Let's create continuous conversations about climate change education: Spreading the Sediment of Science!

Solar Tilt Investigation 6-12

Provided by: Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education |Published on: August 2, 2023

Lesson Plans Grades 6-8, 9-12, 3-5

Synopsis

In this inquiry-based lesson, students will perform experiments to determine if the angle at which the sun shines on a solar panel affects the amount of energy it produces.
Students will also learn about careers in solar energy and how solar energy can reduce carbon emissions.

Subjects: Physics, Mathematics, Engineering

Authors: Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education, University of Wisconsin Stevens Point K-12 Energy Education Program

Region: North America, USA - Midwest, United States, Global, Wisconsin

Languages: English

Positives

This lesson is formatted using the Five E's, which maximize students' connections and engagement.
The introduction to how solar cells work is a great activity that gets students moving and is great for kinesthetic learners!

Prerequisites

There are many tools needed for this lesson that may not be readily available in every classroom. Make sure you can get access to these tools prior to using this lesson.
Students should be familiar with angle measurement, including using a compass.
Some students, including English Language learners, may need the terms variable, dependent variable, independent variable, hypothesis, null hypothesis, alternative hypothesis, voltage, horizontal, vertical, renewable, nonrenewable, electrons, radiation, commercial, residential, equitable, efficiency, retrofit, and others defined prior to beginning the lesson.
Students should know how to graph positive and negative integers.

Differentiation & Implementation

Students can look into putting solar panels in their own school or can investigate their school's preexisting solar panels.
Students can find a local solar installer or solar design engineer and interview them, or can research a career using the solar career map.
Strategic pairing can be used if some students struggle with using a compass to measure an angle or with graphing points, or this can be done as a class.
The extra articles about solar accessibility on slide 29 can be given to groups of students to read and report back on in a jigsaw activity.
Students can discuss how inequality and discrimination are connected to energy. They can then list the things other cities and organizations are doing to address this.
After watching the Project Drawdown video on slide 37, students can discuss which sector they would like to learn more about, why certain sectors may get a disproportionate amount of attention, and what they (as individuals) can do to make a difference.
Check out KEEP's Solar Tilt Kit to support this lesson and access a companion lesson for K-5 students.

Scientist Notes

Teaching Tips

Standards

Resource Type and Format