ETS1.B Archives

Bell Ringer

Instructions: Select one of the Bell Ringers for students to reflect on and answer.

Vocabulary

Instructions: Go over important terms and their definitions before watching the Introduction to Wind video. Student vocabulary list can be found in the Student Guide and Introduction to Wind – Starter Pack.

Word	Definition	Example
Generator	noun; a machine that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy	“Wind turns the blades, which turns the generator, and that makes electricity.”
Modular	adjective; made of separate parts or modules that can be rearranged or replaced	“Then, [wind energy is] modular.”
Emissions	noun; gas or particles released into the air, especially by cars, factories and power plants	“. . . once [wind turbines are] built, there are zero emissions, carbon or anything else.”
Carbon	noun; a chemical element that is part of gases like carbon dioxide (CO₂), which is released when things like fuel or wood are burned.	“. . . once [wind turbines are] built, there are zero emissions, carbon or anything else.”
Wind Turbines	noun; a tall machine with large blades that spins when the wind blows, used to turn wind energy into electricity	“Some people don’t want to look at all the [wind] turbines, and the closer they are, the less people want to look at them.”
Offshore	adjective; located in the ocean, away from the coast	“So, you can put [wind turbines] offshore, but this makes wind power several times more expensive.”
Transmission	noun; the process of moving electricity from where it is made to where it is used	“Or you can put [wind turbines] far away . . . but then you’ve got to build long distance transmission . . .”
Disposal	noun; the act of getting rid of something safely and properly	“[Wind power] kills birds and bats, requires mining for metals, and disposal once the blades wear out.”
Intermittent	adjective; happening sometimes, but not regularly or continuously – starting and stopping	“Finally, the biggest challenge is that wind is intermittent.”
Backup Generation	noun; extra power sources used when the main ones aren’t available	“So, wind is a new clean power source that is affordable unless building transmission and backup generation make it unaffordable.”
Energy Transition	noun; the shift from one mix of energy sources to another over time	“. . . a successful energy transition will require the right balance of many energy sources.”

Quiz & Cloze Notes

Instructions: Review key concepts after watching the Introduction to Wind video. The Student Guide and Introduction to Wind – Starter Pack contain the quiz and cloze notes.
Answer Key: Q1:B Q2:A Q3:D Q4:B
Cloze Notes Answer Key: affordable, fast, emissions, transmission lines, intermittent, backup, generation

Data Set

Instructions: Provide students with the Introduction to Wind – Data Set for data literacy and analysis practice.

Data Table

Country	2024 Wind Power Generation (TWh)
Canada	45.12
China	991.60
Germany	133.44
India	81.57
Spain	62.93
Turkey	36.53
United States	453.45

Answer Key: Question 1: Answers will vary. (Example: I chose Germany and India. In 2024, Germany produced 133.44 TWh of wind energy, and India produced 81.57 TWh of wind energy. So, Germany produced 51.87 TWh more wind energy than India that year.)
Question 2: Answers will vary. (Example: Yes, I think that wind energy is growing worldwide, because almost every country on the chart has a line that goes upward from 2010 to 2024, showing that they are making more wind power each year.
Question 3: The total combined 2024 wind energy production of the countries on the chart, minus China, is 813.04 TWh. In 2024, China produced 991.60 TWh of wind power, which is more than all the other six countries combined.
Question 4: Answers will vary. (Example: Some challenges to increasing wind energy is the need for a lot of space and of course, wind! People may be opposed to having wind turbines near their homes, because of the noise, environmental impact, and how they look.)

Build a Windmill Hands-On

Instructions: Use the Build a Windmill Hands-On – Student Handout and the following Teacher Guide to conduct the lab activity.

Introduction

In this hands-on STEM activity, students will use the engineering design process to design, build, and test a model wind turbine. Using everyday materials, students will investigate how different design choices affect performance and simulate real-world wind energy engineering.

Materials

Student Handout

Note: Materials can be distributed per group or accessed from a central supply table. Students will choose which materials to use. Quantities listed are suggested per group.

Per Group Materials (available for groups; may or may not be used by a particular group):

Several wax paper cups (for building the turbine structure)
1 small medicine cup (to be lifted from the desk to the nacelle)
Cardboard pieces
3-4 wooden skewers
Paperboard (cereal box, poster board, etc.) or thick construction paper

1-2 feet of string
5-6 pushpins
1-2 metal washers
Ruler and clear or duct tape
Stopwatch or timer
Flinn Scientific Kit (optional): Complete lab kit available here: Wind Energy – Student Laboratory Kit

Whole Class Materials:

Desk fan for wind generation and extension cord (if needed)

Optional Additional Building Materials:

1-2 large plastic cups; paper bowl and plate
Other recyclable materials, such as plastic bottles
Hot glue gun

Optional Extension Materials:

Standard weights (e.g., pennies, 10g weight, etc.)

Student Objectives

Students will be able to:

Design and build a working model of a wind turbine.
Test and analyze how design features affect turbine performance.
Apply the engineering design process.
Collect and analyze performance data.

Engineering Design Process

Ask: What design works best?
Imagine: Brainstorm Ideas
Plan: Sketch and choose a design.
Create: Build your turbine.
Test: Measure performance.
Improve: Reflect and redesign.

Procedure

1. Setup: Divide students into groups of 2-3. Provide materials for students, with any relevant instructions. Distribute the Experimental Design Form (Student Handout) to each student. Ensure access to a power source for the desk fan.

2. Introduction: Show students the pictures of wind turbines (page 3) and ask, “What do you notice about these wind turbines?” Guide students to observe blade shape, size and number, tower height, spacing and placement, and structural features.

3. Activity Stage 1 (Engineering Design – Ask): Students must construct a windmill that can raise a medicine cup to touch the nacelle as quickly as possible. Which team can raise their cup the fastest? Show students the Components of a Wind Turbine diagram on page 4.

Choose a desk fan speed setting and distance from the turbine model. Demonstrate the “weather conditions” to the class, which must remain constant during the testing and presentation stages.
Determine tower height (e.g., 12”).

Note: Wind turbines can be secured to the desk and cups must start resting on the desk (or hanging off the edge of the desk).

Alternative goals: Increase difficulty by challenging teams to use weights inside the medicine cup. Which team can raise 3 pennies to the nacelle the fastest? Of the finalist teams, which team’s wind turbine can lift the most weight?

Have students formulate a design question and have students write it in the first section of the Experimental Design Form (Student Handout).

Student questions should focus on how one design feature (blade design, structure, or mechanism) affects how quickly the turbine lifts the cup.

Example: How does the number of blades affect the time it takes to lift the cup?

4. Activity Stage 2 (Engineering Design – Imagine): Each group has 20-30 minutes to research and sketch a design for a wind turbine that can lift a medicine cup using chosen materials.

Students must use the Research section of the Experimental Design Form (Student Handout), including a sketch of their design with the materials they are planning to use clearly labeled or listed.

Note: Have students get teacher approval for their designs before moving on to the next step.

5. Activity Stage 3 (Engineering Design: Plan): Students will form a hypothesis and build their wind turbines.

Instruct students to form a hypothesis focusing on the one key design feature (blade design, structure, or mechanism) in their original question and how it will affect performance. Their hypothesis should predict a measurable outcome (e.g., time to lift).

Hypothesis structure: “If _________design feature________, then _________measurable outcome________, because ___________a scientific explanation (how/why) _________.

Students will write their hypothesis in the Hypothesis section of the Experimental Design Form.

6. Activity Stage 4 (Engineering Design – Create): Teams spend 30-45 minutes building the wind turbine according to their design and the parameters outlined in Activity Stage 1.

7. Activity Stage 5 (Engineering Design – Test): Once student teams have completed building their windmills, teams present their hypothesis and test their turbine in front of the class, timing how long it takes for the turbine to raise the medicine cup from the desk to the nacelle.

Students should record their test data in the Test section of the Experimental Design Form and record observations.

8. Activity Stage 6 (Engineering Design – Improve): After completing the test, students will analyze their results and brainstorm ways to improve their design.

If time allows, students can redesign, implement their improvements, and retest. If not, students can discuss their test results and improvement ideas in a class discussion.

Students should describe whether they were able to prove their hypothesis in the Analysis section of the Experimental Design Form, as well as describe improvements they could implement based on the test results.