Renewables Seminar Digital Notebook

Cover & Table of Contents

Can We Generate All Our Electricity from Renewables?

Throughout this two-week seminar, you will explore data, articles, and global comparisons about renewable energy — wind, solar, and the path to a cleaner electricity grid. This Digital Notebook contains multiple tabs for each day of the seminar. You will submit it at the end of the second week for feedback and scoring.

Be sure to work through the lessons and corresponding assignments according to the pacing determined by your instructor. Do not skip ahead. Perusall is due by Tuesday of the first week at 11:59 PM AZ; the notebook is due by Sunday at 11:59 PM at the end of the second week.

Project Overview · Seminar Notebook

Project Overview

Energy is a question of values as much as a question of physics. The data tells us what wind and solar can do today, but it doesn't tell us whether we should build a wind farm on a beloved ridgeline, whether a city can afford the transition, or how to support workers in industries that may shrink. This seminar asks you to wrestle with both — the numbers and the choices.

The seminar's driving question: Can we generate all of our electricity from renewables?

Includes the Seminar Rules of Engagement and a Curriculum Connections table tying the topic to Science, Math, Social Studies, ELA, and World Languages.

Week 1 · Monday

Required Reading

Reading list and Perusall expectations. The three required articles cover wind turbine scaling, public support for renewables, and the social negotiation of siting wind farms. Optional extensions go deeper into solar mechanics and economic critiques.

Reference page — no student response required.

Week 1 · Tuesday

Perusall Mindful Moment

A five-minute reflection where students paste their Perusall comment, then a cross-cohort discussion noting what different grade levels are surfacing in their threads. Two response fields.

Week 1 · Wednesday

World Renewable Energy Trends

Mindful moment free-write ("Which form of renewable energy holds the most promise?"), then full-class data walkthrough of slides 4–8 followed by small-group work on wind (slides 8–9, 14–15, 17) and solar (slides 10–12, 29, 31). Closes with a two-fact table where students cite specific slides.

Week 1 · Thursday

The Power of Wind

Six-minute yoga break, then deeper data work on slides 16, 19–27. Discussion prompts on home energy sourcing, US vs. international wind generation, and land-use tradeoffs. A self-awareness callout on assumptions, and the two-fact table.

Week 1 · Friday

Reflection and Self-Evaluation

Three-row rubric self-score (Participation, Listening/Response, Critical Analysis) with space to explain each score, followed by a forward-looking reflection.

Week 2 · Tuesday

A Closer Look at Solar

Small-group data work across slides 29–43, divided among four groups. A "Group Notes" table with four rows for capturing key takeaways from each group's presentation.

Week 2 · Wednesday

Country Research Project

Optimism/pessimism free-write, then group research on one of eight assigned countries (Netherlands, UK, Canada, UAE, Japan, Germany, China, or a country of choice). Five guiding research questions, and a field to drop the link to the group's presentation.

Week 2 · Thursday

Presentations and the Big Question

The driving question free-write ("After two weeks of study, can we generate all our electricity from renewables?"), then structured note-taking on the country presentations — what stood out, five things learned, and lingering questions.

Week 2 · Friday

Final Self-Evaluation

Second-week rubric self-score (same three criteria as Week 1) plus a longer two-week reflection: where students started, where they are now, and a 3–5 sentence answer to the driving question with specific evidence from the past two weeks. Closes with the notebook submission reminder about canned/AI-generated responses being flagged on the rubric.