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Resources
Downloadable Resources
Tangible Resources
Work area/table for each group, large whiteboard and marker, paper and pencil, complete set for construction (1-2 sets per class) which include:
- Stand approx. 1m high
- Connector rods
- Micro-ammeter with outputs of electrical wires
- Water-proof 1.5-volt motor
- Plastic rod to connect the motor shaft to the turbines (K'Nex game parts can be used)
- A bucket of water
- Aquarium pump or other type of submersible pump with low power (12 or 24 watts)
- A pipe to connect the pump to the stand (approx. 1m)
- Recommended! Place the bucket into a paddling pool like this to keep the floor and students from getting wet.
- Rags and a mop
- Electrical socket/extension cables
- Bases for the turbine that can connect to the plastic rod on the engine shaft (K'Nex game parts can be used)
- Materials for constructing the blades:
- Large lollipop sticks
- Plastic containers (bottles, packaging)
- Tops and lids of packaging (used)
- Materials for connection:
- Glue gun
- Insulation tape
- Rubber bands
- Scissors
Human Resources
Extra adults to support making activities such as parents or facilitator from local makerspaces or workshops.
Preparation
Arrange support from a professional from a local makerspace or workshops; with their help, prepare the construction kits.
Goals, messages & concepts
Specific goals
- Experience building a water turbine to generate the most power possible while solving technical problems.
- Apply scientific principles learned about wind turbines to the construction of water turbines.
Specific messages
- The amount of electricity generated from a water turbine depends on a number of factors - the blade size, the number of blades, the angle of the blades relative to the flow of the water, and the height of the waterfall above the turbine.
- The amount of electrical energy that can be generated from water is very low compared to other fossil energy sources.
Main terms
- renewable energy
- turbine
Practices & skills
STEM practices
- Constructing explanations and designing solutions
- Developing and using models
- Using mathematics and computational thinking
- Asking questions and defining problems
- Planning and carrying out investigations
Soft skills
- Empathy
- Dealing with uncertainty
- Learning failure is a part of learning
- Teamwork and collaboration
Management skills
- Planning
- Use of resources
Course of activity
step 1
Students will begin the activity by learning about hydropower and discussing possible disadvantages. See downloadable resources for explanation. They will try to make connections between water and wind to see what knowledge is transferable from LU7.
step 2
They will then work in groups on the challenge to build the turbine that can generate the most electricity.
- Technical explanation - present the materials, tips on how to attach the parts, how much time they have to complete the project, and instructions for how to document their process / results (photo, drawing of the model, etc.).
- Measure output according to the micro-amperes of electric current, which (generally) corresponds to the amount of electrical energy produced.
- Write a table on the board and fill in the students' results:
Group #1 | Group #2 | Group #3 | Group #4 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Test 1 | XX µA | XX µA | XX µA | XX µA |
Test 2 | XX µA | XX µA | XX µA | XX µA |
... | ||||
... |
- What will affect the generation of electricity? Students should test the factors they learned about previously, and consider if there may be other factors that have not been thought of.
- Note - some children get anxious by competition- be sure to give positive feedback about additional criteria such as creativity, aesthetics, perseverance, improvement, originality, etc.
step 3
Instructions to build the prototype:
- Split to groups
- Plan the model, make a table for results
- Build the model
- Testing
- Record results
- Conclusions
- Improve the model / build a new model
- Repeat….
step 4
During the test, facilitators may help the students adjust the waterfall and the turbine. Groups can change the height of the waterfall and adjust the angle until the best result is obtained. The role of the facilitator at this stage is to help the students with the technical side of things, and to let them reach results and conclusions on their own.
step 5
Students will fill in their table and write their best results (highest current intensity achieved) on the board.
step 6
Present the results to determine which group was the most successful. Each group will have 1-2 minutes to present their most successful model and receive constructive feedback. Address the various parameters and their impact, challenges, surprises, disappointments, and what could be improved for next time, receiving feedback from the students. Questions for discussion:
- Is there anything you would still want to improve?
- Did you have trouble getting the turbine to generate electricity?
- Did the height of the waterfall affect the rotation of the turbine? Why?
- Do you think all the water energy has been converted to electrical energy?
- If you encountered a challenge / problem - how did you solve it?
- Regarding teamwork - was someone leading the group, or were all decisions made together?
- See Appendix 2 for further information.