Can We Afford to Go Green Yet?
12-15 hours
Physics - Electricity
11-12
Situation: You are about to graduate from high school. For a decade you have been taught to "Go Green" but can
you really afford to go green? Is the technology ready or can you build it yourself? Can you capture electrical or
other power from the sun enough to power your house and car? Or aircraft? Or Boat? Or ??? …Enough to be free
of the utility grid? Enough to sell energy to the utility grid? Or is it less expensive to use fossil fuels for some of
these things?
Is it economical to replace fossil fuels with solar energy? How do the costs of running comparable machines (like
cars, water heaters, lights, anything using fossil fuels now) compare over the average expected life of the machine.
Pd: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the properties of electricity and magnetism and the
relationships between them.
Pc: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the conservation, transfer, and transformation of mechanical
energy.
X
X
X
Website with a summary page giving the project findings linked to detailed
pages showing the details determined by each student.
X
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Web-page showing the economic comparison for the life of a particular pair
of related machines* where one is operated by fossil fuel versus the other
X
operated on solar-cells or similar solar sourced non-fossil-fueled energy.
* machines like air conditioners, heaters, lights, cars, bikes,
© 2boats,
0 1 1 Betc.
UCK INSTITUTE
FOR EDUCATION
P R O J E C T
Entry Event to
launch inquiry,
engage students:
Assessments
O V E R V I E W
Watch Video: “Why Don’t We All Drive On Sunshine”, downloaded 2/8/2014 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_lSxhTatUU
Discuss the implications of this video for this year’s graduates. Ask, “Is it real? Can you really drive for free? What are the real costs?
How does this compare to other personal conveyances currently available?”
Formative
Assessments
(During Project)
Summative
Assessments
(End of Project)
Quizzes/Tests
X
Practice Presentations
Journal/Learning Log
X
Notes
Preliminary Plans/Outlines/Prototypes
X
Checklists
Rough Drafts
X
Concept Maps
Online Tests/Exams
Other:
Written Product(s), with rubric:
____________________________________________________
Other Product(s) or Performance(s), with rubric:
Web Pages, Group and Individual (2 Rubrics).
X
Oral Presentation, with rubric
Peer Evaluation
X
Self-Evaluation
X
X
Multiple Choice/Short Answer Test
Essay Test
Resources Needed
page 2
Other:
On-site people, facilities:
Tom Heitstuman, (Science Department Chair) Vernier Lab Materials
Equipment:
Vernier Lab Materials and electrical kits for Computer Labs 22 Ohm's Law, 23 Series and Parallel Circuits,
and 27 Measuring Electrical Work and Power
Materials:
Community resources:
Reflection Methods
(Individual,
Group, and/or
Whole Class)
Journal/Learning Log
X
Focus Group
Whole-Class Discussion
X
Fishbowl Discussion
Survey
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Heavy lift electrical cranes in the shipyard or onboard minesweepers.
Other: Public feedback posts on web pages
©2011 BUCK INSTITUTE FOR EDUCATION
PROJE C T
TE ACHING
A ND
L E ARNING
GUIDE
page 3
Project: Can We Afford to Go Green Yet?
Major Product(s) and
Presentation
students need to complete
Knowledge and Skills Needed by Students
Scaffolding / Materials / Lessons to be Provided
to successfully complete major
products and presentations
by the project teacher, other teachers, experts,
mentors, community members
How to keep a rigorous adequately detailed scientific journal.

Examples and general requirements will be discussed and updated
each day the journals are checked. Source's APA citations and
tracking requirements , as well as recording daily discoveries of
WIK and WINK ideas as we do experiments and research.
Basic electrical vocabulary, electrical units, and their relationships
to similar mechanical units.

Electrical Terms Glossary from Encyclopedia Britannica,
Vocabulary applied during Labs 22, 23, and 27.
Application of Ohm's Law to simple circuits and branches of more
complex parallel and series circuits.

Completion of Lab 22, 23, and related worksheet problems.
Discussion and application of Ohm's Law considerations in
designing various solar panel and battery circuits as well as power
distribution circuitry, fuses, and safety devices.
Application and comparisons of mechanical and electrical power in
lighting, heating, and automotive/traction equipment.

Completion of Lab 27 and related worksheet problems. Discussion
and application of electrical power equations and conversions of
electrical to mechanical power for comparisons of similar
equipment.
How to construct a fair comparison of all costs associated with a
fossil-fueled system versus a solar powered system to do the same
thing.

Discussion and guided creation of methodology for capturing all
procurement, maintenance, fuel, and other costs for both solar and
fossil-fueled equipment. The resulting template will be the primary
focus for recording and analyzing the data found during the detailed
research phase of the project.
How to use the cost comparison template for the specific equipment
each individual student is considering.

This methodology will be developed as we create the template for
these comparison projects. Step by step procedures will be written
by the class secretary and shared equally.
How to create the required webpages.

This will be a class decision based on what they are familiar with
from other classes. Those who are expert will instruct those who
are not in the use of the tool selected.
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©2011 BUCK INSTITUTE FOR EDUCATION
P R O J E C T
C A L E N D A R
Project: Can We Afford to Go Green Yet?
M O N D A Y
page 4
Time Frame:
T U E S D A Y
W E D N E S D A Y
P R O J E C T
W E E K
T H U R S D A Y
F R I D A Y
O N E
Notes
ENTRY EVENT: View “Why Don’t We All Drive On Sunshine ”
Discuss its implications for this year’s graduates who will soon be
buying their first cars, houses, etc. Can they afford to go green or not?
Discuss the general objectives of the comparison projects.
Discuss WIK and WINK (What I Know and What I Need to Know)
and the keeping of a project journal.
Collect and briefly discuss the WIK and WINK lists.
Do Vernier Computer Experiment 22 Ohm’s Law,
Assign Lab Analysis Report at the end of the handout for Lab 22.
Collect and discuss Lab Analysis
Report 22.
Do Vernier Computer Experiment
23 Series and Parallel Circuits
Assign Lab Analysis Report at the
end of the handout for Lab 23.
Assign: Start your WIK and WINK lists. Make a Xerox copy for the
teacher for next class.
P R O J E C T
W E E K
T W O
Notes
Collect and discuss Lab Analysis Collect and discuss Lab Analysis Report 23.
Report 22.
Do Vernier Computer Experiment 27 Electrical Power
Do Vernier Computer Experiment Assign Lab Analysis Report at the end of the handout for Lab 27.
23 Series and Parallel Circuits
Assign Lab Analysis Report at the
end of the handout for Lab 23.
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Short Quiz on application of Ohm’ Law, circuits, and power.
Watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtfKux9BUnE for “Well
to Wheels Analysis” for ideas on analysis designs.
Select a class secretary to capture and write the step by step procedure
needed to use the template developed during the following discussion.
Discuss and create a methodology for identifying and capturing all
procurement, maintenance, fuel, and other costs for both solar and
fossil-fueled equipment to find true annual costs. The resulting
template will be the primary focus for recording and analyzing the
data found during the detailed research phase of the project.
Assign: Select a pair of comparable fossil-fueled vs solar equipment
and complete the template as much as possible before next class.
©2011 BUCK INSTITUTE FOR EDUCATION
Project: Can We Afford to Go Green Yet?
M O N D A Y
page 5
T U E S D A Y
W E D N E S D A Y
P R O J E C T
W E E K
T H U R S D A Y
F R I D A Y
T H R E E
Notes
Return and discuss the quiz results.
Discuss and solve any short comings of the template and methodology Class review and critique of all
Discuss and solve any short comings of the template and methodology for using it that were discovered during homework.
completed webpages making
for using it that were discovered during homework.
Discuss and solve any shortcomings of the web-book and webpage
Discuss and select Weebly or Prezi or similar webpage generator and
tools.
associated presentation tools. Assign knowledgeable tutors to those
who are unfamiliar with the tools selected. Class creates the group and
Complete as much of the student webpages as possible in class then
individual page rubrics for immediate distribution.
finish at home before next class.
recommendations for any
adjustments to the pages that
would improve their message.
Finalize the webpage rubric.
Make initial assignments for the creation of the web-book structures
before the next class.
Continue research in the computer lab.
P R O J E C T
W E E K
F O U R
Notes
Collect ‘Take-Home Test”. Evaluate the completed webpages versus Return take-home tests and discuss the results, re-teaching as needed.
Class review and critique of all the rubric completed in the last class.
Continue next unit.
completed webpages making
Start next unit.
recommendations for any
adjustments to the pages that
would improve their message.
Finalize the webpage rubric.
Assign: Take-Home test.
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©2011 BUCK INSTITUTE FOR EDUCATION