Hipp to be Green

The class is now working on their solar arrays.  The teams began building their solar arrays when we returned to school after the holiday break.  The arrays were tested with four different light sources (65-watt plant bulb, 65-watt incandescent bulb, room light and with the sun on an overcast day). In addition to the different light sources, we used different angles (0, 30, 45 and 65 degrees) of inclination from the horizontal axis.

The students then created a spreadsheet and graphed several charts.  After all the data was collected and analyzed the students found out that the sun produced more energy than any artificial lighting we used and that the best angle of inclination was 65 degrees.

The marking period ends this Friday, Jan. 23, so the students are busy working on their portfolios.  The portfolios will be created in PowerPoint and will outline all the course elements, including handouts, projects, test, homework, movies, cited work and reports.

We will continue the project with a new group of students on Monday, Jan. 26.  Although I will have to start all over again to bring them up to speed on the project, I plan to add a different twist here and there. All the teachers reading this blog know that we have to keep the material new and fresh to maintain students’ interest.

Now the larger wind turbine model (shown right) is completed. Yes, it worked! We did a preliminary test using battery power. After we put one more coat of paint on the model and install the solar panels, we will take it outside for another preliminary test but with the solar array.  After adjustments, the final test will come.

Currently, the class will is constructing a prototype solar array before we attempt the finished product.   After we complete the solar array, we will take the model outside to see if the model will rotate. In addition to building, the class will landscape the base support.

The students were thrilled to see the model actually work. However, I must say when I took a poll of the class prior to the test on whether the model would work or not they all believed that it would work.  I like that optimism!

WE WOULD LIKE TO WISH EVERYONE A HAPPY AND SAFE NEW YEAR.

Since this is the 2nd year I have been involved in a Hipp Grant project, I am more relaxed about the different aspects of the project. What I mean by this is last year my thought process was:   we were given money to work on a project, so I need to work on it all the time. I found myself forcing some concepts so they could involve the project.

This year I realized that it is an ongoing process and there will be some stretches of time that I don’t even mention the solar panels in class. The one thing I do is stay in constant touch with Wes. This way I know what he is doing in Tech, what he has covered, and when I get to certain objectives such as scaling and dilations I can reference what they have done in Tech to what they are now learning in Math.

Hopefully anyone thinking about applying for a grant will realize that it can be incorporated into their class work and not be an “extra” project that you have to do in addition to your regular class work. It also helps if you have a colleague like Wes who takes care of all the paperwork!