• Download Activity
• Rubric
• Student Reflection

 INTEGRATED SCIENCE, MATH AND TECHNOLOGY ACTIVITIES:

The following example of an integrated S/M/T Activity is provided to show possible Science/Math/Technology connections to the challenges introduced earlier.

Heat (calories)= Mass (weight of water) x Specific Heat x Change in Temperature

Define new vocabulary.

Research solar powered cars, electric battery recharging, using solar energy in space exploration.

By removing the tubing the collector can be used as a solar cooker. Use aluminum foil to hold foods with a low melting point such as cheese or chocolate.  Some groups could melt cheese for nacho dip and others chocolate to dip marshmallows in for a class picnic.

PROBLEM SOLVING PROCESS:

These steps may be helpful to students in constructing a model:

• Put one hole in each end of box.
• Paint inside of box black.
• Fill box with crumpled black construction paper or newspaper.  If newspaper is used, paint it black.
• Insert tubing through box with 60 cm sticking out from each end. Coil the remaining tubing on top of the newspaper in the box.
• Cover box with clear plastic wrap.
• Place collector in direct sunlight with one end sitting 5 cm higher than the other.
• Position one container at the low end of the box as a collection container.
• Fill the other container with water and measure and record the temperature in degrees Celsius.
• Put tubing from the higher end of the box into the container with the water. Elevate the container to a level higher then the box.
• Allow the water to flow through the tube to the lower end of the box. Use the clothespin to partially limit the flow of water into the second container.
• Record the temperature of the water in the collector.
• Chart the temperature change. Run the warmer water through your model again and chart this change. Plot data from each trial for time and temperature change on a x-y graph.

NOTES TO TEACHERS:

The intended challenges were designed to be open-ended and flexible to accommodate all learning levels.  Please feel free to incorporate additional material(s) to enhance the activity.  There are various science and math competencies you can incorporate into the activity to meet your needs. Students should be given the freedom to try to improve upon the design of the solar collector described in this activity. You could challenge them to compete with other groups to devise the most efficient collector of solar energy.

RESOURCES:

The categories of Exploratory, Intermediate, and Advanced provide a context to help students understand the social and personal meaning of each challenge.  Additional materials may be found at the following locations:

• Encyclopedia/CD ROM or Book form
• Rodale Press, 33 East Minor Street, Emmaus, PA  18049: Solar Food Dryer, by Ray Wolf, (ed.), (1981) ISBN 0-87857-333-X
• Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, 135 West 50th Street, New York, NY 10020: Successful Solar Energy Solutions, By S. Braden, et. al. (1980) ISBN 0-442-20738-7
• Solar Cookers International, 1724 11th Street, Sacramento, CA 95814

PROPOSED CURRICULUM STANDARDS CONNECTIONS:

The following Curriculum/Standards Connections for grades 5-8 are intended to aid in the use and assessment of the design challenge projects.  NOTE: These connections have been extracted from the National Standards.  You should check their correlation with your own State Curriculum Standards to ensure consistency with your curriculum goals.

Note on Assessment:  We strongly recommend using the Student Reflection Sheet and the Rubric provided in the Appendix to enhance the learning process, by encouraging student awareness and participation in the assessment of their work.  These tools can help students to understand the context, meaning, and value of undertaking these challenges.