My students need 4 batteries, helmet, and wiring materials and new batteries to maintain and continue to improve our electric car. We also need a larger helmet to keep more students safe.
FULLY FUNDED! Mrs. Cooper's classroom raised $573
This project is fully funded
My Students
"The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds the most discoveries, is not 'Eureka!', but 'That's funny...'"-Isaac Asimov. My seniors have chosen to take physics as both a challenge and a hands-on science class. I owe them as many real-world hands-on applications as I can manage
Most of my students are your typical academically focused high school student.
Some of them have never used a wrench, and most of them just want to get "out" of this small town. They have chosen to take physics as a science elective because it looks good on college applications. In recent years, having added the Electric Car to the curriculum, some take it because they just want to "drive the car."
Once they get into the class, they begin to realize what an all encompassing subject it is. If they manage to look past the difficult mathematics, they can see real-world applications that go beyond science education.
In the past four years on a $100/year budget, we have maintained the car in a perpetual state of "this is a short-term fix" as we attempted to get it ready for our April competition. Despite that, my students have successfully placed in at least one category every year.
My Project
By far, the electric vehicle project is the most student-involved and fun learning activity we do in my classroom. Through building and wiring this fully functional electric go-kart, the kids get hand-on knowledge of electrical components, wiring, and even the use of hand and power tools. The wiring components and batteries we are requesting will help students have the necessary equipment to re-wire and solder the car this year and get it back to functioning after four years of wear-and-tear. Students will be learning how to read and follow schematic diagrams, the functions of different pieces of a complex circuit, and how to solder and wire safely to avoid shorts and fires. Once built, there is a state-wide competition. Here the students will not only race the car, but also compete in a trivia competition involving the physics behind the vehicle, and a troubleshooting competition where they compete to see which team can find all the flaws in a set-up in the shortest time.
The initial EV kit was donated by the local Electrical Cooperative 4 years ago.
The wear-and-tear on the vehicle has become more than our $100/year budget can keep up with. The donations received will help us continue this project into the foreseeable future, help fund a truly unique experience for students who rarely get to see academics used outside of the classroom, and a new (larger) helmet will help keep more of them safe as they test drive around school as well as at the competition.
More than three‑quarters of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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