The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project
Fun in the Sun
Solar Car
Fun in the Sun - Solar Car Project
An 8th grade STEM lesson
Savita Narang
01-29-23
Notes for teachers
This project will need a minimum of one week for preparing students for this activity and another week for building and testing the solar car. In the first week they will be given articles to read, and some videos will be shown related to solar power. There will be a class discussion related to renewable sources of energy.
In the second week, two class periods will be used for the construction of the model, one period for testing, one period for making modifications, one period for retesting.
Construction of the model will be done inside the classroom. Testing will be done outside on a sidewalk or any other concrete surface.
Students can work in groups of 4-5.
List of Materials
8th Grade Science Standards
8.P4U1.3 Construct an explanation on how energy can be transferred from one energy store to another.
8.P4U2.5 Develop a solution to increase efficiency when transferring energy from one source to another.
8th Grade
ELA Standards
8.RI.7 Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using different mediums (e.g., print or digital text, video, multimedia) to present a particular topic or idea.
8.W.7 Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self‐generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration.
8.W.8 Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
Objectives:
Agenda (Up to two weeks)
Week 1
Read the articles given. Watch the videos shown. Make notes. Have a class discussion.
Week 2
Day 1 and 2 - Gather all the material and construct the model of your car.
Day 3 - Go out in the sun to test your car.
Day 4 - Make modifications and get your final model ready.
Day 5 - Go out in the sun and have fun racing your car.
How Does a Solar Car Work?
A solar car uses one or multiple solar panels to trap the sun’s light. It converts solar energy into electrical energy and turns the motor attached with it. The motor in turn moves the wheels attached to it. That is what makes the car run.
Instructions
In a group of 4-5, use the solar panel and the motor provided to design a solar car that should be able to cover a minimum distance of two meters. Once you are done, write a report giving details of your step by step process of making and testing your car.
Constraints
Number of solar panels to be used
One motor
Minimum distance to cover - two meters
Time for construction - two class periods
Safe materials
Sunny day for testing
We test our model outside in the sun.
We make observations and record data.
We make modifications to increase efficiency.
We retest our model to make sure it meets all the requirements.
We write our step by step report.
How do we assess our work?
Differentiation
The kids who struggle can be put in a group where they get help and support from other students. Different roles can be assigned to different students in the group according to their capabilities or interests. For example, one student can make drawings for the models, another can take measurements of the distance covered and record data. One can give ideas, other one can build the model. If they take different roles in the group, all will feel inclusive.
Remediation
Extension/Enrichment
Distance to be covered can be increased.
Racing competition can be organized.
Speed can be taken into account.
Some obstacles like empty soda can be kept in the way to see if the car can remove obstacles.