Grade 5 Second Drafts of Solar Cooker Designs

Students were directed to present their first drafts to their group members.  Each group would them create a second draft that would incorporate the best ideas from each of the first drafts.

Group #1

Student A – “The sun in the diagram is to heat the cooker.”

Student B – “But what happens the sun moves?”

Student C – “Maybe we could put something on the outside to angle the sun back into the box.”

Group #2

Arianna says, "I think this [solar cooker] will work because the sun will reflect onto the aluminum foil from the styrofoam."

Brandy says, "The sun will reflect on the aluminum foil to get to the pan to make the hot dog cook.”

Teacher – “How will the aluminum foil reflect the rays?”

Dolores says, “Because it converted the most heat.”

Is the box open or closed?

Shalenid says, "open"

Teacher – “Does your diagram show that?”

“Shalenid says, “We should put that on our diagram.”

Group #3

Teacher, “Explain to me your design.”

Samantha –“We are going to have legs, so if people are tall people don't have to bend over so much and it keep it safe from children.”

Meya- “We are going to have cakes on the flap and aluminum foil in the corners.”

Lateiona – “The cake pan will angle will angle to hit the different flaps then that flap will hit directly onto the food.”

Teacher – “What is inside the box?”

Latifah – “aluminum foil is on all sides.”

Meya – “We better label that.”

Samantha – “Maybe we could put 2 cake pans in.”

Meya – “So we will need to get a bigger box.  what food would the people in Africa eat?”

Latifah – “I think vegetables.”

Lateiona- “For the legs to keep it standing you want to put a lot of duct tape on the sides.”