GRADE LEVEL: K-5
TIME: THREE 20-25 MINUTE SECTIONS
GROUP SIZE: 20-30 STUDENTS
SETTING: PART 1: INDOOR/OUTDOOR. PART 2: INDOOR. PART 3: SEMI-OPEN
SPACE (INDOOR OR OUTDOOR)
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ABSTRACT
This lesson plan provides background for and makes connections to current research in solar power. Students
will experience energy through several interactive demos (jogging in place, standing in the sunlight). They
will then do an activity which models the energy usage of common appliances in the home. Lastly, they will
play a game designed to showcase the pros and cons of coal vs. solar power. This is all in the context of
introducing the motivation and issues surrounding solar energy research. It can be taught in parts, or as a
whole, and sections can be modified for various grade levels.
Standards Addressed
North Carolina Essential Standards

K.P.1 Understand the positions and motions of objects and organisms observed in the environment

1.P.1: Understand how forces (pushes or pulls) affect the motion of an object

1.E.2: Understand the physical properties of Earth materials that make them useful in different ways

2.E.1 Summarize how energy from the sun serves as a source of light that warms the land, air and water

3.P.3 Recognize how energy can be transferred from one object to another

4.P.3 Recognize that energy takes various forms that may be grouped based on their interaction with
matter

5.P.2 Understand the interactions of matter and energy and the changes that occur
Next Generation Science Standards

K-PS3-1. Make observations to determine the effect of sunlight on Earth’s surface

4-PS3-2. Make observations to provide evidence that energy can be transferred from place to place by
sound, light, heat, and electric currents
Learning Objectives

List the types of energy and possible energy sources

Discuss how they use energy every day, categorize common items based on energy usage

Compare and contrast two types of energy sources: coal and solar.
PART 1: WHAT IS ENERGY?
MATERIALS NEEDED

Rubber bands

Small objects: toy cars, wooden blocks, anything that won’t move
unless touched but the students can safely push around their desks

Solar dancing toy (optional. Available from Amazon for $3-$8.
Pictured below)

A Sunny Day
ACTIVITY
Opening Discussion:
1. What do you know about energy?

Energy is the ability to make things move (the capacity for
motion).
2. Do objects move by themselves?

If working with a younger grade, take time to explore this
question by handing out small objects, perhaps wooden
blocks or toy cars, and asking them to make them move
without touching them. Then ask them to move them by
gently pushing them around their desk.
3.
What can make objects move?

Possible answers: electricity, wind, pushing them

Extend: Even light is a form of energy and can make things
move. (This can be easily demonstrated by a solar dancing
toy.)
Solar Panels in the desert. Several
examples of Solar Panels being used,
including a solar powered dancing toy
Energy Exploration:
1. Stretch a rubber band. What happens when you let go?
 It snaps back! It took energy to stretch the rubber band, and the energy you put into the rubber
band is held by the rubber band, making it snap back when you let it go
2. Rub your hands together really fast. What happens?

Your hands get warm because some of the energy you are using to move them creates heat.
3. Try running in place until you start to feel warm.
 Moving your body takes energy! Heat is a type of energy, and when you use energy, you often
feel hot because some of that energy is heat.
4. Stand in the sun, what do you notice? Standing in the shade, what do you notice?
 It’s bright, you have to squint, you get hot and sweaty. The shade is cooler, not as bright. The
sun is a source of energy! Plants need light because they are collecting the energy from the
sunlight. We can also try to collect the energy from sun!
Explain:
Some scientists are trying to collect the energy from the sun to power our homes. Allison Kelly, a researcher
at the University of North Carolina, makes and tests solar panels. (There is a summary of my current research
and a picture in the appendix.) Solar panels collect sunlight and turn the energy from sunlight into electricity.
Let’s talk about why we need electricity!
Possible follow up: If working with younger students, ask students to draw themselves in the sun and in the
shade, showing the differences in how they felt. Coloring sheet provided below.
PART 2: HOW DO WE USE ENERGY?
MATERIALS NEEDED

Household Energy Grid Worksheet and Appliance Worksheet (provided below)

Cup of 15 small beans, and 15 large beans (Any small, hard object will do: Lentils, beads, dried pasta;
as long as there are two distinguishable types) for each student (or student pair)

Pencils for each student
PREPARATION

Print out both worksheets (one per student or group)

Place 15 small beans and 15 large beans into a cup (one per student or group)
ACTIVITY
1. Ask students to point out items around the room which require electricity to run.
2. On the worksheet provided, ask students to list items in their own home that require electricity
3. Have students rank the list based on how much electricity they think is required to operate those
items: from most electricity to least.
4. Pass out the Household Energy Grid and a cup of 30 beans. Students can work individually or in
pairs.
5. Explain: We measure energy in a unit called kilowatthours. Each small bean is worth 5 kilowatthours.
Each large bean is worth 20 kilowatt hours. Given only the beans in the cup (375 kilowatthours), the
students choose which items to power in their house by putting the beans into the corresponding
square on the Household Power Grid. The cost to power each item is beneath it on the house map.
Students must meet or exceed the number of kilowatthours necessary (i.e a 31 kWh cost, 3 small
beans and 1 large: 35 kWh).
FOLLOW-UP DISCUSSION
1. Have the students explain what they chose to power and why.
2. Did you run out of Power before you were finished?
3.
What surprised you about how much power the household items took? Which item(s) did you
originally rank incorrectly?
4. Ask students to rank their original list in the correct order of energy usage.
Collect the appliance worksheet.
PART 3: WHERE DO WE GET ENERGY GAME?
MATERIALS NEEDED

An open space. A classroom will work if the space in the middle is cleared. You could also do this
outside and use cones. There should be four areas, two on each end, big enough for about 10-15
kids to stand in

A timer

Cones for designating the areas

A board and marker to write down the results of the rounds

Signs on strings to designated the “Solar Panel” gamer and the “Coal Plant” gamer (provided below)

Signs to designate the areas of play (taped to a cone or wall) (provided below)
ACTIVITY
Collection Connection: A Power Plant Game
SET UP
In a large area, mark off four areas. At one end there are two Energy Source areas, the Desert and a
Mine. At the other end are two Collection Areas, both a solar-powered house and a coal-burning
house. See diagram below.
GAMER ROLES
Coal Plant: One student. Their goal is to collect “Coal kWh” by escorting them to the Coal-powered
House Collection Area. This should be done by linking arms with a “Coal kWh” in the Mine and
walking them to the Coal Burning House area. They may escort two “Coal kWh” at a time.
Solar Panel: One student. Their goal is to collect “Solar kWh” by escorting them to the Solar-Powered
Household Collection Area. They do this by linking arms with a “Solar kWh” in the Desert and
walking them back to the Solar Powered House. They may escort one Solar Kilowatthours at a
time.
Coal Kilowatthours: 1/3 of the remaining students. Wait in the Mine until escorted by the Coal Plant.
Solar Kilowatthours: 2/3 of the remaining students. Wait in the Desert until escorted by the Solar Panel.
GAME PLAY
Round 1: Collect enough kWh to power a Television (3 kWh). Time how long it takes each Energy
Source to collect the necessary power. Repeat several times and write each time down.
Round 2. Collect enough kWh to power a Playstation and a Laptop (7kWh). Time how long it takes each
Energy Source to collect the necessary power. Repeat several times and write the time down.
Questions: Which Energy Source takes longer to collect power? Why do you think that is? How would
you change it?
Explanation: When scientists and engineers are talking about how well an energy source produces
power, they measure the Energy Conversion Efficiency. The Energy Conversion Efficiency tells
us how good an energy source is at converting the energy source, sunlight, coal, water, steam
etc. to useable electricity. The Energy Conversion Efficiency for coal power is pretty high (3550%) which is why, our Coal Plant could collect two kWh at a time. The Power Conversion
Efficiency for Solar power is a little lower (15-25%), which is why our Solar Panel would only
collect one kWh at a time. One of the things that Scientists and Engineers are working on is
improving the Energy Conversion Efficiency of solar panels. What do you think will happen
when we reach that goal? Let’s test it!
Round 3. Collect 7 kWh of power to power a Playstation and a Laptop. This time, Solar Panel may take
two kWh with each trip.
Questions: What happened? Do you think this is a good strategy to generate power? Why or why not?
Explanation: When you increase the amount of kWh the solar panel can collect; it is able to collect
kWh as quickly as Coal! Now, it takes about the same amount of time for both to get enough
power. Scientists, like Allison, are working so that Solar Panels can do a better job, increasing
the Energy Conversion Efficiency.
Round 4: Collect 7 kWh of energy. However, every 5 seconds, 1 kWh is lost from the House.
NOTE: the goal here is that Team Coal will run out of kWh before reaching 7 kWh,
demonstrating the importance of renewable energy sources. These numbers are
approximations and may need to be adjusted based on the size of the space and number of
students.
Questions: Which Energy Source reaches 7 kWh of energy first? What happened to the Coal Kilowatts?
Explanation: One of the reasons we want to use solar energy instead of coal, is because we have a
lot of solar energy! But not that much coal. Solar energy is what is called a renewable energy
source. In 1 ½ hours, enough sunlight falls on the earth to power the world’s energy needs for
a year! If only we could find a way to collect it. Coal, however, is not a renewable energy
source, and we slowly using up the coal in the earth’s crust.
Questions: What are some other reasons that solar energy might not work as well as coal energy
Explanation: The sun is not out at night. The clouds might cover the sun. Different parts of the
world, get different amounts of sun. These are all problems that scientists and engineers are
working on.
NOTE: This game can also be played using lentils, four containers, and some cups. Use a small container
full of lentils to represent available Coal kWh (~2 cups), and a large container for Solar kWh (~4
cups). Transfer, or have the students transfer, lentils to a “Collection container” using ¼ cup and ½
cup (ish) sized containers (possibly plastic cups of various sizes). The collection container should
have markings for 3/4 cups, and 1 ¾ cups (3 kWh and 7 kWh). Perform the same Rounds as
outlined above. For Round 4, provide increase the amount on the collection container to 3 cups for
both Coal and Solar Power (The students will run out of Coal before it can be filled, while there is
enough Solar Power to fill it).
EXTENSION:
Writing Prompt: You’re building a town! Decide whether you’d like to build a Coal Power Plant or a Solar
Panel Plant. Write a short paragraph explaining why you chose what you did.
APPENDIX
AUTHOR: ALLISON KELLY; UNC-CHAPEL HILL CHEMISTRY DEPARTMENT; CHAPEL
HILL, NC
CONTACT: [email protected]
EXTENSIONS

Have the students pick another energy source (wind, water, nuclear) and learn about how it works,
it’s efficiency, and its abundance. Report back to the class.

Have the students record where they see solar panels during the next week, and report back to class.

Have the students record sunny days vs. cloudy days, for a week and speculate whether solar panels
would be a good choice based on the results.

Share in class about current research efforts in solar energy and other renewable energy resources.
This could also be used as an introduction. (A brief summary of the author’s work is included in the
appendix)


Videos and Animations on How a Coal Plant works
o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeXG8K5_UvU
o
https://www.duke-energy.com/about-energy/generating-electricity/coal-fired-how.asp
Plants are the original collectors of solar energy. This lesson could easily link to a lesson on
photosynthesis.
FUN FACTS ABOUT ENERGY

Renewable energy resources accounted for 10% of the total U.S. energy consumption in 2015

The average U.S. Household used an average of 911 kWh per month in 2014 (10,932 kWh per
year). The highest average per year was in Louisiana (15,497 kWh) and the lowest was Hawaii
(6,077 kWh).

It takes 1.04 lbs of coal to produce 1kWh.

The amount of light that hits the earth’s surface in 1 ½ hrs could fuel the world for a year.

There are about 7,677 power plants in the U.S.

The immediately available coal reserves at existing, active mines is about 19, 351 tons.
VOCABULARY
Energy - The capacity for motion. It can take many forms: potential, kinetic, electrical, chemical, elastic,
nuclear, and radiative to name a few
Power – Energy per unit time. How much energy a device consumes in one second.
KiloWatthour – A unit of energy. Watt is a unit of power (the energy drain of an appliance each second).
Kilowatt is 1000 Watts. Multiplying Watt by an hour, provides the energy used by a device over the course of
an hour.
Energy Conversion Efficiency – A measure of how good a system is at converting the input energy ( Ie. the
energy in sunlight, or wind or moving water) to usable electrical power (energy). Typically expressed as a
percentage.
TYPICAL ENERGY CONVERSION EFFICIENCIES
Process
Photosynthesis
Combustion engine
Solar Cells
Wind Turbine
Thermal Power Stations (Coal, Natural Gas)
Typical Energy Conversion Efficiency
Up to 6%, but more likely 1-2 %
10-50 %
15-20 %
45 %
30-50 %
CURRENT RESEARCH EFFORTS
Allison works as a graduate student research in Dr. Wei You’s group in the
Chemistry Department at UNC-CH. She, and her coworkers, are studying solar
panels made from plastics. Most solar panels you see around you are made from
silicon, which is heavy, breaks easily, and is fairly
expensive. Plastic solar cells can be printed, much
like you print a newspaper, so they are light weight
and flexible. They are also much less expensive
than silicon. Unfortunately, right now the best
plastic solar cells are only at 11 % energy
conversion efficiency. Allison studies new plastic
Allison with her dog, Obi
Wan, soaking up that Solar
Energy!
materials, trying to improve how well they collect light and how well they
conduct electricity (how well electricity can travel through the material). Both of these are important steps to
converting solar energy! For more information, visit the You Group Website at:
http:/www.chem.unc.edu/people/faculty/you/group/index.html
REFERENCES AND RESOURCES
https://web.archive.org/web/20100527095840/http://fossil.energy.gov/programs/powersystems/turbin
es/turbines_howitworks.html
http://www.nrel.gov/workingwithus/learning.html
http://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.cfm?page=us_energy_home
http://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.cfm?page=renewable_home
https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/index.cfm#prices
http://energy.gov/eere/energybasics/articles/solar-energy-technology-basics
Name: _______________________
Date:_______________
Electricity in Your Home Student Worksheet
List 10 items in your home that use
Rank those items based on how much energy
electricity
you think they use
1.
________________________
1.
_______________________
2. _______________________
2. _______________________
3. _______________________
3. ______________________
4. _____________________
4. ______________________
5. ______________________
5. ______________________
6. ______________________
6. _____________________
7. ______________________
7. ___________________
8. _____________________
8. _______________________
9. _____________________
9. ______________________
10. _____________________
10. ______________________
Use the House Energy Grid Worksheet to rank your items based on how much energy they
actually use
1.
______________________________________________________________
2. ______________________________________________________________
3. ______________________________________________________________
4. ______________________________________________________________
5. ______________________________________________________________
6. ______________________________________________________________
7. ______________________________________________________________
8. ______________________________________________________________
9. ______________________________________________________________
10. ______________________________________________________________
Which items were you right about? Which items used more energy than you thought? Which
items used less?