Description

Students will design and build a solar oven to convert energy from one form to another. Students will go through the design process and use science and engineering practices to create a solar oven that really works! Students will apply scientific ideas to design and build a working solar oven in this fun, hands-on science lesson. Here is a preview of this product: Solar Oven

This activity starts with phenomena. Students will use Science and Engineering Practices and answer questions aligned with the Crosscutting Concept of Energy while building a solar oven.

This can be used for any upper elementary school grade levels, but it is specifically aligned with fourth-grade science standards:
NGSS 4-PS3-4. Apply scientific ideas to design, test, and refine a device that converts energy from one form to another.* [Clarification Statement: Examples of devices could include electric circuits that convert electrical energy into motion energy of a vehicle, light, or sound; and, a passive solar heater that converts light into heat. Examples of constraints could include the materials, cost, or time to design the device.
Utah SEEd
Standard 4.2.4
Design a device that converts energy from one form to another. Define the problem, identify criteria and constraints, develop possible solutions using models, analyze data from testing solutions, and propose modifications for optimizing a solution. Emphasize identifying the initial and final forms of energy. Examples could include solar ovens that convert light energy to heat energy or a simple alarm system that converts motion energy into sound energy. (PS3.B, PS3.D, ETS1.A, ETS1.B, ETS1.C)