Solar Energy as a Teaching Tool

The Epiphany School faculty has seized the opportunity to use their new green classroom building as a teaching tool. In fact, they've taken it a step further; the lessons offered by the building have stimulated a broad, faculty-wide initiative to integrate sustainability into classroom learning throughout the school. In addition to curriculum enhancements, Epiphany School's commitment to sustainability includes setting and acting upon operational goals. Sustainability curriculum ranges from solar energy, recycling, composting, and water conservation to name a few.



Solar energy is explored through the following:



•Fifth grade students will investigate solar energy through a unit that integrates science and art. Students will learn about how solar energy works, investigate the building's solar fans and photovoltaic panels, track solar energy production by monitoring the meter wall, and design their own solar structures using skills from both art and science.



•The meter wall will allow students to measure, observe, and make calculations regarding the amount of energy and water the building is using. Students will track energy and water use on an ongoing basis, connecting their daily activities to the resources on which they depend.



•Solar fans and photovoltaic panels will demonstrate the use of renewable energy and the relationship of solar power to wind. Ongoing monitoring of solar energy production will be the responsibility of older students.



•The sundial will help students understand the relationship of the Earth to the sun throughout the year, connecting them to seasonal cycles and natural systems. In addition, comparing sundial observations to the output of the solar panels will illuminate how the changing solar path affects the energy produced.