Description

In this interdisciplinary STEAM unit, we will focus on innovation in sustainable energy. Students will explore the theme, taking an in-depth look into key issues related to energy and sustainability. Students will then design and build a product (prototype, application, service…) that provides an innovative and sustainable solution to an energy-related problem they identify.

STEAM Year 9 – Energy and Sustainability

Unit Plan

In this interdisciplinary STEAM project, we will focus on innovation in sustainable energy. Students will explore the theme while taking in-depth research about key issues related to energy and sustainability. Students will then design and build a product (prototype, application, service...) that provides an innovative and sustainable solution to an energy-related problem they identify.

Resources and Materials

For this unit, students will need the following

Internet Access
Raspberry Pi
PiJuice Solar
Screwdriver, Phillips
Arduino Uno
STEAM Year 9 - Energy and Sustainability on the AI Quintessential platform that can be accessed via any laptop, desktop, iPad or tablet.

Unit Outcomes

1. Develop an understanding of the process of scientific inquiry (Science)

2. Understand fractions and visualise them (Mathematics)

3. Represent data in a variety of ways including text, sounds, pictures and numbers (Mathematics)

4. Demonstrate interpersonal skills, including those of communication and co-operation (English)

5. Identify problems and design innovative solutions (All subjects)

6. Demonstrate an understanding of the problem and form a problem statement (English)

7. Define the term "problem" in the context of innovative solutions (English)

8. Identify a problem and develop a clear problem statement (All Subjects)

9. Develop a clear statement of the driving question (i.e. what the students should work on to find a solution for the identified problem)

10. Generate ideas to solve a problem

11. Research a range of existing ideas which provide a potential solution for the problem, and use the information collected to generate creativity in the innovation process.

12. Design and build a prototype to solve the identified problem.

Practical Experiments

Make Your Pi Solar-Powered
Make your Solar Power Arduino Tracker

STEAM Project Skills Per Subject

Languages and Humanity

Deploy teamwork and leadership skills to support innovation.
Demonstrate the capacity to collaborate with others
Demonstrate interpersonal skills, including those of communication and
co-operation
Exemplify positive and meaningful relationships with peers, leaders, and community members
Communicate and evaluate information related to the innovation process.
Write informative reports and deliver presentations about innovation processes
Demonstrate the capacity to produce a written report on one or more aspects of an innovation process
Demonstrate the capacity to deliver a verbal presentation to an audience on one or more aspects of an innovation process

Science

Plan and carry out investigations to support the innovation process.
Develop an understanding of the process of scientific inquiry
Formulate empirically answerable questions about phenomena, establish what is already known, and determine what questions have yet to be answered satisfactorily
Ask questions that can be answered through investigations
Design scientific and technical investigations
Present, analyze and interpret data to answer a question or design a solution
Analyze, interpret and communicate data using graphs.
State the probability of whether a hypothesis is accepted or not accepted

Maths

Apply aspects of mathematics and computational thinking which support the innovation process.
Represent data through abstractions, for example, models and simulations
Represent data in a variety of ways including text, sounds, pictures and numbers
Use visual representations of problem states, structures and data (for example, graphs, charts, network diagrams, and flowcharts)
Depict and organize data in tables, charts and diagram formats

Engineering

Design, develop and demonstrate a prototype
Demonstrate traditional and digital design sketching techniques
Design a product or simulation based on the scientific principle, requirements and constraints found in the research

Computing