Middle School Lessons
Use these lesson plans to engage your middle school students in learning about electric vehicles.
Balloon Car EVs and Electric Circuits Get Your EV Motor Running Take Charge of Charging Energy Audit Electric Motors and Generators Road Trip All Charged Up Mini Grand Prix Harnessing the Wind Road Trip Take Charge of Charging Horse to Horsepower Adventure Through An Electric VehicleScience
45 minutes
From Idaho National Laboratory’s STEM in the Lab program, in this lesson, students will complete a STEM challenge to build a car using a balloon as its energy source.
45 minutes
In this lesson from Electrify America, students will use salt dough to build circuits to light an LED bulb.
60-90 minutes
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.
3 x 45 minute class periods
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.
50 minutes
In this lesson from Energy is Everything, students will explore energy efficiency by learning to read an electric meter, touring their school campus to evaluate energy-efficiency and discuss their findings.
3 x 50 minute class periods
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.
Students will design their own summer road trip including the electric vehicle that they will drive, the distance between charges, charging locations, and overall cost.
Students will explore how a battery works, build their own battery, and then compare and contrast technologies specific to electric vehicle batteries.
Students will build a car using recyclable materials (or RAFT kits), trace the energy transformations happening in the process, and race them!
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.Math
Students will design their own summer road trip including the electric vehicle that they will drive, the distance between charges, charging locations, and overall cost.Humanities
3 - 45 minute class periods
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.
Students will sequence historical modes of transportation in chronological order, determine how they function, and identify efficiencies and challenges.
Students will identify parts of an electric vehicle, determine their various functions through a webquest, and then use these EV parts to write a script for the next cartoon episode… “Field Trip through the Electric Vehicle”
High School Lessons
Use these lesson plans to engage your high school students in learning about electric vehicles.
Mythbusters - EV edition Today I learned about Electric Cars Energy Audit Why Electric Cars are Finally Taking Over Transition to Electric Cars Systems Thinking: Batteries and Electric Cars Vroom vs. Zoom: Analyzing Car Costs Road Trip EV Grand Prix Decoding the Drive: Gas, Hybrid, or Electric Charging Forward: Electrical Vehicle Debates Systems Thinking: Batteries and Electric Cars All Charged Up Today I learned about Electric Cars Mythbusters - EV edition Why Electric Cars are Finally Taking Over Systems Thinking: Batteries and Electric Cars Energy Audit Road Trip EV Grand Prix All Charged Up Decoding the Drive: Gas, Hybrid, or Electric Transition to Electric Cars Vroom vs. Zoom: Analyzing Car Costs Road TripEarth and Environmental Science
45 minutes periods
In this lesson, students will predict and develop understandings of common myths related to electric vehicles through an interactive slide deck. They will create a social media post dispelling one of these myths.
4 x 45 minute class periods
In this educator’s guide created by the TILclimate project through MIT, students will explore EV associated emissions across the US, identify impacts of air pollution from gas vehicles and create an improvement plan for their school site.
50 minutes
In this lesson from Energy is Everything, students will explore energy efficiency by learning to read an electric meter, touring their school campus to evaluate energy-efficiency and discuss their findings.
20 minutes
In this TED-Ed lesson, students will watch a 10 minute video that describes the history of electric cars, followed by 8 comprehension questions, additional “Dig Deeper” resources for students to explore and discuss.
90 minutes
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.
4 x 45 minute class periods
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.
Students will compare costs associated with electric and gas powered vehicles based on driving usage and state and then develop a car buying tool (Choose your own adventure style) using Google Forms.
Students will design their own summer road trip including the electric vehicle that they will drive, the distance between charges, charging locations, and overall cost. Students will then compare their electric vehicle trip costs to the costs of a gas-powered vehicle following the same path.
Students will build a battery-powered car, trace the energy transformations, and then race them!
Students will compare gas-powered, hybrid, and electric vehicles using a choice board and anticipation guide, play a round of jeopardy, and learn how new EV technologies can integrate into older gas-powered cars.
Students will present scientific arguments on various topics related to electric vehicles in the form of debates with the goal of becoming more aware of some of the issues related to the adoption of electric vehicles.Chemistry
4 x 45 minute class periods
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.
Students will explore how a battery works, build their own battery, and then compare and contrast technologies specific to electric vehicle batteries.Physics
4 x 45 minute class periods
In this educator’s guide created by the TILclimate project through MIT, students will explore EV associated emissions across the US, identify impacts of air pollution from gas vehicles and create an improvement plan for their school site.
45 minutes periods
In this lesson, students will predict and develop understandings of common myths related to electric vehicles through an interactive slide deck. They will create a social media post dispelling one of these myths.
20 minutes
In this TED-Ed lesson, students will watch a 10 minute video that describes the history of electric cars, followed by 8 comprehension questions, additional “Dig Deeper” resources for students to explore and discuss.
4 x 45 minute class periods
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.
50 minutes
In this lesson from Energy is Everything, students will explore energy efficiency by learning to read an electric meter, touring their school campus to evaluate energy-efficiency and discuss their findings.
Students will design their own summer road trip including the electric vehicle that they will drive, the distance between charges, charging locations, and overall cost. Students will then compare their electric vehicle trip costs to the costs of a gas-powered vehicle following the same path.
Students will build a battery-powered car, trace the energy transformations, and then race them!
Students will explore how a battery works, build their own battery, and then compare and contrast technologies specific to electric vehicle batteries.
Students will compare gas-powered, hybrid, and electric vehicles using a choice board and anticipation guide, play a round of jeopardy, and learn how new EV technologies can integrate into older gas-powered cars.Math
90 minutes, Algebra 1
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.
Students will compare costs associated with electric and gas powered vehicles based on driving usage and state and then develop a car buying tool (Choose your own adventure style) using Google Forms.
Students will design their own summer road trip including the electric vehicle that they will drive, the distance between charges, charging locations, and overall cost. Students will then compare their electric vehicle trip costs to the costs of a gas-powered vehicle following the same path.
Be the Change Curriculum
Free middle school curriculum on climate change.