GEMS: Hot Water and Warm Homes from Sunlight

Students build model houses and hot water heaters to discover more about solar power. They conduct experiments to determine the effects of size, color, and number of windows on the amount of heat produced from sunlight. An introductory activity is an on-paper experiment about growing plants that defines the concepts of a controlled experiment, variable, and outcome.

Newly revised information on the “greenhouse effect” connects to the GEMS guide Global Warming. A section on solar ovens is also included.

Grades 4-8
5 Sessions
80 pages
ISBN: 0-912511-24-9