Lesson Summary

A 13 year old boy, William, was unable to attend school during a famine in Malawi.  He used books borrowed from the public library to learn about how things worked.  He used his new found knowledge to design and build a windmill to create electricity and pump much needed water to the farm.

William used his knowledge to solve a problem!  You can too!  Use your knowledge of natural resources to design and build a device that uses renewable resources (water, wind or sunlight) to perform a task that accomplishes a goal.

Science or Math Standards

• Earth and Human Activity:
   4-ESS3-1. Obtain information to describe that energy and fuels humans use are derived from natural resources and that some energy and fuel sources are renewable and some are not. Clarification Statements: • Examples of renewable energy resources could include wind energy, water behind dams, tides, and sunlight.

ELA Standards

• Vocabulary Acquisition and Use:
  L.4.5. Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. 
  L.4.5.a. Explain the meaning of simple similes and metaphors in context. (i.e. as pretty as)

Video

The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind