Here's an exciting and innovative lesson that's sure to get your charges fired up! In it, they use engineering design principles to construct and test a fully solar powered car. One caveat: the kits that each group needs to make their...

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...

Attractive and logical instructions are provided for constructing a balloon-powered car. Young physical scientists measure the distance their car travels and record it on a pre-printed data sheet. The make alterations to improve the...

No vacuum cleaner? No problem, just build your own. Scholars apply knowledge of currents to build a model of either a vacuum clear, a hair dryer, or a toy car. While the class completes the activity, instructors consider gender...

Students find their dream car by looking in car brochures and magazines. In this language arts lesson, students discuss what their dream car is. Finally, students get into small groups and rank their group's dream cars from highest to...

Students investigate which metal is best to use as storage material in hydrogen cars. In this chemistry lesson, students differentiate endothermic and exothermic reactions. They write a reflection paragraph about what they learned in the...

Youngsters should have fun learning about and making a train. The children will learn that some trains carry people and some carry goods, identify different railroad cars, and understand that trains need tracks that are in good condition...

Students design, construct and evaluate a solar powered model car.  For this solar power lesson students compete in a "solar sprint" race once their car is created. 

Students rebuild two different makes of cars. They calculate the cost of rebuilding the car. They create a spreadsheet to track their progress and costs.

Learners are challenged to design a toy or something that can attach to a toddler's car seat to help distract them during long car trips. Students research toddler toys prior to beginning the design process in order to determine the...

Students build wind driven model cars which they will race while working in racing teams. They write a newsletter about their pit crew, describing the construction of their car, and how their car is most beneficial to the environment....

Students read descriptions of various anti-theft devices and investigate car security systems on the Internet. They write and present a television commercial for one of the anti-theft devices and present it to the class.

Students disassemble a toy. In this science instructional activity, students compare and contrast the inner mechanisms of a toy car. Students predict and illustrate what the inner mechanism look like. Then, they disassemble the toy, and...

Students study the safety message "Stay Back from tracks and trains!" students count animals and train cars, and repeat The Circus Train poem

Students calculate a toy car's velocity and acceleration. In this force and motion lesson plan, students build ramps and attach a dropper to a toy car, which is released down the ramp. Students calculate and graph velocity and...

Students create an artistic response to the book, The Polar Express. In this creative writing lesson, students read the book and visualize an imaginary journey they would like to go on. Students create a train car from construction paper...

Learners explore basic transportation vehicles, specifically air, land, and water vehicles, name six different modes of transportation, identify four different kinds of train cars, and three differences between two different modes of...

Students identify the different types of batteries available in the market. For this science lesson, students discuss how to select the right batteries for a car.

Students examine and read advertisements related to cars. Using the ads, they recognize prices, telephone numbers, content and the target audience of the ad. They create their own advertisement using appropriate vocabulary and share them...

Students create and perform short skits, based on teacher provided scenarios, dealing with sexually transmitted diseases in order to reinforce the fact that STD's may be present but may not be symptomatic and how to communicate with...

Students role play the role of immigrants coming to America for the first time. They complete an imaginary trip with their family and must rent a car and make seven stops along the way. They calculate distances and use maps to...

Fourth graders create a class book with information about each of the United States. After students draw a state name out of a hat, they use various resources to fill in a facts chart about their state. Students draw the state flag and...

A simple, yet effective classroom activity is described in this resource on leaves and how they grow. The activity should lead pupils to discover how plants make their own food and what they need to survive. In the activity, they create...

Students explore invention and unveiling of world's first Ferris wheel, analyze photographs and poster of first Ferris wheel, and discuss engineering achievements of Ferris wheel, including how it worked, how it was built, and its...