Alternative Energy
FallWinterSpring

Click for more photos of our Solar Panel & Wind Turbine installationSince signing the Kyoto accord, Canada's commitment to alternative forms of energy is just beginning. In this program students learn how energy can be harnessed from wind turbines and from photovoltaic cells, solar cookers and ovens. Students participate in a solar model car race, construct a solar oven and watch a small wind generator produce electricity.

 

This program made possible with the generous support of
The Ontario Trillium Foundation

 
Grades 5 (This program can be modified to suit any grade)

Curriculum Links & Expectations:

Grade 5 : Science and Technology

Energy and Control - Conservation of Energy
5s54 demonstrate an understanding of the importance of conservation of energy in relation to the wise use of renewable and non-renewable energy sources;
5s55 design and construct devices that use a form of energy to meet a specific need or want, and investigate how the energy is transferred to a specified output;
5s56 evaluate the reasons for conserving natural resources and identify possible ways of conserving energy.
5s57 distinguish between a renewable and a non-renewable source of energy;
5s58 investigate ways energy can be stored for later use (e.g., mechanical energy is stored in an elastic band or steel spring; chemical energy is stored in a battery);
5s59 describe how energy is stored and transferred in a given device or system (e.g., in an automobile, chemical energy stored in the gasoline is transformed into mechanical energy upon combustion, enabling the vehicle to move and releasing thermal energy as heat);
5s60 recognize that energy cannot be created or destroyed but can only be changed from one form into another (e.g., chemical energy in a battery becomes electrical energy);
5s62 formulate questions about and identify needs and problems related to protection of the natural environment, and explore possible answers and solutions (e.g., investigate how local recycling efforts help conserve energy and natural resources);
5s68 list various sources of energy and identify them as renewable (e.g., sun, wind, tides, wood) or non-renewable (e.g., coal, natural gas, oil);
5s69 describe the advantages and disadvantages of using renewable energy sources as opposed to non-renewable sources;
5s70 identify the forms of energy (e.g., mechanical, electrical) used in the home, school, and community and identify the energy source for each (e.g., wood, coal, moving water);
5s71 describe how we use different natural resources as sources of energy and evaluate the effect of their use on natural and human-made environments (e.g., in using fossil fuels such as natural gas for heating our homes we deplete natural resources but improve our quality of life);
5s72 explain ways in which technological innovations affect our use of natural resources and increase or decrease our ability to conserve energy (e.g., home insulation allows us to conserve heat and reduce consumption of energy from non-renewable sources);
5s73 identify factors that determine how effectively and economically a device can transform one form of energy into another (e.g., discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using solar panels for heating);
5s75 identify ways humans use energy, evaluate the economic and environmental costs of each, and describe ways to avoid wasting energy (e.g., lowering the thermostat during the night);
5s76 identify design features that improve the energy efficiency of buildings, devices, and systems (e.g., double glazing).

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