Mission Possible

Your mission, if you chose to accept it, create a device that can point to the sun.  You will have:

• 4 solar modules
• 1 AC motor
• craft sticks
• glue gun
• work lamp

The Rieke 5th graders were given a challenge to create a solar tracker as a conclusion to our engineering design unit.  Each team had to figure out the correct way to connect the 8 leads from the four solar panels to the motor so that when the left side of the solar 'home' faced the light the motor would turn to the left, when the right side faced the light the motor would spin right, and when the unit was directly facing the light, the motor would stop.  As one student remarked 'my group kept on trying and trying but after the 1,000th time we finally got it.'  The students learned that there is knowledge earned in trying and failing as long as they keep trying.  By the end of the session, each team completed their mission!