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“It was the best material I could find when looking around for material for my new Solar Energy class” reports STEM Engineering teacher Drew Erickson of Bend, Oregon.

For ninth graders in the Solar Energy Course at Bend Tech Academy,  The Your Solar Home Student Guidebook provides the structure and content during  the first 5-6 weeks of the course.  For the last five years, teacher Drew Erickson has been following the guidebook for content and projects for his students along with using the Solar Schoolhouse Classroom Set that contains solar cells, motors, fans and other equipment for hands-on learning.

“The YSH guidebook was well done …matching information with an activity that actually worked!” Drew shared.   

The YSH Guidebook takes a broader view of solar energy, including sections on solar geometry, passive solar design, solar thermal (hot water), and cooking …to go with photovoltaics (turning sunlight into electricity).  Most sections include a history story to provide perspective.   There are 19 projects in the guidebook – from making Solar Quadrants to measure sun angles, building solar thermal experiments to cook food or heat water, sundials, making a model passive solar home, solar electric circuit challenges, solar cars, and more.   Drew estimates they completed ~ 80% of the projects in his class.    Students can jump in and start building after a short introduction.  To encourage a closer reread of the material, he updated the quizzes and removed multiple choice answers.  These quizzes are posted on the YSH resource page.  

The students do research projects on Renewable Energy topics, participate in a Green Science Fair, and do units on maglev/hyperloop and on electric cars to supplement the YSH guidebook work.  Drew has been surprised by misunderstandings students have had about electric cars prior to participating in the EV unit.

The Solar Energy Course has been very popular with students at the Tech Academy.  

“It’s one of my favorite classes to teach, because it’s hands-on, and it’s very important information. This class should be at every school in America.  The kids just don’t know. I’m always shocked”

Next, Drew is hoping to use Solar Schoolhouse expanded materials for a follow-up course for his 10th and 11th graders.

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Want to use Solar Schoolhouse materials with your students?  The Your Solar Home Student Guidebook provides a concise, easy to understand overview of The Art and Science of Heating, Cooling, and Powering your Home with the Sun.  The guidebook, The Your Solar Home Reader, YSH Posters, and the accompanying YSH video, plus support can be found on The Solar Schoolhouse website.  The website provides resources, hands-on lesson ideas, teaching tools such as video tutorials and an online catalog of Solar Schoolhouse materials and kits.  Drew used a Solar Cell Classroom Set to help provide hands-on learning for his students. 

Resources

Number 1 Resource available to you for tailoring solar lessons to your unique teaching situation is our program development lead Tor.  Contact Tor with your questions at tor@rahus.org or 707-829-3154

To see the Your Solar Home Student Guidebook in action in a fourth grade class, check out this VIDEO below featuring Otak Jump at Ohlone Elementary School in Palo Alto.  Click on the image to view.