Lesson Description:
This unit introduces students to the concept of generating electricity from the wind. students will familiarize themselves with these concepts through the reading passage, answering assessment questions, and by conducting a lab activity where they will construct and test a windmill to observe how design and position affect the electrical energy produced. based on their lab results, students will also engage in a follow-up activity to measure the actual power generated by their windmill.

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Lesson Type:

• Project

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Sustainability Topic:

• Energy

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GEF Program Category:

• Green Energy Challenge

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Materials Needed:

• copy of Reading Passage and Student Data Sheets for each student
  • one equipment kit per group for the main Lab Activity containing:
  • small electric fan (or a hair dryer that has an “air only” setting)
  • small DC toy motor (from a science or electronic supply company)
  • cork (at least 2 cm in diameter)
  • DC voltmeter
  • stiff ruler or meter stick or other sturdy wood strip
  • protractor
  • 50 cm of electrical wire with alligator clips
  • rubber bands
  • scotch tape
  • paper clips
  • wire cutters
  • scissors
  • pieces of cardboard (use boxboard, or material thicker than an index card)
  • cork borer
  • goggles for each student 

• one equipment kit per group for the Follow Up Lab Activity containing:
  • small electric fan
  • thick drinking straw, 18 cm long
  • dowel rod, approx. 3-5 mm wide, 25 cm long
  • thread
  • 2 short pieces of aquarium tubing 1 cm long that fit snugly around the dowel rod
  • 2 small washers that fit loosely around thedowel rod
  • a paper clip
  • small calibrated weights (Small paper clips can be used. They have a mass very close to one gram.)
  • “warm” glue and glue gun
  • stopwatch
  • cork borer 

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Lesson Documents:
No17 96-817B.pdf

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