Idea Transcript
University of Cincinnati
1. College of Engineering & Applied Science 2. Special Programs 3. CEEMS 4. CEEMS Pathways 5. Graduate Secondary Engineering Education (SEE) Certificate 6. Instructional Units 7. Science Units 8. Tidal Energy
The Big Idea (including global relevance)
Some of the oldest ocean energy technologies use tidal power. All coastal areas experience two high tides and two low tides over a period of slightly more than 24 hours. For those tidal differences to be harnessed into electricity, the difference between high and low tides must be more than 16 feet (or at least 5 meters). However, there are only about 40 sites on Earth with tidal ranges of this magnitude. Currently, there are no tidal power plants in the United States, but conditions are good for tidal power generation in the Pacific Northwest and the Atlantic Northeast regions (U.S. Department of Energy "Tidal Energy." Energy Basics). The Essential Question
Can you create a better water turbine blade? enlarge poster Author:
Justification for Selection of Content
Tidal Energy
The Ohio Revised Science Standards include moon phases and tides. This unit links these standards to tidal energy, which will be present on the cumulative assessment at the end of the year. Based on prior experience, students commonly struggle on the connection between the moon phases and tidal patterns.
Grade:
The Challenge
Christopher Dicks Unit Title:
7 Subject: Science Estimated Duration: 12-14 days (55 minute classes) Unit Activities:
Students will work in teams to design, build, test, and redesign a model water turbine blade capable of spinning and generating power, which will be read with a voltmeter. The Hook
You will create and test a water turbine blade and determine how much power it generates. Teacher's Guiding Questions
Activity 1: Forms and Sources of Energy
What causes tides?
Activity 2: What Causes Tides?
What are tides?
Activity 3: Designing a Stream Turbine Blade
How are moon phases related to tides?
Activity 4: Tide Analysis
How are tides used to generate electricity?
How often to tides occur?
What causes tides?
Background Knowledge:
How is electricity generated and how is power measured?
Prior Concepts Related to Moon, Earth and Sun
How do water turbines work?
PreK-2: The moon, sun and stars can be observed at different times of the day or night. The observable
Which blades are best? What are various types of forms and sources of energy?
shape of the moon changes throughout the month. The sun’s position in the sky changes in a single day and from day to day. The sun is the principal source of energy. Grades 3-5: Earth’s atmosphere, introduction to gravitational forces, orbits of planets and moons within the solar system, predictable cycles and patterns of motion between the Earth and sun, and the fact that Earth’s axis is tilted are explored. Grade 6: Objects and substances in motion have kinetic energy. Objects and substances can store energy as a result of its position (gravitational potential energy).
What types of energy do we use? What is our energy consumption? ACS (Real world applications; career connections; societal impact)
Applications – Sites in the United States are currently being evaluated for the use of tidal energy as an alternative resource for power. Career Connections – Electrical engineers deal with power and control systems. Mechanical engineers deal with moving parts. Environmental engineers study alternative energy. Materials engineers study materials for products. Chemical engineers deal with chemicals for large scale manufacturing. Societal Impact- Alternative energy can help ease the dependency on non-renewable resources which contribute to pollution and carbon emissions. Engineering Design Process
Date: July 2013
Students follow all of the steps of the engineering design process. Students brainstorm and evaluate different water turbine designs. They will build and test a product and then revise and refine it. Unit Academic Standards
The relative patterns of motion and positions of the Earth, moon and sun cause solar and lunar eclipses, tides and phases of the moon. Where the CBL and EDP appear in the Unit
Activity 3
Unit Activities
Activity 1: Forms and Sources of Energy Day 1-2 1. Pre-test 2. Reading Passage 1: Forms of Energy 3. Reading Passage 2: Laws of Thermodynamics 4. Student Worksheet 1: Forms and Sources of Energy 5. Student Worksheet 2: Understanding Forms and Sources of Energy Day 3-4 1 Energy Webquest Activity 2: What Causes Tides? Day 5 1. Generate essential questions 2. Choose an essential question to explore further (lead students toward renewable resources. 3. Introduce challenge: Can you make a better water turbine blade? 4. Show video History Channel Tidal Alternative Energy -4:36 5. Show video Tidal Stream Generator Video – 4:48 6. Show video Bay of Fundy tide video – 2:44 Day 6 1 Student Worksheet Tidal Patterns from Monterey Bay – 24 hour Day 7 2 Student Worksheet Tidal Patterns from Monterey Bay – 29 day 3 Graphs for Student Worksheet Tidal Patterns 4 Student worksheet Tidal Pattern from Monterey Bay – 24 hour key Activity 3: Designing a Stream Turbine Blade Day 8-9 1. Testing One Variable for Turbine Blades Day 10-11 1 Engineering Design Process Water Turbine Activity 4: Tide Analysis/ Choose a location for your stream turbine generator Day 12-14 1 NOAA Tide Analysis 2 Post-test Misconception
Phases of the Moon are caused by a shadow from the Earth, clouds, or the Moon wobbling all over the place in its orbit, rather than by a change in our perspective of the Moon’s sunlit appearance as it orbits the Earth. Different countries see different phases of the Moon on the same day, rather than understanding that the Moon has the same phase for everyone. The Moon goes around the Earth in a single day, instead of taking a month to orbit then Earth. The Moon makes its own light (the same way the Sun does), rather than understanding that the Moon reflects the light of the Sun. The Moon does not rotate, rather than understanding that the Moon does spin on its axis, once each month. The same half of the Moon is in darkness all the time—i.e. that there is a “dark side”— when in fact the Moon has no side that is constantly dark; the front and the back are alternately lit by the Sun over a month. The Moon has no gravity; things float “up” when dropped on the Moon, when in fact the Moon does have gravity, but less than Earth. The Moon is only visible at night, rather than understanding that we can frequently see the Moon in the day Tides are caused by Earth’s rotation Spring tides are a seasonal phenomenon Ocean currents are caused by tides The moon has no influence on the earth. The ocean level is the same all around the world. Additional Resources
"Tidal Energy." Energy Basics:. U.S. Department of Energy, n.d. Web. 30 July 2013. Moon Phase Resources NASA-Moon Phases http://www.nasa.gov/worldbook/moon_worldbook.html NASA-JPL Moon Phases Lesson http://education.jpl.nasa.gov/educators/moonphase.html Phases of the moon explained and diagramed http://lunar.arc.nasa.gov/science/phases.htm How long does each phase of the Moon last? http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/en/kids/phonedrmarc/2004_march.shtml NOAA Moon Phase Page http://neap.pactide.noaa.gov/hq/astronomical.shtml A very nice Moon Calendar http://www.paulcarlisle.net/mooncalendar/ Moon Phase Animation http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/java/MoonPhase.html College level explanation of Moon Phases- U of Tennessee http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/time/moonorbit.html Tides Tides Roadmap and Resources http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/kits/tides/supp_tides_roadmap.html NOAA Tides lesson http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/kits/tides/lessons/tides_upsanddowns.pdf Tides Explained http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/time/tides.html Pre-Unit Assessment Instrument
pre-assessment Post-Unit Assessment Instrument
post-assessment Reflection
Overall, the unit went well. The teams were engaged and students smoothly went through the steps of the engineering design project. The building, testing, and redesign process took longer than anticipated and I had to cut out a portion of my unit, the NOAA tidal analysis. In the future, I will probably add more practice and supplemental information about the tides and/or have students make a presentation related to their water turbines and tides.
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