Central Valley Grade 5 STEAM: Car Design
On October 5, Central Valley’s 5th grade STEAM students were challenged to design, build and modify wooden chassis for speed and distance.
Before the project began, students first:
- Reviewed the engineering design process*
- Explored Friction, Torque, Speed, and Momentum
- Experimented with forces that act on vehicles and passengers
* The engineering design process is a series of steps engineers follow to come up with a solution to a problem. Many times the solution involves designing a product (like a car chassis) that meets certain criteria and/or accomplishes a certain task.
Next up, students will:
- Examine the relationship of Speed and Momentum
- Identify mathematical relationships to project results
Working in research & development teams of three or four people each, students built and then tested their chassis for accuracy and precision. The goal? To have it travel the furthest distance in a straight line.
Students learned about the relationship between speed and distance while engaging in a fun, hands-on activity. That’s how learning happens at Central Valley!