Solar Panels - should (or can) we all have them?

 Middle  Secondary

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Ethical Understanding

Australian Curriculum Cross Curriculum Priorities: Sustainability Priority

Philosophy

Cooperative Learning Activity

Teacher
You will need to look up how to conduct a Community of Inquiry - here - before commencing this activity.   

Students

1. In groups of 4 - 5 students, read the following articles, list the relevant points, note down any questions you might have. To do this, you are to use the Cornell Note-taking Method.  

The Conversation 13 June 2018	The Conversation 25 August 2017
The Conversation 2 May 2017	The Conversation 6 August 2017

2. You are going to conduct a Community of Inquiry [CoI] using the above articles as the stimulus material.

3. After reading and using the Cornell Note-taking Method, in your group, decide on one Inquiry question [see the Question Quadrant below] and write it up on the whiteboard.

 Look at all the different group's questions and decide as a class which question needs to be answered.

4. After the CoI, each group member is to take on various roles:

a. Your grandmother, a pensioner and unable to afford solar panels

b. A neighbour who is middle class and is thinking about installing solar panels

c. A single parent at your school who would like to reduce their energy bills

d. An environmentalist who is concerned with the use of coal generated electricity

e. A politician who has conflicting issues around energy - reduction in greenhouse emissions; coal-generating jobs;

4. As a class, all the "grandmothers" are to get together to create their argument about their need for a reduction in their electricity bills; while the other roles will also get together as a group to form their arguments.

5. After discussing as a role group, return to your original group and discuss the big question:

Solar Panels - should (or can) we all have them?

Please Explain & Analyse!

Secondary

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Literacy

Australian Curriculum General Capability: ICT Capability

1. As a person who wants to be involved in the electrical industry, you need to understand the debate around networks, solar panels and the powergrid.

You are to read the following article from The Conversation 28 September 2016

2.

With a partner, you are to explain this article to people who don't have an interest in electricity except maybe the cost!

To do this, you are to work out the 5 key points. Compare your 5 key points with your partner and reduce it down to 3 key points between you.

3. Start constructing a Comic Head cartoon about this content using the Free CH app explaining for students your age what this article is about.  

4. To complete this cartoon strip, you need to read a further article from The Conversation 18 October 2016

5.

Explain what you think the future holds in this industry in your cartoon strip. As a solar panel installer, what do you think will be the main feature of future jobs? Add your thoughts to the cartoon strip.

Here Comes the Sun (developed by Try Engineering.org)

Primary Middle  Secondary

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Numeracy

Cooperative Learning Activity

Teacher

This lesson explores the concept of how solar energy is gathered by solar panels and adapted to provide power to a variety of machines, from calculators to spacecraft. Students disassemble a solar powered calculator and explore the component parts. Students work in teams to suggest design enhancements to the calculator to improve performance.
  
Learn about solar power and solar panel design and operation.
Learn about how calculators work and how the product is comprised of many different component parts.
Learn about teamwork and the engineering problem solving/design process.

Local Copy: Lesson Plan [PDF - 10 pages]

Local Copy: Student Handouts [Word doc 2 pages]

Solar Structures (developed by Try Engineering.org)

Primary Middle  Secondary

Australian Curriculum General Capability: Numeracy
Australian Curriculum General Capability: Critical and creative thinking

Cooperative Learning Activity

Teacher

This lesson focuses on how the sun’s energy can be used to heat and cool buildings. Teams of students construct passive solar houses from everyday materials. The houses will be tested for how well they keep warm or cool depending on the time of year.
  
Design and build a passive solar house
Test and refine their designs
Communicate their design process and results

Local Copy: Lesson Plan [PDF - 11 pages]

Local Copy: Student Handouts [Word doc - 3 pages ]