2009 New Jersey Curriculum Project
Aligned to the 2009 New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
ST
ENGAGING STUDENTS • FOSTERING ACHIEVEMENT • CULTIVATING 21 CENTURY GLOBAL SKILLS
Unit Overview Template
Content Area: Technology
Unit Title: Solar Racers – Can the Sun Really Move a Car?
Target Course/Grade Level: Technological Literacy
Unit Summary
In this unit, students will harness the power of the sun to design, construct and evaluate a solar-powered
model car of their creation. Students will utilize the design process and undergo review by their peers to
select an optimal gear ratio and components for their car. As a culminating activity, students compete in a
race modeled after the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s solar car competition.
Primary interdisciplinary connections: Science, Math
21st century themes: Environmental Literacy
Unit Rationale
The construction of solar cars requires skills in math, science, technology, and engineering (STEM).
Hands-on design experiences like the solar car unit generate enthusiasm for science, technology,
engineering and math skills at a crucial stage in the development of students. The unit also helps introduce
and reinforce students' understanding of scientific concepts and renewable energy technologies. It also
encourages students to consider careers in the emerging field of green technologies.
Learning Targets
Standards
5.2 Physical Science: All students will understand that physical science principles, including fundamental
ideas about matter, energy, and motion, are powerful conceptual tools for making sense of phenomena in
physical, living, and Earth systems science.
8.2 Technology Education, Engineering, and Design: All students will develop an understanding of the
nature and impact of technology, engineering, technological design, and the designed world, as they relate
to the individual, global society, and the environment.
9.4 Career and Technical Education. All students who complete a career and technical education
program will acquire academic and technical skills for careers in emerging and established professions that
lead to technical skill proficiency, credentials, certificates, licenses, and/or degrees.
Content Statements
• The driving forces of chemical reactions are energy and entropy. Chemical reactions either release
energy to the environment (exothermic) or absorb energy from the environment (endothermic).
• The motion of an object can be described by its position and velocity as functions of time and by its
average speed and average acceleration during intervals of time.
• The design process is a systematic approach to solving problems.
• Technological products and systems are created through the application and appropriate use of
technological resources.
CPI #
Cumulative Progress Indicator (CPI)
Describe the potential commercial applications of exothermic and endothermic reactions.
5.2.12.D.2
Compare the calculated and measured speed, average speed, and acceleration of an object
5.2.12.E.1
in motion, and account for differences that may exist between calculated and measured
Created for New Jersey school districts through a project of the New Jersey Department of Education, Office of Academic Standards,
in partnership with the N.J Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and the N.J. Principals and Supervisors Association.
2009 New Jersey Curriculum Project
Aligned to the 2009 New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
ST
ENGAGING STUDENTS • FOSTERING ACHIEVEMENT • CULTIVATING 21 CENTURY GLOBAL SKILLS
8.2.12.B.1
values.
Design and create a product that maximizes conservation and sustainability of a scarce
resource, using the design process and entrepreneurial skills throughout the design
process.
8.2.12.B.2
Design and create a prototype for solving a global problem, documenting how the
proposed design features affect the feasibility of the prototype through the use of
engineering, drawing, and other technical methods of illustration.
8.2.12.F.1
Determine and use the appropriate application of resources in the design, development,
and creation of a technological product or system.
9.4.12.O.(1).5 Explain relevant physical properties of materials used in engineering and technology.
9.4.12.O.(1).7 Use mathematics, science, and technology concepts and processes to solve problems in
projects involving design and/or production (e.g., medical, agricultural, biotechnological,
energy and power, information and communication, transportation, manufacturing, and
construction).
9.4.12.O.(2).1 Develop an understanding of how science and mathematics function to provide results,
answers, and algorithms for engineering activities to solve problems and issues in the real
world.
Unit Essential Questions
• How is solar energy converted into
electricity?
• What role does the “body” material play
when solar power is the primary power
source?
• Is the sun a practical means to move a
vehicle?
Unit Enduring Understandings
• Energy appears in different forms and can
be transformed within a system. Light
energy is associated with the frequency of
electromagnetic waves. Electrical energy is
associated with an electric current in a
circuit.
• Vehicular design will play a significant role
in performance.
• There are inherent advantages and
disadvantages, cost benefits and tradeoffs to
alternative forms of transportation,
specifically solar power.
Unit Learning Targets
Students will ...
• Develop an understanding of how both science and math allow us solve problems and issues in the real
world through technology.
• Apply the concepts, processes, guiding principles, and theories of math and science to solve
technology and engineering problems.
• Explore the technical, aesthetic, and assembly measures necessary to properly design and develop a
functional vehicle.
o Calculate the gear ratio used in the drive system of their solar powered car.
o Describe the motion of their solar car based upon its position, direction, and speed.
o Explain how the solar car design was optimized based upon gear ratio and materials used.
o Utilize the design process to construct a solar-powered car.
Evidence of Learning
Summative Assessment (5 days)
You and your partners have volunteered to help the United States’ Department of Energy’s National
Created for New Jersey school districts through a project of the New Jersey Department of Education, Office of Academic Standards,
in partnership with the N.J Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and the N.J. Principals and Supervisors Association.
2009 New Jersey Curriculum Project
Aligned to the 2009 New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
ST
ENGAGING STUDENTS • FOSTERING ACHIEVEMENT • CULTIVATING 21 CENTURY GLOBAL SKILLS
Renewable Energy Laboratory. You have been asked to design and develop a vehicle powered by a solar
panel that will move down a 100m track in the shortest period of time, proving that the sun really can
move a car. You are required to run several trials and record your findings: determine the measured speed,
calculate the average speed, and acceleration of the car over the 100m track. After you have completed
your trials, you must prepare for a press conference to explain to your audience how solar energy can be
captured and converted to electrical energy.
Equipment needed: pieces from old toys, VCRs, tape recorders (for shafts, wheels and gears), small solar
panels, soldering iron, utility knives or coping saws, glue guns, needle nose pliers, c- clamps, rulers,
pencils, balsa wood, plywood, or cardstock, wire strippers/cutters, dowels, etc.
Teacher Resources:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory offers related resources:
http://www.nrel.gov/education/jss_hfc.html
Created for New Jersey school districts through a project of the New Jersey Department of Education, Office of Academic Standards,
in partnership with the N.J Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and the N.J. Principals and Supervisors Association.
2009 New Jersey Curriculum Project
Aligned to the 2009 New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
ST
ENGAGING STUDENTS • FOSTERING ACHIEVEMENT • CULTIVATING 21 CENTURY GLOBAL SKILLS
Formative Assessments
• Journal Entries and Reflections



How did current transportation systems
problems occur?
What is the potential long term value of
solar energy in regard to transportation?
What can be done during design to
enhance the working success of solar
power?
• Schematic of Energy Transfer
• Data and Calculations from Trial Runs
•
Lesson Plans
Lesson
Lesson 1
Sunlight to Electrical Energy
Lesson 2
Solar Energy and the Design Process
Lesson 3
Experimentation with Renewable Energy
Principles and Prototypes
Lesson 4
Solar-Powered Car Design Review
Lesson 5
Solar-Powered Car Construction
Teacher Notes:
Timeframe
3 hours/days
2 hours/days
3 hours/days
2 hours/days
4 hours/days
Curriculum Development Resources
Click the links below to access additional resources used to design this unit:
Created for New Jersey school districts through a project of the New Jersey Department of Education, Office of Academic Standards,
in partnership with the N.J Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and the N.J. Principals and Supervisors Association.
2009 New Jersey Curriculum Project
Aligned to the 2009 New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
ST
ENGAGING STUDENTS • FOSTERING ACHIEVEMENT • CULTIVATING 21 CENTURY GLOBAL SKILLS
Lesson Plan 1 Template
Content Area:
Timeframe: X hours/days
Lesson Title:
Lesson Components
21st Century Themes
Global
Awareness
Financial,
Economic,
Business, and
Entrepreneurial
Literacy
Civic
Literacy
Health Literacy
Environmental
Literacy
Collaboration
Communication
21st Century Skills
Creativity and
Innovation
Critical Thinking and Problem
Solving
Interdisciplinary Connections:
Integration of Technology:
Equipment needed:
Goals/Objectives
Students:
•
•
•
•
Learning Activities/Instructional Strategies
Lesson Sequence
1.
2.
3.
Formative Assessment
Tasks
•
•
•
•
Differentiation
Resources Provided
•
•
Created for New Jersey school districts through a project of the New Jersey Department of Education, Office of Academic Standards,
in partnership with the N.J Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and the N.J. Principals and Supervisors Association.
2009 New Jersey Curriculum Project
Aligned to the 2009 New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
ST
ENGAGING STUDENTS • FOSTERING ACHIEVEMENT • CULTIVATING 21 CENTURY GLOBAL SKILLS
Lesson Plan 2 Template
Content Area:
Timeframe: x hours
Lesson Title:
Lesson Components
21st Century Themes
Global
Awareness
Financial, Economic,
Business, and
Entrepreneurial Literacy
Civic
Literacy
Health
Literacy
Environmental
Literacy
21st Century Skills
Creativity and
Innovation
Critical Thinking and
Problem Solving
Communication
Collaboration
Interdisciplinary Connections:
Integration of Technology:
Equipment needed:
Goals/Objectives
Students:
•
•
•
•
Learning Activities/Instructional Strategies
Lesson Sequence
1.
2.
3.
Formative Assessment
Tasks
•
•
•
•
Differentiation
Resources Provided
•
•
Created for New Jersey school districts through a project of the New Jersey Department of Education, Office of Academic Standards,
in partnership with the N.J Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and the N.J. Principals and Supervisors Association.
2009 New Jersey Curriculum Project
Aligned to the 2009 New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
ST
ENGAGING STUDENTS • FOSTERING ACHIEVEMENT • CULTIVATING 21 CENTURY GLOBAL SKILLS
Lesson Plan 3 Template
Content Area:
Timeframe: x hours
Lesson Title:
Lesson Components
21st Century Themes
Global
Awareness
Financial, Economic,
Business, and
Entrepreneurial Literacy
Civic
Literacy
Health
Literacy
Environmental
Literacy
21st Century Skills
Creativity and
Innovation
Critical Thinking and
Problem Solving
Communication
Collaboration
Interdisciplinary Connections:
Integration of Technology:
Equipment needed:
Goals/Objectives
Students:
•
•
•
•
Learning Activities/Instructional Strategies
Lesson Sequence
1.
2.
3.
Formative Assessment
Tasks
•
•
•
•
Differentiation
Resources Provided
•
•
Created for New Jersey school districts through a project of the New Jersey Department of Education, Office of Academic Standards,
in partnership with the N.J Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and the N.J. Principals and Supervisors Association.
2009 New Jersey Curriculum Project
Aligned to the 2009 New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
ST
ENGAGING STUDENTS • FOSTERING ACHIEVEMENT • CULTIVATING 21 CENTURY GLOBAL SKILLS
LESSON REFLECTION
Reflect on the lesson you have developed and rate the degree to which the lesson Strongly,
Moderately or Weakly meets the criteria below.
Lesson Activities:
Strongly Moderately Weakly
Are challenging and require higher order thinking and
problem solving skills
Allow for student choice
Provide scaffolding for acquiring targeted knowledge/skills
Integrate global perspectives
Integrate 21st century skills
Provide opportunities for interdisciplinary connection and
transfer of knowledge and skills
Foster student use of technology as a tool to develop
critical thinking, creativity and innovation skills
Are varied to address different student learning styles and
preferences
Are differentiated based on student needs
Are student-centered with teacher acting as a facilitator and
co-learner during the teaching and learning process
Provide means for students to demonstrate knowledge and
skills and progress in meeting learning goals and objectives
Provide opportunities for student reflection and selfassessment
Provide data to inform and adjust instruction to better meet
the varying needs of learners
Created for New Jersey school districts through a project of the New Jersey Department of Education, Office of Academic Standards,
in partnership with the N.J Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and the N.J. Principals and Supervisors Association.
2009 New Jersey Curriculum Project
Aligned to the 2009 New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards
ST
ENGAGING STUDENTS • FOSTERING ACHIEVEMENT • CULTIVATING 21 CENTURY GLOBAL SKILLS
Curriculum Design Template
Content Area:
Course Title:
Grade Level:
Unit Plan 1
Pacing Guide
Unit Plan 1
Pacing Guide
Unit Plan 3
Pacing Guide
Unit Plan 4
Pacing Guide
Unit Plan 5
Pacing Guide
Unit Plan 6
Pacing Guide
Date Created:
Board Approved on:
Created for New Jersey school districts through a project of the New Jersey Department of Education, Office of Academic Standards,
in partnership with the N.J Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and the N.J. Principals and Supervisors Association.