Curriculum

WindWise is a comprehensive interdisciplinary wind energy curriculum that fosters critical thinking skills at both the middle and high school levels. Every lesson has an inquiry-based introduction and a hands-on activity to develop analytical skills.

• How is Energy Converted to Electricity?Hide

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  Students will learn that energy conversion and transfer is an important part of electricity generation that causes energy to be lost.

  

• What is the Cost of Inefficiency?Hide

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  Students will learn the difference between energy and power and the role that efficiency plays in reducing energy costs and carbon dioxide emissions.

  

• What Causes Wind?Hide

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  Students will learn about the forces that cause wind and the ways in which these forces are measured.

  

• Where Is It Windy?Hide

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  Students will learn how topography and elevation affect wind speeds and will identify optimal locations for wind farms based on wind speed.

  

• Can Wind Power Your Classroom?Hide

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  Students will conduct a simple energy audit for the classroom and estimate what size wind turbine could power their classroom under local wind conditions.

  

• How Does a Windmill Work?Hide

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  Students will learn the fundamental parts of a windmill, how different rotor designs affect performance, and how energy is transferred from wind into usable mechanical energy.

  

• How Does a Generator Work?Hide

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  Students will learn how electricity is generated and how design variables affect electricity production.

  

• Which Blades are Best?Hide

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  Students will learn through experimentation how different blade designs are more efficient at harnessing the energy of the wind.

  

• How Can I Design A Better Blade?Hide

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  Students will learn how to design and construct different turbine blades to maximize the power output of a wind turbine.

  

• How Does Energy Affect Wildlife?Hide

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  Students will learn that different electricity generation sources have very different effects on wildlife.

  

• Wind's Risk To BirdsHide

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  Learn how bird behavior and ecology are related to avian impacts from wind turbines and how scientists study these impacts.

  

• Can We Reduce Risk To Bats?Hide

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  Students will analyze bat behaviors and propose a wind farm operational plan that could reduce the risk of bat mortality.

  

• How Do People Feel About Wind?Hide

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  Students will explore what effects media can have on people’s perception of wind energy.

  

• Siting A Wind FarmHide

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  Students will learn how to analyze data (maps, tables, and written information) to compare and contrast two potential sites for a wind farm.

  

• Is Wind A Good Investment?Hide

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  Students will learn what factors impact the economics of a wind farm and compare and contrast two potential sites.