Solar Structures
Provided by: Try Engineering|Published on: November 7, 2023
Grades: 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Type: Lesson Plans
Subjects: Mathematics, Engineering
Authors: Try Engineering
Region: Global
Languages: English
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- In this lesson, students act as engineers and build structures that use passive solar energy from the sunlight to either heat or minimize heating inside a building without using an external energy source.
- Students will plan a design, select materials, produce structures, present their projects to the class, and test the efficacy of their design elements.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- Students are encouraged to rethink designs and materials if they aren't the best fit, just as engineers would do.
- The inquiry-based nature of the lesson is great for keeping students engaged and learning.
Additional Prerequisites
- The Try Engineering link under Internet Connections and the link for ITEEA under Alignment to Curriculum Frameworks are broken.
- Students should know about green energy, solar energy, and green building.
- It may benefit students to understand why people want to use solar instead of fossil fuels or other energy sources.
- Students should know how to measure and build three-dimensional models.
Differentiation
- Students can think of simple ways the school can implement passive solar heating and cooling and write a proposal for their building.
- Language arts students can do more research about solar energy and its use in homes and businesses and then produce an informative piece of writing to teach others.
- Students can discuss what active solar elements they could implement in their models to achieve better results.
- Social studies students can brainstorm ways the government can incentivize homeowners to implement more solar energy.
The solar structure activity has students learn about different types of solar energy generation while also encouraging them to think like engineers. The information presented is accurate and the resource is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
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