Renewable Energy: Power the World with Sustainable Fuel with Hands-On Science Activities for Kids

By Joshua Sneideman, Erin Twamley and Micah Rauch

A hands-on project book all about renewable energy for young scientists looking toward the future!

How do we heat our homes, light our rooms, and power our cars? With energy! And the type of energy we use matters to our health and the health of the planet.

In Renewable Energy: Power the World with Sustainable Fuel, young scientists ages 9 to 12 learn how switching from nonrenewable energy sources to renewable ones can help make our homes, businesses, cities, and world better, healthier places. What are those renewable resources? Solar, wind, biofuel, hydro, and geothermal!

Renewable energy has a long history, and recent advances in technology are changing communities around the planet, from those on tiny islands to massive countries with millions of people. Learn about which energy sources are best for different uses, and how we need to use all renewable resources available to help curb the climate crisis. Plus, gain a deep understanding of the kinds of jobs that are waiting in renewable energy fields!

Hands-on projects, essential questions, links to online primary sources, and science-minded prompts to think more about energy, the environment, and the repercussions of our choices make this book a key addition to classrooms and libraries.

Additional materials include a glossary, a list of media for further learning, a selected bibliography, and index. All books are leveled for Guided Reading level and Lexile and align with Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards.

All titles are available in paperback, hardcover, and ebook formats.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nomad Press
• Release date: Apr 15, 2024
• ISBN: 9781647411176

Joshua Sneideman

Joshua Sneideman is the vice president at Learning Blade, an organization focusing on exposing students to STEM careers. A former Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow at the Department of Energy, he is also the award-winning author of multiple STEM education books and TED-Ed cartoons. Sneideman and his family live in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

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Copyright © 2024 by Nomad Press. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review or for limited educational use. The trademark Nomad Press and the Nomad Press logo are trademarks of Nomad Communications, Inc.

ISBN Softcover: 978-1-64741-119-0

ISBN Hardcover: 978-1-64741-116-9

Educational Consultant, Marla Conn

Questions regarding the ordering of this book should be addressed to

Nomad Press

PO Box 1036, Norwich, VT 05055

www.nomadpress.net

CONTENTS

Timeline

Introduction

Powering Our Planet

Chapter 1

Sunlight, Sunlight, Is It Too Bright?

Chapter 2

Catching the Wind

Chapter 3

The Power of H2O

Chapter 4

Tapping Into Mother Earth

Chapter 5

Veggie Power

Chapter 6

Powering Our Future

Glossary • Metric Conversions

Resources • Essential Questions

Index

Interested in Primary Sources? Look for this icon.

Some of the QR codes in this book link to primary sources that offer firsthand information about the topic. Many photos are considered primary sources because a photograph takes a picture at the moment something happens. Use a smartphone or tablet app to scan the QR code and explore more! You can find a list of the URLs on the Resources page. You can also use the suggested keywords to find other helpful sources.

renewable energy

TIMELINE

Introduction

POWERING

OUR PLANET

Look around your house. Are the lights on? Is someone watching television? Is a cell phone charging? We use energy every day to power our world. Most of the energy we need comes from burning fossil fuels, which are nonrenewable energy sources. For our future, however, we are looking toward renewable energy sources that naturally replenish themselves.

ESSENTIAL QUESTION

Why is it important to find and use renewable energy sources in place of fossil fuels?

WORDS TO KNOW

WORDS TO KNOW

Renewable energy is competing against fossil fuels, which have dominated the energy industry for the past 150 years. We need energy to power everything from heat and air conditioning to cars, cellphones, and video games. The burning of fossil fuels causes pollution and climate change and is not sustainable. Using renewable energies will help restore a cleaner and greener planet.

Every day, new scientific discoveries are made and new technology created from what we learn. These technologies allow us to develop and improve renewable energy sources that produce clean energy and end our reliance on fossil fuels.

In this book, we’ll investigate five different renewable energies—solar, wind, hydropower, geothermal, and bioenergy. We’ll also learn about the passion and hard work of people who work in the fields of science, technology, and engineering.

These renewable energy technologies are moving us toward a single shared goal—a cleaner future.

A RENEWABLE HISTORY

Humans have been looking to the world around them for energy solutions for a long time—thousands of years!

Wind was used as a power source more than 7,000 years ago. Ancient Egyptians harnessed the wind to propel boats along the Nile River in Egypt.

Around 3,000 years ago, the Persians began using wind power to pump water and grind grain. Now, we see wind turbines dotting the horizon all over the world to produce the electricity we rely on.

The Scientific Method

A scientific method worksheet is a useful tool for keeping your ideas and observations organized. The scientific method is the process scientists use to ask and answer questions. Use a notebook as a science journal to make a scientific method worksheet for each experiment you do.

Question: What are we trying to find out? What problem are we trying to solve?

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Research: What is already known about this topic?

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Hypothesis: What do we think the answer will be?

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Equipment: What supplies are we using?

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Method: What procedure are we following?

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Results: What happened and why?

WORDS TO KNOW