5EModelSTEMLessonPlanEarthScienceandAlgebraI

EvanBecker,ShannonGray,JennyHawthorne,andRebeccaVroustouris

Title

SolarPanelExplorationLab

Purpose/Rationale

Touseandanalyzeboxandwhiskerplotstodesignasolarpanel
thatusesthebestmaterialtoensureminimumreflectivity.

VirginiaSOLsin
MathandScience

A.10Thestudentwillcompareandcontrastmultipleunivariatedata
sets,usingboxandwhiskerplots.

ES.6Thestudentwillinvestigateandunderstandthedifferences
betweenrenewableandnonrenewableresources.
b)advantagesanddisadvantagesofvariousenergysources
c)resourcesfoundinVirginiaand
d)environmentalcostsandbenefits.

ES.11Thestudentwillinvestigateandunderstandtheoriginand
evolutionoftheatmosphereandtheinterrelationshipofgeologic
processes,biologicprocesses,andhumanactivitiesonits
compositionanddynamics.
d)potentialchangestotheatmosphereandclimateduetohuman,
biologic,andgeologicactivity.

Scienceand
EngineeringPractices

DefiningProblems,PlanningandCarryingOutInvestigations,
AnalyzingandInterpretingData,UsingMathematicsand
ComputationalThinking,DesigningSolutions,Engagingin
ArgumentforEvidence,Obtaining,Evaluating,and
CommunicatingInformation

NGSSCrossCutting
Concepts

CauseandEffect
SystemsandSystemModels
EnergyandMatter:Flows,Cycles,&Conservation

Materialand
Roofingtile/shingles,Wood,Plastic,Aluminum/metal,LabQuest
CommunityResources Units,TemperatureProbes,HeatLamp,Pencil,GraphPaper,Paper,
Stopwatch,Posterpaper,Calculators
SafetyandClass
ManagementIssues

Studentsshouldbemindfuloftheheatlamp.
Studentsshouldusetheprobewareappropriately.

ProceduresforTeaching

1. WatchYouTubevideoaboutclimatechange.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9MayBUgSHI

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9.

Haveashortdiscussionontheneedforrenewableenergy.
(Engage5minutes)
Askstudentswhattypesofmaterialstheythinkwouldbebestforsolarpanels.Ask
studentstothinkaboutwhatqualitiesofthematerialswouldmostaffecttheefficiency
(e.g.reflectivity).Introducestudentstomaterialsusedinthelab.Studentsmake
predictionsaboutwhichmaterialwillabsorbthemostheat.Studentswillperformthe
experimenttoanswerthequestion:Ifyouwerebuildingahouseandwantedtouse
renewableenergy,whichmaterialwouldyouincorporateintoyourdesignwhen
constructingyoursolarpanels?
(Explain5minutes)
Collecttemperaturedata
(Explore30minutes)
a. Arrangefourmaterialssothatthelightfromthelamptouchesallmaterialsequally
b. Turnlamponandheatfor5minutes
c. Completepacketonalternativeenergywhilelampheats
d. Usetemperatureprobestorecordpeaktemperatureofeachmaterialover3minutes
e. Rotateeachmaterialsothelightfromthelamptouchesadifferentcornerofeach
materialandrepeatprocess
Gatherandsharegroupdatawithwholeclass.
(Explain,Evaluate3minutes)
Reviewconstructingboxandwhiskerplotsasaclass,usingoneofthematerialsclass
data,usingcalculator.
(Explain8minutes)
EssentialQuestions
a. Whatisamedian?Whatisitameasureof?
b. Howwillwefindthemediantemperature?
c. Howisthemediandifferentfromtheaverage?Howdoweusetheaverageto
findthemedian(ifwehaveanevennumber)?
d. Whatpercentageofthedataisbeforethemedian?Whatpercentageofthedata
isafterthemedian?
e. Whatpercentageofthedataisbetweenthefirstquartileandthemedian?the
medianandthethirdquartile?/afterthethirdquartile?
Studentsconstructboxandwhiskerplotsforremainingmaterials,byhandorusingthe
calculator.
(Explain15minutes)
Askstudentswhattheynoticeaboutthedifferentboxandwhiskerplots.Discuss
desirablefeaturesofaboxandwhiskerplot.
(Elaborate10minutes)
EssentialQuestions:
a. Howdothemedianscompare?
b. Whichmaterialhadalargerrange?Howdoyouknow?
c. Whichmaterialwouldyouwanttouse?Why?Whatabouttheboxandwhisker
plothelpedyoumakeyourdecision?
Classwilldiscusshowtheirresultscomparetotheirpredictionsandhowreflectivityis
relatedtoheatabsorption.
(Elaborate4minutes)
Studentsshoulddecidewhichmaterialtheywouldincorporateintotheirsolarpanels.
Studentsshouldconstructalogicalargumentusingmathematicalevidencefromtheir
boxandwhiskerplots.
(Evaluate10minutes)

Name_____________________________ Period:________

Date___________________

SolarPanelExplorationLab

Writeapredictionregardingthematerialthatwillbemostefficientforabsorbingsolarenergy.

Recordyourdatainthetablebelow.Thenrecordyourdataintheclassdatatable.

Material

FirstTrialTemperature()

SecondTrialTemperature()

Wood

Plastic

Shingle

Aluminum

Recordyourfourboxandwhiskerplotsonthenextpage,makingsuretoincludethescaleand
units.

Howdoyourdatacomparewithyourprediction?

Writeanargumentforwhichmaterialyouwouldincorporateintoyourownsolarpaneldesign.
Useyourdataandboxandwhiskerplotsasmathematicalevidenceforyourargument.

Wood

Plastic

Shingle

Aluminum

AlternativeEnergy

1. Name3typesofalternativeenergysources.



2. Howdothesedifferentalternativesourcesgenerateenergy?

3. Whattypesofpollutioncanbeavoidedwhenalternativeenergysourcesareusedintheplace
offossilfuels?

4. Whatsourcesofpollutioncanstillbeassociatedwiththeproductionofthesealternative
energysources(e.g.obtainingmaterialsforsolarpanelsorwindmills)?

5. Howarefossilfuelsgeneratedandwhatenvironmentalconcernsdoobtainingtheseenergy
sourcescause?

6. Withtheprosandconsofeachalternativeenergysourceinmind,wherecaneachonebestbe
placedinordertomaximizeeffectiveness?

7. Whattypeofalternativeenergysourcedoyouthinkwouldbemostidealforyour
community?Why?

8. Howdoesthereflectivityofthesematerialsaffecthowmuchtheyarewarmedbytheheating
lamp?Arereflectivityandtheamountofheatabsorbedrelated?