Harnessing the Wind
Students will build a wind turbine using recyclable materials (or RAFT kits) and learn about the role of a generator in transforming the kinetic energy into electrical energy.
Collection
Electric Vehicles
Mini Grand Prix
Students will build a car using recyclable materials (or RAFT kits), trace the energy transformations happening in the process, and race them!
Horse to Horsepower
Students will sequence historical modes of transportation in chronological order, determine how they function, and identify efficiencies and challenges.
Get Your EV Motor Running
In this lesson from Electrify America, students will identify energy transformations by building a simple DC motor and draw connections to motors in electric vehicles.
Take Charge of Charging
In this lesson from Electrify America, students will research charging stations and energy sources and then will develop a position paper identifying the effect of the increased need of electricity in their town to deliver in a debate.
EVs and Electric Circuits
In this lesson from Electrify America, students will use salt dough to build circuits to light an LED bulb.
Transition to Electric Cars
In this SEMI Foundation lesson plan, students will explore the advantages and challenges of transitioning to electric vehicles by comparing emissions, costs, and incentives through collecting data, graphing data, and writing equations.
System Thinking: Batteries and Electric Cars
In this lesson developed by Northwestern’s Reach for the Stars program, students will explore the basics of a battery, measure the voltage of batteries, look at energy transformation and how it fits into the larger system of an electric vehicle.
Electric Motors and Generators
In this lesson by Wisconsin’s KEEP program, students will build an electric motor, identify household items that use electric motors, and reflect on the role that generators play in this system.