Lesson 1.

4 - The Challenge & Initial Design

Time Allotted: 35-45 minutes

Learning Objective(s) Inquiry Question: What is energy? What can be a source of thermal energy? How is
thermal energy transferred between objects?

By the end of this lesson students will...

● Accept a challenge to design and build a device to capture solar energy.
● Begin the design process by sketching an initial design plan.

Links to BC Curriculum Grade 3 Science:

Curricular Competencies
Questioning and predicting
● Demonstrate curiosity and a sense of wonder about the world
● Identify questions about familiar objects and events that can be
investigated scientifically
● Make predictions based on prior knowledge
Planning and conducting
● Suggest ways to plan and conduct an inquiry to find answers to their
questions
Communicating
● Represent and communicate ideas and findings in a variety of ways, such
as diagrams and simple reports, using digital technologies as appropriate
Content
● sources of thermal energy
● transfer of thermal energy

Applied Design, Skills & Technologies:

Curricular Competencies
Ideating
● Identify needs and opportunities for designing, through exploration
● Generate ideas from their experiences and interests
● Add to others’ ideas
● Choose an idea to pursue

Materials WISE Content: Step 2.3

Internet-enabled devices
Paper and drawing tools (pencils, erasers, crayons, markers…)

Format Blended

Assessment Strategies Formative: Review discussion board posts to provide informal feedback and
guidance as needed.

Time allotted
Procedure
 Hook Tusk Trust Documentary - 13 Solar Energy (5:49):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypJolIe5AVA

Main Tasks Call to Action

After watching the Tusk Trust Documentary, students are challenged to redesign a
device to help citizens in Kenya to more effectively use solar energy. (Note: Teachers
30-40 minutes are strongly encouraged to choose a design challenge that will be relevant to their
own students).
1. Discuss:​ Guide the class through a discussion about the social and
environmental implications of using solar energy for cooking as described in
the documentary.
2. Challenge: ​Set the challenge of designing a device to harness solar energy
that would improve the lives of the people in the documentary. Students
may be tempted to simply model their design according to the device shown
in the video. Educators should encourage students to design new, creative
and Earth-friendly solutions. ​

WISE Content - Step 2.3

Students will sign-in to WISE and work through Step 2.3:
​ ave students sign in to their WISE account and navigate to Step 2.3.
1. Sign in: H
2. Read:​ Students will read through the WISE content.
3. Design: S​ tudents will begin the design process by writing out an initial idea
for a device and creating an initial sketch or plan for building the device. This
content should be uploaded to the WISE Discussion Board.

Closure Use the final Design step as a closure activity.

5 mins
Extension Students can create more than one design or idea.

Differentiate support & Students with high learning needs​ – Partner with a classmate to help brainstorm
Scaffolding strategies and begin the design process.

Proficient learners​ – Allot sufficient time to cover the content in WISE and design a
device.

Extending proficient learners ​– Students can create more than one design or idea.
Resources