Passive Solar Design: Standards

Building Towards:

PE-MS-PS3-3: Apply scientific principles to design, construct, and test a device thateither minimizes or maximizesthermal energy transfer.

Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

  • Apply scientific ideas or principles to design, construct, and test a design of an object, tool, process or system. (MS-PS3-3)

PS3.A: Definitions of Energy

  • Temperature is not a measure of energy; the relationship between the temperature and the total energy of a system depends on the types, states, and amounts of matter present. (MS-PS3-3)

PS3.B: Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer

  • Energy is spontaneously transferred out of hotter regions or objects and into colder ones. (MS-PS3-3)

ETS1.A: Defining and Delimiting Engineering Problems

  • The more precisely a design task’s criteria and constraints can be defined, the more likely it is that the designed solution will be successful. Specification of constraints includes consideration of scientific principles and other relevant knowledge that is likely to limit possible solutions. (secondary to MS-PS3-3)

ETS1.B: Developing Possible Solutions

  • A solution needs to be tested, and then modified on the basis of the test results in order to improve it. There are systematic processes for evaluating solutions with respect to how well they meet criteria and constraints of a problem. (secondary to MS-PS3-3)

Energy and Matter

  • The transfer of energy can be tracked as energy flows through a designed or natural system. (MS-PS3-3)

Bundled With:

PE-MS-PS3-4.Plan an investigation to determinethe relationships among the energy transferred, the type of matter, the mass, and the change in the average kinetic energy of the particles as measured by the temperature of the sample.

Planning and Carrying Out Investigations

PS3.A: Definitions of Energy

PS3.B: Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer

Scale, Proportion, and Quantity

PE-MS-PS1-6.Undertake a design project to construct,test, and modify a devicethat either releases or absorbs thermal energyby chemical processes.

Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

ETS1.B: Developing Possible Solutions

ETS1.C: Optimizing the Design Solution

Energy and Matter

PE-MS-ESS2-1. Develop a model to describethe cycling ofEarth's materials and the flow of energy that drives this process.

MS-ESS2.A: Earth’s Materials and Systems

Stability and Change

ELA/Literacy Common Core State Standards Connections

  • RST.6-8.1 - Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts. (MS-ETS1-1), (MS-ETS1-2), (MS-ETS1-3)
  • RST.6-8.3 - Follow precisely a multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks. (MS-PS3-3) (MS-PS1-6)
  • RST.6-8.7 - Integrate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text with a version of that information expressed visually (e.g., in a flowchart, diagram, model, graph, or table). (MS-PS1-4) (MS-ETS1-3)
  • WHST.6-8.7 - Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration. (MS-PS3-3) (MS-PS3-4) (MS-PS1-6) (MS-ETS1-2)
  • WHST.6-8.9 - Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis reflection, and research. (MS-ETS1-2)
  • SL.8.5 - Integrate multimedia and visual displays into presentations to clarify information, strengthen claims and evidence, and add interest. (MS-ESS2-1)(MS-ETS1-4)

Mathematics Common Core State Standards Connections

  • MP.2 - Reason abstractly and quantitatively. (MS-PS3-4) (MS-ETS1-1), (MS-ETS1-2), (MS-ETS1-3), (MS-ETS1-4)
  • 6.SP.B.5 - Summarize numerical data sets in relation to their context. (MS-PS3-4)
  • 8.EE.B.5 -Graph proportional relationships, interpreting the unit rate as the slope of the graph. Compare two different proportional relationships represented in different ways. For example, compare a distance-time graph to a distance-time equation to determine which of two moving objects has greater speed.

Passive Solar Design: Teacher Information

Passive solar design is the utilization of the sun's energy, the geographical climate, and the properties of different materials to heat and cool buildings. It includes a variety of methods that use no human-made energy to operate and can reduce the amount of energy needed for heating and cooling by considerable amounts. In years past, indigenous people who lived in harsh desert locations built partially-underground homes that kept them cool during the day and warm at night. They also built adobe homes in cliff-side caves that were chosen because the winter sun warmed them and the summer sun couldn't reach them.

Passive solar should not be confused with active solar design or photovoltaic solar cells. While active solar design is similar to passive, it uses small amounts of energy to help transport the heat created. For example, if a solar wall heats up air that then naturally rises, it is called passive solar; if a fan was used to help move the air, then it would be considered "active."

Below are examples of how some materials you provide your students might be used:

●Foam core board: for walls and roofing, absorbs thermal energy and releases it slowly, and is an insulator

●Thin clear plastic: to let light in as windows, to heat up the homes

●Aluminum foil: to imitate metal surfaces; reflects heat and light

●Thin rubber: absorbs thermal energy and releases it slowly

●Black fabric: absorbs a lot of heat from light

●Glue: besides holding the house together, it serves as a final insulator to seal up any cracks and small air leaks in the passive solar homes

The “During the Day” test represents the presence of sunshine on a clear day, by shining the bright light on the model homes. If you have ever spent some time in the sun on a hot day, you know that the sun has an incredible ability to heat things up. Think of how hot the inside of a car gets after it has been in the sun for a while. Tapping the sun's power is useful in working towards becoming more energy efficient because its energy is free and in near endless supply. That's why we consider solar energy a "renewable" source of energy.

The simplest method of passive solar heating is sunlight shining through windows. Since we know that the sun rises higher in the sky during the summer than in the winter, engineers and architects design buildings that allow sunlight through the windows during the winter months when the building needs heating, but block the sunlight during the summer to help keep the building cool.

And the “During the Night” test simulates night-time conditions with a cooling breeze. This is done by removing the bright light and using a fan to blow a cool breeze to see how well the model homes retain their heat. After sunset, have you ever felt the warmth from a big rock or a concrete bench that has been in the sun all day? The rock and the bench absorbed and stored the heat, and released it slowly. Working in the same way, a key passive solar technique is for the radiant heat of sunlight that enters a building to be absorbed by a thermal mass inside the structure. A thermal mass might be a big wall or area of floor that is composed of a construction material that is able to absorb large amounts of heat, such as concrete, brick, tiles or even water. As the sun sets and the air temperature lowers, the thermal mass slowly releases the heat it gathered all day to help maintain a comfortable indoor temperature through the night. In the summer, the same thermal mass can draw warmth from the surrounding air to cool a space. In all seasons, the ability of thermal mass to store heat helps to maintain a uniform temperature.

Passive Solar Design: Lesson

Driving Question: What role do different materials play in maximizing energy transfer, and how can we apply this to design a passive solar house?

Student should be familiar with the following DCIs before starting this lesson:

PS3.A: Definitions of Energy

  • The term “heat” as used in everyday language refers both to thermal energy (the motion of atoms or molecules within a substance) and the transfer of that thermal energy from one object to another. In science, heat is used only for this second meaning; it refers to the energy transferred due to the temperature difference between two objects.
  • The temperature of a system is proportional to the average internal kinetic energy and potential energy per atom or molecule (whichever is the appropriate building block for the system’s material). The details of that relationship depend on the type of atom or molecule and the interactions among the atoms in the material. Temperature is not a direct measure of a system's total thermal energy. The total thermal energy (sometimes called the total internal energy) of a system depends jointly on the temperature, the total number of atoms in the system, and the state of the material.

Part 1

Materials

Per group of three students:

●3 Thermometers (if possible use an infrared thermometer for the most accurate results)

●1 watch or timer

●1 clipboard

●1 Field Study Worksheet

Preparation

Determine potential outdoor study sites that students will be testing to determine “How do different types of material affect the amount of thermal energy it can absorb from the sun?” Find study sites that are similar to the materials students will use to design and construct their model passive solar houses later in this lesson.

Study Site Suggestions:

Grass

Asphalt

Metal

Concrete

Gravel

Artificial Turf

Plastic

Wood (tree/bench)

Rubber (tires)

Instructional Sequence

Intro Discussion and Field Investigation Preparation

  • Ask students to think about what happens to objects that are left in the sun for long periods of time. Have them share their experiences with a table partner. If needed, you can prompt the conversations by asking them to think of how hot the inside of a car gets after it has been in the sun for a while.
  • Continue this discussion by asking the students if after sunset they have ever felt the warmth from a big rock or a concrete bench that has been in the sun all day? Where is this warmth coming from? Have the students share their ideas with a table partner. (The rock and the bench absorbed and stored the heat, and released it slowly.)
  • This conversation is used as a formative assessment because it elicits student prior understanding of thermal energy and can surface misconceptions. Record all student ideas proposed during this discussion on chart paper and hang it up in the classroom so that it can be referred to as the students understanding of thermal energy deepens through this lesson.
  • Ask students to help plan a field investigation that can begin to answer the following questions: What happens to objects when they sit in the sun for long periods of time? In the shade? Why does this happen? What factors affect how this happens?
  • This planning process should determine potential study sites around school property, tools needed for investigation, potential protocols and investigation question; i.e. “How do different types of material affect the amount of thermal energy it can absorb from the sun?” Record the final information on chart paper for students.

Field Investigation Protocol

  • Divide the class into groups of three students, and assign study sites around school property.
  • Pass out the thermometers, stopwatches, clipboards and worksheets. (Review how to use a thermometer if needed.)
  • Instruct students to read through the worksheet so they understand the data they will be responsible for collecting; date, time, site, weather conditions and three temperature readings for their study site. Before going outside they should record their study site on the worksheet.
  • Have the students locate their study site and place 3 thermometers flat on the ground. To keep the sun from interfering with the thermometer readings, shade the bulbs of the thermometers from direct sunlight. You can do this by standing between the sun and the thermometer.
  • To ensure an accurate reading wait 3 minutes. Record temperatures on the worksheet without picking up the thermometers.This measurement is a moment in time, and does not represent a change in temperature but it should allow for students to compare results and note patterns in their data.
  • To record the thermal energy coming from the sun during the time they are conducting this field study students should hold their thermometers in the sun without touching the bulb for 3 minutes.

Field Study Analysis

●Calculate average temperatures in Celsius (oC) for each location. (Average = (trial 1 + trial 2 + trial 3)/ 3)

●Create a classroom chart with all of the study sites and temperature averages. Have the students compare and discuss all of the results and comment on trends they notice in the data about the different material types.What patterns do they see in their data? Are there any anomalies? What are the limitations of this type of investigation?

Video

  • Have the students watch the Scholastic.com StudyJam video on heat. There might be a need to watch the video more than once, or to pause the video as it is playing to provide students with time to discuss new concepts.
  • Video Summary
  • Heat is different than temperature
  • Heat is the amount of thermal energy that exists in matter
  • Temperature is a measurements of the thermal energy within an object
  • Little thermal energy equals low temperature
  • High thermal energy equals high temperature
  • There are three primary means of heat transfer: radiation, conduction, and convection
  • Thermal energy, or heat, travels from warmer to cooler objects.
  • Return to the chart about energy that was generated at the beginning of this lesson. Using what they now know from the field study and video, have the students revise the chart by adding, removing and modifying the information as a class. This information will be part of their scientific reasoning when then complete their performance task at the end of this lesson.
  • Ask students to answer the question posed earlier during this investigation, “How do different types of material affect the amount of thermal energy it can absorb from the sun?”in preparation for the design challenge in the next part of the lesson.

Part 2: Design and Construct Passive Solar Houses

Materials

foam core board

thin clear plastic

plastic wrap

Popsicle sticks and/or craft sticks

Cardboard

aluminum foil

thin rubber (any kind)

black fabric (any kind)

tacky glue

thumbtacks

clear tape

masking tape

scissors

pencils, erasers and white or graph paper for designing

Design Challenge Handout

Preparation

Gather building materials and prepare a materials table in the classroom so that students have access to materials they will need to construct their passive solar house.

Instructional Sequence

●Ask students to think about how engineers can use this understanding of how materials absorb thermal energy from the sun to design passive solar homes that use this energy to heat a home. Provide students with time to share their ideas.

●Divide the class into groups of two or three students.

●Hand each group a Design Challenge Handout. Have them look over the handout; answer any questions they may have. Be sure that they understand the design constraints and materials they will be able to use during construction.

oDesign Challenge: To design and build a one-bedroom model passive solar house within the design constraints, utilizing passive solar heating techniques to warm up the house as much as possible and sustain that temperature as long as possible.

oTroubleshooting Tip: Before students begin to design and build, tell them the size of the testing thermometer, because in order to make good readings during the testing phase, it must fit through the door of the passive solar house and entirely inside, and be able to be read through a window.

oDesign Constraints: Floor size ≥ 70 square inches; Roof height ≥ 4 inches; Door size must be able to accommodate a thermometer that can be places entirely inside the middle of the passive solar house with the door closed, and be able to be read through a window.

●Have the teams brainstorm ideas and discuss possible passive solar heating techniques based on their results from Investigation 1 and the materials provided. Encourage them to design unique houses. For example, they do not necessarily have to have the traditional four walls.

●Once teams have come up with several ideas, have them choose one and sketch it on paper. Double-check their designs to make sure they meet the requirements before they can get their materials.

●Give the teams time to build. The amount of time you can dedicate to this project is up to you. Keep them on task by setting interim deadlines.

oDesign Review: Midway through the building phase, have groups give brief presentations to the class (or just the teacher) discussing their designs. Make sure they discuss the passive solar heating techniques they are using. Allow time for questions from their peers.