Teacher's Pages
(Note: this is a long activity and should be started early in the Unit)
Objective:
Students will research use of solar and/or wind power in history and present the information in the form of a speech, skit, model or diorama.
Background:
The History of Solar Energy
Ancient civilizations were well aware of the changing position of the sun and discovered many ways to use it. For thousands of years, African, Mediterranean, Asian, and other cultures used the Sun to dry clothes and animal skins, preserve meat, dry crops, and evaporate sea water to produce salt.
Around 500 BC a shortage of local firewood led the ancient Greeks to use the changing angle of the Sun's rays to heat their homes. Famous Greek
philosophers, such as Socrates and Aristotle, advised city planners to position buildings so that sunlight entered them in winter, but not in summer. Heavy building materials stored the solar energy let in during the day. Window shutters were closed at night to retain the heat inside. Buildings were also
clustered together to provide shelter from cold winds. Six hundred years later, the Romans added to the design of solar buildings. They faced transparent mica windows towards the Sun, and used heavy, dark-colored floors to absorb and store heat. The Romans were also the first civilization to use greenhouses to grow vegetables and other plants.
In the 18th century, the Swiss scientist, Horace Benedict de Saussure, built the first solar water heating collector. It was simply a wooden box with a glass top and a black base. By trapping solar energy, this collector reached a temperature of 88o Celsius.
In 1774, the French scientist Lavoisier focused sunlight through a series of high powered lenses to produce heat. Also in France, in 1878, a dish-shaped mirror was used to focus solar energy onto a steam boiler which powered a printing press. At about the same time, in Chile, a solar distilling operation produced over 20,000 liters of fresh water a day from salt water.
The History of Wind Energy
Wind energy was used as early as 5000 years ago, when it provided the power for mechanical tasks such as pumping water for irrigation, grinding grain, and
sailing ships. The first wind machines had cloth sails, and were fixed in one position to face the prevailing wind. In the 1300's, a tailpole was attached to the machine so that the operator could turn the propeller to face winds coming from any direction. This was soon replaced by a fantail, which allowed the propeller to automatically face into the wind.
In the 1800's, wind generators were developed to generate electricity in remote areas. Installed across the Nullabor Plain in Australia, they provided power
for radio communication between Eastern and Western states. Many rural homesteads were provided with electricity from wind generators also. By the mid 1900's, large wind generators were linked in with existing electricity supply networks to supplement conventional electricity supplies. Today, large wind
machines are being experimented with in the USA. And in the USA and Europe, "wind farms", made up of hundreds of wind generators, feed electricity into existing electricity supply networks. Remote areas too, are turning away from expensive diesel-powered generators to wind power for their electricity.
Materials:
Reference materials in classroom or library
Teaching Suggestions:
1. Have students work in pairs or small groups to research one of the historical uses of solar or wind power. Here are some suggested research topics/people:
Solar Power
Samuel Langley -- a pioneer of solar energy
Louis XIV of France -- his reign saw an era of solar experiments
Archimedes --used mirrors to concentrate solar energy on invading ships
Georges Buffon -- used parabolic reflectors to concentrate solar energy
Antoine Lavoisier -- built a solar furnace
Eastern Sun Power Company, Cairo, Egypt -- world's largest solar power plant in 1900s
Anasazi Indians -- Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado, cliff dwellings were a sort of solar home.
Ancient Greeks -- built entire cities to take advantage of the sun
Ancient Romans -- heated villas and bath houses with solar energy
Horace Benedict de Saussure -- built the first solar water-heating collector
Wind Power
Ancient Egyptians -- used wind power to sail their ships on the Nile
Persia (now Iran) -- earliest known windmills
Dutch -- improved the design of windmills
U.S. colonists -- used windmills for grinding grain, pumping water, and cutting wood
Sir Francis Beaufort -- developed the Beaufort Wind Scale
Australia -- 1800s wind generators provided power for radio communications.
2. Students can present their findings to the class as a skit, a first-person speech, as an interview, a model or diorama with a written explanation.
Extended Activities:
Have students find pictures or make drawings to compare the features of windmills used in the historical past to modern windmills and wind generators. The same can be done for past solar energy devices and modern ones.
Problem:
How have ideas on using wind power or solar energy developed throughout history?
Materials:
Classroom or library reference materials
Follow This Procedure:
According to your teacher's instructions collect information about any of the following topics or people:
Solar Power
Samuel Langley
Louis XIV of France
Archimedes
Georges Buffon
Antoine Lavoisier
Eastern Sun Power Company, Cairo, Egypt
Anasazi Indians
Ancient Greeks
Ancient Romans
Horace Benedict de Saussure
Wind Power
Ancient Egyptians
Persia (now Iran)
Dutch
U.S. colonists
Sir Francis Beaufort
Australia
Think About It:
Use the information you collect to write a skit, a first-person speech, a diorama with explanation, or a 'Talk Show' interview.
Teacher Notes
Objective:
Each student will draw a "solartoon" or "windtoon" with an appropriate caption depicting a concept about solar or wind energy.
Background Information:
Class discussion over solar and wind energy using student text for background material.
Materials:
1. Drawing paper
2. Colored pencils
Teaching Strategies:
1. Read and discuss background information about wind and solar energy.
2. Choose one concept learned from the information to draw in cartoon form.
3. Students need to decide between a one frame and a multiple frame format.
4. Each frame needs captions developed.
Activity Results:
"Windtoons" and "solartoons" will demonstrate wind and solar energy concepts.
Problem:
How can a cartoon illustrate a concept about solar or wind energy?
Materials:
1. Drawing paper
2. Colored pencils
Follow This Procedure:
1. Choose one concept learned from the information to explain and illustrate in cartoon format. You need to develop an appropriate caption. Decide between one frame and multiple frame format. Call cartoons about the wind a "windtoon" and cartoons about solar energy a "solartoon."
Think It Over:
1. If you lived in the western section of the country, what type of energy would you use to heat your home?
2. What type of renewable energy in Iowa is the most practical from your viewpoint?
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