Curated OER
Solar Car Races: Build and retrofit for speed
If you have solar car kits for your junior high schoolers, they can experiment with photovoltaic cell angle, light intensity, and aerodynamic design to discover what makes their car move more quickly. This is a classic activity to use...
Curated OER
Build Your Own Car
Students design and build their own cars. In this physics activity, students test their car's speed and make changes when necessary. They graph data and analyze results.
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Solar Car Series: Angle/Energy Amount
Does the angle of a solar panel change the output? Emerging engineers find out! Demonstrate for your class how they can angle a straw to match the angle of light rays coming from a source. Then turn them loose to experiment with the...
Curated OER
Monster Cars: Slope
Students examine how a rate is calculated from two points. Using battery operated cars, pairs of students measure time and distance. Afterward, they use this data to calculate the rate. Students then plot four ordered pairs and discover...
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Solar Car Series: during What Part of the Day Can the Most Sun Power Be Collected?
In preparation for solar car races, middle schoolers attempt to discover what time of day the most solar energy can be collected. Begin by demonstrating the use of a voltmeter for measuring solar cell output. Take them outdoors to take...
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Go Car, Go!
Students design and build their own car. In this physics lesson, students collect data to determine the speed of the car. They plot the data on the graph analyze the relationship between variables.
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Build and Test Your Car Continued
Students create and build cars to race in class. In this physics lesson, students calculate the speed using distance and time information. They evaluate their design and make adjustments when needed.
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The Great States Race
Here is another in the interesting series of lessons that use the special State Quarters as a learning tool. This one uses the Indiana State Quarter. During this lesson, utilize a brilliantly-designed board game that is embedded in the...
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Rocket Car
Students construct a balloon-powered rocket car from a Styrofoam tray, pins, tape, and a flexible straw, and test it along a measured track on the floor. They experiment with ways of increasing the distance the rocket car travels.
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Rover Races
Students identify the challenges encountered by astronauts in operating a planetary rover. In this space science instructional activity, students create a rover using their team members. They follow a command sequence from the driver and...
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Quilting Our Diverse Classroom
Students explore diversity and race by creating art. In this ethnic background lesson, students discuss their family history, where their relatives lived and how it affects their life today. Students create pieces of a quilt representing...
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Time Trials
Students investigate speed, time and distance. In this algebra lesson, students utilize their knowledge of linear equations to solve problems related to time, speed and distance. This assignment is hands on using two toy race cars.
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Let's Make a Solar Car
Learners transform a car that they have built out of K'NEX into a solar car. Students add one or two solar cells to the car to power a DC motor then connect the motor to the car and come up with a method to drive the car. This is the...
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Solar Car activity
Students study the basic concept of solar energy. They build a working solar car. Students comprehend how solar energy can be produced via a solar panel. They examine the physics that describe how a solar panel works.
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Relay Race
Students program RCX cars to relay information to one another via Mail when triggered by light sensors. The light sensors are appropriately spaced to allow for timed triggers.
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Get Geared Up
Middle schoolers calculate gear ratio as they solve word problems. They discuss and find slopes as they relate to real life. Additionally, they hey use ratio and proportion to make predictions and solve problems.
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Race Track (Culminating Activity)
Students graph and solve linear equations. In this algebra lesson, students use the slope and y-intercept to graph lines. They relate lines to the real world using different applications.
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Vectors
Students describe a complex path by the use of adding vectors. They are explained the procedures and rules of the balloon car race. Students are remined that the summary and answers to the questions are due Monday. They are given the...
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Aerodynamic Design
Students research aerodynamic design. In this aerodynamic design instructional activity, students investigate wind resistance on a car. Students explore the reasons necessary for aerodynamic design.
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A Tall Ship and a Star to Steer Her By
High schoolers create a water transportation device powered by wind. In this wind power lesson, students research transportation concepts after reading the poem "Sea Fever" by John Masefield. High schoolers design the fastest sailboat...
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Newton's 2nd Law
Fourth graders discuss Newton's Second Law of Motion, and the acceleration of fast and slow moving objects. They experiment with items with different masses to determine the effect mass has on acceleration using a toy car. They complete...
Colorado State University
What Is Energy?
Don't let the energy of your classroom falter! Explore the scientific definition of energy through play. A hands-on lesson focuses on the change of energy from one form to another.
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Three, Two, One, Go!
Students work in teams conducting an experiment that demonstrates why the height of an inclined plane affects the speed at which an object travels. They record data on a chart and calculate speed to reveal the results of three trials at...
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A South African Storm
Students read a letter titled "A South African Storm" on her experiences of discrimination in the country. Individually or as a class, they answer questions about the author's purpose in writing the piece was and how she made herself...