It's All In The Surface: The Effects Of Color & Texture On The Ability Of A Surface To Absorb Solar Energy

There has been a huge solar energy spill! Let's go outside to play in it. This lesson includes multiple experiments showcasing solar and wind energies. Scholars build a solar heater and an anemometer before testing the results. The...

Teacher's notes, a materials list, detailed procedure, tips, and extension ideas are all included to make teaching this lesson on photovoltaic cells a sunny spot in your day! After some brief background reading, physical science...

Combine art and science with this fabulous lesson plan where your class will create solar-powered artwork! They will create a cyanotype, using photo-sensitive paper, sun, and water. A list of necessary materials is provided.

Two sequential parts to this lesson introduce your class to the electromagnetic spectrum, the ability to absorb radiant energy, and the pigments in leaves that are responsible for collecting sunlight to be used in the photosynthetic...

Warm up to the idea of solar energy. A lesson includes three activities that challenge scholars to apply knowledge in new ways. First, they learn to run an alarm clock without a battery by using solar energy. Next, they complete an...

This is not exactly a lesson plan, but rather a six-page document detailing how to build a solar oven. A bit of background information, materials list, diagrams and photos, and clearly-written procedures are all included. There are no...

Any work with light, lenses, lasers, or mirrors is called optical engineering. Optical engineers bend and bounce light to make it useful for humans. Examples are telescopes, invisibility, nanomedicine, and solar energy. This...

One day's worth of sunlight can supply everyone on Earth with electricity for a year! Why, then, do we find ourselves in an energy crisis? Shine a light on solar energy with a short lesson and video. As part of a larger energy unit from...

Is Earth's energy flow a little off balance? Explore our energy budget using a click-through interactive. Scholars discover the many factors that move solar energy around the planet and why the system is no longer in equilibrium.

How bright are your classes? An interactive lesson has scholars explore how light interacts with carbon dioxide in the air and the surface of the earth. They watch a temperature scale as light interacts with the environment.