Lesson Plan: Solar Car Obstacle Course Challenge (2016)

Contributors: Mark Bailly, Max Cotton, Michelle Jordan, Alex Killiam, Danny Simonet, Tiffany Rowlands, Brian Tracy   Table of Contents: Welcome Day of Competition Expectations Vehicle Specifications Mandatory Materials Overview of Obstacle Course Challenges Challenge #1 Sprint Challenge Sprint Track Specifications Challenge #2 – Alignment Challenge Track Specifications Challenge #3 – Impact Challenge Track Specifications Engineering […]

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Lesson Plan: Solar Car Challenge (2014)

Prepared by: Christi Mendoza, Chrissy Foster   Table of Contents: Intent and Overview Competition Guidelines Site Preparation Track Specifications Vehicle Specifications Race Format and Rules Awards Judging and Evaluation   Intent and Overview Sustainability is the defining challenge of our time. Unprecedented global growth and consumption have created dramatic impacts for society and our planet. […]

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Lesson Plan: Designing a Solar Amusement Park

Students build amusement parks powered by solar panels.

Suggested Grade(s): 4th-8th grades Prep Time: 15-30 min Lesson length: 90 min Teaching Location(s): outdoor EFI to Group Size Required Ratio: 20:1 Essential Question(s): How can we use the engineering design process to create the greatest amount of renewable electricity possible? Author: Tiffany Rowlands Students are introduced to the world of creative engineering product design. […]

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Lesson Plan: Electron Chairs

Activity for Elementary school and higher. modeling trade-offs between light capture and electron transport on a solar cell using an interactive game.

Subject: Modeling trade-offs between light capture and electron transport on a solar cell using an interactive game Grade Levels: Elementary school and higher Lesson Length: 15 minutes Authors: Brian Tracy, Tiffany Rowlands, Maxwell Cotton Solar cells have a limited amount of space on their surfaces. The silicon wafer must be exposed to sunlight for electron/hole […]

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