Energy Sciences

CONTENTS OF CURRICULUM UNIT 19.04.10

  1. Unit Guide
  1. What Is Energy?
  2. How Do We Get the Energy We Need?
  3. Teaching Strategies: Constructing a Windmill
  4. Lesson Sequencing
  5. Bibliography
  6. End Notes
  7. Appendix: Implementing District Standards

Harnessing the Wind Like William Kamkwamba: Building Model Windmills in a 4th Grade STEM Lab

Jason Justin Ward

Published September 2019

Tools for this Unit:

Lesson Sequencing

Since this is a project, lesson sequencing will vary depending on the abilities of the class.  I recommend the following sequence:

Day 1: Introduce Kamkwambe’s story through literature and TED talks.  Discuss the concepts of energy as described in the background information of this unit.  Allow students do some research on windmills.

Day 2: Design Phase.  Students research and plan each stage of their windmill.  The four sections are tower, turbine, generator, and circuit. Students review material availability and plan for the materials they will use.

Day 3: Tower Construction. I recommend this stage first in case glue needs to dry, although students can build any section in any order. 

Day 4: Turbine Construction.

Day 5: Electrical Generator Construction. 

Day 6: Testing & Redesign. Use lights, buzzers, or multimeter to detect voltage.

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