How to Make a Wind Turbine, Science Experiment
Videos
Grades3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8Science, Engineering
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Provided by The Kid Should See This
What it is
- This experiment of building a small wind turbine is explained in a short video (5 min), which includes a brief introduction to how wind turbines work to harness the power of the wind.
- The video highlights how engineers think and work on design problems.
Teaching tips
Positives
- The video highlights the work of a Black female aerospace engineer.
- The video can be used to highlight green careers and to discuss with students what engineers do and how they think.
Prerequisites
- A VPN may be needed to access the video if you are outside the United States.
- To make the wind turbine, you will need the following supplies: card stock, scissors, wooden skewers, cork, 1.5V DC hobby motor, dowel rod, tape, volt meter, alligator clip test leads, and hair dryer/fan.
- Students may need an introduction to renewable energies and why they are important for combatting climate change. This comic can be used as needed for these topics.
- The discussion of how the wind turbine works contains some vocabulary that may need to be reviewed with students, particularly the terms radius, angle, lift, and angular velocity.
Differentiation & Implementation
- This wind turbine simulation can be used if access to supplies is limited.
- This experiment can be conducted as part of our Renewable Energy Unit Plan for students in grades 3-5. Lesson 4 focuses on an engineering project.
- This experiment can be conducted alongside our Renewable Energy Algebra Unit Plan for students in grades 6-8. Lesson 3 focuses on wind energy.
From the scientist review
This resource from the Kids Should See provides a YouTube video (~5 min) and a very brief introduction to wind turbines. The video discusses the history of wind turbines, an experiment on creating your own wind turbines, and how the size of the turbines affects the voltage created. This video is informative and descriptive of the way turbines are made and how they produce electricity. A teaching guide, along with teacher resources and instructions, is provided. This would be a good addition to a classroom discussion on climate change.
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