Teach Primary Issue 19.5

Whilst renewable energy isn’t in the primary science curriculum for England, it can provide an engaging, relevant context for learning about forces in Year 5, and also links to Year 4 and Year 6 electricity topics. We can support children’s science capital by linking learning to their experiences. The activities outlined here combine hands-on exploration, observing phenomena, and working scientifically to carry out an enquiry, exploring the effects of changing variables in a comparative test. Pupils will enjoy seeing theories in practice, and taking ownership of testing ideas. In this lesson, pupils will apply their knowledge and awareness of air resistance to understand how sustainable energy is produced. They’ll engage in practical activities to create a model of a wind turbine, working scientifically to explore the effect of different variables. The children will then apply their experience to real-world contexts, asking questions about how different countries across the world produce electricity, including the use of nuclear, hydroelectric, wind, solar and geothermal sources (find additional resources linked in ‘extending the lesson’). 1 | ELICIT AND PLAN Show children images of wind turbines and windmills, and discuss how a wind turbine generates electricity when the rotor is turned by the blades. The more the blades spin, the more electricity is produced. Videos, such as this one from TedEd, can be useful to show the class as part of your explanation: tinyurl.com/ tp-WindVid Encourage children to ask their own scientific questions about wind turbines (e.g. what would happen if the turbine had more blades?) and plan an enquiry that investigates changing a variable to observe the effect on how fast the blades spin. Children could investigate how the number of blades, the shape, or the START HERE MAIN LESSON Science and geography Begin by providing exploratory experiences. Encourage groups of pupils to try and feel the movement of the wind around them. Use large shopping bags and drag them through the air. Alternatively, the children can wear a jacket or coat, unbuttoned, and run holding it open to catch the wind. Ask them to compare the feeling of when coats and bags are closed and when they’re open, and to describe what they felt, summarising the experiences in three key words. Did they maybe feel the air rushing , or blowing , or whirling around them? Explain that wind is a form of air resistance, which is a push force that can make things move. l Identify the effects of air resistance and friction that act between moving surfaces l Build and test a model wind turbine l Research different sustainable energy sources l How to work scientifically, using enquiry and critical thinking skills WHAT THEY’LL LEARN Bring science into the real world, using sustainability and renewable energy to explain forces, with Dr Jo Montgomery ... KS2 LESSON PLAN drjosciencesolutions.co.uk @DrJoScience Huff and puff and blow the house down! 74 | www.teachwire.net