Solar Oven

Students read about, and completed various activities regarding heat transfer in their Earth System Unit. This activity is designed to give students the ownership of their learning process by allowing them to construct their own design to show the three methods of heat transfer and how they process. The pathways to learning model  (Activate and Engage, Explore and Discover, and Organize and Integrate) is used to facilitate the student’s learning of the science concepts.

Students will present their prototypes to their classmates and teacher and discuss their thought process and making experience. We will end each day with a reflection activity to allow students to store and organize the information learned and help them think about how their application of these science concepts can be used and is relevant to real world situations. Student’s learning is supported by allowing students to learn vicariously from other students and not only depend on the instructors for help.

Challenge: Design and create a functional structure that will melt their chocolate the fastest using the methods of heat transfer (Conduction, Convection, Radiation).

Materials

• Duct tape

• Cardboard boxes

• Box Cutters

• Aluminum foil

• Plastic wrap

• Cup

• Individual Chocolate pieces

• Water

Objectives:

Students will implement creativity and imagination in a project based learning environment

Students will be engaged in the scientific method of designing and testing functional objects

Students will apply prior knowledge in the building of their prototype

Students will construct and design a product by combining Science and Engineering

Students will reflect on their work

Assessments:

Functional Physical Structure

Reflection Survey

Using science concepts to design processes of heat transfer  

​

DAY 1

Activate and Engage: Students will recall and have discussions with others on heat transfer by journaling.  The journaling will help them draw out their design for their structure.

• Intro (5Min)

  • Introduce Challenge

• Journal and Sketch (25Min)

  • Journal (5Min) Arts

    • Prompt

      • Honors: What do you know about heat transfer?

      • Non-honors: What are the three types of heat transfer and how might   you show it, create and design it?

    • Discussion

      • As a group write findings on board

  • Sketch (20Min)

    • Honors: Share three structures with your partner showing heat transfer

    • Non-honors: Choose one structure to design showing heat transfer; share with partner

​

Explore and Discover: Given their sketches in the previous section, students will MAKE their prototype.

• MAKE! (45Min) Science and Engineering

  • Use materials from Maker Space to construct prototypes

    • Honors: Build three prototypes showing three types of heat transfer

    • Non-Honors: Build one prototype showing heat transfer

​

DAY 2

Organize and Integrate: Students will use this opportunity to test and reflect on their work.

• Test (15Min)

  • • Students will test their prototypes using a piece of chocolate to see if functional and heat transfer

  • Presentation

    • Take 2-3 minutes to talk about your structure

• Reflection

  • What are 3 things you were able to get accomplished today

    • What are two things you could improve your design?

    • How did this activity allow you to learn more about heat transfer?

    • Were there any activities that were fun? If so what were they? If the activities were not fun, what would have made this activity more fun?

    • Has your interest in science changed because of this project? Explain?