Sixth graders engineer wind turbines

Sixth grade students are part of our future. Students need to learn to be problem solvers and develop an engineering mindset so that they can create innovations and inventions that benefit all. This unit includes all of those components to help students learn about the purpose of wind turbines and many other necessary life skills.;This unit was implemented at a suburban charter school in a sixth grade classroom. The curriculum challenge prompts students to explore the engineering idea that you can improve efficiency from modeling, testing, evaluating and modifying designs. The curriculum investigates and explores the socio-environmental idea that we need to conserve and mange our energy sources and think about alternative energies. I wanted students to understand the purpose of a wind turbine and design and redesign blades for the turbine to understand the design process.;I used multiple performance based assessment instruments throughout this unit I used entrance and exit cards to assess students understanding of the big idea that wind turbines produce electricity. On the entrance card prior to the unit only one student out of 16 were able to describe the purpose of the wind turbine. On the exit card at the end of the unit 11 students were able to fully describe the purpose of a wind turbine. Another assessment tool that I used was a design portfolio. The students used the design portfolio as way to record their thoughts and ideas throughout the unit All students learned to read the multimeter and record the amount of energy produced and then calculate power. Throughout the unit I modeled and coached students to become better team members and by the end of the unit there were seven groups that worked well together. Working in groups was a skill that was not part of the explicit curriculum but necessary to learn in school and is part of the implicit curriculum.