Subjects
Subject(s)
Arts & Humanities
--Language Arts
Educational Technology
Mathematics
--Applied Math
--Arithmetic
--Measurement
--Statistics
Science
--Physical Science
----Earth Science
----Environmental
----Physics
Social Studies
--Current Events
Grades
Grades 2-up
News Content
Windmills, which used to dot the landscape, are making a comeback.
Anticipation Guide
Draw a KWL Chart on chart paper or a black/whiteboard. Write the word Windmill at the top of the chart. Invite students to help you fill out the first column with things they know about windmills, how they are used, and how they work. Then solicit from students things they would like to know about windmills and write those things in the second column (the W column) on the chart. Set the chart aside until after students read this weeks News for Kids article, Wind Provides Electricity for Homes, Schools. Revisit the chart when you get to the Comprehension Check part of this lesson.
News Words
Next, introduce these words that appear in the News Word Box on the students printable page: rural, wind turbine, generate, popular, electricity, and landscape.
In order to understand what a wind turbine looks like, and to differentiate it from the old-fashioned windmill with which students might be familiar, you might share this picture.Discuss the meanings of any of those words that might be unfamiliar. Then ask students to use one of those words to complete each of these sentences:
Read the News
Click for a printable version of this weeks news story Wind Provides Electricity for Homes, Schools.
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More Facts to Share
You might share these additional facts with students after they have read this weeks news story.
The following facts come from the American Wind Energy Association.
Comprehension Check
Revisit the Anticipation Guide at the top of this lesson. Did students questions (in the W column on the KWL chart) get answered? Complete the chart by filling in the final column (the L column) with facts that students learned about windmill (e.g., wind turbines).
You might follow-up that activity by asking some of the following questions:
Recalling Detail
Think About the News
Discuss the Think About the News question that appears on the students news page. You might use the think-pair-share strategy with students to discuss this question. If you use this strategy
Follow-Up Activities
Math percents. For this activity, ask students to assume that, on average, a wind turbine can save homeowners 50 percent (half) on their electric bill. If that is the case, ask students to calculate the amount of money to be saved on a monthly electric bill that totals $40.80, $72.22, $49.50, $126.34, and other amounts. If you teach older students, challenge them to figure the savings based on the assumption that a turbine would save them 60 percent or 70 percent some months.
Math create a chart. Some people dont want wind turbines in their neighborhoods because they make too much noise. So how noisy are wind turbines? To provide students with some perspective, invite them to create a graph that shows the noise of a wind turbine compared to some other common sounds. Students might use the free Create a Graph tool to create their own bar graphs to illustrate data in the chart below. [Chart source: British Wind Energy Association]
Sound Noise Level Rural night-time background 20-40 decibels Quiet bedroom 35 decibels Wind farm at 1,000 feet 35-45 decibels Car at 40mph at 300 feet 55 decibels Busy classroom 60 decibels Truck at 30mph at 300 feet 65 decibels Pneumatic drill at 20 feet 95 decibels Jet aircraft at 800mph 105 decibels
Science the environment. Learn more about Spirit Lake (Iowa) Community Schools and Wind Energy. Share with students the calculator that can be used to determine the effects of energy use on the environment.
Science understanding wind. To help students better understand wind and its power, you might present this Make a Pinwheel Wind Turbine activity (grades 3-5) or this Wind Power lesson (grades 3-5).
Assessment
Use the Comprehension Check (above) as an assessment. Or have students work on their own (in their journals) or in their small groups to respond to the Think About the News question on the news story page.
Lesson Plan Source
Education WorldNational Standards
National Standards
LANGUAGE ARTS: English
GRADES K - 12
NL-ENG.K-12.1 Reading for Perspective
NL-ENG.K-12.2 Reading for Understanding
NL-ENG.K-12.6 Applying Knowledge
NL-ENG.K-12.7 Evaluating Data
NL-ENG.K-12.11 Participating in Society
NL-ENG.K-12.12 Applying Language Skills
MATHEMATICS: Number and Operations
GRADES 3 - 5
NM-NUM.3-5.3 Compute Fluently and Make Reasonable Estimates
GRADES 6 - 8
NM-NUM.6-8.3 Compute Fluently and Make Reasonable Estimates
GRADES 9 - 12
NM-NUM.9-12.3 Compute Fluently and Make Reasonable Estimates
MATHEMATICS: Measurement
GRADES 3 - 5
NM-MEA.3-5.1 Understand Measurable Attributes of Objects and the Units, Systems, and Processes of Measurement
GRADES 6 - 8
NM-MEA.6-8.1 Understand Measurable Attributes of Objects and the Units, Systems, and Processes of Measurement
GRADES 9 - 12
NM-MEA.9-12.1 Understand Measurable Attributes of Objects and the Units, Systems, and Processes of Measurement
MATHEMATICS: Connections
GRADES Pre-K - 12
NM-CONN.PK-12.3 Recognize and Apply Mathematics in Contexts Outside of Mathematics
MATHEMATICS: Representation
GRADES Pre-K - 12
NM-REP.PK-12.1 Create and Use Representations to Organize, Record, and Communicate Mathematical Ideas
NM-REP.PK-12.3 Use Representations to Model and Interpret Physical, Social, and Mathematical Phenomena
SCIENCE
GRADES K - 4
NS.K-4.2 Physical Science
NS.K-4.5 Science and Technology
NS.K-4.6 Science in Personal and Social Perspectives
GRADES 5 - 8
NS.5-8.2 Physical Science
NS.5-8.5 Science and Technology
NS.5-8.6 Science in Personal and Social Perspectives
GRADES 9 - 12
NS.9-12.2 Physical Science
NS.9-12.5 Science and Technology
NS.9-12.6 Science in Personal and Social Perspectives
TECHNOLOGY
GRADES K - 12
NT.K-12.1 Basic Operations and Concepts
NT.K-12.4 Technology Communications Tools
See recent news stories in Education Worlds News Story of the Week Archive.
Article by Ellen Delisio
Education World®
Copyright © 2008 Education World
01/09/08