Curated OER
Air Pollution: Visible And Invisible
Fourth graders observe air pollution that is visible and invisible with experimentation. During the experiment the students collect data that needs analysis. The observations are recorded in the lab journal. The data also is represented...
National Geographic
National Geographic: Stakeholder Debate: Wind Energy
Using a case study of the Cape Wind Project in Nantucket Sound, students examine the various points of view of stakeholders, and hold a debate to argue about the pros and cons of this wind energy project. Includes handouts for...
TryEngineering
Try Engineering: Working With Wind Energy
After studying wind energy, student teams design and test a windmill that has to meet specific criteria. Afterwards, they evaluate the success of their design and how they could improve it.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Build Your Own Windmill Generator
Build your own windmill and see how the wind can be converted into energy to produce electricity. This science fair project should help you understand the use of wind as a source of alternative energy. The Science Buddies project ideas...
Other
Kid Wind Project: Wind Turbine Blade Design
Learn how blade design affects the power output of a wind turbine. This is a short description but links to extensive information, a PowerPoint, and a lesson on designing your own turbine blades.
Practical Action
Practical Action: Wind Power Challenge
In this unit, students explore how life for people in the rural mountainous regions of Peru is different as they live without access to electricity. They learn how small-scale wind turbines have changed people's lives, as with a supply...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Windmill of Your Mind: Distributed Energy Goes to School
Students research the feasibility of installing a wind-turbine distributed energy (DE) system for their school. They write a proposal (actually, the executive summary of a proposal) to the school principal based on their findings and...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Make the Wind Work for You!
Find out how a wind turbine can use the power of the wind to generate energy in this science fair engineering project. You will get to design various blades to find out which produces the most energy, and at what wind speeds they are...
Concord Consortium
Concord Consortium: Stem Resources: Wind Generator
Using a voltage sensor, students will measure how much "electricity" is produced by the wind turbine that they design and build. Students will experiment with blade designs to see which one collects energy from the wind the most...
Other
California Energy Commission: Science Projects
A number of electrical, nuclear, solar, and wind science projects and energy activities are described on this page, with links to each activity.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Unleash the Power of a Pinwheel!
In this science fair project, you will learn more about wind-powered devices, like pinwheels. Much like pinwheels, we react in different ways to the direction of the wind when we ride bikes, or even try to walk.
National Geographic
National Geographic: Energy Solutions: Tapping Into Topography of Lake Turkana
In this lesson, students read and analyze articles about the alkaline water in Lake Turkana in Kenya, and about a wind energy project near Lake Turkana. They then examine the many factors that must be considered when undertaking this...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Power Your House With Wind
Students learn how engineers harness the energy of the wind to produce power by following the engineering design process as they prototype two types of wind turbines and test to see which works best. Students also learn how engineers...
Other
Siemens Science Day: Physical Science: Blowin' in the Wind
Students will create their own windmill and learn how to use the most efficient design by testing theirs against their classmates' projects.
Other
Kid Wind Project: Teacher Resources
A collection of inquiry-based and hands-on activities to introduce students to wind energy. Includes PowerPoints, labs, and videos.
Ducksters
Ducksters: Environment for Kids: Wind Power
Kids learn about wind energy and how this renewable power can help the environment. Teach students about turbines that generate electricity from the wind.
Creative Science Centre
Creative Science Centre: Wind and Wave and Other Power
A collection of links to projects and information on how to make different types of windmills, and a wave powered electricity generator.
State Energy Conservation Office-Texas
State Energy Conservation Office: Roping the Texas Breezes [Pdf]
Looks at the state of wind energy production in Texas.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: How Does a Wind Meter Work?
On a windy day it is hard to keep your hat on. The power of the wind can even be strong enough to power large wind turbines to make electricity. In this experiment, find out how you can make your own instrument to measure the speed and...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Wild Winds: Detecting Turbulence Around Structures
Watch out. It's Eddy Vortex, Superhero. He swirls, he tumbles, he churns up air and water. OK, maybe eddies and vortices aren't exactly superheroes, but they are powerful regions of air and water flow that you have to watch out for in...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Spinning Your Wheels: Pinwheel Sensitivity
So you've just heard the "Happy Birthday" song and now it's time to blow out the candles. If you are sitting far away from the candles, you know you'll have to blow harder to get them all out than if you were sitting closer. In this...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: Sailing on the Wind
This is a hands-on lesson that uses science and the steps of the Engineering Design Process to determine important properties in sail design materials and learn how to harness wind power. Students will learn that a problem can be solved...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: The Power of Heat Is Right Under Your Feet!
You might know that we are able to get free energy from the Sun, the wind, and water, but we can also get free energy from Earth itself. This source of energy is called geothermal energy and it is all about taking advantage of the heat...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Solving a 'Windy' Problem
The wind is a powerful force, enough to erode whole hillsides over time. Building structures in windy environments challenge civil engineers with special safety concerns. A wall in a windy area can either shield you from the cold or fall...