Students at Kellogg Elementary Create Renewable Energy Companies

Darnella Wesley is teaching her eighth grade students all about renewable energy.  Her ImagineIT project uses an engineering design model to explore renewable energy concepts.  However, there’s one small twist in this lesson!  These eighth graders are CEO’s, CFO’s, and even Vice Presidents of Manufacturing, Engineering, Marketing and Human Resources.  Study teams have created renewable energy companies complete with company names, logos, organization charts and clearly defined objectives.   This “real-world” business approach has already exhibited benefits for both teaching and learning within the classroom.  Wesley strongly feels that her students can effectively learn scientific concepts using real world examples and applications.

She adds, “This business model perspective, added to the project, will provide students with a real life example of how it feels to run a company.  Students will manufacture a product that they must convince the world it needs.”

Each company will prototype and build a renewable energy device.  They will then publish their findings, create a presentation and showcase their work at a school energy fair.  Wesley created the acronym below as a guideline for their final project.

ICE
‘I’ is for INVESTIGATE– Students select a problem to solve with the use of renewable energy.
‘C’ is for CREATE– Students will design a model, document and create their projects such as a solar panel house, garden, or hydro-powered machine.
‘E’ is for EDUCATE-Students will create a display and present their results at a
school energy fair.

Great things are happening at Kate Starr Kellogg Elementary School in Chicago!