My students need the Great American Balloon Car Race Lab and the Box Wheels Kit to engage in the engineering design process where they will design, build, test and revise balloon powered cars.
My students are active participants who prefer to learn by engaging in experimentation and inquiry. I agree with Albert Einstein's philosophy of teaching: "I never teach my pupils; I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn."
My students thrive in conditions where they are given opportunities to ask their own questions, think critically, make mistakes, reflect upon these mistakes, and solve problems.
We are a small town with an enrollment of just over 700 students in our 7-12 school. We have built a strong, supportive community at our school. Even though many of our students come from low income households and face many challenges outside of school, they always impress me with their willingness to engage in all of the classroom experiences.
My Project
My students need the raw materials found in the Great American Balloon Car Race Lab and the Box Wheels kit in order to design, build, test and revise a balloon powered car. Transportation systems are part of the seventh grade Massachusetts Science and Engineering State Standards and these materials will allow my students to investigate transmission, propulsion, and steering by building their own balloon powered cars.
Students need to see a variety of materials before they make final decisions about what to use in their own cars.
While students will bring in recycled materials from home, these materials will give students more choices when engaged in the design process, allowing greater possible design solutions. The goal is to create a balloon powered car that can carry a person and a payload a distance of twenty meters in the shortest amount of time. Students will have the opportunity to test original prototypes, and make changes in order to improve any component of the vehicle: steering, transmission or propulsion. The materials in the kit will also give students more flexibility when redesigning each component.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Teacher DeMaria and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.