Energy is always one of the big topics in our world, whether it is rising gas prices, electricity usage, or home heating. The same questions have been hot topics for many years and today is no different, as it will probably not be different in the future of my students. So, I decided that I would apply for a grant from Promising Practices that was available. I was awarded one of the grants and was very excited about what my students would be able to do this year.
The idea for the project was from a lesson I saw on the Teaching Channel. I really liked it and the connection my students would have in doing the project would be one that would last a life time.
Therefore, the grant was for supplies to build a home and test the amount of thermal energy loss from a non-insulated home. Students constructed a house from file folders and had to follow specific criteria for the dimensions. They were not happy with the constraints of the project because they had to use a lot of higher order thinking to complete their house. I heard a lot of whining and complaining, but in the end, they came through. The students had to design their home based on the criteria and then they tested the heat loss. The supply of heat came from a bulb and reflector which was placed under the home. Students then used a thermal heat detector to measure the amount of thermal energy escaping from their home. Next, students were given other constraints and instructed to insulate their homes to determine if/how much insulation made a difference in the amount of thermal energy loss. Once again, student struggled with the constraints, but plowed through to insulate their homes. Students then tested their home for thermal energy loss and compared the results to that of the non-insulated home. Needless to say, students were amazed at the difference. They had very thought provoking conversations in their groups. Wow! I wonder how much that costs? I wonder if my home is insulated well. Their conversations were ones that went beyond what they learned academically. Those conversations were ones that made them think about their own environments, how to change things to make improvements and saving money. One student went home and tested his own home. He was proud when he came back and shared that he found that a pantry in his home was not well insulated and it was cold there. He discussed this with his parents and they are planning on putting insulation in where they had not even thought about it not being.
This project provided a lot of insight and learning for my students. Insights that will hopefully last a lifetime and hopefully they will take the learning experience into their adulthood and make necessary changes and improvements when they are out paying their own way in life. This was a really good project and I feel that the impact of the grant will be a life long impact for not only the students, but also for our environment and economy.