Investigating Passive Solar Ovens
Energy ecoSTEM Kit Materials Used: Recycled Aluminum Foil, Bioplastic Sheets & Tape
ENGAGE - Students Observe This Phenomenon
GATHER
REASON
EXPLORE a Kit-Supported Learning Experience
If the pavement is > 158 degrees you can cook an egg on the sidewalk. But what can you do if it’s not that hot? Students willparticipate in a “solar cooking race” and try to build a solar oven with the highest temperature in a set amount of time. Recycle an old container to serve as the solar oven, line the bottom and sides with colored paper or foil, create a platform or container for food, and consider whether to cover the top to focus the sun’s rays.
EVALUATE
Students should be able to provide the rationale for design choices in their solar ovens (such as color of lining to absorb heat; material to conduct or redirect radiation; presence of a cover to focus rays or create a greenhouse effect; use of insulation; circulation for convection; etc.)
ELABORATE
Students will adopt a penguin- shaped ice cube and attempt to keep it “alive” for the longest time, by designing and building an insulated “igloo” where it can stay solid.
EXTEND
After building their own solar ovens, students may research classic designs including the Purple Fig, the Darfur Refuge Camp model, and 6 Other Solar Cookers, incorporating elements into a rebuild of their own solar cooker and re-testing of its efficiency.
COMMUNICATE
Revised EXPLANATION
After making sense of a core idea by engaging in science or engineering practices through the lens of crosscutting concepts, students revise their original explanations of a phenomenon.
EMPOWERMENT
Students can explore Nova Energy Lab and Habitable Planet’s Interactive Energy Lab to conduct simulations regarding the transition to renewable energy.