Teach Primary Issue 19.5

• What can you feel when you move different objects through the air? • How can wind turbines help us create energy? • Why is it important to consider green energy? marking one of the blades and recording how many times the turbine completes a rotation in a given time frame (e.g. 30 seconds). Top tip: filming this in slow motion and watching it back makes it much easier to count! Pupils can record their data in simple tables, and produce a graph to compare their findings. Support the children to size of the blades affects the wind turbine. 2 | MAKE AND DO Next, help pupils make a model wind turbine using a cork, cocktail sticks and card (you can find instructions from the Great Science Share at tinyurl.com/ tp-GSSturbine ). You can also connect a voltmeter to a small DC motor to measure the volts generated by each design. Test and compare the different turbine designs by blowing a constant ‘wind’ using a hairdryer (remember to keep the angle, speed, direction and distance the same to keep the test fair and limit the number of variables that are changed). Alternatively, you can test a low-tech version by Children could apply their experience to real-world contexts, thinking about the way in which electricity is produced in sustainable ways. They could ask questions about how different countries across the world produce electricity, including nuclear, hydroelectric, wind, solar and geothermal. • Ask children to research different energy types (you could use the fact files from the Great Science Share here: tinyurl.com/tp-GSSfactfiles and complete a PMI (positive, minus, interesting) grid for the different types, or use the Great Science Share reliability checker to support critical thinking: tinyurl.com/ tp-GSSreliability ). • Use this Explorify ‘Have you ever…?’ activity to extend thinking to water resistance: tinyurl.com/tp-Expl • Develop children’s oracy skills around this topic with these talk prompts: tinyurl. com/tp-GSSprompts and ponder resources tinyurl.com/ tp-GSSponder You can also link these with the Thinking, Doing, Talking Science (TDTS) approach ( tdtscience.org.uk ) . • Develop understanding of STEM careers using some of these resources: tinyurl.com/ tp-DrJoSTEMcareers EXTENDING THE LESSON analyse their data, discussing in groups to see if they found similar results. Draw conclusions linking back to the scientific question the pupils asked, for example: “How does the size of the blades affect the number of volts generated?” 3 | REVIEW AND RELATE Encourage pupils to think about how their wind turbine is one of the ways that renewable and sustainable electricity can be produced. Explain that they have been looking at their own data and drawing conclusions. Lots of scientists, organisations and countries are trying to use ‘greener’ ways to produce electricity, but there will usually be a balance between renewable and non-renewable sources. As we are all connected across our globe, what happens in one country can have a knock-on effect to another. This is why it is essential to all work together for a greener planet. Can pupils think of other ways to produce renewable energy, and what sources might be involved (e.g. water, or heat)? Remember that all activities should be risk assessed in the context of your school. Consult CLEAPSS ( primary.cleapss. org.uk ) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and SSERC ( sserc.org.uk ) in Scotland. Dr Jo Montgomery is a primary science specialist, a Primary Science Capital Teaching Approach accredited trainer, PSQM regional lead and hub leader, adviser for The Great Science Share for Schools, and education consultant. “Pupils will enjoy seeing theories in practice and taking owenership of testing ideas” USEFUL QUESTIONS www.teachwire.net | 75