Ecovoltaics Science Literacy Practice
Provided by: Colorado Agrivoltaic Learning Center|Published on: May 15, 2026
Grades: 3-12
Type: Scientific Reports
Subjects: Science, English Language Arts
Authors: Colorado Agrivoltaic Learning Center
Region: Global, Colorado
Languages: English
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- In this science literacy activity, students will read a grade-level-appropriate adaptation of a peer-reviewed article that examines the replacement of a small portion of farmland devoted to growing corn for ethanol with solar panels.
- The resource includes 5 leveled versions of the article, adapted for 3rd, 4th-5th, 6th-8th, 9th-10th, and 11th-12th grade reading levels.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- The differentiated versions of the scientific article make this lesson accessible for students of varying abilities.
- Students will enjoy playing the included Kahoot to demonstrate their understanding.
Prerequisites
- This article requires students to read numbers as percentages and understand what this means.
- It will help students to be familiar with solar energy as a clean energy source and to understand the difference between clean energy sources and fossil fuels.
Differentiation & Implementation
- After reading about ecovoltaics, students can check out this tour of an ecovoltaic solar garden.
- After this introduction to scientific papers, students can check out other student adaptations of peer-reviewed articles, such as this one for grades 3-8 or this one for grades 6-10.
- After reading the article and recording their answers to the questions, students can discuss how this study poses ecovoltaics as a way to address some of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Students can choose one of the SDGs addressed by ecovoltaics and cite evidence from the paper to support their selection.
This resource presents adaptations of a peer-reviewed article about ecologically informed solar appropriate for grades 3-12. Students are engaged with cutting-edge sustainability science in language they can understand, with terms clearly defined. An excellent guide on how to read science papers is also included. This resource is strongly grounded in climate and sustainability science and is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
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