Sources in a Classroom – Scavenger Hunt
by: Roy Bentley
I had the opportunity to attend the NSTA Convention that was held last month in Boston. It was a great show with amazing displays, topics and speakers. And of course, we had the PowerWheel there demonstrating how easy it is to teach about energy.
One of the points that came up during the show that struck me as worth exploring further was when we asked the teachers we were working with was “what sources of energy do we have in the classroom” The teachers at the show answered the lights, the power outlets, the sunshine through the windows and possibly the forced air from the heating/cooling system. No one referred to the faucet. When the teachers were asked if they had ever had the electricity fail in the school they all answered yes. When asked if they had ever experienced a water failure in the school they all answered no. It was concluded that the most reliable source of energy in the room was the faucet/(gravity).
Here is a simple classroom or home activity to help students realize how many energy sources are around them all the time! Read the rest of this entry »
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Elementary level, energy, Middle School level, Physics | Tagged: energy sources, hydroelectric, hydropower, PBL, phenomenon based learning, phenomenon-based science, PowerWheel, Roy Bentley, science | 
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Posted by Tami O'Connor
June 17, 2013
by Brandon DeBritz
A Junior High STEM Exploration into Hydroelectric Energy with the use of the PowerWheel
When we talk about electricity and where it comes from in the Pacific Northwest, hydroelectric energy production is a key source and natural opportunity for teaching. Part of the curriculum used in the South Kitsap School District in Port Orchard, WA is SEPUP ‘Weathering and Erosion’. Students explore the Earth processes of weathering, erosion, and deposition all the while considering where to expand residential development in an expanding fictional town along the northwest coast. This year, students at Cedar Heights Junior High were presented with a new factor to consider for this situation, ’should we build a dam on the town’s river to provide energy for the expanding electrical needs of the city?’ This new situation opened the door for a STEM unit, ‘The Energy of Moving Water’ from the National Energy Education Development (NEED) Project (free teacher and student curriculum guides are available from their website www.need.org). From this platform, students were engaged in activities and research to explore: what electricity is and how it is created, the designs of a hydroelectric dam and how they work, as well as many of the environmental, economic, social, and political issues around the construction and use of dams. Through a school partnership with RB Industries and the PowerWheel, students explored the fundamental elements of creating electricity through the transfer of moving water. 
Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment » | Earth Science, Elementary level, experiments, High School level, Middle School level | Tagged: electricity, green energy, hands-on activity, homeschool, hydroelectric, hydroelectric dams, hydropower, parent friendly, PBL, phenomenon based learning, phenomenon-based science, PowerWheel, rb industries, renewable energy, science, south kitsap school district, STEM | Permalink
Posted by Tami O'Connor
