Students will investigate wind energy, turbine blade design, and rotational motion by designing and testing their own fan-powered model wind turbine. Using a guarded fan, reusable turbine stand, rotating axle, and interchangeable blade sets, students explore how blade shape, length, or angle affects rotation speed.

During this two- to three-day investigation, students count revolutions, calculate RPM, complete repeated trials, graph average rotation speed, and evaluate which blade design performs most effectively. Through engineering design, controlled testing, quantitative data collection, graphing, analysis questions, and a structured Claim–Evidence–Reasoning (CER) response, students connect energy transfer and forces to real-world wind-turbine engineering.

Learning Targets

• Design and build a functional tabletop wind turbine
• Create five interchangeable four-blade rotors
• Investigate how blade shape, length, or angle affects rotation speed
• Identify independent, dependent, and controlled variables
• Conduct a fair test by changing only one blade feature
• Measure revolutions during a timed interval
• Calculate revolutions per minute, average RPM, and range
• Collect and analyze repeated-trial data
• Create and interpret a graph of blade design versus average rotation speed
• Explain results using airflow, force, torque, drag, swept area, and rotational inertia
• Use evidence to evaluate a blade design and propose an improvement

What’s Included

Teacher Guide

Background explanations of wind energy, energy transfer, rotational motion, torque, drag, swept area, rotational inertia, blade angle, blade length, and blade shape. Includes safety information, recommended variable levels, turbine-building instructions, testing guidance, expected results, suggested timing, and common classroom pitfalls with practical fixes.

Student Packet

Driving question, hypothesis prompt, variable-selection chart, variables table, five-design planning chart, blade-design sketches, construction instructions, step-by-step testing procedure, RPM calculations, quantitative and qualitative data tables, graphing task, design evaluation, analysis questions, and a guided CER response.

Engineering Design Challenge

Students build one reusable turbine stand and five interchangeable four-blade rotors. Each group selects one blade feature—shape, length, or angle—to investigate while keeping the remaining design features and testing conditions controlled.

Data Collection & Graphing

Students complete three trials for each blade design. They count revolutions during a 10-second interval, convert their measurements to RPM, and calculate average RPM and range.

Students create either:

• A line graph for numerical blade-angle or blade-length investigations
• A bar graph for categorical blade-shape investigations

They then analyze the pattern and identify the most effective and consistent blade design.

Analysis & Answer Key

Includes sample blade-angle data, completed RPM and percentage-change calculations, a model graph, expected patterns, detailed analysis-question responses, scientific explanations, possible sources of error, and a complete model CER connecting blade design to airflow, torque, drag, and rotation speed.

Rubric

A one-page portrait rubric assesses understanding of the challenge, hypothesis, engineering design, variables, construction and safety, procedure, data collection, calculations, graphing, analysis, scientific understanding, CER writing, and design evaluation.

What Students Will Learn

• How moving air contains kinetic energy
• How a wind turbine transfers energy from moving air to a rotating rotor
• How airflow creates force and torque on turbine blades
• How blade angle, length, and shape can affect rotation speed
• Why changing only one blade feature is necessary for a fair test
• How to measure revolutions and calculate RPM
• How repeated trials and averages improve the reliability of results
• How to select the correct graph type for numerical or categorical data
• Why the fastest-spinning turbine does not necessarily produce the greatest electrical power
• How to evaluate an engineering design using quantitative evidence
• How to use Claim–Evidence–Reasoning to explain experimental results

Why Teachers Love It:

• Real-world renewable-energy connection — students explore the engineering principles used to design wind turbines
• Hands-on engineering design — students build a working tabletop turbine with interchangeable blades
• Gives students a choice of investigating blade shape, blade length, or blade angle
• Builds core lab skills: variables, controlled testing, measurement, repeated trials, calculations, graphing, and analysis
• Uses a classroom fan to provide a consistent and repeatable wind source
• Combines physical science, renewable energy, mathematics, and engineering
• Includes quantitative RPM data, not just visual observations
• Reinforces averages, range, percentage change, and graph interpretation
• Encourages students to consider performance, consistency, limitations, and sources of error
• Includes structured CER writing and an evidence-based redesign proposal
• Perfect for energy units, forces and motion, renewable-energy lessons, STEM projects, or engineering challenges

➡️ You can get this STEM as well as all my other ones in this series inside my STEM Investigations Growing Bundle. As more labs are added, the price will increase. CLICK HERE to have a look

Best For

Physical Science, renewable energy, energy transfer, forces and motion, rotational motion, engineering design, experimental variables, data collection, graphing, CER writing, STEM challenges, or project-based learning.

Materials Needed

Guarded table or box fan; sturdy cardboard box or similar reusable turbine stand; wide cardboard base; straight drinking straw; wooden skewer or thin dowel; reusable adhesive putty; cardstock or thin cardboard for hubs and blades; masking or clear tape; scissors; ruler; protractor; permanent marker; bright tape or marker for a rotation-counting reference mark; timer and slow-motion video device or digital tachometer; measuring tape; optional digital balance; student packet (included).

Estimated Timing

Day 1: Introduce the challenge → select one blade variable → write a hypothesis → plan five blade designs → build the turbine stand and rotors

Day 2: Set up the fan → test each blade design → complete three trials → calculate RPM, averages, and range → create a graph

Day 3 or Homework: Analyze results → complete the CER response → evaluate the design → propose a controlled improvement

Allow approximately 45–60 minutes for designing and building and another 45–60 minutes for testing, calculations, and graphing. Additional class time or homework may be used for analysis questions, CER writing, and the redesign proposal.

➡️ You can get this activity inside my STEM Investigations Growing Bundle.

I also have the following STEM Labs in My Store:

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Assessment

Use the included one-page rubric to score understanding of the investigation, hypothesis, setup and procedure, variables and controls, data and observations, calculations and graphing, data analysis, scientific understanding, CER strength, limitations and improvements, collaboration, and safety.