Lesson+Plans+for+Science+Classes

Global Climate Change Trends This animation shows the global annual temperature anomalies from 1880 to the present. As also shown in the animated graph, the average temperature of the Earth has increased since 1880. Notice the rapid appearance of orange and red over the U.S. in the last 25 years, these are areas where the temperature is much warmer than usual. [|NOAA Environmental Visualization]

A Pre-treatment Model for Ethanol Production Using a Colorimetric Analysis of Starch Solutions Main Goal: Recognize the environmental and economic benefits of ethanol as a fuel additive.

Wind Energy: An exploration of wind energy and wind turbines Main Goals: To explain how wind is produced and what makes for a good wind energy site andexplain why electricity generated from wind is a “good” source of energy.

Solar Energy: A simple lesson, showing students how to build a solar oven

Building a Basic PVC Wind Turbine: This plan shows how to make a rugged and inexpensive classroom wind turbine that can be used for lab bench-based blade design experiments. While a few specialized parts are needed (a hub and DC motor), the rest of the components are easily found at most hardware stores.

Cell Wall Chemistry of Bio-Fuel This module focuses on the production of sugar (glucose and maltose) from cornstarch. The first lesson from this module relates glucose production from cornstarch to ethanol fuel production from corn stover. Another lesson uses a calculator based colorimeter interface from the Vernier Company to quantify the hydrolysis of starch to sugar by salivary amylase. In this lesson saliva is added to a starch solution containing a couple of drops of iodine. Light initially doesn’t pass through this solution. If the absorption decreases after the addition of the saliva, this means more light is passing through and the starch is being hydrolyzed (broken down into maltose and glucose). The third lesson again uses colorimetry but this time to measure starch hydrolysis by dilute (1% volume to volume) sulfuric acid. Finally, we offer suggestions for using starch hydrolysis and colorimetry as a basis for student designed experiments.

Creating Solar Rockets

Groups of students produce hydrogen and oxygen gas. Using pipette mini rockets, students investigate which mixture of the two gases makes the best rocket fuel.

Photosynthesis and Biomass Growth

Introduce your students to the power of plants! Photosynthesis is arguably the most important form of energy transformation and is a fundamental concept for students of all ages.

Modeling the Process of Mining Silicon Through a Single-Displacement/Redox Reaction

As the popularity of photovoltaic (PV) cells and integrated circuits (IC) increases, the need for silicon also increases. Silicon is one of the most used materials in these two industries. It is an inexpensive and abundant semiconductor. However, the process of producing pure silicon adds cost, and it is generally unknown to the public. One of the first steps in producing silicon is a process called carbon-thermic reduction. Silicon dioxide (SiO2) that is found in beach sand and quartz is melted down in a caldron at a temperature of 1450 degrees Celsius. Coke and other forms of carbon are then added to the mixture, because at this high temperature, the oxygen has more of an affinity to carbon instead of the silicon. A current is then run through the solution. As the impurities float to the top of the mixture, carbon monoxide (CO) vaporizes out of the solution and the metallurgical grade silicon (MGS) is siphoned off the bottom. Although there are more steps needed to produce silicon for the IC and PV industries, this initial step may be modeled in a high school laboratory, through a single displacement redox reaction.

Green Fuel

This activity allows students the opportunity to explore different methods for collecting solar energy and using that energy for heating, creating electricity and applying that energy to an industrial process. Experimenting with different types of materials will also allow them to understand how the properties of different materials can drastically affect the outcome of their experiment. Students will be creating a parabolic trough that will heat one pound of water to as high of a temperature as can be achieved without damaging the water storage container.

Research Projects in Renewable Energy for High School Students

This document provides specific experiments on bioenergy as well as a useful introduction on how to design and conduct effective science experiments. __ ﻿ __

The BEAM Project: Building Efficient Architectural Models

This activity allows students the opportunity to explore materials used in architectural engineering and gain an understanding of their insolating properties. Students will research, design, build, test and improve a structure as to achieve the highest energy efficiency possible. Structures will be tested outside on a sunny day for eight hours with temperature changes being recorded each hour. Students will gain an understanding of how the combination of building location and orientation along with building design and materials can greatly affect the energy efficiency of a building.