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 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...

Students explore, experiment and analyze the concept of using dummies in a car crash test. They collaborate in a series of tests designed to simulate what really happens in a two-car collision. Each student incorporates probability,...

Students experience both playing a musical instrument and driving a car. The two experiences tied together by one engineer. The score appears as a road, with twists and turns representing the composer's suggested shifts in mood. This...

Math and science meet in this lesson on hybrid electric automobiles. This 24-page resource provides everything you need for teaching a lesson that compares the use of internal combustion engines to hybrid electric engines. Participants...

Students apply the principles of chemistry to investigate the concept of how a hydrogen powered car works. They study the electrochemical reactions that provide the energy source. Students also record observations in the functioning of a...

Ninth graders conduct an experiment demonstrating what happens when a train hits a car using easily accessible materials. They calculate momentum, velocity, and distance using the appropriate formulas. Then they write an incident report...

With rising oil prices and increasing concerns over global warming, the pressure is on for engineers to develop alternative sources of energy. Among the new technologies being developed are hydrogen fuel cells, which young scientists...

Students consider a world in which cars are banned. They work together to develop a sketch of transportation alternatives. They share their ideas with the class.

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. 

Pupils explore distance a toy car travels by changing the amount of batteries used to power the toy car.  In this force and motion lesson, students calculate the average speed of a car while investigating the power from various...

Students harness the power of the sun to design, construct and evaluate a solar-powered model car of their creation. They race their cars in a "Solar Sprint" race modeled after the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Junior Solar...

Students investigate the concerns over fuel sources and the debate over ethanol as an energy source.  In this alternative energy lesson plan students complete an activity of selling and buying an environmentally friendly car. 

Take a look at acceleration within the context of automotive technology. They vary the mass on a toy car and run it down a ramp, exploring Newton's second law of motion. Though this is a classic lab activity, you will appreciate the...

Students examine alternative energy. In this research based instructional activity, students study alternative energy and how it will influence transportation in the future. They will write a report and give an oral presentation of their...

After reading an (attached) article about greenhouse gases, students reply to six questions about what they've learned. This activity would fit well into an environmental science class, a government class, or a current events class...

Here are nine motion problems for physics fanatics to solve. Topics are pretty typical: rifles firing bullets, freight train cars colliding, astronauts gliding through space, balls being thrown. Pupils compute recoil speed, combined...

Eight problems require general physics recruits to calculate acceleration or distance traveled. They read the situations involving cars and buses, running bears, downhill skiers, and a rock slide and then get to work. Provide this as a...

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...

Young scholars share their knowledge about fuel sources, then read a news article about vegetable oil as a cleaner alternative to gasoline. In this current events and environmental science lesson, the teacher introduces the article with...

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....

Where does all of the carbon dioxide come from that is supposedly leading to climate change? Earth science pupils test animal, plant, and fossil fuels as sources in this investigation. Using an indicator, BTB, they are able to detect the...