Lesson Plan
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Form vs. Function

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Students take a closer look at cars and learn about some characteristics that affect their energy efficiency, including rolling resistance and the aerodynamics of shape and size. They come to see how vehicles are one example of a product...
Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Runaway Train: Investigating Speed With Photo Gates

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students conduct an experiment to determine the relationship between the speed of a wooden toy car at the bottom of an incline and the height at which it is released. They observe how the photogate-based speedometer instrument "clocks"...
Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: The Car With a Lot of Potential

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Working in teams, students perform quantitative observational experiments on the motion of LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT robotic vehicles powered by the stored potential energy of rubber bands. Students understand that through the manipulation of...
Website
Other

Automotive Industries

For Students 9th - 10th
This site is to an on-line magazine that is loaded with current and up-to-date information on the auto industry. Good general information about the auto industry.
Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Mouse Trap Racing in the Computer Age!

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students design, build and evaluate a spring-powered mouse trap racer. For evaluation, teams equip their racers with an intelligent brick from a LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Education Base Set and a HiTechnic acceleration sensor. They use...
Activity
Colorado State University

Colorado State Univ.: Heat Transfer Resistance Modeling

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from the Colorado State University discusses the tranfer of heat by conduction and convection. Discussion centers around the application of these two heat transfer mechanisms to engines. The variables that effect the resistance...
Unit Plan
National High Magnetic Field Laboratory

Magnet Academy: Ignition Coil

For Students 9th - 10th
Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines and learn about the ignition coil, a type of step-up transformer, key (no pun intended) to the operation of your car. (Java tutorial)
Article
Other

Econogics Co.: Are Electric Cars Coming Back?

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from the Econogics Co. provides an 1960 article from Saturday Evening Post, which touted electric cars even then. This is a long and interesting article (unfortunately no photos), which contrasts sharply with today's "future...
Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Dream Machines

For Teachers 5th
[Free Registration/Login Required] Students read about cars of the future. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in classifying and categorizing.
Website
Other

Planet Ark: World Environmental News

For Students 9th - 10th
Welcome to Planet Ark's daily Reuters World Environment News - the most comprehensive source of environmental news on the Net. To read previous news stories, please use the search engine below to find stories relating to any...
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Veggie Snap! Modifying Bending Stresses in a Flexible Rod

For Students 3rd - 5th
Examples of the effect of bending stresses on flexible rods could include a large tree bending over to the ground, or a fishing pole bending till it snaps. Scientists actually study this phenomenon and discover ways to prevent breakage,...
Graphic
Hunkins Experiments

The Secret Life of Machines

For Students 9th - 10th
An entertaining site that communicates ideas through cartoon drawings. Discover how simple machines and gadgets operate, such as fax machines and washing machines.
Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs Teachers: Hybrid Automobiles

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Examine a car engine illustration to discover the relationship between a motor and a generator. List the pros and cons of hybrid cars, and create a poster on series hybrid cars, parallel hybrid cars or how hybrid cars are different from...
Handout
PBS

Pbs Kids: Design Squad Challenge: Roving on the Moon (Pdf) [Pdf]

For Students 3rd - 8th
Hands-on challenge to build a rubber band-powered cardboard car (rover) that can scramble across the room. Provides full list of materials with ideas on how to build, test, evaluate, and redesign the car if necessary. Activity focuses on...
Lesson Plan
National Science Teachers Association

National Science Teachers Association: Egg Drop and Impulse

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This page offers a detailed description of and a link to a set of lessons that will assist teachers in targeting NGSS standard HS-PS2-3. Students investigate momentum and impulse and are challenged to solve an engineering problem that is...
Activity
PBS

Pbs Kids: Design Squad: Build: Roving on the Moon

For Students 3rd - 8th
Your challenge is to design and build a rubber band-powered car that can crawl across the floor like a moon rover travels across the moon. Are you up to the challenge?
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: It's Hard Work to Work Harden! How to Make Metals Stronger

For Students 6th - 8th
Metals are a part of our lives in so many ways that we hardly notice them. Cars, bikes, and planes are all composed of metals. Some people even have metal in the dental work in their mouths. Therefore the strength and dependence of metal...
Activity
PBS

Pbs Kids: Activities and Videos: Force/energy

For Students 3rd - 8th
Videos that accompany activities that are hands-on challenges that focus on the engineering design process. They use simple materials, allow for multiple solutions, and are ideal for ages 9-12.
Lesson Plan
Better Lesson

Better Lesson: "Let Go of My Lego"

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Junior scientists use their imagination to create a Lego car. This investigation allows scientists to see that they can put items together to create some new product. Videos of the lesson in action and examples of student's journal...
Interactive
Colorado State University

Csu: Four Stroke Fuel Air Otto Cycle Gasoline (C7 H17)

For Students 9th - 10th
A Java applet which allows the visitor to investigate the physical parameters associated with the individual strokes of a 4-stroke gasoline engine. Visitors enter parameters such as exhaust temperature, fuel ratio, and ambient pressure...
Website
Careers New Zealand

Careers New Zealand: Motor Vehicle Salesperson

For Students 9th - 10th
Although based out of New Zealand, this site provides quality information on the occupation of selling vehicles. Information includes typical tasks and duties, personal requirements needed for the job, education requirements, typical...
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Spin Right 'Round With This Simple Electric Motor

For Students 6th - 8th
If you put on clothes that were washed in a washing machine, rode in a car, ate food from a fridge, warmed up lunch in a microwave, or played a video game, you used an electric motor. Try this science fair project and you'll learn how to...
Lesson Plan
Other

Mattel: Hot Wheels: Speedometry

For Teachers 4th - 5th
This resource is part of a two unit curriculum designed for fourth-graders using the 5E Instructional Model (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate and Evaluate) to support students as they investigate the effect that height and other...
Lesson Plan
Better Lesson

Better Lesson: Exploring Force and Motion

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Students will explore what they can do with balls, cars, marbles, and ramps and document findings in their science journals. This will engage their curiosity, allow them to make self-discoveries, and explore self-interests.

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