The Coal Museum’s Solar Roof

About this resource

In 2017, a museum all about Kentucky coal put about 80 solar panels on its roof. Why would a coal museum make electricity from sunlight? All our energy comes from nature — and every choice has good points and effects on the land, air, and water. In this one-week, 5-level Energy Resources & Environmental Effects unit for 4th grade science (NGSS 4-ESS3-1), students investigate a real mystery, then use their evidence to crack the case.

The Coal Museum’s Solar Roof is part of Science Unlocked, a series of mystery-driven lesson sets. Every set opens with a real, surprising phenomenon, builds the science one level at a time, and ends with students solving the mystery in a claim-evidence-reasoning (CER) write-up.

Topics: natural resources, claim evidence reasoning (CER), science phenomenon, review games.

What's included

• Teacher Deck (86 slides, PowerPoint). Answers are highlighted on the slides. Speaker notes tell you what to say and do, what to watch for, and how to support students or push GT students further. Prep slides and answer keys are hidden, so they skip during a slideshow.
• Interactive Student Deck (52 slides, PowerPoint + PDF). Students type in boxes, drag cards and check marks, and rate their confidence. Assign one copy per student in Google Classroom or your LMS.
• Google Slides versions of both decks. Click a button in the Google Slides Links PDF to make your own copy in Google Drive.
• Teacher Guide (24-page PDF). The standard, a week at a glance, a materials list, misconceptions to watch for, a run-of-show for every level, answer keys and sources.
• Student Printable (16-page PDF + a low-ink greyscale copy). The same tasks on paper in 12 pt type, for students without devices, sub days, or anyone who learns better with a pencil. Slide numbers match the Student Deck.
• Self-grading digital activity. SCORM 2004 and SCORM 1.2 packages for an LMS that accepts SCORM uploads, a web package, and a single HTML file that opens in any browser. Notes, sorts, matches, tables and multiple-choice items grade themselves, and students get a copy-and-paste backup of their work. A 2-page teacher quick start is included.
• Two whole-class review games that open in any browser: a Jeopardy-style game (6 categories, 30 clues) and Trashketball, where teams answer on whiteboards and then shoot for points.
• Kahoot! and Blooket import files. 48 review questions, one file per level plus an all-levels file, with a printable answer key.
• Start Here guide, HTML & SCORM how-to guide and Terms of Use, so you know which file to open first.

The 5 levels (about one 45–50 minute class each)

1. Power From Nature. Energy and fuels come from natural resources. Key activities: The Coal Museum mystery, Coal-to-Lamp order, Source-or-User sort.
2. Will It Run Out? Obtain, combine information, renewable vs. nonrenewable. Key activities: Info Detective notes, Fact Files, renewable sort, Combine the Facts table.
3. Catch the Wind and Sun. Investigation: more wind or sun leads to more energy (cause and effect). Key activities: Wind Lift machine (teacher fan), Sun Light station, Lab Conclusion.
4. Every Choice Has Effects. Using resources affects land, air, water, and habitats. Key activities: Effect match, Kentucky electricity chart, benefits-and-effects table.
5. Crack the Case. Stretch MS-ESS3-3: monitor and minimize an impact (Kentucky elk). Key activities: Elk Stretch, Crack the Case CER.

Built for real classrooms

• Every level follows the same routine: "I can" targets with a confidence check, a warm-up, copy-it notes with a word bank, hands-on practice, a checkpoint students must pass to unlock the next step, and an exit ticket. A 10-item Mini Quiz wraps up the week.
• Level 1 opens with a Power-Up on the earlier-grade ideas this standard builds on (K-ESS3-1, K-PS3-1, K-ESS3-3, 3-LS4-4).
• The last level includes a middle school Stretch (MS-ESS3-3) that every student tries and advanced students can take further.
• Hands-on lab (Wind and Sun Stations). Student materials list: Wind Lift machine, 15 paper clips; Box fan (teacher runs it); Small solar panel wired to an LED; Cardboard for shade; Goggles for everyone. Safety notes are on the slides and in the Teacher Guide.
• Support is built in: word banks, sentence starters and support notes on the slides, plus GT extensions.

Standards

• NGSS 4-ESS3-1: Obtain and combine information to describe that energy and fuels are derived from natural resources and their uses affect the environment.
• SEP: Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information · DCI: ESS3.A · CCC: Cause and Effect
• Stretch: MS-ESS3-3
• CCSS connections: 4.OA.A.1, RI.4.7, RI.4.9, W.4.7, W.4.8, W.4.9

Try the digital activity first

• Not sure the self-grading activity will work in your LMS? Download the FREE HTML & SCORM Sample and test it with your students before you buy.

Save with a bundle

• Grade 4 Energy (5 sets)
• Grade 4 Complete (17 sets)
• Science Unlocked Mega Bundle (all 89 sets)

Teach next

• The Water Knife (4-PS3-1)
• The Rattling Window (4-PS3-2)
• The Super Bounce (4-PS3-3)
• Light From a Bag of Rocks (4-PS3-4)

More from Mystery Lab Learning

• See every Science Unlocked set, and follow to hear when new ones are added, at Mystery Lab Learning.

Good to know

• The illustrations in this resource were created with AI image tools, and AI tools helped draft the lesson text. Every slide, answer key and lab step was then fact-checked against the sources listed in the Teacher Guide and proofread.
• Kahoot!, Blooket, Jeopardy!, Google Slides and PowerPoint are trademarks of their owners. This resource is not affiliated with or endorsed by them.
• License: one teacher, for use with their own students. Please buy an additional license for each colleague who uses it.