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| Didax "Class Ideas" Newsletter Archive |
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It's a big day here, the First Day of School! Summer break is over. My daughter is at school making new friends as I prepare this newsletter. She's hearing about all the wonderful things she'll learn this year as she looks over her new materials and explores the classroom. It turns my thoughts to the future as I watch her grow and learn. This brings me to the topic of this month's Class Ideas newsletter: Renewable Energy.
The years pass by and the human population keeps growing. We're using up our nonrenewable natural resources more and more quickly. This makes the use of renewable energy sources so important. We all want the children in our lives to live on a clean, healthy Earth; we need to keep it that way for them. This newsletter gives a quick introduction to renewable energy and what it's all about with an overview article with student activity suggestions. There are also links to take you to more great information and some downloadable activity pages for your students. If this is a subject you're interested in covering in a more hands-on manner, don't miss the subscriber-only special on our new Renewable Energy Kit.
Thanks for reading. And cheers to a happy and safe new school year!
Anna Mullen, Editor |
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| Renewable Energy: A Bright Future |
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 As the world population grows, humans are placing increasing energy demands on the Earth?s natural resources to meet our basic survival needs and to support our modern lifestyle. In the past, we thought we could use all the things around us and they would continue to be there for us in the future. Now we know we were wrong and some of these resources are becoming harder to find or are in danger of running out altogether.
There are two main groups of natural resources: renewable and nonrenewable. Renewable resources are those that are able to reproduce naturally, such as air, water and forests. Of course, care and conservation are still needed to ensure that some of these resources continue to survive. Nonrenewable resources are those that cannot be replaced as they are used, such as fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas). Fossil fuels can produce a lot of pollution as a by-product, polluting the renewable resources.
In order to ensure availability of the energy we need, we must look to renewable energy sources, including solar power, wind power and hydropower. The students of today?s classrooms will be tomorrow?s leaders; let?s catch them now and teach them of the benefits of renewable energy. Here are some basics to get discussions started.
Solar Energy
There is an enormous amount of power in the sun?s rays that reach the Earth. This solar energy is measured in watts per square meter and can be converted into electricity using a photovoltaic cell, also called a solar cell. These cells are made from thinly sliced silicon. A single cell can produce only tiny amounts of electricity, so many are joined together. On a sunny day, one square meter of these silicon cells, also known as a solar panel, can run a 100-watt light bulb.
Solar cells were originally developed to provide electricity for satellites that orbit the earth. These satellites allow us to have satellite TV, weather forecasting, Internet and much more. Solar energy is a very practical choice in countries with warmer climates and lots of sunshine, such as Jamaica.
Student Activity Idea: Research to find more about the properties of silicon. Present an information poster about silicon.
Wind Energy
Humans have been harnessing wind energy for thousands of years. It is believed that the Chinese have been using wind to pump water for crops for 4,000 years. Windmills have been used in Europe for centuries to turn heavy granite stones to grind grains such as wheat, barley and corn to make flour. Wind energy is a renewable energy source that produces no air pollution and has relatively little impact on the environment.
Wind can be ?captured? by wind turbines?tall towers with large propellers on the top?and the energy harnessed. This moving energy (kinetic energy) can be changed into electricity (electrical energy) using a generator. The generators are small and light and can be housed at the top of the tower.
The stronger the breeze, the more electricity that can be produced, so the wind turbines need to be placed in windy areas such as by the coast, on hilltops and in gaps between mountains. A number of towers are often placed together, creating a ?wind farm.? The more towers and the more wind, the more electricity that can be made.
Student Activity Idea: Challenge the class to find out the minimum wind speed required for a wind turbine to generate electricity.
Hydropower
Water is constantly on the move. It falls from the sky as rain, runs down mountains and into rivers and creeks and is washed into the ocean. Over time, the force of moving water down a river can slice through a mountain range and carry millions of tons of soil into the ocean. Moving water is one of nature?s greatest forces and an endless source of energy.
Energy that comes from the force of moving water is called hydropower. Water from a river is held back behind a dam wall. Here it has stored energy, which is energy waiting to be used. The water falls through huge pipes, gaining energy (movement energy) as it travels to a building with large turbines. The water turns the turbines at high speed. These turbines are connected to generators, which produce electricity.
When water is used as a source of energy it is renewable (unlike fossil fuels such as coal and oil) and no pollution or wastes are produced.
Student Activity Idea: Find out how a fish ladder is used to help salmon and other migratory fish swim upstream when dams have been constructed.
Sustainable development is defined as ?meeting present needs while also taking into account the future,? including the use of our environment and natural resources. People are in danger of using all the nonrenewable resources, and are polluting many of the renewable resources. With the right attitude and determination we can build thriving cities where people live and work, while still maintaining resources for future generations. |
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| Downloadable Activity Pages |
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 This month's free activity pages come from our brand new book, Investigating Renewable Energy. While the book was written to be used with Didax's Renewable Energy Kit, these six reproducible activity pages can be used without it...all you need is a photocopier and pencils. |
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| Renewable Energy Internet Links |
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 Are you looking for more about renewable energy? The Internet has become one of the best resources for finding information for lesson planning. We've collected some useful sites to get you started.
Your students will have a great time checking out the sites from the Energy Information Administration, Alliant Energy and windpower.org. You can keep up with current events in renewable energy at renewableenergy.com and get all the basic background information you could need from Re-Energy. |
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| October Newsletter Theme: Sudoku |
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 Sudoku. You know it's fun, you know it's the hottest game out there, but did you know it's educational? Next month, Class Ideas will examine Sudoku with an interesting article, Internet links and some special Didax twists on the game. Don't miss out on the fun...keep an eye on your Inbox! |
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