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!

Tags: #mwinspiresuccess