Power of the Wind

Project Director:  Loris Chen

Project Budget:   $3,164.00

Power of the Wind is funded by a an Environmental Education Grant from Public Service Gas and Electric.  The content of the project is the sole responsibility of the grant recipient.

Project Objectives:      

During “Power of the Wind” grade 8 students will (1) conduct experiments with wind turbines, (2) observe the transformation of mechanical energy to electrical energy by a wind turbine, (3) analyze quantitative data collected from experiments and Internet databases, (4) speculate as to the feasibility of electricity generation by wind farms in New Jersey, and (5) evaluate the environmental benefits and consequences of wind power generation in New Jersey.  After completing these steps, students will work together in a small group (4-6 students) to formulate an opinion and develop a presentation of their position on the question: Should New Jersey allow the construction of coastal wind farms for the purpose of generating electricity? 

Project Description and Activities:  

In the first year, the project will be developed and piloted in the spring semester with one team of grade 8 students (approximately 120 students).  In the second year and subsequent years, the project will be integrated into the Weather and Climate Unit, take place in the fall, and include all grade 8 students (estimated 280-300).

After working with hand-held crank generators to observe the transformation of mechanical energy to electrical energy, students will design, build, and test wind turbines constructed of Styrofoam balls or corks and craft sticks connected to small direct current motors.  Using a voltmeter, students will measure and analyze the voltage output of their turbine designs.  Once students determine the most efficient design, they will wire the turbines in series to construct a wind farm model.   A tabletop fan will be used to provide the wind power in the lab. 

Additional investigations will be done in the laboratory and outdoors using a commercial wind-power generator and anemometers (student constructed and commercial).  Students will enter their data into a spreadsheet on an Apple ibook for later analysis and comparison with data collected throughout the day.  Working with various Internet real-time and archived wind data, students will observe that air has multiple layers that flow at different rates depending on altitude.  Using this information, students will be able to speculate as to the most efficient height for a wind turbine and compare their ideas to actual specifications available on the Internet. 

Students will use topographic maps and wind maps of New Jersey to evaluate the feasibility of a wind farm in New Jersey.  This activity will link prior learning from grade 7 science to grade 8 science studies.  Students will be able to compare and contrast New Jersey’s conditions to those of areas that have wind turbines in place.  Internet resources for this aspect of the research include the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, NJ Department of Environmental Protection, and other government agencies and universities that have sponsored research accessible on the Internet.

Using Internet resources available through Rutgers University, students will evaluate the economic impact of wind power.  Through interaction with naturalists from New Jersey Audubon Society during an in-school field trip, students will gather information about migratory bird habits along the New Jersey coastal plain.  Students will then brainstorm ideas for how the impact of a wind farm on migratory birds could be studied scientifically.  Finally, using information from Mid-Atlantic Center for Oceanic Science Education Excellence sources, students will be able to evaluate the effect of an ocean-based wind farm on marine life. 

All of the research conducted by the students will be synthesized into a final research paper that answers the question: Should New Jersey allow the construction of coastal wind farms for the purpose of generating electricity?

Student Participation: 

“Power of the Wind” is student-centered. Students will be engaged in inquiry, observation, speculation, analysis, evaluation, and synthesis.  They will apply math skills to data collection, analysis, and interpretation.  Students will be able to use the computer as a tool for data organization and manipulation.  The computer will also be used to interact with experts and to obtain real-time and archival data that would not otherwise be accessible.  “Power of the Wind” will allow students to: explore and evaluate a renewable energy resource, become aware that environmental decision-making requires trade-offs, and express an informed opinion on the central question “Should New Jersey allow the construction of coastal wind farms for the purpose of generating electricity?”

Community Participation:

“Power of the Wind” involves one-third of the school’s student population.  Student position presentations may be in the form of a poster, brochure, web page, Power Point, school television broadcast feature, or persuasive essay.  Student work may be disseminated through the school newspaper, class web page, morning school television broadcast, or public meeting, such as the monthly PTO meeting, where students are invited to report on their curricular activities.  Every attempt will be made to identify members of the community who can provide expert guidance to the students through email or classroom visitation.  Contact has already been made with NJ Audubon Society and Rutgers University.

Evaluation: 

Student content knowledge will be assessed using a pre-test and post-test of concepts.  Student understanding of concepts will be demonstrated through task performance and work products that will be evaluated using rubrics. Work products include models, spreadsheets, graphs, charts, and a final project that could be a poster, Power Point presentation, brochure, videotape production, or editorial essay.

Using hand-cranked generators, students will be able to answer the essential question: Can one form of energy be converted to another? (NJCCS 5.7.8)  Using various materials students will be able to design and test a working wind turbine model and to collect, organize, and interpret data resulting from experiments (NJCCS 5.1.8.A, B). 

While conducting model tests and data collection activities students will be able to answer the essential questions: Can wind be used to convert mechanical energy to electrical energy? Can wind power be used to generate electric power for New Jersey? Where could wind turbines be placed?  Students will be expected to evaluate strengths and weaknesses of data, claims, and arguments, to communicate findings to others, to represent and describe mathematical relationships among variables using graphs and tables, and to use computer spreadsheets, graphing and database applications to assist in quantitative analysis of data (NJCCS 5.3.8).

After completing the journey from discovery to application, students will be able to answer the essential question: What are the benefits and consequences of power generation by wind turbines? Students will be expected to: compare and contrast science with technology, analyze a product or system to determine the problem it was designed to solve, the design constraints, trade-offs and risks involved in using the product or system, how the product or system might fail, and how the product or system might be improved, and recognize how feedback loops are used to control systems (NJCCS 5.4.8).

Finally, by analyzing available information and data regarding wind power, students will be expected to compare and contrast practices that affect the use and management of natural resources (NJCCS 5.10.8.) and to recommend a course of action for New Jersey by answering the question: Should New Jersey allow the construction of coastal wind farms for the purpose of generating electricity?