Global Perspectives and Local Landscapes · 6th Year

Active learning ideas

Renewable Energy: Wind and Solar

Active learning transforms abstract energy concepts into tangible experiences, helping students connect theory to real-world systems. Hands-on modeling of wind turbines and solar ovens lets students test variables like wind speed and sunlight intensity, making scientific principles visible and memorable.

• NCCA Curriculum Specifications
• NCCA: Primary - Environmental Awareness and Care
• NCCA: Primary - Caring for the Environment

• 35–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Decision Matrix
• 45 min · Small Groups

Build: Simple Wind Turbine

Provide straws, pins, and fan blades for students to assemble pinwheel-style turbines. Test varying wind speeds from hair dryers or fans, measure blade rotation with timers, and discuss efficiency. Groups record data on paper turbines versus plastic ones.

Compare the advantages and disadvantages of wind and solar energy.

Facilitation Tip

During the Simple Wind Turbine activity, circulate with a handheld fan to help groups test blade angles and count rotations at different wind speeds, ensuring each student records data.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Imagine you are advising the Irish government. What are the top two advantages and top two disadvantages of relying solely on wind and solar power for Ireland's electricity?' Facilitate a class debate, encouraging students to use evidence from their research.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Self-Management

Activity 02

• Decision Matrix
• 50 min · Pairs

Experiment: Solar Oven Challenge

Students line pizza boxes with foil, cover with plastic wrap, and add black paper inside. Place marshmallows or chocolate in ovens under direct sunlight, monitor temperature with thermometers every 5 minutes, and compare results on cloudy versus sunny days.

Explain how wind turbines and solar panels generate electricity.

Facilitation Tip

For the Solar Oven Challenge, position ovens in direct sunlight and use a timer to track temperature changes, asking students to predict outcomes before recording actual results.

What to look for

Provide students with a diagram of a wind turbine and a solar panel. Ask them to label the key components responsible for energy generation and write a one-sentence explanation for how each device converts energy.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Self-Management

Activity 03

• Formal Debate
• 35 min · Pairs

Formal Debate: Wind vs Solar for Ireland

Assign roles for advantages and disadvantages using provided fact sheets on costs, reliability, and Irish sites. Pairs prepare 2-minute arguments, then whole class votes on best energy mix with justification.

Assess the potential for Ireland to transition to 100% renewable energy.

Facilitation Tip

In the Wind vs Solar debate, assign roles (e.g., environmentalist, economist) to push students to defend positions with facts from their prior experiments.

What to look for

On a small card, ask students to write: 1) One specific challenge Ireland faces in transitioning to 100% renewable energy from wind and solar. 2) One potential solution or strategy to overcome that challenge.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Activity 04

• Concept Mapping
• 40 min · Individual

Concept Mapping: Ireland Renewable Sites

Students research wind farms and solar projects via maps or online tools. Mark locations, note capacities, and calculate percentage of national energy. Share findings in a class gallery walk.

Compare the advantages and disadvantages of wind and solar energy.

Facilitation Tip

When mapping Ireland’s renewable sites, provide topographical maps and project live wind/solar data to show how geography affects energy output.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Imagine you are advising the Irish government. What are the top two advantages and top two disadvantages of relying solely on wind and solar power for Ireland's electricity?' Facilitate a class debate, encouraging students to use evidence from their research.

• Understand
• Analyze
• Create
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach this topic by balancing direct instruction with inquiry, avoiding heavy lecturing about energy types before students engage with the phenomena. Prioritize student-led investigations where they manipulate variables, collect data, and revise hypotheses. Research shows that students retain concepts better when they connect their observations to societal decisions, so frame activities around Ireland’s renewable energy goals.

Successful learning looks like students confidently explaining how kinetic and radiant energy convert to electricity, identifying trade-offs between renewable sources, and applying this knowledge to analyze Ireland’s energy choices. They should use evidence from their models and debates to justify opinions.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Simple Wind Turbine activity, watch for students assuming turbines need hurricane-force winds to operate.

  Have students use a fan on low, medium, and high settings to measure rotations per minute, then compare these speeds to Ireland’s average wind speeds (6–8 m/s).

• During the Solar Oven Challenge, watch for students believing panels work in any light condition.

  Ask groups to test ovens under direct sunlight, partial shade, and indoors, then graph temperature changes to show how output drops without direct light.

• During the Wind vs Solar debate, watch for students assuming renewables are always costlier than fossil fuels.

  Provide updated cost-per-kWh data for Ireland and have teams calculate levelized costs, using this evidence to challenge their initial assumptions.

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Methods used in this brief

• Decision Matrix
• Formal Debate
• Concept Mapping