Mollie Deuel's Teaching Portfolio
Engineering Design
1. Example Unit
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Topic: Wind Turbines and Renewable Wind Energy
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Virginia Standards of Learning (SOLs):
ES.6 The student will investigate and understand the differences between renewable and nonrenewable resources. Key concepts include
a) fossil fuels, minerals, rocks, water, and vegetation;
b) advantages and disadvantages of various energy sources;
c) resources found in Virginia
d) environmental costs and benefits.
ES.1 The student will plan and conduct investigations in which
e) variables are manipulated with repeated trials; and
Next Generation Science Standards:
HS-ESS3-2. Evaluate competing design solutions for developing, managing, and utilizing energy and mineral resources based on cost-benefit ratios.
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HS-ESS3-3. Create a computational simulation to illustrate the relationships among management of natural resources, the sustainability of human populations, and biodiversity.
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HS-ESS3-4. Evaluate or refine a technological solution that reduces impacts of human activities on natural systems
HS-ETS1-1. Analyze a major global challenge to specify qualitative and quantitative criteria and constraints for solutions that account for societal needs and wants.
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HS-ETS1-3. Evaluate a solution to a complex real-world problem based on prioritized criteria and trade-offs that account for a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics as well as possible social, cultural, and environmental impacts.
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Design Challenge:
The students will be tasked with the following performance assessment and the unit is designed to help scaffold the engineering design process and facilitate student's learning about wind turbines and renewable energy.
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Below is the formal Engineering Unit document and the accompanying graphic organizers and worksheets
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Wind Turbine Engineering Design Unit
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All Worksheets for Wind Turbine Unit
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2. Teacher Manual for Engineering Design
Engineering Design is an instructional method that uses an engineering design challenge to help teach and apply science concepts. Students are presented with an ill structured real-world problem and are tasked with designing solutions and creating prototypes or models of those solutions. It is an iterative process that requires a lot of revision and self reflection along the way. It is also very collaborative as it is trying to simulate how real engineers design solutions to problems within large teams.
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Below you will find:
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Example Engineering Design Unit that I have created
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A Teacher's Manual for Engineering Design that I have created
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Engineering Design unit resources
Wind Turbine Project Pitch Assignment
Prompt:
You are an engineer who specializes in creating wind turbines to help offset some of the non-renewable resource uptake in Central Virginia. The Principal of Charlottesville High School has called your company looking to see if you can design a wind turbine(s) that will help offset the cost of the parking lot lights as a part of a new Green initiative the city school district has taken on. The principal tells you that they are shopping around for the best design that is safe, reliable, cost effective, and aesthetically pleasing. The Principal has requested that you come up with a project pitch to present to the school board trying to convince them to buy your product. In the report you should include:
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Introduce the difference between non-renewable and renewable energy sources and state what makes renewable energy renewable.
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At least two pros and two cons of wind energy.
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Describe how a wind turbine harnesses energy
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How much energy the lights in the parking lot produce in a year.
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The current cost and carbon footprint of the current energy source being used.
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Talk about your design/model and be sure to include:
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The problem you were trying to solve and constraints you may have had
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A drawing of your design
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An outline of the materials you used
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How many times did you redesign?
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What you changed after each test and for each iteration?
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The final model (photo and real life model) that the school may be purchasing
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Where you will place the wind turbine and in which direction on grounds? Why?
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The cost of your turbine (s) and installation (including how many windturbine you would need to generate the proper amount of energy)
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How many years it will take until the wind turbine generates a return on the investment.
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If you found that your wind turbine did not produce an optimal return on itself, you may (after still including parts 1-7) advise the school to invest in a different renewable energy source that may be more profitable in Charlottesville area.
*Optional for extra 5 points credit
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Include any potential social, cultural, and environmental impacts
You will have to present your design pitch to the class, the principal and Ms. Deuel. EVERYONE in your group must have a role in the presentation and the entire design process. Please refer to the rubric for how you will be graded on this assignment.
Format
You may either create a PowerPoint presentation to go along with your oral pitch or you may create a written report that you will hand in along with giving your oral pitch
3. Engineering Design Resource Cards
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