Abstract
Client Background
The (RCEA) was formed in 2003 as a joint powers association, representing seven municipalities: Arcata, Bluelake, Eureka, Ferndale, Fortuna, Trinidad, and Rio Dell.
Mission Statement:
“The Redwwood Coast Energy Authority’s purpose is to develope and impliment sustainable energy initiatives that reduce energy demand, increase energy efficiency, and advance use of clean,efficient and renewable resources available in the region.”
Problem Analysis and Criteria
| Criteria | Weight | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Safety | 10 | Safety is the ability to prevent injury of any kind. The lesson must not be unsafe for children in the fourth grade. |
| Effectiveness | 10 | The lesson effectiveness is the extent to which students retain the lessons given material. Students must retain information on wind power. |
| Cost | 5 | The cost of the project must be under 400 dollars. The total cost is to be divided by five, 100 dollars from the RCEA and 75 dollars from each group member. |
| Durability | 8 | Durability is the ability of the project to sustain a functional state in a fourth grade classroom and in storage. |
| Aesthetics | 7 | Aesthetics is the projects level of visual appeal. The completed lesson plan’s contents must be visually appealing to the students. |
| Portability | 6 | The weight of the completed project must be an amount to which the teacher can easily maneuver the lesson box. |
| Maintainability | 6 | Maintainability of the project is defined as the total cost required to sustain the functionality of the project. The maintenance costs must be of a reasonable amount. |
Description of Final Project
The Power of Wind is a one period lesson designed to educate fourth grade students
on the basics of wind power. The students will learn about how
wind turbines operate, and wind power transfers electricity.
The Power of Wind lesson has four sections: a lecture introducing wind power, student
assembly of a mini wind turbine, student construction of origami wind
spinners, and a vocabulary worksheet.
The instructor will begin the lesson by giving a vocabulary
lesson on the basic components of a windturbine along with other vocabulary terms related to wind energy. The instructor will refer to the lesson binder
containing a power point and printed materials for the content of the lesson.
The instructor will also be supplied with the book Wind Energy Basics by Paul Gipe
to provide additional supplementary information.
Following the vocabulary introduction students will then work in groups to
assemble mini wind turbines. Groups will follow printed step by step instructions
along with an instructional video to complete the activity.
Turbine Assembly Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lSAuWe_Os0
Following turbine assembly students create their own origami turbine blades
from construction paper. Students use printed step by step instructions along
with an instructional video to complete the activity. The students will experiment
with their modified blades by observing rotational velocity and measuring the
power transfer of the generator.
Folding Instructional Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EWjiVTzui8
The instructor will then connect 3 turbines in series modeling a wind farm, as seen
in Figure 2. The wind farm will be attached to a board that can flash lights or play
music when the power supply is sufficient (1.2 volts).
Lastly, the students will be provided a take home worksheet designed to enhance
their vocabulary also reinforce observations made in class. These vocabulary words
are wind power related, and will be defined by the instructor.
Costs
| Materials | Cost |
|---|---|
| Wind Farm | $88.72 |
| Instructional Book | $23.76 |
| Two Boxes | $22.00 |
| Foam Box Inserts | $10.83 |
| Cardstock Paper | $3.99 |
| Clear Tape | $0.99 |
| Voltage Ohm Meter | $6.50 |
| Pentel Erasers | $2.15 |
| 1" View Binder | $5.44 |
| Sheet Protectors | $3.99 |
| Foam Board | $6.29 |
| 8-Tab Dividers | $4.39 |
| Elmers Glue | $2.14 |
| Total | $181.78 |
Testing Results
