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Description
Students will gain an understanding of how energy, in the form of wind, can act on other objects to cause motion. Students will learn that they can use this energy to move their own objects and that wind energy is harvested in large quantities to produce electricity for manufacturers and communities.
In this activity, students will make and decorate a personal pinwheel from paper, a pencil and a tack. They will explore the concept of the wind outdoors by observing how the wind acts on objects. They will observe their pinwheel in both a windy and sheltered area and observe its movements by counting the rotations.
This activity includes discussion questions and an extension activity to build an anemometer.
General Assessment
Recommendation of how and where to use it
"Who Has Seen the Wind?" is an excellent hands-on outdoor activity for the early elementary Science classroom. It supports the outcomes related to Air and Water in the Environment and the concept of energy alternatives. It could be used to illustrate the concept of wind energy concretely after classroom discussions.
Relevant Curriculum Units
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- Alberta
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- Kindergarten
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- Science: Daily and seasonal changes affect all living things.
- Science: The motion of objects depends on their properties
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- Explore Your World: Diversity and Social Responsibility
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- Matter and Energy: Energy in Our Lives
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- Earth and Space Systems: Air & Water in the Environment
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- Air and Water in the Environment
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- Kindergarten
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- Science: Daily and seasonal changes affect all living things.
- Science: The motion of objects depends on their properties
Themes Addressed
Energy (2)
- Alternative Energy
- Energy Generation
